2nd year chassis

[Zynerji]

With the current cost cap in place, would it be a huge savings to carry the 2022 chassis ahead to 2023? To not have to design and build a new car, but to just carry on development could be a huge advantage in 2023, especially early season.

Anyone want to comment on this thought experiment?

[dialtone]

I don’t think they start the development thinking of throwing everything out and starting from scratch.

They want to evolve from where they are and fix the various little issues they had in the year and maybe improve in some areas where they are strong still. Occasionally they have what I know as 2nd system syndrome, where they do start from scratch with a grand vision to fix everything but it’s rare that it works.

Without engine changes I doubt chassis will need to change so much, but yeah the budget cap will limit what they can change anyway.

[Jolle]

Mercedes just did that for 2021. They used their 2020 tubs. Not the design but the actual tubs, which is very uncommon in F1, especially for works teams.

[sosic2121]

With the current cost cap in place, would it be a huge savings to carry the 2022 chassis ahead to 2023? To not have to design and build a new car, but to just carry on development could be a huge advantage in 2023, especially early season.

Anyone want to comment on this thought experiment?

New chassis cost x$ and gives y seconds. Can the old chassis be improved more for the same money?
If they are equal, I think top teams would choose new chassis because of the ultimate potential.
Short answer, next year they will probably have new chassis because of new rules, but after few years, it might have more sense to keep an old one.

[JordanMugen]

With the current cost cap in place, would it be a huge savings to carry the 2022 chassis ahead to 2023? To not have to design and build a new car, but to just carry on development could be a huge advantage in 2023, especially early season.

Anyone want to comment on this thought experiment?

Renault/Alpine used the same chassis for 2019 through 2021, i.e., three seasons, if I recall correctly. Not just the design, but the actual chassis numbers -- the same ones were recycled for three seasons of usage. I think many other teams did the same from 2020 into 2021 too.

It could certainly be a substantial cost-savings if the designers have no reasons for wanting to change the chassis design.

Not the design but the actual tubs, which is very uncommon in F1, especially for works teams.

As opposed to Renault not having a vision to win ASAP regardless of cost, maybe it is instead a case of Mercedes coming around to the economically-prudent Enstone way of doing things? I note Mercedes also avoided wasting money on unnecessary development tokens.

We note that power unit design is frozen to cut costs, perhaps the FIA will look into freezing tub design for a period of 3-4 seasons to cut costs too. The same tubs are used for 4 to 5 seasons each in F2 or Indycar racing IIRC, providing a considerable cost savings.

[vorticism]

Ferrari started the '02, '03, and '05 seasons with their previous year's car.

[saviour stivala]

With the current cost cap in place, would it be a huge savings to carry the 2022 chassis ahead to 2023? To not have to design and build a new car, but to just carry on development could be a huge advantage in 2023, especially early season.

Anyone want to comment on this thought experiment?

Renault/Alpine used the same chassis for 2019 through 2021, i.e., three seasons, if I recall correctly. Not just the design, but the actual chassis numbers -- the same ones were recycled for three seasons of usage. I think many other teams did the same from 2020 into 2021 too.

It could certainly be a substantial cost-savings if the designers have no reasons for wanting to change the chassis design.

Not the design but the actual tubs, which is very uncommon in F1, especially for works teams.

As opposed to Renault not having a vision to win ASAP regardless of cost, maybe it is instead a case of Mercedes coming around to the economically-prudent Enstone way of doing things? I note Mercedes also avoided wasting money on unnecessary development tokens.

We note that power unit design is frozen to cut costs, perhaps the FIA will look into freezing tub design for a period of 3-4 seasons to cut costs too. The same tubs are used for 4 to 5 seasons each in F2 or Indycar racing IIRC, providing a considerable cost savings.

Team 2022 spend will directly impact developments of their 2023 chassis, But this year spend will have no impact for those teams that does not need develope a new chassis design for next year. There has been remours about one of the top three teams having came out with a 2022 sloppy chassis and that they have been adding more weight to it to minimize their problems than stifness.

[AR3-GP]

Mercedes just did that for 2021. They used their 2020 tubs. Not the design but the actual tubs, which is very uncommon in F1, especially for works teams.

Alpine used 2019 tub in 2020 and 2021.