Under the Catalan winter sun, the roar of the engines marks the return of the great traveling circus of Formula 1. At the end of February, the large flashy installations in the colors of the ten automobile teams involved in the world Montmelo, in the suburbs of Barcelona to carry out, for three days, the first pre-season tests. They continued them at the beginning of March, for three more days, in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, which will host the first Grand Prix of the season, on Sunday March 20.
Two sessions, six days… The twenty drivers for the 2022 season had to be content with rehearsals reduced to the minimum before really embarking on the deep end of the championship. Yet this year, these winter tests were of crucial importance compared to previous seasons. It was, neither more nor less, to drive for the first time, in real conditions, completely new cars and to learn the first lessons.
This year marks, in fact, the establishment of a new framework for F1. After eight years of intense Mercedes domination – barely scratched by the controversial victory of Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) in the 2021 World Drivers’ Championship – the circuit organizers have drawn up new regulations, with the stated objective that this contributes to rebalancing the forces present.
This involves a whole series of measures, the most important of which are the capping of budgets (140 million dollars in 2022, 135 million in 2023 – around 127 million and 123 million euros), or even a new aerodynamic “package”. cars, which should facilitate overtaking by reducing the effect called “dirty air”, destabilizing for the single-seater which follows its predecessor too closely.
Dethrone Mercedes
Will the hierarchy be shaken up? Instead of Mercedes, which is almost alone with eight constructors’ world championship titles in a row and seven out of eight driver’s titles, three or four teams could compete. Ferrari and McLaren are the two most serious candidates to compete with the German giant and its rival Red Bull Racing.
At Montmelo, on February 23, 24 and 25, the paddocks were buzzing with the excellent performance of the new Ferrari. “Everyone says they made a great car”confirmed to World Pierre Gasly, the French driver of Alpha Tauri, Red Bull Racing’s satellite team.
With this Italian team, sixth power on the circuit in 2021 thanks to the performance of Pierre Gasly, caution and legitimate hope mingle. For the Austrian Franz Tost, director of the “Scuderia”, the limitation of budgets will not be a gadget. “It will have a real impact this year, particularly in the second half of the season, but even more so in 2023.he predicted. We will no longer be able to develop as many improvements as in the past and therefore the performance of the different teams will tighten. »
Although Alpha Tauri’s dreams don’t have the same grandeur as those of Ferrari or McLaren, the team is aware of the opportunity. “It’s a challenge to be able to compete with teams that have structures that are different from ours. This regulation is an opportunity to be seized”confides the new sports director Marco Perrone, an employee for fourteen years.
Same feeling with Pierre Gasly’s engineer, the Frenchman Pierre Hamelin: “I hope we can be competitive. For the moment, we have no idea where we are and where the others are. We all have potential to find. »
Excitement in the paddocks
In Barcelona, despite the confidentiality of the tests, forbidden to the public and not televised, the excitement was perceptible, even in the secrecy of the paddocks. “It’s a rush… We try to understand the car, its capabilities and its big question marks”underlined Marco Perrone while the cars chained the laps of the track and we witnessed the incessant ballet of huge used tires (the diameter of the rims increased this year from 13 to 18 inches), evacuated on racks by the mechanics of the different teams.
It must be said that if, usually, there was always ” Changes ” to manage was “in continuity” as Pierre Hamelin reminds us. However, with the new rules, the design of single-seaters could “to go in directions completely opposite to what we knew, without ready-made ideas”.
On the eve of doing his first laps, on February 24, Pierre Gasly – “excited to discover the new car, totally different” – watched closely as his Japanese team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda entered the fray. “I asked him how he felt in the carhe delivers. Tonight, I’m going to debrief with the team. »
The following day, Pierre Gasly had an encouraging day, second best time behind the Monegasque Charles Leclerc on Ferrari – Lewis Hamilton was the fastest after these tests in Barcelona and Max Verstappen during the tests in Bahrain.
At 26, before starting his 5and full season in F1, the Norman puts it into perspective: “Today, it’s not the performance that counts, but more the feeling. It’s way too early to know if we’re happy with the car or not. We are trying to see what will have to be developed to go faster. »
A bad start would be crippling
However, these possible improvements will have to be calculated with a grain of salt. The cost cap no longer allows infinite developments. “We will sit around a table with the financial, technical and sporting directors to decide what improvements we can offer ourselves”confesses Franz Tost.
It will be less easy to correct errors. The experienced Austrian boss thinks it will take “three races” to get “excellent photography” of his car and also know “Where are its competitors?” A bad start may, however, be prohibitive. “If you start the year six tenths behind everyone else, it’s sure going to be complicated”launches Pierre Gasly.
The pilot could, in any case, be satisfied with his first day of driving. “Pierre was consistent and did some very good laps”, analyzed his engineer. Less during his second, on February 25, marked by an exit from the track, where one of the novelties of the regulations played tricks on him.
The maximum temperature of the heating blanket used to warm up the tires has been lowered from 90 to 70°C. With the weather at 16°C, it was complicated to properly heat the “hard” tires that had been chosen. Under the 35°C of Bahrain, the difficulty will be less.
The new regulations have not yet revealed all their secrets. As Marco Perrone admits, “we still have to understand it”. It’s also what makes the season more exciting than ever.