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The 2022 F1 Japanese GP brings with it some interesting challenges. The track at Suzuka is not your classic F1 track that has been in existence for more than 60 years. The track is home to some of the most epic moments in the history of the sport. The Alain Prost-Ayrton Senna collisions in 1988-89 certainly made the track more iconic. The track has always posed challenges to the all-around ability of an F1 car.
The first sector with the Senna esses at the start of the lap to the Degner 1 and Degner 2 test the cars' ability to change direction as well as their aerodynamic efficiency. One mistake in the first sector and the whole lap is ruined. The spoon tests the medium-speed efficiency of the car and then the straight that leads to the 130R is one of the most iconic corners on the calendar that tests the grunt and aero efficiency at high speed.
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After moving on from an extremely high downforce track like Singapore, Suzuka is right at the center in terms of demands from the car. The car needs to be great in all aspects because if it isn't, it will lose out significantly at some point in the lap. To tackle these challenges, some teams on the F1 grid have brought their version of the solution this weekend. What are they? Let's find out!
Ferrari
After watching teams like Alpine F1 bring a new iteration of the floor, the Italian squad is not sitting back. In an endeavor to continue developing the car, the Scuderia has brought its latest floor to Suzuka with a revised geometry at both the front and the rear. On a track that is supposed to demand an all-around balance, it will be very interesting to see what kind of result Ferrari can produce this weekend.
AlphaTauri
AlphaTauri is one of the teams that has shown an extreme divergence in terms of performance at low downforce and high downforce tracks. While the team has looked very impressive on tracks like Baku, or even Monza, it went missing on tracks like Zandvoort. It was able to scrape a point with Pierre Gasly in Singapore but lacked the speed to compete with the cars in front. For the F1 race in Japan, AlphaTauri has brought a new rear wing tip which narrows the transition to the endplate and effectively increases the wing span slightly.
Aston Martin F1
Aston Martin is riding on the high of a double points finish that helped the team climb the championship standings up to P7. The team is expected to have a strong weekend at Suzuka as the car is more well-rounded than the midfield competitors around it. The car has had issues earlier in securing a good single-lap time on the board in qualifying and hence was struggling.
With a high-intensity S1, the tires will be up to temperature in no time and the car should be able to do a good job in qualifying as well. For Suzuka, Aston Martin has brought a smaller beam wing for drag reduction, specific to the track.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo's season has unraveled as the underweight car has seen other teams catch up and pass the Hinwil-based squad. The team was the best of the rest in Barcelona earlier this season but has fallen back significantly since then. For the 2022 F1 Japanese GP, Alfa Romeo has opted to bring the most significant changes.
There is an all-new front wing with completely different attachments to the nose and reprofiled flaps. According to the team, this is supposed to be a major step forward in improving the car's balance. For a team that has had an uncharacteristic slump, the upgrade will have to work if it has to secure its P6 position in the championship.
Williams
Williams has not brought in too many upgrades this season. The team has struggled with funds, which is no secret, and while there has been a point here and a point there, the overall competitiveness is still lacking. The team comes to Japan on the back of a double DNF in Singapore.
To address the challenges at Suzuka, the team has brought a small modification where it has introduced reduced cooling levels on the engine cover for drag reduction. For a car that tends to be extremely competitive on low downforce tracks, it will be interesting to see how it navigates through the downforce-intensive Sector 1 and stays competitive.
