The previous generation of Formula 1 cars were mothballed after the 2021 season finale. A completely new era in the premier class begins in 2022. While the fans and many drivers are eagerly anticipating this new era, Carlos Sainz also mourns the retired vehicles a little.
“A little bit, because they are so incredibly fast,” he explains when asked and adds: “These cars will definitely stay in my memory because it was so much fun driving them and pushing them to the limit.” It is clear that the new cars – at least at the beginning – will be a little slower.
“There will be corners in which the car [2022] can keep up with this generation. But most of them will be slower, “predicts Sainz. However, various Formula 1 experts are now assuming that the new cars will at least be significantly faster than originally assumed.
Nevertheless, Sainz does not believe that the 2022 racing cars can keep up with their predecessors because they are heavier and the tires are different. “Even with the trimmed underbody and everything else, we still drove crazy lap times,” said Sainz, referring to the 2021 cars.
These had already been curbed by some rule changes before the season. “Imagine if you left the underbody and everything like 2018. We have cut downforce more and more since 2018, but the cars have still gotten faster and faster,” explains Sainz.
By the way: Although he mourns the racing cars of the past, that “doesn’t necessarily” mean that the 2022 cars are less fun. “They might even be more fun,” explains Sainz. Ex-team-mate Lando Norris had previously stated that the new cars – at least in the simulator – are “not so nice to drive”.
How the new cars really are in reality will be shown by the winter tests that begin in February when the new cars hit the track for the first time.
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