Pierre Gasly was the first to sound an alarm that 2022 cars will be too heavy. Charles Leclerc is now also involved in the topic: the Monegasque driver says that the new Formula 1 will require a different driving style in the low-speed corners, after having an idea of it in the Ferrari simulator.
F1 and FIA have been working hard in an effort to launch ground effect cars next year that would allow the cars to stay closer together, preventing them from losing too much downforce in the wake, inhibiting overtaking and the spectacle, but should encourage challenges. wheel to wheel.
In reality, the F1 2022 will weigh about 40 kg more than the current single-seaters: this is an enormity partly dictated by needs related to safety and partly due to the introduction of new features such as 18-inch wheels, lowered tires and brakes. increased. It should therefore come as no surprise that at least at the beginning the new single-seaters will be significantly slower than the 2021 ones (we are talking about at least one and a half seconds per lap at the beginning of development).
The drivers have been working on the simulator on ground-effect cars for some time and, although the evolution of the project has gradually led to improving the behavior of the cars, they are taking measurements for the 2022 single-seaters, in the knowledge that they will discover what they will be called to drive alone. in the filming days that precede the winter tests to be held in Barcelona.
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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Leclerc spoke to Motorsport.com yesterday claiming that the Ferrari 2022 “… is getting better every time I get on the simulator”.
“For now we have positive indications that show that we are working in the right direction, since the feelings are more and more positive every time I go to the simulator. It bodes well, even if we will only discover the actual potential once we try it with everyone” .
Charles, however, also underlined another aspect of the 2022 single-seater …
“They are heavy, much heavier than this year’s cars. The effect is felt above all at low speeds. I think it will force us to change the driving style a bit in slow corners where the effect of weight is felt. while in the high-speed sections, I would say that it shouldn’t change much “.
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