“You have absolutely no idea where you stand,” Lewis Hamilton keen on understanding rival’ 2022 car designs

Lewis Hamilton, the former 7-time Formula1 world champion has recently shared his opinion regarding the 2022 cars of the respective teams and feels that it is quite interesting to try and understand the thinking of teams behind their car designs for the 2022 Formula1 season.

It has been stated in planetf1 that the 2022 Formula1 cars are very different as compared to the cars that have come before and it is believed that it is down to the fact that the sport has switched to ground effect in place of using over-car airflow to create downforce.

It is believed that with these new changes coming in from 2022, the cars would be able to follow each other closer and this was somewhat the case during the first preseason testing as drivers like Charles Leclerc said that it was easier to follow a car as compared to last year.

The mass assumption is that the cars are going to look very similar on the first race day of the season and the differences are going to be seen only around the floors and sidepods of the cars.

Lewis Hamilton’s take on the 2022 Formula1 cars

The silver arrows driver Lewis Hamilton has while talking about the 2022 cars has said “Arriving and looking down the pit lane and seeing all the different cars, I think it’s one of the most exciting and interesting seasons that I’ve ever embarked upon.”

“It will be interesting to see where everyone comes out and where we stand in the first race.”

The 2022 season is a season of unknowns and teams like RedBull and McLaren have gone for the pull-rod front suspension and a push-rod rear whereas the rest of the teams have done the opposite.

Lewis Hamilton further added, “I think every year’s exciting, but of course [in] previous years it was an evolution of the previous year’s car, so in this one, it’s completely brand new.”

“Of course, I’ve seen the designs of our car over several months, but now to see everyone’s car out there, you’re trying to get a close eye to see what is different if there is anything, why certain teams have chosen a certain route in terms of sidepod design, front wing, and the floor.”

“So I think it’s the most exciting [year], and again, you have absolutely no idea where you stand.”

If the first preseason testing is anything to go by, it seems Mercedes has once again done a brilliant job in the off-season as both the Mercedes drivers were on top of the timing charts ahead of teams like RedBull, Ferrari, and McLaren.

RedBull was third with Sergio Perez on C5 tires whereas McLaren was P4 and their technical director James Key even said that they have

“either got the suspension idea very right or very wrong.”

key further added, “We spent a lot of time trying to get that right, knowing the pitfalls of previous years when it was used,” said the McLaren tech boss.”

“I’m fairly confident it will work as expected. The rear of the car is the other question. We’ve been pull-rod for a long time. Adrian [Newey] introduced it in 2009 with the Red Bull. That’s not necessarily needed now.”

“You have a restricted wheelbase that restricts the length of the gearbox, for example, so you’ve other possibilities there. But it will be interesting to see what trends have developed. We’ve gone this route.”

“If we are the only car that’s done that, we’ve either got it really, really right or…“

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