Aston Martin have become the first team to present their 2022 Formula 1 car, the AMR22, with Haas and Red Bull choosing to play their cards close to their chest at their season launches. While Haas chose to release studio renders of their 2022 machine, Red Bull opted for what appeared to be the F1 model demonstration vehicle from 2021 repainted in their own livery. However, Aston Martin revealed their actual 2022 race car on Thursday, with Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll on hand for the launch event at the company's headquarters at Gaydon in the UK. Aside from a revised livery, what did Aston Martin reveal on the technical side? RacingNews365.com takes a closer look...
Oval sidepods make way for square ones
Zooming in on the details of the car, the square air inlets on the sidepods catch the eye. From a distance, they appear to be rounded in appearance due to how they have been painted, but the actual inlet is square. This differs from the F1 model presented to fans during last season, which featured oval air inlets.
Bodywork bulges due to Mercedes engine
Above the cockpit, Aston Martin have opted for a familiar design of the air intake. With the engine regulations largely unchanged, as well as the placement of the air intake, the team have gone for their tried-and-tested approach of using three air channels leading down to the power unit. With the engine architecture also remaining largely the same, the AMR22 features bulges on the side of the bodywork to make room for the Mercedes power unit.
Aston Martin hide their diffuser
Moving to the rear of the car and peeking under the rear wing, it is clear that Aston Martin have done their best to disguise their rear diffuser design. For 2022, the diffuser becomes even more important for generating downforce due to the switch to a ground effect philosophy. As a consequence, it is not surprising that Aston Martin have attempted to hide the solutions they have come up with for this area of the car. For now, the diffuser design remains hidden from public view.
A mysterious missing component?
As reported earlier, Aston Martin appear to have made a curious error in the presentation of the AMR22. The images suggest a completely asymmetrical front suspension, with a missing push-rod in one picture that does not appear in another. Is this intentional, or just a simple oversight in photoshop when preparing the render images?
Short nose with hanging wing element
The relatively short nose also stands out at the front of the car. The nose stops in front of the lower transverse element of the front wing, making this lower plate appear to float somewhat independently. The lower part also seems to 'hang' a bit more, while the flaps above it slide over each other in the classic way.
Wide bodywork with several slots
Looking at the car from above, it is noticeable that the wide bodywork continues quite far down the sidepods, with the car sloping inwards further towards the rear in order to create the 'coke bottle' shape. There are also plenty of grooves carved out into the bodywork, which were not apparent on the Haas renders, for example.
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