Five stand-out technical ideas from F1’s 2022 cars

The more restrictive regulations in terms of design freedom prompted fears that the only variation we would see among cars would be with the sidepods.

However, as the F1 season has developed, there has been a fascinating mix of ideas and solutions up and down the grid that are worth focusing on

Here we take a look at some of the key areas where teams have allowed their own concepts to flourish with some stand-out designs.

Noses

F1’s new regulations were not only crafted to try to promote closer racing, but also as a means to prevent the car looking ugly.

One such area that’s been afflicted by abhorrent aesthetics during recent regulatory eras has been in the design of the nose, as teams took drastic measures to try and out-think the constraints imposed upon them. 

Attempting to find ways to drive more airflow under the car’s centreline led to some creative interpretations in recent years, with everything from the step nose designs of the 2012 season, to the twin tusk approach taken by Lotus in 2014.

Ferrari F2012 Nose

1/5

In the time that unfolded following the 2009 regulation change, teams had continued to seek ways to raise the nose. In order to limit this, the FIA made changes for 2012 which led to the arrival of the rather unsightly ‘step nose’ solution.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Red Bull RB8 RB8 Nose

2/5

Red Bull also had a step nose solution in 2012 but the RB8 featured a letterbox-like inlet within the step to help capture airflow for driver cooling.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Lotus E22 ‘Twin tusk’ nose

3/5

The nose design seen on the Lotus E22 in 2014 was an extreme example of how a team might reinterpret a regulation designed to prevent a high nose tip. With one of the ‘tusks’ made longer than the other, the team was able to circumvent the proposed location for the tip and create a passage along the centreline for the airflow.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Sauber C31 ‘S’ Duct

4/5

Meanwhile, over at Sauber, the ‘S’ duct was reborn, as the team took airflow from the underside of the nose and channelled it through S-shaped pipework to an aperture on the upper side of the chassis, reducing the aerodynamic impact of the step.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Force India VJM07 nose

5/5

Whilst Lotus had found a way to open up the central portion of the nose, many others had settled on a more aesthetically unpleasant solution, with a long central finger-like extension used to placate the…