Why F1’s fake war is underway and the real battle is to come

Following the Haas Formula 1 team's revealing of its 2022 car renders this week, the grand prix launch season is well and truly underway. But with so much to hide from rivals and to seek in performance, teams are set for a phoney war to find any advantage ahead of the real fight

Jonathan Noble Feb 5, 2022, 9:42 AM

Upd: Feb 18, 2022, 11:18 AM

Formula 1’s launch season is go. And while all we have seen so far is an early development render of the 2022 Haas, don’t expect too many more answers about the season ahead despite all the reveals coming in the next two weeks. This year, more than any in recent history, F1 teams are as in the dark as fans and media about just what to expect from their cars ahead of them hitting the track. That is going to be the catalyst for both hot air and diversion.

The all-new rules for 2022 have left each team playing a guessing game about whether or not they have done a good enough job in recovering performance and unlocking the secrets of the new semi-ground effect challengers. As teams have been locked in isolation over the winter working away to push their designs across the line, they will have a pretty good understanding of where the keys to performance are, and where specifically they feel they have made good gains.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.