Analysis: How F1’s midfield leaders tackled the new rules in their 2022 designs

F1 technology

Posted on

| Written by

Last year McLaren slipped from third in the constructors championship to fourth place. Behind them Alpine edged AlphaTauri in a close fight for fifth.

Formula 1’s new technical regulations for 2022 offer these three differently-powered teams the opportunity to leap from the front of the midfield to challenge for victory. Each has have taken a noticeably different approach to the rules.

AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri shares some common features with its bigger brother, the RB18. The sidepods on the AT03 are similar in overall shape, combining the undercut and downwash concepts. However, unlike the Red Bull, the AlphaTauri has a pronounced horizontal splitter in the airbox (1).

Given that the power unit is common between the two cars and the relative shape and size of the sidepods are similar, this may be an aero improvement AlphaTauri found that suits their shape of air intake. The upper portion is likely to feed their radiators mounted inside their engine cover and the lower portion for the Honda power unit.

Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

The rear suspension is identical to the RB18, but AlphaTauri has opted for a different front suspension geometry than the Red Bull. The front is in a push-rod configuration but carries some similarities with the RB18 as the upper control arm mounting points are vertically offset, providing anti-dive.

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

At the front of the car, the biggest differences to the Red Bull can be seen. The nose is attached to all the front wing elements and extends below the mainplane (2, above). It looks as if they have raised the centre portion of the front wing above the nose to make room for clean airflow into the underfloor.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Alpine

Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

Alpine’s latest contender, the A522, was revealed two days before the test. While there are some interesting features on the outside of the car, perhaps the biggest change lies inside the power unit. Renault has finally moved to a split-turbo design, leaving Ferrari as the only power unit manufacturer without this feature.

The split-turbo design was pioneered by Mercedes HPP in the Hybrid V6 turbo era and is a layout where the compressor and turbine of the turbo are ‘split’ across the front and rear of the engine. This allows the MGU-H to be packaged inside the vee of the V6 and allows for a shorter intake and simplified exhaust. Furthermore, separating the turbine from the compressor means that the heat from the exhaust would not bleed into the compressor as much, thus reducing intake temperatures and the need for a large intercooler. While there are many benefits, engineering this design has significant challenges as the shaft connecting the compressor and turbine is much longer and at speeds over 100,000rpm, the slightest offset or vibration can have huge implications.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

Compared to the mammoth engine cover Alpine had last year (below), the one on the A522 is considerably smaller reflecting the much tighter packaged power unit. However, Alpine retains a large air intake. The sidepods on the A522 are similar to the Williams FW44 in concept and prioritises creating downwash to provide airflow over the top of the diffusers to improve efficiency.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Circuit de Catalunya, 2021
Fernando Alonso, Alpine, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

McLaren’s MCL-36 is stunning to look at and was the first car to launch with a pull-rod set up at the front. This was the focal point of the coverage surrounding the launch of the MCL36. Technical director James Key remarked: “If we are the only car that’s done that, we’ve either got it really, really right or…”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

It perhaps puts McLaren minds at ease when Red Bull followed suit with a pull-rod design at the front of the car as well. At launch, Key commented that this decision was “about aerodynamics at the front, it’s the only thing you’ve got to play with between the entrance of the floor and the front wing, and depending on how you treat the front wing and where the entry to the floor needs its load condition will kind of set out what you think the best front suspension geometry is.”

Lando Norris, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

The MCL36 sidepods follow a more traditional shape but feature a high mounted intake to create an undercut to guide flow around the sidepods. This undercut ends relatively early along the sidepod and the sidepod meets the bodywork fairly early on to create the traditional ‘coke bottle’ profile.

While this tightening of the sidepod into the bodywork is similar to the W13, the relatively large volume enclosed by the sidepod and the flare out at the rear of the engine cover for larger cooling outlets suggests that the cooling layout is significantly different between the two Mercedes powered cars. Perhaps McLaren was unable to find as efficient of a cooling solution as the Mercedes.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2022

F1 technology

Browse all F1 technology articles

Author information

Alto Ono
Alto is a motorsport journalist and graduated from Cranfield University with a MS in Advanced Motorsport Mechatronics. He has previously covered a range of...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

10 comments on “Analysis: How F1’s midfield leaders tackled the new rules in their 2022 designs”

  1. I am surprised why Ferrari isn’t being considered in the category if ‘midfield leaders’ :)

    1. @sumedh Perhaps people feel making a leap is more realistic for them, IDK.

  2. What i strange find is why do they think the topteams will miss the boat? It was already planned to drive with this cars in 2021 so development was in 2019-2020 when there were no bugdetcaps? So they already were finished in 2019? and the last 2 years was just for the addiction of the 2021 rules?

    1. @macleod 2020 was mostly a hiatus year for new car concept work. People seem to have forgotten this.
      Initial work from late-2019 until March 2020, when the COVID-induced hiatus kicked in, followed by recommencing on 1.1.2021.

  3. The upper wishbone on RBR and Alpha Tauri is not anti-dive, it’s pro-dive

    1. No, it’s very much anti-dive, and works because of the outboard brakes. When the calipers grip the disc, the rotational force will be transmitted into the upright, twisting it so that the top mount wants to move forwards. Because the top wishbone is mounted at an angle, if you push the outer end of it forwards it will also move downwards. That downwards movement of the wishbone would raise the ride-height, counteracting the dive caused by dynamic shift of weight distribution during deceleration.
      If the lower wishbone is tilted rearwards though, that has the opposite effect and does generate more dive. I noticed the RedBull have this, most likely for aligning the airflow to the underfloor, so they naturally need a lot of anti-dive on the top wishbone to balance it out.

  4. Forgot Ferrari?

  5. Why havent Pepsi stepped in, sponsored F1, and changed it to Pepsi bottle rather than coke bottle? Feels like a missed opportunity.

  6. Really dislike AT’s nose, ruins the looks, they’ve kept the wide nose with a stub. McLaren looks as impressive as rb and merc on the other side Alpine looks like a year old car.

  7. Watched a very interesting video from The Race re: McLaren having very energised vortices sealing the floor, helping them avoid porpoising (v=LsDo_mKV0NQ).

    Would be very interested to see another take on that, especially with the next test and all the teams trying to improve that aspect of their cars.

Comments are closed.