Mercedes and Williams biggest winners from reallocation of test time

Equality in F1

For years, Formula 1 has been working to make the sport more competitive and bring small teams closer to the big ones. To this end, the budget cap has been introduced, but also a limit on testing aerodynamics. The wind tunnel and CFD programmes may only be used a maximum number of times. In 2022 this is set at 320 runs in the wind tunnel per half year and 2000 items that may be tested in CFD.

However, since 2021, a scale model has been introduced for this, meaning that the team ranked last in the standings gets the most time in the winter tunnel and vice versa. So far in 2022, Mercedes had the lowest percentage of the total time available: 70 percent (224 runs in the wind tunnel and 1400 entries in CFD). Five per cent is added to the time for each position in the 2021 constructors' championship. So Haas was on 115 per cent (368 runs in the wind tunnel and 2,300 items in CFD).

Shifts in 2022

Because a Formula One season does not start at the beginning of a year, F1 had to choose a point other than the summer break (not until August) for the realignment. Between January and March, there may not be any racing, but there is plenty of development by the teams. The F1 therefore decided to make a new classification halfway through the calendar year. The position in the championship on 30 June is taken as the new format.

As the next Grand Prix will not take place until after this date, we can already see what effect this will have. The first thing to do is to see what changes have taken place compared to the constructors' results in 2021.

Mercedes and Williams win

Red Bull Racing and Ferrari climb one place each, while Mercedes loses two places. McLaren and Alpine are still in exactly the same position, but the big 'loser' is Alfa Romeo. The Italian team has moved up three places and will therefore have fifteen per cent less time in the wind tunnel from 1 July. AlphaTauri and Aston Martin drop one place, Haas gains one place and Williams loses two places. Williams, like Mercedes, will have ten per cent more time to test the aerodynamics.

Until the end of 2022 Red Bull Racing now has the least time (70 percent) and Williams has the most (115 percent). Williams and Mercedes are the big 'winners', but whether they are really happy with that is the question. After all, more time also means that you have not done your job well enough before. Alfa Romeo gets a huge compliment in that respect.