Tombazis confident FIA has ensured all loopholes in rules are watertight in 2022 season

FIA technical director Nikolas Tombazis revealed he was confident the FIA has everything covered for 2022, saying the rules were watertight for the most part.

2022 will see new regulations come into effect. There is a heady buzz as we approach the new season, with every team set to receive a clean slate.

The top teams could either retain their positions or slip down the order, and vice-versa for the teams below. It will be very interesting to see how they interpret the rules, with the possibility of finding loopholes to exploit not distant at all.

However, Tombazis is confident the FIA has everything covered, saying the rules have been made under intense scrutiny.

“There are two or three things that, looking back, we would have done a little differently. But I won’t reveal them,” Tombazis told Motorsport-Total.com.

“In 2009 there were basically much fewer details (in the regulations). But the important things that were learned were then correct.

Drivers study prototype of 2022 F1 car. Silverstone July 2021.
F1 drivers inspect the 2022 car prototype. Source: planetf1.com

“The mistake happened afterwards. The rules offered so much freedom that after a few weeks in the wind tunnel, we had completely negated all the good things that had been thought up.”

Well thought out

“The rules were written in such a way that, if you wanted to, you could build a car that was easy to follow. But that would have been pretty slow,” he continued.

“Or you could build a fast car that just ignored all those things (that were supposed to improve racing).

“We (at the FIA) have tried to learn from that and make rules that are inevitably more restrictive, and where hopefully there won’t be so much deviation.

“I’m sure there will be areas where we will conclude that we may have made a mistake, or where we will have to make some adjustments again.”

Read more: Brawn reveals F1 teams’ reaction to 2022 regulations – “There were moans and groans”

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