Brawn glad "silly" high-rake F1 cars will now be gone

Teams have been unveiling their initial designs for the 2022 season over the past couple of weeks as F1 gears up for the start of a new technical era.

Technical bosses have dubbed the overhaul for 2022 as being the biggest rule change in F1 history, designed to improve the on-track spectacle and allow for closer racing and competition.

The early car unveils have already shown how much of a diversion the new designs will be from the 2021 models, as well as presenting some differentiation between teams.

One aspect of the old cars that has already been swept away is the high-rake concept most notably used by Red Bull, which saw the car run with the rear jacked up in the air while the front would run close to the ground.

F1 managing director Brawn has played a key role in forming the new regulations for 2022. The ex-Ferrari and Mercedes F1 chief said he was pleased with how the cars launched so far looked, particularly with the end of the high-rake concepts.

"They look great, I think the fans will be engaged with them," Brawn said.

"I think the fact that cars are going to race in a lower stance… I mean, they've looked a bit silly, these high-rake cars, sort of perched on their nose and waddling their arses in the air.

"They never really looked like a racing car should look. So I think these ones will look a lot better out on the track as well."

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

The return of ground effect to F1 for 2022 means teams will need to run their cars much lower to the ground to maximise the downforce generated by the floor.

But there has already been some variation in terms of sidepod design, with Aston Martin in particular presenting an aggressive look that differs from the likes of Williams and McLaren.

Brawn felt pleased that there were already signs of differing approaches by the teams despite the more restrictive regulations that were designed to create closer competition.

"It's great to see this variation," said Brawn.

"When the regulations were issued, there were complaints about they're all going to look the same. We didn't believe that, and that's proved not be the case.

"I have to be honest, I really need to see the cars in the flesh to get a true impression. And I'll be going to Barcelona for the first test, and then probably get a much better idea there and in Bahrain how these cars are going to look.

"But I think that variation is reassuring."