Aston Martin becomes first to launch genuine 2022 F1 car

Aston Martin Racing has become the first Formula 1 team to launch a genuine 2022 car with the unveiling of its AMR22.

Haas used renderings of its car in development while Red Bull launched a show car on Wednesday as teams continue work on their new generation designs, but Aston Martin provided its actual car at its main car headquarters in Gaydon, UK. The AMR22 will run on track for the first time on Friday as part of a shakedown and filming day at Silverstone.

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In stark contrast to the first two launches, there were clear solutions and design choices that could be seen on the new Aston Martin, with the cooling louvers on the top of the sidepods an area that teams are allowed to exploit once again. The sidepods themselves also feature narrow inlets, while there’s a gap between the tip of the nose and the bottom front wing element.

Chief technical officer Andy Green says the huge difference in regulations this year has led to an extremely stressful off-season developing such a new car.

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“The 2022 regulations are like no other that have gone before: a radical change of direction in both concept and application, probably the most significant change of chassis regulations ever implemented, with an incredibly small amount of carry-over from 2021 into 2022,” Green said. "As a direct result of that, the past winter has undoubtedly been the toughest we have ever had. But with new regulations come new challenges and new opportunities.

“No one has all the answers to maximizing the new regulations, so it is all about avoiding development cul-de-sacs, and that was the key message to our design team. It is a huge challenge, but everyone has risen to the task -and we are motivated to solve the many questions that have and continue to arise during the development process. All that while operating under the new cost cap regulations and more restrictive aerodynamic development restrictions.

“The AMR22 we see is our ‘first’ iteration under these new regulations. It will evolve dramatically over the coming months as we run the cars for real and begin to understand the challenges involved. That will, in turn, forge the direction for 2023 and beyond.”