Formula 1 will introduce new technical regulations for the upcoming 2022 season, and that may cause many changes to the natural order of the grid. The main objective is to make the teams more competitive and allow the drivers to fight wheel to wheel, thanks to the reduction in downforce, which will cause the cars to expel less dirty air.
Estimates indicate that the next generation of F1 cars will be about two seconds slower compared to those of 2021. Some drivers have already tested the cars in the simulator and have had their first taste of what they will find this year, although there will still be to wait until the pre-season tests at the end of February to find out.
Nico Hulkenberg , who was on hand as a regular driver in 2019 with Renault and made three appearances for Racing Point in 2020 substituting for drivers who have tested positive for COVID-19, worked with Aston Martin as a reserve and development driver.
On his LinkedIn profile, the German shared the first conclusions he drew about the 2022 car, saying that it was not much slower or different from driving in the simulator, as well as that he was not sure if F1 would solve the problem of the dirty air.
“The aim was (to make the cars) a bit slower, a bit more difficult to drive so that the drivers are a differentiating factor, rather than the performance being dictated by the car and the aerodynamics,” Hulkenberg said.
“From my initial experience, the new cars are quite fast, and they are not slower than the previous generation,” commented the German. “The driving hasn’t changed much either, at least in the simulator.”
“It will be very interesting to see if these cars can keep up. In the simulator, cornering speeds are extremely high, so the risk of dirty air remains, and it’s hard for me to imagine following the car in front at those speeds. speeds”.
“In any case, I hope they surprise us in a positive way. Once the pre-season tests start, the drivers and teams will find out how they really behave on track,” added the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner.
Nico Hulkenberg considered that the new rules will mean a “huge learning curve for everything” and, although he said that it was “too early to make any predictions”, he hopes that the leading teams will continue there.
The German revealed in September that his hopes of returning to the Great Circus are over. He tested an Indycar single-seater with McLaren , but ruled out making his debut in the category for personal reasons.
