Know all the rule changes and new rules list which will be in place for the impending F1 2022 season
The teams have been focusing heavily on brand new vehicles over the last 12 months, and we’ll soon see them in action when pre-season testing begins. But it isn’t the only difference between this season and previous, and there will be plenty more to watch for in 2022.
The present hybrid power units have been in Formula One for eight years, during which time they have seen amazing progress. However, with a new set of power unit standards presently being finalised by the various manufacturers – for a 2026 hybrid engine that would be sustainably fuelled – an agreement was reached to freeze power units as priority from 2022 onwards as focus moves to the future.
F1 2022 All Rule Changes And New Rules Full List Explained
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Frozen power units
This constraint will limit the resources required to pursue progressively minor increases, lowering consumer costs while allowing work on the next generation of power units to begin in earnest.
That’s not to say that any reliability issues will be locked in for the next four seasons, as manufacturers can apply to the FIA for modifications “for the sole purpose of reliability, safety, cost savings, or minimal incidental changes,” and a few smaller components are also exempt from the homogenization restrictions.
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A two-part pre-season test will be reinstated.
Last year’s pre-season was the shortest in F1 history, thanks to mostly frozen technical restrictions, which meant teams only needed three days of testing before the first race, all of which took place in Bahrain.
With such a significant shift in technical rules and brand-new cars to learn, the calendar for 2022 has been quadrupled, with a low-key first test in Barcelona from February 23-25, followed by the Official Pre-Season Test in Bahrain ahead of the first race on March 10-12.
However, with only three days for each driver to get to know their new machinery, everyone on the grid will be hoping for smooth sailing, as any faults may put them behind the eight ball heading into the first round.
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Restrictions on aerodynamic testing are being tightened.
Another new rule that went into effect last season was a sliding scale of aerodynamic testing dependent on a team’s position in the constructors’ championship — a combination of wind tunnel time and CFD.
The limits are determined twice a year, first using the previous season’s finishing places (so Mercedes will have the least amount of time for the first six months of 2022 and Haas would have the most) and then on June 30. This year, the rules are considerably stricter.
The team that finished fifth in the championship in 2021 was given the standard – or 100 percent – amount of aerodynamic testing time permitted by the regulations, and the other teams either got more (if they finished lower in the rankings) or less (if they were lower in the standings) (if they finished higher). On that scale, the team that finished first in the constructors’ championship received 90% of the standard sum, while the team that finished last received 112.5 percent.
From 2022 onwards, the disparities become much more pronounced, with the benchmark team receiving 100% of the allotted time now occupying eighth place. The teams are then divided into five percent intervals, with top place receiving just 70 percent of the aerodynamic testing time, compared to 10th place getting 115%.
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A budget cap that is lower.
One of the requirements of the budget cap in Formula One was the inclusion of a glide path that would make it easier for the larger teams to lower their expenditures to the needed level. As a result, while the original baseline value in 2021 was $145 million, that figure will continue to decline in the ensuing seasons.
This year, the sum has dropped to $140 million, though certain technicalities mean the actual total will be higher. Given the impact of more races on a team’s resources – not just monetarily, but also in terms of components needed – there is a concession that every race above 21 in a season allows for an increase in the number of parts necessary.
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A new weekend schedule
The weekend pattern has been changed for non-Sprint weekends to guarantee practise occurs later on a Friday in order to attempt to limit the length of time teams spend away from home.
The two one-hour practise sessions will continue, but will now be held on Friday afternoons, with teams doing media obligations in the morning. The goal is to eliminate Thursday as a full day at the track for all of the teams and drivers, and to reduce what was formerly a four-day race weekend with three days of track activity to a three-day race weekend with racing on all three days.
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Rookies must go on mandatory practise trips.
With stringent constraints on testing in between the race calendar, one of the major obstacles for young drivers in recent years has been a dearth of opportunities to drive F1 vehicles in order to try to establish themselves worthy of a place.
While teams had the option of running alternative drivers during Friday practise sessions if they so desired, the bigger teams rarely did so because they were focused on race preparations.
To boost the prospects of rookies, it is now obligatory for a team to provide them at least two opportunities in FP1. This implies that each team must utilise a driver who has competed in no more than two Grands Prix, and they can use the same driver twice or two different drivers for one session each.
The teams decide when to utilise their obligatory sessions, so keep a look out for changes leading up to each race weekend, since the several rookie trips are likely to be spaced out over the year.
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Requirements for new tyres
The tyre size has increased from 13 inches to 18 inches as part of the new technical restrictions, but there are also new laws surrounding their use.
The first modification is a rule regarding tyre blankets, which teams use to keep their tyres warm while in the garage. Previously, the front tyres could be heated to 100 degrees Celsius, but that will reduce to 70 degrees Celsius from 2022 onwards, while the rears could be heated to 80 degrees Celsius, but that will also drop to 70 degrees Celsius.
The result is a cooler tyre while leaving the pits, as well as a fresh approach to Pirelli’s tyre compounds and a different strategy from drivers on their out-laps. Less heating means a lesser carbon impact, which is part of F1’s continuous sustainability initiative.
Because the narrower sidewall on the 18-inch tyre makes it more resilient, running tyre pressures are likely to be lower, giving teams a whole new set of constraints to contend with — on top of the physical changes in the tyres themselves.
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