Barcelona, Feb 22: Formula One will get a glimpse of what the season may look like when its new generation of cars hits the track in a test session in Barcelona on Wednesday.
It will be the first preseason session following one of the biggest regulation changes in the series, and the first time drivers and teams will get a real feel about what to expect in 2022.
F1 implemented major changes to improve racing and try to make the series more competitive, with new aerodynamic and tire requirements that will make the cars look and feel different from previous years. They will sport new rear and front wings, as well as bigger wheels, to allow drivers to race closer together and hopefully increase overtakes.
The older cars used to lose downforce – and their ability to go through turns faster – the closer they got to the cars ahead. The changes were aimed at reducing that loss of downforce and give the trailing drivers more chances of overtaking.
The last time F1 underwent drastic rule changes was in 2014, when the turbo-hybrid era started.
In 2017, F1 had already introduced design changes that made cars wider and faster to try to make the series more exciting, though that didn’t keep Mercedes and Red Bull from dominating.
Both practices on Fridays will take place in the afternoon so media availability can be held in the morning.
It will be the longest F1 season yet with 23 races , with the Miami Grand Prix debuting in May on a street course. (AP)
