F1 2022 Car Launches

Feek · 18 Jan 2022 at 16:42

We're starting to see some dates for the 2022 car launches and I'm really interested to see what happens with the new car designs this year.

Feek · 19 Jan 2022 at 11:39

Red Bull – February 9
Aston Martin – February 10
McLaren – February 11
AlphaTauri – February 14
Williams – February 15
Ferrari – February 17
Mercedes – February 18
Alpine – February 21
Alfa Romeo – February 27

utajoker · 19 Jan 2022 at 21:53

are they car launches or just livery launches these days?

Worthy · 19 Jan 2022 at 21:55

I absolutely cannot wait to see the new cars. I know it’s still a bit of a joke at the moment after the palava at the end of last season, but I still can’t wait.

Greboth · 20 Jan 2022 at 09:29

utajoker said:
are they car launches or just livery launches these days?

I’d imagine a mix of both as most, if not all, will launch with the most basic designed car and only add all their special parts for the pre season tests.

Steeps · 20 Jan 2022 at 11:37

Also with the budget cap I can't imagine they'll be manufacturing too many "fake" parts, I think they'll show the car they're intending to test at Barcelona but they'll keep some of the floor details either hidden or not to spec as that'll be where the benefits will be this year.

Greboth · 20 Jan 2022 at 12:57

That's a good point, I didn't think about the cost cap being a consideration on producing 'fake' parts. It's going to be interesting to see the differences between launch and the first test then.

Dup · 20 Jan 2022 at 13:15

I highly suspect they will unveil liveries using the 2022 demo chassis (there was a photo of a few being flown out somewhere).

Skyboat · 20 Jan 2022 at 15:33

Greboth said:
That's a good point, I didn't think about the cost cap being a consideration on producing 'fake' parts. It's going to be interesting to see the differences between launch and the first test then.

They may just 3D print some plastic pieces for the unveiling. It'll all look the same once it's painted anyway

Yaayuh! · 20 Jan 2022 at 15:37

Skyboat said:
They may just 3D print some plastic pieces for the unveiling. It'll all look the same once it's painted anyway

I suspect a lot of the reveal car is just low cost material for prototype.

Skyboat · 21 Jan 2022 at 19:38

Yep exactly, pennies to produce so won't really eat up the budget.

CaptainRAVE · 21 Jan 2022 at 19:58

All we’ll see are liveries on generic cars. No way will we see the final car until the first race weekend starts.

Dup said:
I highly suspect they will unveil liveries using the 2022 demo chassis (there was a photo of a few being flown out somewhere).

Yup. They’ll just use the prototype.

I hope one or more teams manage to do something radical with the rules.

pilki42 · 24 Jan 2022 at 08:40

Or you may find that 'blank' areas are fitted in place of where some of the more specific aero work would be. I recall something similar being done when the 2021 cars were launched.

Ashish Doshi · 24 Jan 2022 at 11:53

pilki42 said:
Or you may find that 'blank' areas are fitted in place of where some of the more specific aero work would be. I recall something similar being done when the 2021 cars were launched.

yeah exactly. mercedes did this and I remember James Allison being very open that they didn't want to show the new floor at the 2021 reveal

cuke2u · 24 Jan 2022 at 17:44

It's usually the case that the launch cars do not look the same as the test cars which, in turn, also look different at the first race..

this_is_gav · 24 Jan 2022 at 19:27

It might be different this year given they have been working on them for a year and will want aero correlation from CFD and wind tunnel to the track - you'd have to be ultra confident to turn up in Bahrain with a major update for a whole new set of regulations.

The livery launches will be on generic cars though.

Ryan-3 · 25 Jan 2022 at 08:45

I do hope there are a few radical designs at the first race. Aren't Alpine meant to have found something within one of the grey areas to exploit? Or have I not drunk enough coffee..

Ashish Doshi · 25 Jan 2022 at 11:13

Ryan-3 said:
I do hope there are a few radical designs at the first race. Aren't Alpine meant to have found something within one of the grey areas to exploit? Or have I not drunk enough coffee..

There's been a few rumours with different teams. Ferrari making positive noises and Merc seem to be happy but really difficult to know. And it's all relative so won't know until the first test. Would love to see some innovations like the DD.

cuke2u · 25 Jan 2022 at 13:28

this_is_gav said:
It might be different this year given they have been working on them for a year and will want aero correlation from CFD and wind tunnel to the track - you'd have to be ultra confident to turn up in Bahrain with a major update for a whole new set of regulations.

The livery launches will be on generic cars though.

Yeah the new regs may throw a curve ball but then some might still take a risk..

pilki42 · 25 Jan 2022 at 21:52

cuke2u said:
Yeah the new regs may throw a curve ball but then some might still take a risk..

To me this is probably the most exciting thing about the 2022 season. Sure, there'll be plenty of amazing stories to tell about the drivers' individual efforts, but it'll be so incredible to see what each of the individual teams have come up with on their own on a completely new set of regs.

Who knows, we might even see Haas being slightly competitive this year as a result!

F1 2022 Car Launches

I haz 4090!