F1 to trim lap time if new cars prove too quick

Hamilton, Mercedes, Testing — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 2022

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F1 to trim lap time if new cars prove too quick

Cars were only two seconds slower in testing

Ian Parkes

Friday 4 March 2022 09:15

F1's technical bosses have vowed to look into ways to trim lap time if this year's new cars start to prove too quick.

When F1 unveiled its prototype model of a 2022 car at Silverstone last July designed to the new set of aerodynamic regulations, the initial estimate was lap times would be around four seconds slower.

At the first pre-season test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya last week, however, it was clear the cars are set to be much faster than originally envisaged.

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Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in his new Mercedes with a lap of one minute 19.138secs, just 2.4s shy of his pole position time in last year's Spanish Grand Prix.

While Hamilton's testing time was set on the softest of Pirelli's compounds, it is fair to suggest his W13 would have been far from in qualifying trim and with relevant engine modes.

F1 managing director motorsports Ross Brawn said: "I must be honest, I don't think we ever made a performance prediction.

"I know we said to target a couple of seconds less than where we are now because that's what the teams will make up when they get hold of the designs. It was really as simple as that.

"That's a lap time which is a reasonable place to be, and it was no more than that.

"Knowing the progress the teams make when there are 10 teams and all their engineers are working at this challenge, then it was going to evolve.

"So I'm not surprised by what's happened, personally I'm not concerned by what's happened."

Brawn, however, has made clear that if the cars become too fast as they continue to evolve, then the situation will need to be addressed.

"Over time, there will be a trimming of lap time to keep it within a certain region," added Brawn,

"You've got to be careful the cars aren't too fast because the safety standards at the circuits would need to be modified, and we don't want the circuits having to change all the time.

"So we will keep it within a margin, a boundary, and hopefully that's where we'll be and we'll see what the development rate is and decide if that will need adjusting in the future."