How Excited Has F1 Testing Left You For The 2022 Season?

Scuderia Alpha Tauri.jpg
One half of pre-season testing is done, the other is set to follow from March 10th to 12th: Formula 1 is back on track, and after a considerable shakeup in the rules, testing for the new season has become even more interesting than usual ahead of the March 20th season opener at Sakhir.

F1 cars have always changed, but a new set of rules always seems to alter the face of the sport considerably. The 2022 cars, originally intended to be introduced for the 2021 season but delayed due to the COVID pandemic, certainly look different than their predecessors: Less bulky, more aggressive lines, ground effect floors and larger rims all make for interesting designs.

Likely the most radical design is the one Ferrari is throwing into the ring: The sidepods of the newest car of the legendary Scuderia turned a lot of heads upon reveal, and coupled with a supposedly big step in the right direction by the engine department, they have seemingly proven very functional so far during the testing sessions at Catalunya.

If the order really is going to be considerably different from the last few years remains to be seen, however - the first race of the season is going to shed light onto this question. With everything that has been changed in the regulations and looks of the cars, how excited are you for the next testing sessions and the season's start? Who are your favorites right now, what do you predict for 2022? Let us know in the comments!

Race a virtual Formula Hybrid yourself on Simracing.GP​

Should you be eager to drive the 2022 cars in a multiplayer racing scenario in Assetto Corsa, our partner site SimRacing-Unlimited might be able to help with that: As part of their Community Night Live event, SRU are going to run the Formula Hybrid X 2022 EVO by Race Sim Studio at Catalunya and Bahrain on Tuesday night, starting at 7.30pm CET. Just head on over to SRU Community Page on Simracing.GP and sign up for both races for your spot on the grid.
About author
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

Comments

I suppose you have to wait a few generations to see if this generation will be looked at fondly.
 
Testing doesn't mean anything, I'm waiting for the first qualifying session, that's when we see what's what and that's when I can voice my opinion.
 
The cars look better. That is all we really know. It was a year or two ago when Fernando was coming back, he drove his Championship winning car and everyone commented how much FASTER the car looked. The lack of the extra girth for the Hybrid power units just made his car seem so much faster. I don't even remember if it was or not. Just the many comments about how it appeared on track.
 
I was excited.. until all tickets were sold out for the AusGP. Sure it's going to be an intriguing start of a new era with a potentially slightly mixed up, but I was really looking forward to going, was looking to go in 2020 but had an eye on Covid, last time i'd been was 2013 and now with over a month until the race and they're not even making more GA tickets is a kick in the teeth and has killed my enthusiasm quite a bit.
 
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It's never going to be wild men in V8s again though is it.
Perhaps modern F1 could be EVs.. but with (almost) no restrictions. There would be so many interesting ideas, new ground-breaking innovation. It could be a really exciting step in the right direction.
 
It's never going to be wild men in V8s again though is it.
Perhaps modern F1 could be EVs.. but with (almost) no restrictions. There would be so many interesting ideas, new ground-breaking innovation. It could be a really exciting step in the right direction.

It hasn't been since the 1970's , when I first started watching. No matter what era you start watching that will be your Golden Era,

And then a few years later I realised it's an engineering championship really and drivers are just the wetware . Many people stop watching at this point but if you push through you'll end up fascinated by the processes involved.

Try to ignore all the driver fetishism , it's only there to grab views .
 
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I didn't really watch much testing other than F1's YouTube highlights but definitely excited about the possibility of a shake-up, and hopefully closer racing and more slidey cars (in the slow bits only, apparently).
 
I was excited.. until all tickets were sold out for the AusGP. Sure it's going to be an intriguing start of a new era with a potentially slightly mixed up, but I was really looking forward to going, was looking to go in 2020 but had an eye on Covid, last time i'd been was 2013 and now with over a month until the race and they're not even making more GA tickets is a kick in the teeth and has killed my enthusiasm quite a bit.
Canadian GP is close to sold out too. The good tickets are all gone, anyway. Like Melbourne, Covid has resulted in the cancellation of the Montreal race in 2020 and 2021, so fans are eager to return to the track.
 
Premium
The drivers are still boring millennials with no charisma
A great example why we get 'OK boomer' as a response for these types of comments. What on earth the drivers' age has to do with this whole topic? I guess you don't expect 30-40 years old guys starting their f1 careers, do you?

As somebody wrote, I'm also cautiously optimistic. I mean, if passing will be easier then we will see more exciting battles, and that's what most of us are looking for. Also, the cars look better imo.
 
Not at all.
Don't think I'll ever watch another F1 race.
Unless the ownership changes and some level of integrity is restored.
If I want to see a made for TV championship scripted and directed for maximum revenue returns
I'll watch NASCAR
 
Premium
This thread is a nice reminder of the only true, eternal F1 rule: whatever the season, it was better before!
Also known as the ‘Top Gear’ syndrome.

‘Oh yeah, this season is crap, getting worse and worse.

But I’ll tune in again next week so I can moan about what happens then too’
 
As a few others have put, the best way I would describe my feelings about the new season is "cautiously optimistic". I'm still very annoyed about the events of the final race of 2021, but I accept the results as they are in the history books and are fairly happy with the changes made this far to avoid a repeat. That's what I think F1 has to deal with: not try and change history (and Merc/Lewis have suggested they don't really want to do that either), but focus on making sure it doesn't happen again. I think the changes announced so far are a step in the right direction in that regard.

So I'm more looking forward to 2022 than looking back at 2021. And in that sense I have no idea what this season will bring yet. Obviously the semi-secret nature of the Barcelona test means everything is still very much up in the air at the moment, but from what we can tell I think Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren all look fairly strong. It will likely be difficult to get a full running order until Q3 in Bahrain though.

Early feedback from the drivers also suggests that the new regulations have been affective in reducing dirty air and making following easier. But again, we're gonna have to wait for the first few races to see how it works in reality. I just hope porpoising doesn't become too much of a concern.

Don't mention the sprint races. Ignore their existence.

So yeah, I'm cautiously looking forward to this season. More curious than excited I would say.
 
For two seasons in a row, I just watch 2 GPs and then nothing more. Let's see if this season F1 will entertain me again like before. Well, I didn't even thought about F1 tests these days, to be honest, given the Ukraine situation... :(
 

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