New heavyweights are easy on the eye
Subjectively, this new breed of ground-effect Formula 1 racer is a smash hit. For one, design diversity is well and truly back. Paint all the cars white, line them up side-by-side, and Ferrari’s concave sidepods are instantly distinct from the minimalist Mercedes and again from the Red Bull, which has seemingly had its savage inlets milled by a meat cleaver.
What’s more, this is a good-looking grid. The new front wings, which in photos can look ungainly for how high they sit in a bid to channel air to the floor, are far less objectionable out on track. The wheel covers don’t draw attention any more than a conventional alloy – it’s all an indecipherable rotating blur at these speeds.
Objectively, however, the class of 2022 has its foibles. At 795kg, these are the heaviest grand prix cars for nine decades. The jump to 18-inch wheels and more substantial safety structures has meant an increase of 43kg from the previous minimum weight limit alone. There’s no masking that bulk. The cars are
