2022 Formula One Season Preview
It feels as though last year’s whirlwind of a season has only just come to a conclusion, an end that was filled with controversy, drama, and two marquee names in the sport clashing for glory. And now, only a few months later, we’re ready to do it all over again.
So to speak, this year brings a new era with a new set of technical regulations that have been completely overhauled. These changes were originally supposed to be implemented last season, but were delayed due to the many complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now though, the new car has finally arrived, and the hope is that the gap between the grid’s top performers and back markers will be closed and more parody will be present. Outside of the new car itself though, what should we be keeping a close eye on as the new season is about to commence?
For one, the title fight will surely be centred around defending champion Max Verstappen, as well as whoever can step up and truly take the fight to him. The easy assumption to make is that it will be Lewis Hamilton, but can the seven-time champion bounce back after a crushing defeat in Abu Dhabi last year? As far as the Brit is concerned, doing so will be a struggle, as Hamilton has noted that he has a lot of concerns about the Mercedes W13 he’ll be piloting this year.
“We've had small problems in the past, relatively compared to this year, we've had much smaller problems,” Hamilton said. “We're faced with much bigger problems this year. Everything we do to try to fix it doesn't really change that, so it appears that it's probably going to be a more longer-term fix, so nothing in the short term. You look at the Red Bulls, they're a long, long way ahead. It's in the region of eight to nine tenths ahead of us, and Ferrari is probably something like half-a-second.
To F1 fans, hearing Hamilton say that he’s not one hundred percent happy with his car at the start of a new season is nothing new, and it usually translates into Mercedes quickly sorting their issues out and destroying the field. But what if this year, they can’t? If not Sir Lewis and the Silver Arrows, then who can legitimately challenge Verstappen in 2022?
If you ask the Tifosi, Ferrari will be the team to make the jump from pretenders to contenders in 2022, which would be a much welcome return to form for the team from Maranello. Their last few years have presented seasons filled with struggles, setbacks, and disappointment, but if their form from winter testing is any indication, those issues are well behind them. Their power unit for this season appears incredibly strong, as evidenced by the fact that all three teams with Ferrari power units - Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Haas - all appeared to have moved up in the pecking order during winter testing. And with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the helm, the Scuderia retain a formidable driver lineup, one that many believe could make Red Bull begin to sweat.
The grid as a whole appears to have a bright future that’s filled with talented young drivers from front to back. From George Russell getting ready for his first season at Mercedes, to drivers like Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and Lando Norris all looking to take the next steps in their careers, the grid is full of exciting young drivers. Not to mention, Mick Schumacher is entering his sophomore season at Haas, and will likely have a much-improved machine to work with in 2022.
Speaking of Haas, the American outfit is looking to move on from the controversy surrounding their now-former driver, Russia’s Nikita Mazepin, and their former title sponsor Uralkali. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a few weeks ago, criticism quickly rolled in about Haas’ Russian ties. Why? Uralkali - a Russian fertiliser company - was the title sponsor of Haas F1, and Nikita’s father Dmitry, who has ties to Vladimir Putin, is the majority shareholder of the company that owns Uralkali. Now though, Haas’ ties have been severed with Mazepin and Uralkali, and Kevin Magnussen returns to Haas to race in Mazepin’s place.
With eye-catching headlines up and down the grid, all eyes will still be on Max Verstappen and whether he can repeat his dominant performance from last season. Interestingly enough, the Dutchman has swiftly dismissed any notion that he has anything to prove in 2022, even after the way last season ended in Abu Dhabi.
“No. I proved that with the most wins and most poles and most laps led. People forget that. They only look at Abu Dhabi, apparently,” Verstappen said. “If you look at last season, we could have had more wins and more poles, even. It's going to be really difficult to do something like that again.”