Five things you need to know ahead of the 2022 Formula One season

It’s not just a new era for us here at Williams Racing, everyone up and down the paddock is preparing themselves for what will be another thrilling Formula One World Championship in 2022.

Our pairing of Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon are already hard at work ahead of a campaign that will debut the next generation of F1 cars and a brand-new circuit, as well as some returning favourites and more Grands Prix than ever before.

Here are five things that you need to know going into the 2022 season.

The new regulation changes are here and the 2022 grid is set to look radically different. The reasons behind the changes are simple: promote better racing.

Although absolute monsters on track, the previous generation of cars created a high amount of dirty air, causing a dramatic loss of downforce for any driver attempting to follow and overtake.

With a strong focus on aerodynamics and safety, the new cars feature redesigned noses, front and rear wings, as well as a multitude of other features all with the aim of improving on-track action.

All cars will still be running 1.6-litre turbo-hybrid power units in one of the few untouched areas over the car, however, they’ll be powered by a more sustainable fuel this season, with the percentage of its makeup from bio-components rising from 5.75% to 10%.

The 2022 season is set to be the longest one yet, with 23 races to be held across 21 countries in the space of 35 weeks. Featuring six double-headers and two triple-headers, it will require a mammoth effort from every member of our amazing Williams team.

To summarise the magnitude of the challenge ahead, we will tick off four different continents in the first five rounds of the championship alone.

Grands Prix in Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan are provisionally returning to the calendar after a two-year hiatus owing to travel restrictions, meaning Nicky will finally get to experience a home race in Montreal.

Along with the cars getting a radical redesign for the new season, Pirelli’s tyres are also getting a makeover – it’s goodbye to 13-inch tyres after three decades and hello to 18-inch ones.

The low-profile tyres, together with their tweaked compounds, should reduce overheating which in turn will lead to better performance in wheel-to-wheel combat. One of the biggest differences you’ll see will be the reduced sidewall, with the new tyres more closely resembling those on your everyday road car.

In addition to the fresh rubber, wheel covers will also return for the first time since 2009, with over-wheel winglets making their debut.

F1 is heading to Miami and we couldn’t be more excited to hit the Magic City for the first time in May.

Round five of the 2022 World Championship will take us to Florida and a visit to the 5.41km Miami International Autodrome. Situated around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the brand-new circuit features 19 turns and three straights allowing cars to potentially hit speeds of 320km/h.

It will be the first of two Stateside visits for us this year, as we’ll return to Austin for the United States Grand Prix in October.

They sure know how to put on a show in the Sunshine State and if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, we’re certain you won’t leave disappointed. We hear the party will continue all night, on the beach ‘til the break of dawn…

After so many changes, there are plenty of exciting unknowns about the 2022 World Championship and that is one of the true beauties of our great sport.

But there is one thing you can guarantee: Nicky and Alex will be giving their all from lights out in Bahrain right through to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

There are sure to be plenty of thrills and spills across the 23 Grands Prix, but we’ll be bringing you closer to the action than ever before.

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