Liberty Media and the FIA unveiled the new 2022 commissioned design for the F1 race car at Silverstone, ahead of the British GP race weekend. 

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The car is a collaboration between FIA chief technical officer Nikola’s Tombazis and Liberty Media and Formula One technical director Ross Brawn, notably and had been in development for over four years.

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Here are five things you need to know about the all-new F1 car:

1) Closer racing, easier overtaking 

“We want to make it more possible for cars to race each and follow each other and to have more exciting battles. We want to have tyres that enable people to fight each other without degrading or only giving a short interval for the person attacking to attack,” Nikolas Tombazis said. 

The model featured a flat nose, wheel aero covers and a large front wing with integrated endplates.

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“They are simpler than the current cars because a lot of the small components have been removed, especially in front of the side-pods, the front wings are simpler. There is a diffuser going right under the car – a venturi channel type manner. There are tunnels under the side-pods from the front to the back,” Tombazis added.

2) Ground aerodynamics returns: 

F1 has reintroduced ground-effect aerodynamics that had been outlawed in the 80s. The car has simplified bargeboards. Venturi tunnels also return to F1. 

3) The rear wings with rotational airflow

The rear wings have been shaped and positioned in a way that creates a rotational airflow. This system will collect the rear wheel wake and roll it into the flow exiting the diffuser – forming an invisible ‘mushroom’-shaped wake. How will this benefit? The current cars direct airflow upwards and send slow outwards, which leaves dirty air for the following car to drive through. However, the rotational system would make the race easier for the car behind.

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4) Sustainable fuel

The 2022 cars will see the bio-component ratio rise to 10% from the current 5.75%. This will be achieved through a move to ethanol-based E10 fuel. 

5) Lessons have been learnt

After Romain Grosjean’s fire incident at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, safety was expected to be at the forefront of the upcoming design. The chassis in this model need to absorb 48% and 15% more energy respectively in the front and rear impact tests. The car is expected to be designed in a way that in the event of a crash, the power unit will separate from the chassis in a safe manner without exposing the fuel tank.