Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have shared the five victories of the 2022 Formula 1 season, and these duels have begun to reveal, for the first time, the solutions sought by the new regulations of the category.
Both the teams and the FIA continue to search for improvements, but it feels like the loss of speed for fan entertainment is worth it. The aim was to make it easier for cars to follow each other and reduce the effect of dirty air, something that seems to have been achieved.
If this greater entertainment has been achieved, it is something that each one must decide on their own, depending on what they value more. What is certain is that the new rules have led to slightly different battles at the top, but also in an increasingly crowded middle zone.
This observation is shared by teams and drivers, but also by Pirelli, whose tires we will talk about later. Also, changes in race direction seem to have altered his approach, according to suggestions from Ferrari and Red Bull.
Formula 1 depends less on the first lap in 2022
Under the old regulations, pole position was key, or at least a place on the front row of the grid. Hitting the table in the early stages of the race became almost a motto that the teams carried by flag.
The time of the route was very clear: get more than a second advantage in the first two laps to prevent the rival from entering the DRS zone, control the race until the first stop and try to open a bigger gap just before changing tires to be able to do an undercut .
If this strategy worked, ‘control’ was still the key word after mounting new wheels. Keeping those compounds alive and the second-place driver out of the DRS zone used to be enough, except in the titanic battle of 2021.
Dirty air and its effects, key in the lack of overtaking in Formula 1
This pattern was reinforced by dirty air and its effects when the drivers were within two seconds of the car in front. The current F1 champion, Max Verstappen , spoke about this last year: “With these cars it is very difficult to follow the other, that is a disadvantage of these rules.”
According to the Dutchman, the sprint races had no value precisely because of this problem: “The first few laps are fun to watch, like in a normal race, but after that it was very difficult to continue.”
The car that was trying to overtake needed to have a big speed difference, and it had to be done quickly, as the Pirelli tires were suffering from the effects of dirty air.
In the 2022 season, this is different due to various reasons. The main one is that this dirty air effect is enhanced by ground effect and aerodynamic restrictions, which makes following an opponent for a long period of time possible.
“You still lose downforce, but at least the car is predictable now. You don’t have those weird moments with a lot of oversteer or understeer anymore when you’re close to someone,” Verstappen said, in contrast to his opinion last year.
What does this translate to? It means that the first lap and the undercut are less decisive than before, and that there is also something to aim for at other points in the race than the opening stages.
Imola and Miami, the perfect example of the changes with the new F1 regulations in 2022
The sprint race at Imola and the Miami Grand Prix put these ideas into practice. In both tests, Verstappen was able to follow Leclerc closely and overtook him without needing a big difference in speed (although not at the top).
Imola Saturday is the best example of what has changed. Leclerc came out better, controlled the start of the race and, under the old regulations, would have put Verstappen out of action, while the Dutchman would have destroyed his tires trying to chase down the Ferrari.
However, this course was not like that and it was necessary to find an appropriate balance that can lead to changes in performance. In Australia, it was Red Bull who screwed up, while Ferrari had more problems at Imola. Leclerc suffered more graining , leading Verstappen to throw his cards on the table towards the end of the race.
With the previous regulations, Leclerc could have come out of the situation with flying colours, despite the poor condition of his tyres, as Verstappen would have suffered something similar by being in the dirty air zone caused by the Ferrari.
Tire degradation has changed in Formula 1 in 2022
This is exactly the conclusion that tire supplier Pirelli has come to. “In the past, the rear end was slipping a lot more because of the way downforce was generated. Because of that, the rear tire degradation was a lot more.”
“With the new regulations, we no longer see this negative effect, or at least it is much less noticeable. Now you can follow the car in front without causing more tire wear,” Mario Isola explained. “This was very visible at Imola and Miami. There wasn’t much of a speed difference between Leclerc and Verstappen, and they alternated marking the purple sectors, so the gap wouldn’t be big enough to overtake.”
This has now been achieved, aided by DRS and Red Bull’s higher top speed . However, the fact that these factors may come to light under this new regulation is essentially good news. With the previous rules, these aspects were partially hidden by other elements, such as dirty air.
The new regulations have also changed the attitude of Formula 1 drivers
The positive effect has also been felt in the mentality of the teams and the drivers, not only in their performances on the track, but also behind the scenes. The ambition to overtake has increased, not only at the front, but also in the midfield.
In previous years, overtaking was a big risk that sometimes wasn’t worth shredding the tyres, especially if there wasn’t a huge reward for it. This year has changed for two big reasons.
For one thing, tires don’t get destroyed as quickly when you’re in a fight. But, on the other hand, the undercut is no longer an accurate option. The lower temperature of the tire warmers has made the lap out of the pits more difficult to do and to calculate.
Regulatory changes, keys to taking F1 towards a greater spectacle
The general picture is that many of the things that have been implemented are quite correct. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but the contours of the new technical philosophy are visible.
Dirty air is no longer another enemy to beat in 2022, so a good balance and the different characteristics of the cars mean that Red Bull and Ferrari come out on top.
The latter is also a major liability relief to all of the above: a rulebook stands or falls with a thrilling title battle between, ideally, multiple teams.
As a result, last year may have been the best F1 season ever, despite tough regulations, and with these new rules we desperately need a multi-team battle. Thankfully, Red Bull and Ferrari are delivering without issue so far, and it just remains to be seen if Mercedes will be able to join them in making the party complete.
