Formula 1’s major sporting and technical rules overhaul will happen in 2022, despite rumours they could be delayed once again.
A report in Italian media said F1 bosses were considering pushing the rules revolution back another year to ’23 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which could once again force the sport into a radically different season than it originally set out.
The calendar has already seen major changes, with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix pushed back to November and the Chinese round postponed indefinitely. Bahrain will now open the ’22 season, with Imola lined up as the second round.
The ’22 rules revolution, which will see major technical changes introduced to level the playing field and create closer racing, was originally scheduled to arrive this year, but was delayed because of the pandemic.
That means the ’20 cars will be used again this season, although a small amount of development has been permitted. The report suggested they could be used again next year to lessen the financial burden places on the teams.
However F1 says this isn’t a consideration: “Any suggestion the 2022 regulations will be delayed is wrong and has not been discussed,” a spokesperson said.
“The new regulations are designed to improve competition on track and give our fans closer racing. This combined with the new financial regulations will improve F1 and create a healthier and stronger business model for the whole sport.”
Teams were forced to pause development on the ’22 cars last year, but development has since resumed as of January 1, when the development freeze was lifted and work is therefore well underway on the new era of cars which are expected to be able to race much closer with the re-introduction of ground effect floors.
They will also move to larger 18-inch wheels and simplified wings, with the floor producing the majority of downforce, thus reducing the amount of ‘dirty’ air the cars produce, which makes following one another difficult.
