The new ground effect F1 cars will weigh 795kg excluding fuel. In the latest draft of the 2022 rules, a further three kilograms were added, bringing the total to 43 kilograms more than the previous year’s F1 cars.
A huge amount if we take into account that the original minimum weight was going to be 768 kg and that they later increased it so as not to exploit the costs in the regime dictated by the new budget ceiling. The delta is still very large (about 20 kg dance!) and there is a well-founded suspicion that there may be several single-seaters that are born with a weight greater than the approved regulatory minimum.
The first consideration is that the new cars will be slower than the 2021 ones by about a second and a half just due to the effects of weight gain. Of course, some of that shortfall can probably be made up on other performance fronts that team technicians are working on, but this is the second biggest leap in weight in modern F1, given that in 2014, at the birth of the era Hybrid turbo, compared to cars with naturally aspirated engines, there was a weight increase of 48 kg.
It is a pity that over time the mass has always been growing, taking away the reactivity of the F1, especially when moving. The drivers who have piloted the new single-seaters in the simulator have judged them to be more physically demanding and more difficult at a slow pace, while they were delighted in the fast sections thanks to the downforce produced by the two Venturi tunnels. And, most likely, they will require a different driving style than they were used to.
The 2022 power unit must weigh at least 150 kg
The power unit, to avoid the exasperation of very expensive materials, must weigh at least 150 kg (batteries must weigh between 20 and 25 kg, while the MGU-K cannot go below 7 kg and the MGU-H from the 4 kg).
The braking system, where the carbon discs will be larger and the calipers have been revised too, will have an influence of around 3kg, while the 18-inch BBS wheels will account for 2.5kg each at the front and rear. 3 kg in the rear, plus the tire cover, which will mean 0.5 kg each. That will make a total of about 13kg (between rims and tyres), while the Pirelli tires themselves don’t add more than 1kg.
Detail of the 2022 wheels that McLaren tested
And after this long introduction, we introduce another important element in the analysis of what F1 will be like this year. The FIA has set a wheelbase that must be between 3,400 and 3,600 mm. Let’s not expect cars with a similar wheelbase, because the distance between the wheels will play a very important role among the basic options of the project. Let’s try to understand why…
With the return of the Venturi tunnels that will have the task of generating at least 50% of the load with the car body, while it will be reduced in the front and rear with values that do not exceed 25%, (in 2021 those three zones were more or less balanced by 33%), it will be important to have a long car to generate more downforce from the bottom of the new F1 cars.
Comparison of downforce distribution in 2021-2022
In theory, therefore, the main designers will have oriented themselves towards the 3,600mm wheelbase, that is, the maximum value that would be significantly shorter than, for example, the Mercedes W12 which had 3,726mm, which made it the black arrow was the longest Formula 1.
That value certainly satisfies those who work in the tunnel, but not those who take care of the chassis and the mechanical part of the car. Because if it is true that a longer car is also heavier, it would be necessary to consider whether the extra mass of weight could be compensated with important aerodynamic advantages.
As we know that there is a high risk that some cars will be born without reaching the weight limit, and as we also know that in a circuit like Barcelona-Catalunya, 10 kg suppose something like three tenths in lap time, we suspect that some of the teams will have valued the idea of making a shorter car so as not to pay for that weight deficit in performance.
An F1 2022 de Red Bull imaginado
In fact, if we want to venture to give a prediction, we can think that the teams capable of creating more extreme solutions in each area of the car will be able to take more risks with the maximum wheelbase, while those with more limited resources may not be able to give up the idea of saving weight with a shorter car.
It seems too obvious, therefore, that we will find two different branches in the conception of the F1 2022 with different philosophies. And even those who do not want to take risks, could have focused on a medium wheelbase, giving themselves the opportunity to work during the season with the development, and perhaps changing it after having understood what is the best solution to be more competitive.
The theme of rhythm, therefore, is more important than some observers who downplayed it may have considered. It is not surprising, in fact, that in the face of the absolute lack of data on the cars of the competition, there are several doubts about what others have done, even among the best teams. We’ll have to wait another month to get some answers to our questions…
