The 2022 Formula 1 season has arrived with a revision of the technical regulations under its arm, which was aimed at improving the show and allowing more wheel-to-wheel battles by reducing the amount of dirty air produced, making it easier for cars to follow each other on the track. .
The pre-season tests had positive results, but it was not until the cars were able to compete that it was possible to check whether the new rules had the desired effect.
Both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia offered moments of neck-and-neck brawling in the fight for victory between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. At the moment, the score is 1-1, but the excitement over a possible new rivalry between two of the brightest young stars is already a fact.
However, both drivers were candid in their assessment after the battles, saying that while the new rules had helped a lot, DRS was still a necessary tool to get close enough.
“As much as following [another car] has improved from last year to this year, and it’s a very positive thing, I still think it’s not enough to get rid of DRS,” Leclerc said after his loss to Verstappen in Jeddah.
“It’s part of it and I actually quite enjoy it. It’s part of every driver’s strategy in terms of defense and overtaking, and it’s part of racing for now.”
We saw this strategy during the battle for victory in Saudi Arabia, when both Leclerc and Verstappen tried not to use DRS in the last corner, knowing how powerful it would be down the straight, heading into Turn 1.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said it would be worth looking into the placement of DRS zones in the future to avoid games of ‘cat and mouse’ but, despite this, he believes it added one more element. emotion to events.
However, the fact that Leclerc and Verstappen were able to get close enough to battle each other in the last two races is a positive. “We’ve seen Charles and Max pass each other about 10 times, something we haven’t seen in previous seasons,” Horner said after the Arabian race. “It was a great race, another fantastic race between the two teams.”
The biggest change for the drivers is the confidence with which they can now drive their cars when closely following the car in front of them, as sudden jerks are no longer occurring when the downforce disappears.
Esteban Ocon likened it to a go-kart race, saying it’s “pretty much the same”, having enjoyed a close battle with Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso in Jeddah before getting into another last lap fight with Lando Norris.
The data also shows a positive upward trend. According to Forix, there were 55 position changes between laps in Bahrain, compared to 40 in the same event last year. The figure also increased in Jeddah, going from 20 to 31 position exchanges between 2021 and 2022.
These figures do not represent the actual number of overtakes, as drivers can change position multiple times in a single lap, nor does it count overtaking on the first lap.
It’s also possible that the more competitive nature of this year’s grid, aided by big strides forward by Haas and Alfa Romeo, has boosted this figure. Still, it’s encouraging.
One of the biggest complaints from drivers with the new cars has to do with their weight, which is almost 800kg. The cars are slower in the slower corners, and they are proving quite hard to drive on the softer tire compounds.
“The hard tire was able to follow more closely,” Verstappen said after his victory in Jeddah. “The other compounds – and this depends on the track – they just fall apart. As soon as you follow [someone] for a few laps, they open up. Also, the weight of the car pushes you over the edge of the tyre.
The main feeling remains that the new F1 rules are working well. Next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix will be a major test of the regulations and will show, along with the revamped Albert Park layout, whether F1’s renewed approach to both the cars and the track design is on the right track. the right direction. One of the challenges that still lies ahead is to see what the more traditional tracks will be like for overtaking.
“In Melbourne we also have a lot of DRS zones so we could have another interesting race,” Alonso said in Jeddah. “But then we have to wait and go back to normal races, Barcelona or Imola or the like, and really see how easy or difficult it is to overtake. I think this is a very specific track.”
The jury may be out yet, but the first signs of F1’s new rules have been very promising. Wheel-to-wheel battles have been exciting, and even the much-hated need for DRS has become an increasingly tactical battle.
The grid is more competitive this year, even if there are two teams that are currently a step ahead of the rest, and as the development war gets underway, it could be getting closer.
“Out of a sample of two, you’d have to say it’s a great sign for the ability to follow closely and run wheel-to-wheel,” Horner said. “It’s been exceptional.”
