As part of this redesign, F1 adopted a wider wheel rim design, having flirted with the idea several times before. The move to 18-inch wheels means Pirelli has also had to adapt its offering and will produce a tire with a much shorter sidewall. This is where teams and riders may have to adapt the most when considering how the new tires behave versus the outgoing rubber.
First, the driver’s view will be more impaired than before. Not only the rims have been increased in diameter, but also the entire package. With the Pirelli tires fitted they are 60mm longer than the previous generation, which will make seeing over them a bit more difficult. Drivers’ view will be further impeded by the wheel wake deflector that will be mounted above.
Aerodynamicists will also be challenged by the changes, as the low profile tire will behave differently from the outgoing rubber – with the dynamic behavior of the tire creating inconsistencies.
A number of aerodynamic tricks have been used in F1’s recent past to mitigate the effect known as ‘tire squirt’. But, with many of these design features removed or heavily constrained, teams will need to find new ways to handle the resulting change in tire stiffness and sidewall height.
Pirelli has long been at the mercy of F1 in order to increase entertainment, with thermal breakdown identified as a way to create strategic differences between teams and drivers. However, as part of the redesign, riders had requested that their need to manage tire life be reduced, allowing them to race more freely.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Driving well below the car’s true potential has become a common theme to prevent the tire from overheating and leading to unscheduled pit stops. Drivers had to stick to a lap time which meant it was faster to be on older tires than wasting time in the pits stopping for new tyres. When the time wasted for having to clear traffic was factored in, the tortoise-style strategy became more appealing than being the flat hare.
Pirelli’s approach to new tire design and the impact of the car’s redesign, however, could alter this strategic perception. The stiffer and shorter sidewall tires will feature new construction in an effort to address some of the temperature issues teams have experienced on the shoulder of the tire, which should result in less handling.
Performance Hunt
Teams worked hard over the previous era to mitigate some of these issues and found pockets of performance from many sources, including tire coverage strategy, rim design, brake ducts and the suspension setup. All face a significant design reset in 2022, not to mention that the car’s aerodynamic balance will also vary, given the move to a more biased design under the floor.
Firstly, while current regulations suggest tire blankets will eventually be banned from 2024, the main change for 2022 is that the maximum blanket temperature is expected to be reduced from 100 to 70 degrees centigrade. This could impact how drivers approach their exit from pit lane or at the start of a race, as they may need to warm up the tires rather than immediately managing their temperature.
However, the way the tires are worked can also differ. Many teams had raised suspension components and used more extreme push rod solutions on the upright in recent years to help with various aerodynamic efforts, these – along with the hydraulic solutions that helped with compliance – have been removed. Instead, the teams will revert to classic spring suspension arrangements which obviously affect the handling of the car and provide the driver with different feedback and feel.
Meanwhile, the move to BBS as sole supplier of F1 rims means that any benefits that had been gained in terms of controlling heat transfer between rim and tire will also be eroded. The likes of the large cooling fins seen on the Mercedes in recent years are no longer possible.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
It should also be borne in mind that the size of the brake discs is also different in 2022, with the standard diameter of 278 mm for the front and rear discs used since 2017 being replaced by new sizes. At the front, teams can select a disc size between 325 and 330 mm, while at the rear the disc diameter allowed will be between 275 and 280 mm.
These changes have ramifications for disc designs and their proximity to larger wheel rims, with additional design considerations that also carry over to brake duct design. This could be seen as an avenue where teams might be able to find small gains on their rivals. But while the ability to create the complex designs they used in the past has been greatly reduced, the transfer of heat generated during braking could still prove critical in managing tire temperatures.
As seen on McLaren’s design for its mule car used in the Abu Dhabi rookie test last month, it is possible to increase the brake drum to match the size of the wheel arch, as he would have done before. However, teams might also find there are benefits to having a slightly smaller drum and an enlarged gap between it and the rim.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
