Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison believes the scale of the change in the overhauled technical regulations for the 2022 Formula 1 season means at east one team is likely to have made a serious error with their new design.
“The rule set is not only enormous – the regulations [documents] are about twice the size of what’s preceded them – but they’re all almost entirely different from what came before them,” Allison explained in a video published by Mercedes.
While F1’s complicated V6 hybrid turbo power units are unchanged, the rules governing the cars’ aerodynamics, suspension and wheels have been drastically revised.
Upper aerodynamic surfaces have been simplified while teams have been given greater freedom to shape the underside of their cars to generate more downforce. F1 has moved from 13-inch to 18-inch wheels and taller tyres, and teams have been forced to use simpler suspension systems.
Teams have also had to design their cars within the constraints…