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

Premium
Now just get rid of DRS and make the cars smaller again and we're good to go.

Cars definitely look much better than 2021, I hope the new rules have some effect on closer and better racing.
 
Fully agree.
The only one who was exciting to follow was Kevin Magnussen - hehe both in post race interviews and on track.
And in discussions with his team boss :roflmao:
After he left everything is so fu* political corect and boring :sleep:
Because he used to crash a lot and then blame the other guy?
 
Kevin was just a dirty driver....sorry.
He and Webber had a tendency to take other drivers right to the wall in an attempt to keep them behind.
As a long-time follower of this sport, it always caused me a certain amount of anxiety when guys were coming up behind either of those two for wheel-to-wheel racing.
You knew it was going to go bad at some point if they were still on the grid.
I don't mind guys racing hard. I do mind them racing dangerously.
The new cars should be interesting, since they're all so different.
I'll be curious to see who has gotten it right aerodynamically after the first race.
 
I guess I should clarify a little...."dirty" during hard defending.
He was okay otherwise:p
 
Premium
How many times since the Schumacher/Ferrari era have we heard about a 'complete revamp' and 'more competitiveness'? Every 3 seasons?

Bizarre looking cars tell the story of bizarre regulation.

We finally had one of most exciting seasons and now they redesign everything again
 
For me F1 today is like

1. Start
2. First corner
3. Pit Stop
4. Turn off the TV

I actually find watching paint dry far more exiting !
 
Premium
There have been F1 3 eras in my lifetime
  1. deadly dangerous
  2. dangerous
  3. surprisingly safe and reliable
In every era, politics and selective rule enforcements been been typical of F1,
but only relatively more appalling since death and maiming became unusual.
What I see (on television) is only what Sky Sports cares to broadcast,
which IMO is less interesting than was e.g. Speedvision in its day.
I am trying F1 TV Pro this year; that promises to be more exciting...
... nevermind, F1 TV Pro employs the same Sky Sports yackity hacks.

[edit after Bahrain day 1]
Lots of inside front locking when braking for turns;
someone should remind them about z-bars..
 
Last edited:
Didn't Ferrari get the last GP of a season cancelled so their man wouldn't have to risk losing the Championship?
Seems a bit more extreme than just rushing a yellow flag call.
 
i am certainly looking forward to it, but that interest could fall apart after the first few race weekends depending on how competitive it is.
 
Premium
Just for context, I used to work in F1 in the 80s. I pretty much agree with Jeremy Clarkson's rant about F1 in 2018 and didn't think it could possibly get worse until 2021, which marked the lowest point in motosport since Indianapolis GP in 2005.
There are many great racing series worldwide and actual racing worth watching. I doubt anything will change in F1 2022. At this point, the series is more about entertainment than sport, so the leverage with Netflix was logical. F1 is now interesting, it used to be exciting.
True story, there was a time when people really did not care about driver's personal lives and team politics and really only focused on the sublties of racing like watching an attempt at drafting and out-braking to pass, cheering if it was successful or not.
For younger fans, if you don't know great, I'm sure this seems great.
 
Premium
Formula 1 has fallen far from the pinnacle of motorsport it wants to call itself.

The regulations still allow DRS which just ruins the racing for me.
The new aero designs were supposed to encourage close racing in dirty air, but they retained the fake racing for TV gimmicks like pit stops and DRS. I can't call indefensible or pit-passing racing.
 
So much negative vibes here in the comments. "Everything was better back in the days blabla...". I'm hyped for the new season, hope for more teams fighting for the title.
 
The new aero designs were supposed to encourage close racing in dirty air, but they retained the fake racing for TV gimmicks like pit stops and DRS. I can't call indefensible or pit-passing racing.
Soooo....none of Schumacher's 7 tire managed championships count?
 

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