It's Race Week at the Bahrain International Circuit for Race 1 of the calendar for the 2022 Formula One season and it kicks off with the Bahrain GP this Sunday at 11 am EST. There are still a lot of unknowns going into this race with completely new cars and regulations so I am just …
New F1 Season, New Cars, New Contenders?
It’s Race Week at the Bahrain International Circuit for Race 1 of the calendar for the 2022 Formula One season and it kicks off with the Bahrain GP this Sunday at 11 am EST. There are still a lot of unknowns going into this race with completely new cars and regulations so I am just going to go through all the teams one by one based off where they finished last season.
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton & George Russell
And the more things change the more they stay the same as we will be starting off with Mercedes. Bottas’ stint as Hamilton’s #2 has come to an end and the George Russell era at Mercedes has officially begun. Growing up a Lewis fanboy (his words, probably) the intergretation into the team and the chemistry shouldn’t be too much of an issue, as well as the fact that he has been the Mercedes reserve driver for a few years now so he knows the team and should slide in quite well.
Merecedes came to testing last week (also in Bahrain) with a revolutionary upgrade and introduced the “no-pod side pods” and the other teams seemed to be a little shook and concerned if Mercedes has pulled another rabbit out of their hat, but after testing was complete the mood around the Mercedes garage didn’t seem too optimistic with Hamilton saying he doesnt see the team competing for wins with this current car. A lot of people will take that as hyperbole as he and Mercedes always play down their current standings on the grid, and teams do hold back at testing but there are questions surrounding Mercedes that haven’t been there for a long time.
Ferrari: Carlos Sainz & Charles Leclerc
Ferrari is the team everyone is talking about going into the season this year. They have 2 very good and capable drivers in Leclerc and Sainz and have them both locked up. Leclerc was supposed to be the clear cut #1 driver before Sainz came in last season, new to the team and the car, and beat Leclerc in points on the year. Sure Leclerc had some DNF’s where Sainz scored good points (Monaco) but that was Leclerc’s own doing.
Ferrari went the opposite route of Mercedes and have wide side pods with these big scoops in them that make the Ferrari the best looking car on the grid in my opinion and it is incredible to see how different all the cars look and hopefully we are not going to see the same names and teams leading the pack.
Mclaren : Lando Norris & Daniel Ricciardo
Is this a make or break year for Daniel Ricciardo? After coming in as the big signing last season to Mclaren, other than a small gap in the middle of the season was quite underwhelming and that is not why Zac Brown took him from Renault. And after seeing how Sainz responded going to Ferrari and knowing he let him walk so easily cause he wanted Danny Ric he has to be praying for a much better season overall.
They locked in Lando on another extension and its clear he is not going anywhere anytime soon. So all the pressure has to be on Ricciardo to perform in order to keep his seat.
Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez
Reigning, defending, undisputed (very disputed) F1 Champion of the Worrrrrrrrld Max Verstappen is slapping the #1 on the front of his car and he hopes he doesnt see #33 again for quite some time as he sets to defend his title in what was arguably the best and most competitive Formula 1 season in recent memory if not all time. He set the overall fastest time last weekend in Bahrain and looks to be in prime postion to give it go for back to back titles. Sergio Perez re-signed to help him do so.
Alpine: Fernando Alonso & Esteban Ocon
2-time champ Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will team up for a 2nd year for Alpine and the pair were one of my favorites to watch as a team last season while on track. Multiple instances where one was seen defending with vigor so his teammate can hold on to a win or just a better grid postion. Which is refreshing to see in such a cut throat sport where your team mate is your biggest rival. Let’s see if the same friendship and teamwork can hold on when Alpine is expected to be more competitive this season and we all know how much Alonso likes to win.
Scuderia AlphaTauri: Pierre Gasley & Yuki Tsunoda
Last years most consistent driver (barring Max & Lewis) Pierre Gasley is back with AlphaTauri alongside teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda started good then cooled off quite a bit last season while Gasley was laying down P6 after P6 and seemed so steady. Towards the end of the year the rookie Tsunoda seemed to find his was in his new car and started to turn it around. In a season with alot of questions if these 2 can stay focused they can be a team to watch out for.
Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel & Lance Stroll
In what some people are thinking could be the last season of Vettel’s incredible carreer should the team not perform as he hopes, let’s just take this season as a Sebastian Vettel appreciation season. The car could be a little better than they previously were but I don’t think they can compete for wins quite yet. Stroll is still a servicable paid driver who can pull a podium from time to time, mostley when its wet does he perform his best. But I still think they are a year or two away from competing.
Williams: Nicholas Latifi & Alexander Albon
Grizzled vet Nick Latifi welcomes a familiar face to the Williams team in form of his former F2 teammate and former Red Bull Racing driver Alex Albon. Two good friends on a team that people seem to be saying alot of good things about their car this year. As a team towards the bottom of the grid means they have more resources to develop this years car and it seems they may have hit on some spots. Moving up a place or two up the grid will be a win for Williams this year.
Alfa Romeo: Valterri Bottas & Zhou Guanyu
This will be a big change for one half of the Mercedes powerhouse Valterri Bottas going from perennial favorite to the second to last team on the grid but he had some options and he chose this team. Zhou on the other hand is a paid driver who was competitive in F2 but not a champion. I don’t know much about him but nobody seems to high on his skills so expect Bottas to be the top driver for this team. I only wish they stayed with the camo livery they showed up with in testing. Not that I don’t like the current livery but the camo looked nice.
Haas: Mick Shumacher & Kevin Magnussen
A new look Haas team after the debacle that was Nikita Mazepin and the Russian sponsors that came along with him. Mazepin is out and after a week of deliberation on who was going to take his seat it was the man who got ousted for Mazepin to begin with Kevin Magnussen. Kevin should be a great addition to the team if not only for the future of Shumacher. The team turmoil that came with Mazepin will be a welcomes loss and hopefully the veteran Magussen can add stability within the garage. On the last day of testing it was Shumacher who had the 2nd fastest lap time of the weekend which took alot of people by surprise. But by basically forfeiting last season in order to prepare for the new regulations this year seems to have worked, at least for now.
The only thing we really know right now about this upcoming season is that all of teams showed up with different looking cars from one another and its not as cookie cutter as it usually is. Does this mean the grid order will look any different than it has over the last few years? Is Mercedes really that far behind the 8-ball as they seem to let on? Has Ferrari finally gotten it right and we will seem them contending for wins and championships? The good news is we dont have to wait any longer for these answers. So for now, go binge watch season 4 of Drive to Survive on Netflix and we’ll see you at lights out.
