Motorsport News February 17, 2022

No Formula 1 team or driver can be looking to build on a strong previous season as they head into 2022, and that’s refreshing. This year, it is not about ironing out the rough spots of the previous campaign and adding in speed. It is about root-and-branch change. But that seems to have gone unnoticed as the usual pre-season platitudes are all about each team taking a step forward. If you were hoping for real revelations and insight as the first new cars broke cover, you will be disappointed. It isn’t all bad news, however. McLaren and Aston Martin Racing were first to take the wraps off the radically different fresh chassis for the new attack, and both look great. Being aesthetically pleasing isn’t a requirement of any racing car or a…

Lando Norris says consistency with McLaren will help him towards his maiden grand prix victory after signing a contract extension to tie him to the British team until the end of the 2025 season. The 22-year-old joined the Woking team in 2019 and has taken five podiums in his 39-race top-flight career to date. He admitted there had been outline talks with other squads but he decided to commit his future to the Mercedes-powered squad. McLaren took the wraps off its new MCL36 last week. Norris said he hoped the four-year contract would be a boost for the team too. “I do see it as a performance and motivation benefit for the mechanics and engineers and for everyone at McLaren,” said Norris, who finished sixth in the points table last season. “If…

Red Bull’s F1 launch last week was a damp squib as the Milton Keynes team revealed what was effectively a show car with its updated 2022 livery on it. The title-winning team hosted a video and online event to pull the covers off the RB18 but the machine offered little in the way of clues to the actually final version of the car. It will be driven by World champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Team principal Christian Horner admitted: “When we get to the first race, the car is not going to look very much like this. The target is to try and retain the title. The big unknown is: have we missed something with the rules – have another team stolen a march?” The final version of the car is due…

Formula 1 bosses have revealed the start time for each of the 23 grands prix on the 2022 schedule. In a bid to condense the race weekends, free practice one will be held later in the day on Fridays with a second session following on. Saturday’s schedule will predominantly be pushed back by one hour, which means qualifying at most European races will start at 1600hrs. The British Grand Prix, which will take place at Silverstone on July 13, breaks the trend of European races starting at 1300hrs and will commence at 1400hrs instead. No details have emerged about which of the rounds will host the Saturday Sprint qualifying sessions.…

McLaren’s new MCL36 should enable the team to maintain its upward trajectory but should not be viewed as a world-beater just yet, according to boss Zak Brown. The wraps came off the machine last week that will be driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Brown said that work behind the scenes at the British team was putting in the building blocks for success. Brown said: ‘We have the people we need but we are still catching up on some of the technology infrastructure we’re behind on, the windtunnel under construction and things like the simulator. “We have everything here or on order or being built. We still have little way to go so we haver to caution against all things are equal.”…

Aston Martin chief technical officer Andrew Green believes that the new generation of F1 cars will be able to reach the same downforce levels as their predecessors. Speaking at the launch last week of the AMR22, which will be driven by Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, Green said that the development curve of the revamped machines would be intense. He said: “It’s to be expected that we’re going to take a step backwards, but I think the development slope that we’re on, and all teams will be on, means it won’t be long before they supersede the downforce levels that we saw in 2021.” Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel said he was excited about the shake-up in grand prix racing. “This year will be a true test for us, and we will see how…