The changes made to Formula 1’s regulations were extensive for 2022. While much of the discussion since their introduction has revolved around the design of the sidepods and how teams have best managed the shift to more powerful floors, there’s been plenty of other design aspects that were affected.

These other design aspects have been steadily maturing over that time to improve the overall performance of each machine. One such design feature is the braking system, with several overlapping design disciplines required to extract maximum performance from them.

After all, it’s not only about providing optimal mechanical performance, the brake ducting also needs to provide enough cooling to support it, while also limiting the aerodynamic impact it has on surfaces.

Furthermore, the thermal interaction between the brakes and wheel rim has an impact on both the performance and degradation of the tyres, as the bulk temperature of the tyre can be affected by the transfer of heat between them.

As you’d expect, the general approach taken by the teams is the same, as they’re all constrained by the same regulations, but there’s more than enough scope left over for each team to have their own design DNA, with various solutions emerging even a few seasons on from the inception of these regulations.

And, to recap, the changes made for 2022 were primarily about controlling how heat and airflow escape the assembly, with teams using various design tactics in the previous regulatory era to improve the passage of flow around the wheel assembly.

This included items such as blown axles and crossover pipework within the brake duct assembly that served primarily as a means to improve its aerodynamic output, rather than being required as a means to cool the braking system.

Red Bull Racing RB18 extra brake cooling detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

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To prohibit these aerodynamic solutions, the regulations no longer permit airflow to escape out of the brake duct’s outer face and out through the wheel rim. Instead, there’s a designated region on the brake duct’s end fence where the hot air is ejected (see the solution on the RB18, above).

This has led to teams creating multiple layers within their brake duct assembly in order that the airflow and heat can be better managed before being expelled from the system.

This nesting system usually consists of pipework that delivers cool air to the calliper and delivers it to the outlet after it has cooled the calliper, at least one internal drum, with various contours to baffle the airflow’s trajectory and a final external drum, which unlike in the past mustn’t have any holes or apertures with which to transfer airflow or heat to the external air stream.

Comparing the pipework delivering cool air to the calliper on the McLaren and Mercedes, for example, provides insight into the differing design conventions, with Mercedes selecting a more traditional short, single tract between the inlet and calliper, whilst McLaren has opted for an arrangement with two channels, feeding each side of the calliper independently.

And, while it has become common for teams to enclose the brake disc within its own fairing during this regulation set, to help better manage heat as it dissipates, some of the teams have now created windows within the fairing and the inner drum to allow passage for some of the heat being generated to find its way between the various stages of the nest.

As can be seen here, both Mercedes and Red Bull have designs with those features, albeit very different in their approach, as the former has opted for small elliptical apertures on the upper surface and outboard face of the inner drum.

Meanwhile, Red Bull has opted for a larger window, which is surrounded by a metal insert that will likely act as a heatsink too.

As you’d expect, there’s still plenty of performance to be found from changes here too, given it’s a performance intersection between numerous design fields. Teams are constantly updating the size of their inlet and outlet scoops to suit the given circuit’s characteristics, while also finding ways to better manage the airflow and heat internally to leverage the heat exchange from the brakes to the tyres, via the wheel rims.

Formula E’s Attack Charge concept will finally be trialled in a mock race during pre-season testing next month, with the FIA claiming the “technology is working”.

One of the longest-running sagas of Formula E’s Gen3 era has surrounded fast-charging pitstops, which could appear later this season, having already been tested extensively during the off-season by teams.

The concept, where drivers would be required to pit during a race for approximately 30 seconds and receive a charge of power equal to 10% of the battery, was initially slated for the start of the Gen3 era in 2023.

This was pushed back by a year due to the introduction of the new machines, which put a strain on available parts and the general Formula E infrastructure, with testing of the technology taking place at various points last season in official practice sessions.

The fast-charging, which could eventually have a huge impact for electric vehicle consumers if successful, was never implemented in a race due to reliability concerns that have since been addressed ahead of the Gen3 Evo era.

“It came with big challenges; it’s not only pushing boundaries on the charger side but also on the battery side,” FIA Head of Championship for Formula E, Pablo Martino, told Motorsport.com.

“Through all the summer period this year, the manufacturers have had access to this technology, so they have been testing with that technology in place.

“They have performed quite a relevant amount of charging already. The technology is there, the technology is working.

“There are just a few operational corrections that need to be addressed, but nothing related to the technicality.

“On how the system is operated, that part is something that is currently in the last phase of sign-off, let’s say, in terms of technology.”

Pablo Martino, FIA

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Teams have been able to use the charge boosters during testing to work on the procedure from an operational perspective, with further running now set to take place at pre-season testing in Valencia.

The four-day test, which gets under way on 4 November, will include a mock race with the fast-charging pitstops set to feature, giving teams and the FIA the chance to see the technology used in a dynamic race situation.

Teams simulated pitstops during the same mock race in pre-season last year, but the technology was not used due to unreliability and safety concerns at the time.

“From an operational point of view, we’re pretty close,” adds McLaren chief engineer Albert Lau.

“But we just haven’t had, I guess, the volume of boost charges that would for me sign it off to the point where we’re happy that it’s all OK.

“You’re talking about a boost charge per race, per car, and you add that up; you need hundreds of boost charges signed off before you’re going to go into a season.

“You don’t go to Le Mans and do a 24-hour test. You’ve done a 36-hour test beforehand and it’s the same thing for this.”

However, even if the technology proves reliable and teams are up to speed with it operationally, there’s no guarantee that it will be implemented for the upcoming season.

Martino admits that further simulation and research will need to take place to ensure that adding the procedure into a race won’t diminish the spectacle or create any additional issues.

“There is also an exercise that needs to be understood, which is how this attack charge affects the race,” he said.

“This is something that needs to be captured, so even if the technology is there, we need to understand what’s going to happen in races. That will also be taken into account for a final decision.”

Former MotoGP star Jorge Lorenzo believes Marc Marquez now displays more respect towards rivals while battling with them on track, having initially found his antics to be “very aggressive”.

Lorenzo was one of Marquez’s main rivals during his golden period in the 2010s, with the pair even becoming team-mates at Honda in the former’s final season in 2019.

Their careers have taken different turns since then, with Lorenzo going on to become a commentator for Spanish broadcaster DAZN and Marquez joining the Gresini Ducati team in 2024 after being saddled with injuries and an uncompetitive bike in his final years at Honda.

Lorenzo admitted that he wasn’t a fan of Marquez’s style of racing when the latter graduated to the premier class in 2013 as the reigning Moto2 champion, but feels his countryman has changed the way he rides against other riders over the years.

“In 2013, I didn’t accept his [Marc’s] way of racing, which was very aggressive,” the three-time champion said at Festival dello Sport in Italy. “Now he has a bit more ‘respect’ towards his rivals. It must be said that the rules are stricter than ten years ago.”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Hond and Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez won six titles in his first seven years in MotoGP, with Lorenzo – then at Yamaha – the only rider to break his run when he triumphed in the controversial 2015 season.

Things started going downhill for Marquez after Lorenzo retired from MotoGP, with a horrific crash at the 2020 season opener in Jerez leaving him with career-altering injuries.

It took multiple surgeries and prolonged layoff periods to put the accident behind, but by the time he was close to full fitness the Honda RC213V had slumped to become the slowest bike on the grid.

Lorenzo believes Marquez would have been able to win several additional titles had his arm not been broken at Jerez four years ago.

“He is a beast on a sporting level,” he said of the 31-year-old. “Since 2020, he has had very bad luck in terms of his physical condition. Without those problems, he would have won at least two or three more world championships.”

Marquez’s struggles at Honda prompted him to leave the Japanese manufacturer with a year left on his contract and join Gresini at the start of the 2024 season.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He will move up to the factory Ducati team next year, partnering Francesco Bagnaia, and will be in a position to challenge for the championship for the first time since 2019.

Lorenzo himself spent two seasons with Ducati in 2017-18 as part of a multi-million deal with the aim of leading the Borgo Panigale marque to its first title since 2007.

Although the Spaniard did hit his stride in his second season after a slow adaptation, the partnership ultimately ended with just three wins to boot.

He ended up moving to Honda for what turned out to be his final year in the premier class, while Ducati slowly turned the Desmosedici into a dominant bike.

Hailing Ducati’s general manager Gigi Dall’Igna, Lorenzo said he would have been able to achieve the target set out by Ducati had he stayed with the team for a few more seasons.

“We met in 2004, in my last year in 125cc. Fate brought us together at Ducati,” he said of Dall’Igna. “I was very sorry not to have won a title with the Italian brand. I am convinced that, if I had stayed two more years, we would have won it.

“Now it is the best bike. It has no weak points.”

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Red Bull says it “cannot afford” for there to be a big gap between its two drivers next year, as Sergio Perez faces increasing pressure to end this campaign on a high.

The Milton Keynes-based squad has already lost the lead in the constructors’ championship to McLaren and is in danger of conceding second place too with Ferrari now just 34 points behind.

It is not lost on Red Bull that its plight has not been helped by Perez failing to contribute as much as the team would have liked, with his 144 points tally so far this year well adrift of Max Verstappen’s 331.

Perez was given a stay of execution over his place in the squad following the summer break, with the team hopeful he could deliver more at venues he was better at. However, things have not been ideal, especially after he lost a potential podium finish in Baku following a late crash with Carlos Sainz.

With Liam Lawson slotted in as replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at RB to evaluate his potential in being a Red Bull candidate for 2025, it is clear that the team is evaluating the best way forward.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the need to understand what options it has available has become critical, because the title fight will likely be even harder next year.

And, with the difference between the leading positions in the constructors’ championship being around $9 million, Red Bull needs no reminding that having a second driver who costs it one or two places is costly.

“We desperately need answers,” Horner told Motorsport.com about its driver situation.

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

“When you look at our opponents, Ferrari will be strong next year, with [Lewis] Hamilton and [Charles] Leclerc. Plus McLaren with [Lando] Norris and [Oscar] Piastri is a strong line-up.

“We need to make sure that with both of our drivers, that there’s not a big gap between them because you can’t afford to have that.”

Lawson’s prospects for a potential move up to Red Bull, should he impress in the final races this year, have increased with rookie drivers in fashion once again in F1.

With Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto impressing so much, teams certainly seem more open-minded about putting youngsters in once again.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko told Speedweek in his most recent column: “The GP appearances of Oliver Bearman and especially Franco Colapinto have shown that the youngsters are ready for the step up, and that the old philosophy of some team bosses, that you can only promote drivers with three or four years of experience to a top team, is outdated.

“Mercedes has now proven this with its driver decision, just as Red Bull Racing has done several times in the past.

“So you can rely on the youth. There is a certain risk, but it is manageable and it is worth it.”

Joey Logano went through a roller coaster of emotions during last weekend’s Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Roval. He watched helplessly as Tyler Reddick charged through the field on fresh tires, slashing away at the points deficit while Logano could not move forward. At the checkered flag, Reddick was ahead by just four points.

However, about 2.5 hours later, everything changed. When Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed to meet minimum weight requirements in post-race tech, his disqualification and subsequent loss of points pushed him out of the playoffs. Logano’s title hopes were instantly revived, taking Bowman’s place in the Round of 8.

“I was obviously surprised,” said Logano in a Tuesday media availability. “I heard rumors before that of a delay in tech and some of those things going on. Usually, nothing happens. It was kind of a surprise to hear that. Typically, by the time you roll the car off the scales, they give them the opportunity to put weight in the cars and you’re usually fine, but in this case that wasn’t the case and I was like, ‘Well, would we be in?’ That’s the first question you have to ask and obviously the answer was yes, and then you’re still kind of cautiously optimistic because you’re thinking, ‘Well, there probably will be an appeal if there is and we may not know until later,’ so you kind of keep going on with your life and preparing for the next race.”

“I was starting to move forward,” further explained the Team Penske driver. “You get there literally the moment we get out of the race car. It takes a little bit to get your thoughts collected and, honestly, by the time I was driving home, my wife and I were talking about something far more important than what we were doing at the racetrack. My mind was already starting to shift on what were the next moves and kind of getting over the race. Then I started hearing the rumors from there and the phone started to ring shortly after.”

Although this year been a bit of an ‘off’ year for Logano compared to previous seasons, he still appears to be in a very strong position. Penske has won back-to-back championships in the Next Gen era, and he has won races at every single track in the penultimate round of the playoffs. 

“Trends are trends for a reason,” noted Logano, agreeing that Penske has a knack for rising to the occasion when the championship trophy is in sight.

His dramatic win at Martinsville in 2018 launched him into the Championship 4 and allowed him to earn his first title over Martin Truex Jr. In 2022, his Round of 8 victory at Las Vegas put him into the Championship 4 again, this time beating Ross Chastain for the crown. Homestead, which now sits as the middle race in this round, was actually the title-decider when Logano won his first championship. And yes, he won that race too.

“We’ve done it before, we can do it again,” he declared when asked about his chances heading into this round.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Photo by: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Images

Going into Vegas and looking at the final eight drivers in contention, Logano’s season has been the weakest, despite two race wins. He is last in top-fives, last in top-tens, and holds the lowest average finish among the Round of 8 field. But he’s certainly stepped it up since the playoffs began, especially in qualifying. He’s advanced into the pole round in five of the last six races, which is critical if he wants to score stage points. Logano believes there is a path forward on points for him, even sitting last in the reset standings. He is 40 points behind Kyle Larson, who sits at the top of the points pile, but only 11 points below the cut-line.

“I feel like we’ve been steadily getting better and improving throughout the season to where we are now. I feel confident in the speed we have in our car,” said Logano, who later added: “The stats may not look like it. It may look like we’re underdogs from the outset looking in, but internally we feel very confident in our race team that we can make a run at this thing and get ourselves into the Championship 4. We’ve seen it in the past where you get in there and anything can happen at Phoenix. The goal right now is to look at the next three races and how do we maximize that. We can point our way in. We’re only 11 out, so it’s not a lot of points by no means. It can happen very quickly, so one race at a time. Right now, the focus is Vegas and we’ll try to maximize the day there.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

“We’ve lived this story many times before. Yeah, would it be easier if you had more playoff points? Yeah, but you know what? You win this weekend and you’re sitting as the favorite going into Phoenix, so it changes like that and that’s with the playoff system that we have. Every point matters throughout the whole season. I’m not discounting that, but you have to be your absolute best at this point in the season or else those points don’t even matter, so I feel confident in our team that we’ve got that. We’re still alive. We’re still going and that’s the name of the game in these playoffs. You just have to stay alive long enough. I said it last year that we did not accomplish that. This year, we’re gonna keep the pressure on all the way through.”

But the playoffs are nothing if not unpredictable, and the current car has only added to that. Half of the playoff races have been won by drivers that didn’t even make the playoffs with 18 different drivers visiting Victory Lane this year. Logano seemed unfazed by the dramatic shift from being eliminated to suddenly being thrown back into contention on Sunday night.

“It’s NASCAR, man,” smiled Logano. “I don’t know what to tell you. Expect the unexpected. You’ve got to go and just roll with the punches and go with the flow and just continue on. I feel like these days more and more there are just seasons like this. There’s just more crazy things that can happen than ever before, and a lot of that is due to the Next Gen car.”