“Not as slow as we expected them to be”: New 18-inch Pirelli tyres are expected to make the F1 cars faster by the end of 2022

The new Pirelli 18-inch tyres will reportedly make the F1 cars faster by the end of 2022, contrary to what was initially predicted. 

The 2021 season is done and dusted. An exciting battle for the Championship between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi last Sunday. The former passed his rival on the race’s final lap to win his first World Championship.

But all that’s in the past. Formula 1 enters a new era from the 2022 season onwards. The sport will undergo a massive regulation change, and the teams have already started working for it.

Here’s a few more looks at 2022’s new machinery 👀

F1’s regulations are set for a shake up at the start of 2022, with this new car aiming to make the racing closer than ever before #F1 #F12022 pic.twitter.com/0FSMPSvzPN

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 15, 2021

The main aim of these changes is to improve racing by altering the aerodynamics of an F1 car. ‘Dirty air’ produced by the previous cars made it difficult for others to overtake. The new cars are expected to have a simpler front wing and rear wing that reduces the amount of dirty air produced.

This new change promises better racing and more overtaking opportunities. A budget cap for teams has also been introduced, which they have to comply with.

Also read: Kimi Raikkonen will miss Formula 1 but is looking forward to living a ‘normal’ life

The 2022 F1 cars were originally expected to be 2-3 seconds slower

We have also seen the last of the 13-inch Pirelli tyres in F1. All cars will use new 18-inch tyres made by the Italian manufacturers. These tyres are predicted to last longer and overheat less.

Chatting to Pirelli today, the simulations given to them by the teams so far suggest we could see 2022 cars within half a second of the current cars at the start of the year, and quicker by the end. Originally were expected to be 2-3 seconds slower #F1

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) December 14, 2021

The teams initially thought that the new tyres would slow their cars down by at least 2-3 seconds. During post-season testing in Abu Dhabi, they didn’t show much pace, but it was more than predicted.

Day 1 of post-season testing at @ymcofficial is underway: we have @F1 drivers testing 2022 #Fit4F1 18-inch tyres with mule cars and young drivers with 13-inch tyres. pic.twitter.com/3Hk6JjLkIu

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) December 14, 2021

According to the teams’ programs and Pirelli’s data, the new cars could reach within 5-tenths of the 2021 cars at the start of the season. Towards the end, they could even be quicker than the current ones.

The likes of Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, George Russell and new World Champion Verstappen all got a taste of the new tyres during Tuesday’s testing session at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Also read: Red Bull claims F1 needs to rethink after Abu Dhabi GP’s controversial end