McLaren backed the F1 engineers to do some “tricks” to nail the new regulations that are coming into effect in 2022.
The sport will undergo a significant overhaul next season thanks to some radically-altered regulations. These modifications are focused on the aerodynamics of the cars, and will allow for closer wheel-to-wheel battles and overtakes.
There will also be an emphasis on the cars’ wings, simplifying them to ensure that turbulent air generation is kept to a minimum. On paper at least, the 2022 cars will race very differently to their predecessor, leaving teams with a lot of work to do before March.
McLaren backed the F1 engineers to do some “tricks” to nail the new regulations, saying that interpreting them well will be key.
As quoted by GP Fans, McLaren technical director James Key said, “I think the sensitivities around elastics certainly have changed.
“It’s well understood that from the regulations that have been discussed of late with how to better manage flexible…I shouldn’t say flexible components but components that can flex and make a difference is probably more accurate.”
Testing times
“Some of the tests are more stringent I think so the rear wing tests, for example, will be a little bit tougher. Some of the things that have happened earlier in the year have carried through into ’22 and I think there is a lot of attention being paid to that,” he explained.
“Front wings similarly, and the front wing in ’22 is a massive thing but it has still got a stringent set of guidelines on stiffnesses. So I think there will always be a few tricks to play but I don’t think there’s going to be something easy to exploit there.
“So there are various new tools to play with in 2022. It will probably become some sort of issue I’m sure, but it’s not something that the teams or the FIA are ignoring.
“It’s a fairly clear area where we need to be careful to regulate correctly,” he concluded.
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