Felix
The 2022 F1 season is the one to watch! With the new regulations in place, the new teams are hoping to start the season at high but the pre-season testing has shown some of the possibilities of what the new season is brewing for us.
F1 2022 Pre Season testing
The pre-season testing which was held in Barcelona and Bahrain showed the world how the future would turn out to be for the teams and the drivers. With the new regulations in place some teams adapted quite good on the other hand some teams were seen struggling to keep up the pace to compete in the high-speed sport.
With over a combined 6000 laps done within two weeks of testing, teams have a stockpile of data to work on. This data will help them to develop and adapt as the new season progresses.
Here is the ranking on how the teams turned out after the pre-season testing.
10.Williams
Williams 2021 season ended on a high which was least expected from the team with such a low budget. Williams finished 8th in the constructor’s title but the team in Blue faced many issues during the pre-season testing.
It was unfortunate for the Williams when Nicholas Latifi’s brake caught fire during the Day 2 of Bahrain testing. The brake issue raised the question of whether the car was reliable or not. But it is too early to say that as the team is in the early phase of the season where all the flaws should come out in front so that they could be taken care of before the season kick starts at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
9. Alfa Romeo
With the new driver lineup, Alfa Romeo hopes to improve from the last season. With Valterri Bottas coming in and the young gun Zhou Guanyu the stakes are high for the Alfa Romeo to perform well in the 2022 F1 season.
With a not-so-oiled pre-season testing the team looks in trouble. With the veteran ex-Mercedes driver Bottas the team hopes to push in for the midfield. The new car lacked pace which they highly need.
8. Haas
This year Haas had a lot to deal with. With Nikita Mazepin leaving the team the old driver Kevin Magnussen made his return to the F1. On the other hand, the talented Mick Schumacher finds himself on the list of fastest time setters during the pre-season testing.
Haas sacrificed the development of the previous year’s car to focus on the new 2022 season car and the gamble seems like has worked.
7. AlphaTauri
Finishing 6th in the 2021 F1 season AlphaTuari has got work to do to lead the midfield. With Red Bull Powertrain taking over the amazing Honda engines the team is looking for positive growth.
With Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda ready for their second season as teammates the team is looking to build the group to lead the midfield.
6. Aston Martin
Aston Martin finished 7th in the 2021 F1 season and the Racing Green is expected to perform better than that. With the most stunning livery of the season, Aston Martin looks intimidating. With Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and the promising Lance Stroll, the Racing Green is looking to compete more fiercely this season.
With balanced pre-season testing, the Aston Martin ticks the reliability box.
5. Alpine
Alpine which stood 5th in the 2021 F1 season had a good reliable start at the pre-season testing. With a reliable car and balanced drivers, the team can be the one to look out for in the midfield.
With World Champion Fernando Alonso and the quick Esteban Ocon, the team has a complete balance which they hoped for this season. With the car performing well the team can push in to create a shake in the standings in the coming season.
4. Maclaren
Maclaren finished 4th in the 2021 F1 Season just short of 3rd and will surely look to get back out there and grab what they wanted, a 3rd place in the constructor’s standing.
With Lando Norris and the Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, the team feels more confident to be back on mark. With Daniel missing in on the pre-season testing Maclaren certainly had a shaky start. The car was even seen to lack pace which they were expected to have but the team is all satisfied. With harmony in the team, they certainly feel confident.
3. Mercedes
The 2021 F1 season was one of the most controversial and heartbreaking for the Silver Arrows. They certainly want to leave it all behind and look forward to being back at the top again. But the pre-season testing was not easy for the Silver Arrows.
This season could be a tough start for the Mercedes but the car which was seen in Barcelona was different from the car which was tested in Bahrain. The team twitched up and the negatives were relatively less. With seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and the new partner George Russel the team certainly can’t be overshadowed.
2. Ferrari
Ferrari which stood 3rd in the 2021 F1 season certainly was back on track when the team tested its car at Barcelona. Ferrari had a very balanced and reliable pre-season testing and will surely be eyeing to be World Champions once again.
With Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc as their lineup the team surely will be hoping to be back on top once again. The Prancing Horse surely did turn eyes at the pre-season testing and is the one to watch.
1. RedBull
RedBull in the last 2021 F1 season gave us the new World Champion Max Verstappen and is surely one of the favorites for this season. With the new car, RedBull demonstrated in the pre-season that they heavily invested resources for this year’s car.
With reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and the veteran, Sergio Perez RedBull certainly are the favorites.
And the Hunt begins!!
2022 F1 Schedule
| # | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain GP | Bahrain International Circuit | 20 Mar |
| 2 | Saudi Arabian GP | Jeddah Street Circuit | 27 Mar |
| 3 | Australian GP | Albert Park | 10 Apr |
| 4 | Emilia Romagna GP | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 24 Apr |
| 5 | Miami GP | Miami International Autodrome | 8 May |
| 6 | Spanish GP | Circuit de Catalunya | 22 May |
| 7 | Monaco GP | Circuit de Monaco | 29 May |
| 8 | Azerbaijan GP | Baku City Circuit | 12 Jun |
| 9 | Canadian GP | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 19 Jun |
| 10 | British GP | Circuit Silverstone | 3 Jul |
| 11 | Austrian GP | Red Bull Ring | 10 Jul |
| 12 | French GP | Circuit Paul Ricard | 24 Jul |
| 13 | Hungarian GP | Hungaroring | 31 Jul |
| 14 | Belgian GP | Spa-Francorchamps | 28 Aug |
| 15 | Dutch GP | Circuit Zandvoort | 4 Sep |
| 16 | Italian GP | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | 11 Sep |
| 17 | To be announced | – | 25 Sep |
| 18 | Singapore GP | Marina Bay Street Circuit | 2 Oct |
| 19 | Japanese GP | Suzuka Circuit | 9 Oct |
| 20 | United States GP | Circuit of the Americas | 23 Oct |
| 21 | Mexican GP | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | 30 Oct |
| 22 | Brazilian GP | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Interlagos | 13 Nov |
| 23 | Abu Dhabi GP | Yas Marina Circuit | 20 Nov |
The 2022 season surely will be a thriller to watch. With the new regulation there comes an opportunity for the other teams to push forward the pack and shuffle the power dynamics of the Formula World. Will the select teams dominate the F1? or the new regulations will close the gap for other teams to show their caliber? Only time will tell!
