Haas homologates chassis as Merc fires up for ’22

Haas has homologated its 2022 chassis ahead of the new Formula 1 regulations, while Mercedes became the first team to fire up its new car.

The American-owned team announced that the VF-22 was homologated on Thursday, meaning it has passed the mandatory FIA crash tests that will allow it to run the car in pre-season testing.

Just one week after the post-season test in Abu Dhabi ended, Mercedes was also making further progress with its 2022 car as it announced it had fired up the W13 at its factory on Wednesday. While the fire-up doesn’t necessarily mean the chassis itself has been homologated, it involves an updated power unit fitted to the chassis being run for the first time.

https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1474036575331889152?s=20

The 2022 cars will be markedly different from their predecessors, with a major overhaul of the technical regulations reintroducing ground effect and getting aerodynamic performance from underneath the car designed to improve the ability to follow closely and encourage closer racing.

No teams have confirmed launch dates for their new cars yet, although Ferrari this week confirmed the window in which it will present its as-yet-unnamed 2022 offering.

“The car will be presented mid-February, we have not decided yet the date,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said. “16th to 18th will be the dates, something we will finalize in the next weeks.”