F1 2022 car and livery launches: team reveal dates and times

F1

Every Formula 1 car launch ahead of the 2022 season, with images of the new liveries and design details of the new-generation cars

F1 2022 car nose
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Next launch: Alpine – February 21

Formula 1’s new era has well and truly begun. Most teams have launched their 2022 cars, and we’re only now waiting for our first glimpse of Alpine’s new-generation car on Monday until testing begins in earnest two days later.

Mercedes is the latest team to unveil its challenger, aiming to extend its run of eight consecutive constructors’ championships. It follows Ferrari, Williams, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, McLaren and Haas who have all shown some version of this year’s car – either at the launch or during an on-track shakedown. Red Bull has remained more secretive for now, unveiling its new 2022 livery on a show car while running the real thing in a behind-closed-doors shakedown.

New technical regulations should bring even more intense competition after an incredible 2021 season, and the cars are looking strikingly different to last year. Every team will be hoping that their design department has discovered a brilliant interpretation of the rules that will will catapult them to the front of the grid, although they are clearly hiding any sensitive parts until testing begins later this month.

Will any team have found a silver bullet in the regs and can we expect closer racing? Here are all of the latest dates and times for all of the 2022 car launches ahead of the new Formula 1 season.

Click below to jump to a specific team

Team

Car

When and where

Mercedes W13 E-Performance February 18, Silverstone
Red Bull RB18 Launched*
Ferrari F1-75 Launched
McLaren MCL36 Launched
Alpine A522 February 21, TBC
AlphaTauri AT03 Launched
Aston Martin AMR22 Launched
Williams FW44 Launched*
Alfa Romeo C42 February 27, TBC
Haas VF-22 Launched

*Livery reveal

Mercedes

Mercedes W13
2022 Mercedes W13

For the entirety of the turbo hybrid era, no team has been able to topple Mercedes from atop its perch as the best team in Formula 1. Constructors’ champions in 2021 for the eighth consecutive year, Mercedes is aiming to deliver yet another pace-setting car in the W13 E-Performance.

What was shown at the Silverstone launch looks to be a genuine version of the 2022 car, although any of the elements could change before racing starts, and even before next week’s winter test in Barcelona.

Launching a day after Ferrari’s F1-75, the Mercedes proved to be another striking interpretation of this year’s new set of regulations, featuring a sculpted, curved floor that merges into sizeable strakes ahead of the sidepods. Mercedes returns to its silver livery this year, after two years of its black colour scheme.

We last saw a Mercedes on track during the tumultuous closing moments of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and it was straight into a storm for the new car, with a Silverstone shakedown scheduled on the same day, at the height of Storm Eunice.

Mercedes has had the least amount of development time on the grid by virtue of the sliding scale that impacts the top teams and benefits those aiming to catch the pack. The world champions will have just 75% of its usual wind tunnel and CFD time at its disposal this season. The sliding scale moves up in 5% increments meaning rivals Red Bull will have had an extra 5% development time.

Will the shake up in regulations be able to dethrone Mercedes?

 


Red Bull

RB18 2022 F1 CAR

Red Bull RB18

Red Bull claimed that it was unveiling the RB18, the car it hopes will help Max Verstappen defend his drivers’ crown and take the constructors’ from Mercedes.

However, in reality, the team had simply repainted F1’s show car, displayed last year to offer an indication of what the 2022 cars would look like. It means that nothing is known about the direction the design team has taken, and testing will be the first chance to see what the new car looks like.

We do know that the No1 will return to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 2014 with the Verstappen invoking his right as world champion to run the number last used by Sebastian Vettel during his final year at Red Bull.

The new champion and his team will be hoping that this isn’t their last success together, as they look to build on the team’s first title since 2013 in the incredibly dramatic finale at Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen and Sergio Perez need another Adrian Newey special this season with the regulations switching emphasis back towards ground effect, but can the Milton Keynes team produce a car that finally topples Brackley’s hold on the sport?

2022 Red Bull RB18 livery

The only real news at Red Bull’s launch event was the signing of its new lead sponsor, Oracle, in a five-year deal worth a reputed $500m. its name appears in white on the sidepods, displacing last year’s red ‘Red Bull’ text.

Elsewhere, as expected, there’s no great livery revolution for a team for whom branding is everything. The chunky No1 is unmissable on the nose and the graphics appear cleaner than last year, with a solid yellow block on the nose, which previously had a black tip, and the charging bulls on the side sitting more naturally on the curved engine cover. Although, how well this works on the actual car is yet to be seen.

 


Ferrari

Ferrari F1-75 2022 F1 car

2022 Ferrari F1-75

Ferrari’s 2022 car is a striking design, drawing comparisons to the stylish cars that it ran in the early 1990s. The long, low, tapering nose; narrow horizontal sidepod inlets; and a darker shade of red, help it stand out from its rivals.

The question is whether it can do the same on track.

The F1-75 is named in honour of the 75th anniversary of the first production car that left the factory, and has been three years in the making: the culmination of a change in direction for the team, following its private settlement in 2019 that pegged back its performance in the subsequent 2020 season.

As well as the new chassis, Ferrari has been working intensely on the power unit, with a new V6 due to be introduced in one final bid to bridge the gap to the top teams before an engine development freeze is introduced this year.

Whether it’s a car capable of allowing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to fight for wins remains to be seen but if it isn’t, there could be casualties in the Ferrari leadership as a result.

 


McLaren

mcl36 2022 f1 car

Is McLaren's MCL36 the right car to power Lando Norris to his first F1 win?

McLaren

mcl36 2022 f1 car

@McLarenF1

McLaren MCL36

McLaren has shown off its new MCL36 at its HQ in Woking ahead of testing, along with a series of digital images, including the one above. The new car offers a good indication of the one it will race, but is missing several key features, with absent strakes ahead of the underbody air inlets, and a front wing that’s much smaller than expected.

The rear of the car was not shown at the launch, keeping the diffuser under wraps for now, but there are plenty of other design details which have been analysed by Kyle Forster in our McLaren MCL36 aerodynamic analysis.

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One key change is the switch to front pullrod suspension, the diagonal strut now running from the upper wishbones to a lower point on the chassis, opening up more space lower down the car, where airflow into the underfloor tunnels will be crucial to generate ground effect.

The team has made progress in recent seasons back towards the front of F1 but it hasn’t quite bridged the gap from upper midfield to contender at the front just yet. Last year it slipped behind its Italian foe in the championship after a disappointing final third of the season but the 2022 rules could be the opportunity McLaren needs to get itself back in race-winning contention.

Lando Norris has signed a new five-year deal to lock him into the team; Daniel Ricciardo will hope that last year’s teething troubles are over and he can show the pace that he’s capable of.

2022 McLaren MCL36 livery

Last year’s one-off Gulf livery was on McLaren’s mind when designing the 2022 colour scheme, and no wonder given the almost universally positive attention and publicity it received. The historic papaya livery remains but gone is the accompanying vibrant blue of last year’s car, to be replaced by what McLaren terms as “new blue”. The Gulf colour runs the length of the car, following the lines of the sidepods around the logo of its principal sponsor, the British American Tobacco nicotine pouch brand Velo.

A new black strip runs along the middle of the car, dividing the sidepods from the engine cover. A new tie-up with the food delivery firm Gopuff sees its logo added to the nose, no doubt along with comedy delivery videos featuring Norris and Ricciardo.

 


Alpine

When: February 21

Where: TBC

Alpine’s launch will take place on February 21 two days before the first pre-season test in Barcelona is set to get underway.

The team has undergone a great deal of change in the winter. Its leadership line-up has morphed with both Marcin Budkowski and Alain Prost leaving their positions. Budkowski’s departure comes just a year after he was appointed as executive director of the F1 team.

It leaves an opening that the team is rumoured to have a replacement for in mind already. Whether former Aston Martin CEO and team boss Otmar Szafnauer makes the switch from green to blue remains to be confirmed: is he the man to drive Alpine back to the forefront of F1?

 


AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri AT03

AlphaTauri AT03

AlphaTauri will be aiming to restore itself to the top-end of the midfield fight with its 2022 creation, which was unveiled in a short video on February 14.

Each of its last cars has carried a driver to the podium, and it will be looking to build on that, once again powered by the proven Honda engine. However, it’s difficult to judge the new car for now, with several crucial details missing: the nose appears similar to last year’s F1 show car and the floor is missing aerodynamic aids.

https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1493178696391348229?s=20&t=igNo8yVP-oLcJaeWaoOdWA

Arguably one of 2021’s underperforming teams, AlphaTauri showed the potential to race at the front of the midfield ‚ if the car and drivers come together.

Yuki Tsunoda struggled in his rookie season, but showed flashes of pace. Pierre Gasly performed admirably in qualifying but struggled to replicate those lofty highs in the race.

2022 AlphaTauri AT03 livery

Without the red Honda logo on this year’s car, the 2022 AlphaTauri is even more colour-coordinated than before; its blue and white colour scheme barely interrupted by any sponsors. Last year’s livery was a relatively simple split between white, on the lower sections and blue up top. This year’s is more of a blend, which follows the curvier lines of this year’s car. A white strip running from the side of the nose, runs down to the bottom of the sidepods, underneath a middle blue strip that carries the AlphaTauri livery. A small white HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) logo maintains some form of Honda branding.

The engine cover once more is a combination of the AlphaTauri fashion brand logo, and the bull from parent company Red Bull. New sponsor FlexBox breaks the colour scheme with its impudent orange coloured ‘x’s on the front wing.

 


Aston Martin

AMR22 F1 car

Aston Martin Formula 1 Team

AMR22 F1 car

Aston Martin Formula 1 Team

2022 Aston Martin AMR22

Aston Martin’s car reveal was the first opportunity to see a 2022 Formula 1 car, with the launch event featuring a genuine new-spec design, even though some areas look likely to be developed further before testing.

In 2021, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll struggled to be competitive in the carried-over Mercedes copy and were hit hardest by the regulation changes in the floor area.

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Although some details of the car seem to be missing, there’s no mistaking its large sidepod louvres and the square-shaped air inlets, overhanging the floor.  Kyle Forster has carried out a full aerodynamic analysis of the AMR22 — at least the parts that we have seen so far.

Vettel and Stroll finished the championship 13th and 14th respectively and will be hoping the new regulations provide a better opportunity to catch the front of the midfield and make fights for podiums more regular.

The team will also be without former boss Otmar Szafnauer after announcing that he had left the team with immediate effect ahead of the 2022 season. Rumours suggest he could be popping up at Alpine in the near future.

 

Williams

FW44 2022 F1 Car

Williams Racing

FW44 2022 F1 Car

Williams Racing

2022 Williams FW44

Slowly but surely, Williams has found improvements to lift itself out of the F1 doldrums but there’s still some way to go in getting the great name back to the front.

It’ll be without star driver George Russell in 2022 following his promotion to Mercedes, but the returning Alex Albon will be hoping to pick up where his compatriot left off.

He was on hand with team-mate Nicholas Latifi and team boss Jost Capito to unveil the new Williams F1 livery, featuring a new bluer colour scheme, which was applied to last year’s Formula 1 show car.

As a result, there are no design details to analyse and even the drivers struggled to comment. “”It’s blue… It looks like a fast racing car,” said Albon.

2022 Williams FW44 livery

Williams has gone all-in on its blue colour scheme for 2022, following the half-white, half-blue livery of last year.

The team says that the design retains shades of blue from race-winners in Williams’ celebrated past, while the diamond shapes over the engine cover are said to embody the team’s “exciting new era”.

There are highlights in electric blue and red, which is described as a nod to Williams’ “proud British” heritage.

New sponsor Duracell adds is logo to the rear of the nose section, and owner Dorilton Capital has its branding on the sidepods, but the car looks bare compared to many rivals with plenty of space, notably on the engine cover, for a title sponsor.

 


Alfa Romeo

When: February 27

Where: TBC

Alfa Romeo is set to launch its new car and livery after the first three days of action with the 2022 cars the team has confirmed.  The C42 will be officially unveiled on February 27.

It has already carried out a shakedown, wrapped in a camouflaged colour scheme, which it will take to the first test.

As only team on the 2022 grid with an all-new driver line-up, Alfa Romeo heads into the new campaign on the back of a disappointing season last time out, falling behind Williams in the constructors’ standings.

Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou will combine experience with youth and ideally drive the Hinwil team back to the mid pack unless it can go even better with the new car.

 


Haas

VF22_3

Haas F1

Haas 2022 F1 car

Haas F1

2022 Haas VF-22

Haas was the first team to unveil its new car ahead of the new campaign. While the actual VF-22 won’t be exactly the same as the one it runs during testing and the 2022 season, and it was billed as a livery launch, it does provide a glimpse of what to expect this year, as it seems to be base on Haas’s own chassis.

 

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The team was rock-bottom of the pile last year, which was partly a deliberate tactic as it focused its entire development efforts on this year’s car in an effort to get a headstart in the new era, so it would be able to challenge further up the grid in the season and those to come.

The result appears to be a series of clever features and pragmatic design that is analysed by Kyle Forster in the full Haas VF-22 aerodynamic analysis, based on what we have seen so far.

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin once again race for the team, with Schumacher upbeat about his prospects this year after crawling around at the back of the grid in 2021.

2022 Haas VF-22 livery

Maybe Haas was so focused on the design of its 2022 car that it gave barely a thought to the livery, which is little different to last year. As with other teams, the flowing lines of the car are much easier to match with the livery and the red white and blue colour scheme (definitely NOT resembling the Russian flag of team sponsor and father of Nikita, Dmitry Mazepin, says Haas).

The strips of colour flow from the nose, following the bottom of the sidepods and then flaring up towards the rear wing. Mazepin’s Uralkali potash company remains the lead sponsor with a logo on the engine cover.