The 2021 season ended like yesterday, but we have now entered a new year and are moving towards exciting new campaigns. Here are 10 things to look forward to before the 2022 Formula One World Championship season.
1. New Racing This season has witnessed a new era in F1, with new designs for future cars due to comprehensive new regulations to improve the appearance of the car. Many features, including a focus on ground effects, 18-inch tires, and a redesigned front wing and nose, mean cars should be able to get closer together – and possibly more overtaking on the track. These cars are also safer, using a higher percentage of sustainable fuel and should look very different from previous years. Continuing to launch the car – Mercedes has already launched their W13 engine – the launch has gotten quick. 2. Verstappen defending, Hamilton attacking Without a proper title battle,
What is the use of the new car? After the blockbuster 2021 season, we're looking forward to a competition between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. That means Hamilton's goal is a record eighth world title, while Verstappen's goal is to defend his title and score seconds in the process. We haven't had a reigning champion other than Hamilton in a while (back in 2014, when it was Sebastian Vettel) and this year we will also see Verstappen use the #1 car number on his car for the first time since Vettel in 2014. HAMILTON VS VERSTAPPEN: Why their competition has the potential to be the greatest competition in F1 history George Russell joins Silver Arrows to succeed Valtteri Bottas, giving us a chance to see what the 23-year-old can do with his racing weapon for the title.
As mentioned earlier, a new era of F1 racing could mean a tighter race rhythm – more teams looking to stage crash parties this year – plus a frozen engine concept that should represent Red Bull Powertrains once again on par with the power of Mercedes.
3. Rich 23 F1 races This epic championship battle will take place in 23 races in 2022 –
This is the most F1 event to date. The most popular stations such as Suzuka, Montreal, Melbourne and Singapore will be designated for the return calendar, and we will host the first Miami Grand Prix in May. If 2021 shows us anything, it's that every of the 23 tracks on the temporary calendar – including Zandvoort, Jeddah, Imola – has given us great races. This (2022) season is scheduled to start on March 20 and end on November 20.
4. Ferrari and McLaren stand on the podium
Ferrari and McLaren are hoping to fight on the front this season, with both teams showing their immense momentum and past success in 2021, with McLaren finishing the only two races of the season in Italy, while Ferrari finished third in the championship and nearly 200 more points in 2020. Lando Norris made his best season so far in 2021 but unfortunately missed out on P5 in the standings, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz's line-up were probably the strongest at the starting line, scoring points at every track in France. Daniel Ricciardo should go all out to catch up with Woking and put it up and running in 2022, making Ferrari and McLaren a true battle of giants. Can they be a thorn in the side of Mercedes and Red Bull?
5. Two rising teams targeting the front lines of battle are more competitive with Alpine and Aston Martin, the former an engineering team —
It was also the only team to use The Renault power unit – the latter being fully commissioned by boss Lawrence Stroll. Alpine won Esteban Ocon in 2021 while Fernando Alonso made an outstanding return to F1, taking the podium at Qatar to prove he hadn't lost any of the iconic races. Aston Martin may have struggled even more — even though Sebastian Vettel did make a brilliant podium at Baku and almost again at Budapest — but they have a lot of potential. Listen to their boss talk about his plans... Make it an AAA-level battle as AlphaTauri has a fast Red Bull Powertrain, Pierre Gasly is at his best, and Yuki Tsunoda strides forward after learning his debut season.
With Albon's return, Williams continues their journey alex Albon returns after some great performances in 2020.
The Thai-Britishman spent a year on the sidelines, with Sergio Perez playing for the Red Bull and Tsunoda stepping into his Alpha Tauri position. With Russell promoted to Mercedes, Williams signed the Red Bull-backed 25-year-old driver to partner Nicholas Latifi. It's a fitting signing for the Grove squad as they look to extend their morale. It's great to see Williams reach the heights they're known for, but that could be a tough requirement in 2022. In any case, last season showed that the British team is trying to get back to their best, and in 2022 they are likely to be moving in the right direction.
7. Zhou debut Zhou Guanyu will make history as the first Chinese driver to play full-time in F1
As the only newcomer in the field, his debut season will come under the spotlight. The 22-year-old will join Alfa Romeo alongside former Mercedes Grand Prix champion Bottas, a duo that will have the advantage of experience and youth. This isn't Zhou Guanyu's F1 car debut – he's certainly tested Alpine as well as Alfa Romeo 's car – but he will prove himself at the starting line and enjoy home racing for the first time, with Chinese GrandPrix recently signing a long-term contract to put Liu on the calendar.
8.Haas has another bizarre case with Alfa's innocence, Haas, who didn't score at the end of 2021.
This may seem bad for the American team now, but let's not forget that they decided to abandon the development of the 2021 car in order to focus resources and time on this season. In addition, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin are entering their second season and it will certainly be interesting to see them improve. Alfa Romeo is also struggling in 2021, but they have a brand new lineup of riders and (like Haas) ferrari power units, which the Ferrari team says are making quick progress as they try to catch up with Honda and Mercedes.
9. F2 and F3 biggest seasons As the title suggests, the road to F1 is here
2022 has an attractive season. Both tournaments will be played on the same weekend as F1 and will be restored from three races per weekend to two races, and their format will also be changed to accommodate this. We will now see F2 join the F1 calendar in 14 races in 2022, starting at the Bahrain opening station, while F3 will be held alongside F2 and F1 in 9 races. Both championships also welcomed Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing, Verstappen's personal debut in single-seater racing in 2014, and many new drivers who have left their mark.
10. Welcome to Miami Yes, 2022 will host the first-ever Miami Grand Prix on May 6-8 – a party in a hot city (naturally). Riders will drive 19 corners and 5.41 kilometres of track at the Miami International Autodrome around Hard Rock Stadium. With three straights and DRS zones and a top speed of around 320 km/h, this exciting new track will undoubtedly be a test for drivers and the new F1 car. Also, it's the first time since 1984 that we've seen F1 play two races in the United States – Austin hosts the United States Grand Prix in October. This season could be another great race and we're already waiting to see the team's car design.