The overlooked flaws of the 2022 F1 cars that Baku will expose

OPINION: Though Formula 1's return to ground-effect may have boosted overtaking, the other clear by-product of the technical overhaul has been weight gain. With wet conditions in Monaco stealing the show, the greatest shortcomings of the new rules will be on clear display at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Matt Kew Jun 7, 2022, 2:18 PM

Upd: Jun 10, 2022, 12:14 PM

The radical return to ground-effect was given the green light because it had the end goal of boosting overtaking. As such, it’s been the ability of the new Formula 1 cars to follow one another more closely that, dynamically at least, has been front and centre during the first third of the 2022 campaign. But the other clear by-product of the technical overhaul has been weight gain. And the lamentable consequences of that appear to have got off pretty lightly so far.

It should have been the case that on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, the heaviest-ever breed of F1 racers copped the most amount of flak. With many teams still not at the minimum weight limit (Helmut Marko reckons Red Bull is 5kg over), they are tipping the scales at a minimum of 798kg including the driver. That’s only the dry weight. Add a full tank of fuel for a race start and it’s more like 900kg. Blimey.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.