The total weight of Formula 1 single-seaters has risen this year from 752kg to 795kg, due to the introduction of 18-inch tires and improvements to safety measures, with an extra 3kg addition announced during the Bahrain test -because the series parts were heavier than expected-.
Also, 18-inch wheels are bulkier and have hubcaps, making them more difficult to drive.
Red Bull has traditionally made some of the fastest stops in the pitlane, with the team recording the best eight stops of the 2021 season, including one of 1.88s.
In addition, the Milton Keynes team has won the DHL award for F1’s Fastest Pit Stop for four years in a row, but Horner anticipates that it is “unlikely” that such ultra-fast stops will be emulated this year.
“The pit stops have slowed down a bit,” Horner told F1 TV .
“The wheels are heavier, but also now we have the hubcaps on them.”
“So I doubt we’re going to get any stops under two seconds, but hopefully we can get into the top two, that would be really solid,” he added.
“Luckily Olaf [Janssen] is one of the biggest on the team in terms of height. He’s a big, strong South African boy, because you need a bit of muscle to lift these cars.”
Horner stressed that the size of the 2022 cars also made them difficult for the drivers. “These cars are huge, they are like boats, especially in these low speed corners,” he described.
“They are almost 800kg, they are 50kg heavier than last year, they are bigger and longer. But in high-speed corners they are just as fast, if not a little faster.”
“Low-speed corners are where the big difference is, and there’s actually more time in a low-speed corner than a high-speed one.”
“They have to adapt to learn the characteristics of these cars, the downforce, the new regulations, but it’s amazing how quickly these drivers adapt.
Red Bull introduced a package with aerodynamic modifications on Saturday morning in Bahrain, during the final day of pre-season, and the Austrian house boss said early reactions from Sergio Perez were positive as the Mexican topped the morning session.
“He seems to be happy with the characteristics of the car, and the lap time at this time of day looks reasonable,” said Horner.
“Still, it is very difficult to draw any real conclusions, the only thing we can do is focus on our own programme. We are just working on the feedback from the drivers and getting the data, and it seems to be behaving as we expected.”
Asked about the team’s overall balance during testing, Horner said: “Last year we were quite happy about this time, but then Mercedes showed up to the first race and won it, they were very competitive. This shows that the tests They are just that.”
“There are no points for the six days of testing, the real thing starts in a week. I think, especially with these new regulations, it’s very, very difficult to predict what will happen.”
“There haven’t been a lot of long runs, there haven’t been a lot of race simulations done and we’ve seen some teams having problems with the brakes and other things. Those are all things that with these new cars will be a factor.
As for potential rivals, Horner suggested Ferrari look strong, just as he singled out Williams as a possible surprise.
“One consistent thing is that whenever the Ferrari is on the track it looks competitive, I think the McLaren when it’s racing is too,” he added.
“I think Mercedes hasn’t shown its level yet. The car obviously looks a bit difficult to drive.”
“But there are also some surprises like Williams, who in the long runs seem quite competitive. So it is impossible to predict the state in which each team is in,” he concluded.
