General

'Knowledge and insight will play a big role in 2022'

16 October 2021 at 12:54
  • GPblog.com

There are still six races to go in this Formula One season which means many of the teams are already busy working on the cars for 2022. It's seen as a new beginning, but many of the teams aren't starting from scratch, as McLaren's technical director James Key confirms at The Race.

Next year the new regulations will finally be applied in Formula 1, which will cause some changes in the sport. The teams will already be busy designing new parts, but one thing will not change compared to the other years: the knowledge and insight.

"In terms of components there’s very little carryover and al these internal systems have a certain level of carryover or at least a very close design to what we’ve used in the past. As far as the bits you’ll see, it’s a completely blank sheet of paper so there’s very little physical carryover or really even design carryover. The biggest carryover, which you won’t see at all, is the knowledge that you have of what you believe makes a car go quick," said the Brit.

Using knowledge to apply regulations

So it's not so much about how many parts you can take over, it's about using the knowledge to make a fast car for 2022 that meets the new technical regulations.

"You’re not going to have a very different approach to ’22 in terms of what you are trying to achieve with your car. So the knowledge carries over and you can use that to shape your plan and how you want to design it and what your priorities are."