Nose and sides of 2022 car a lot stronger than predecessor

Formula 1 and motorsport as a whole is always working to make the sport safer. This will be no different in 2022, as the sides of next season's Formula 1 cars in particular will be a lot stronger.

The FIA is always looking for ways to make Formula 1 safer. The cars that will be raced in 2022 are some 43 kilograms heavier than their predecessors and this is mainly to do with safety. Starting this season, drivers are much better protected in the event of a T-bone accident.

Drivers are better protected

Nicholas Tombazis, technical director of the FIA, let it be known in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport that the FIA investigated whether the side of the hit car should be reinforced or whether the nose of the other vehicle should absorb more. In the end, it became a bit of both: the side of the hit car is a lot stiffer and the nose will absorb more.

"A good balance of both is needed. This is achieved by thicker chassis walls and by better protecting these structures," says Tombazis. The new cars will be about twice as strong on the sides as their predecessors. Because the cars will be stronger and heavier in 2022, they will have to pass a heavier load test.

Problem with the nose

The only problem the FIA ran into was the nose of the car. It has to be strong enough so that it can absorb a blow, but when the nose is too strong, it can also break off easily. The solution was a nose that absorbs the energy gradually.