The 2022 F1 Season saw the start of a new chapter in the Turbo Era of Formula 1. With an overhaul of technical regulations that would see closer racing, it was back to the drawing board for all teams for 2022. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian GP got excluded from the calendar, making 2022 a 22-race season. The Australian, Japanese and Canadian Grand Prix returned to the calendar following a two-year absence ( due to COVID-19 ), while the Miami Grand Prix made its debut in 2022.
2022 also saw a change in personnel at some teams. The F1 Sprint weekend format would feature at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Interlagos ( Brazil ).
With eleven races completed, how are things unfolding for the contenders? Is there a change in the pecking order? What are the challenges posed by the new technical regulations?
Time to review the performances of the teams and drivers midway through 2022!
Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team :
Verstappen, the reigning World Champion, had a tough start to the 2022 Campaign, suffering from two retirements in the opening three races. The Dutchman trailed Leclerc by 40 points before going on a race-winning spree that saw him overturn the deficit and take the lead in the Championship. The Dutchman won six races in the first half of the season, besides two podium finishes in Monaco and Austria. Damage to his car ( due to debris ) denied him victory in Britain. Verstappen seems to be the favourite to lift the crown again and is 38 points clear of Leclerc in the Championship.
As for teammate Perez, who sits in P3, trails Verstappen by 57 points. Perez suffered from retirements in Bahrain, Canada and Austria but bagged his first win of 2022 at Monaco. With five 2nd place finishes, Perez has displayed exceptional consistency in the first half of 2022 and has already earned himself a seat at Red Bull until 2024. The Mexican still harbours hopes of fighting for the Championship but will Red Bull maintain the status quo in the second half of 2022? It seems unlikely.
Despite a stuttering start to 2022, Red Bull sits 56 points clear at the top in the Constructor Standings. The Milton Keynes-based outfit has had fewer reliability issues than Ferrari. It seems likely that Red Bull also might incur penalties in the latter half of the year for exceeding the allocation.
Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :
Leclerc and Sainz renewed their partnership in 2022, and the duo remains locked in an intense battle for supremacy within the team. At the halfway point, Leclerc is 37 points clear of his teammate in P2. The Monegasque has three wins to his name along with two podium finishes. Reliability problems robbed Leclerc of victories/podium finishes in Spain and Baku, while strategic blunders denied him wins at Monaco and Britain. Leclerc also incurred a grid penalty during the Canadian GP for exceeding the allowed allocation of Power Units. Although he trails Verstappen by 38 points, Leclerc is Ferrari's best hope of winning the Drivers' Championship.
Sainz Jr bagged the first win of his career at the British GP, besides five podium finishes at the halfway point of the season. The Spaniard sits P4 in the standings, 37 points shy of teammate Leclerc. Having suffered more retirements than anyone else in the top 4, Sainz cannot afford more mediocre days if he wishes to harbour any thoughts of fighting for a Championship.
Reliability remains the biggest chink in Scuderia Ferrari's armoury. The 2022 challenger has enough performance to win races, but sudden failures in the future can cost the team and driver precious points. The team also needs to decide on prioritizing one driver over the other. The cost cap has only compounded matters, but thus far, it has been a more positive display by the Maranello-based outfit.
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :
Mercedes, the undisputed champions of the Turbo Era, are yet to win a race in 2022. The 2022 challenger has been struggling with porpoising and bouncing issues, which have gotten addressed, finally.
On the personnel front, George Russell is partnering with Lewis Hamilton with Bottas moving over to Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen. Russell leads the intra-team battle by 19 points, with three podium finishes and finishing in the points in all races bar one ( Britain ). Russell, dubbed Mr Saturday in 2021, is now called Mr Consistent on a Sunday with his performances in an under-performing Mercedes.
Except for Imola, Hamilton has finished every race in the points, including four podiums. However, the multi-world champion is struggling more than Russell in extracting performance from the car. The porpoising and bouncing issues were physically draining in Baku, while a crash in Qualifying at the recently concluded Austria Grand Prix denied Hamilton a chance to finish higher than P3.
Although Mercedes has had its fair share of issues in 2022, they remain the most reliable team on the grid, capitalizing on the errors of the teams above them. With their balance issues out of the way, Mercedes is moving in the right direction and should return to winning ways in the latter half of 2022.
McLaren F1 Team :
McLaren retains the services of Norris and Ricciardo in 2022, and thus far, it has been an underwhelming display by the latter. While Norris managed a P3 in Imola and 7 points finishes en route to 64 points, Ricciardo has managed only 17. P6 in Australia was Ricciardo's best result ( thus far ). The Australian has come under intense scrutiny but soldiers on as he tries to find his groove again.
Norris is currently P7, While Ricciardo 12th in the Drivers' Standings. McLaren, level on points with Alpine ( in 4th ) but ahead due to a podium finish, continues to struggle with the 2022 Challenger. The lack of straight-line speed in the Mercedes engine has compounded matters.
The possibility of losing out to Alpine F1 if they can't improve in the latter half of the season seems plausible.
BWT Alpine F1 Team :
Alpine F1, with a new title sponsor in BWT, renewed its title challenge in 2022 with Ocon and Alonso. Ocon leads the intra-team battle with 8 points finishes, P5 being his best result at the recently concluded Austrian GP. Meanwhile, Alonso is 10th in the standings, with 29 points to his name, 23 separating the duo. Alonso's best finish was also P5 ( in Britain ), besides finishing in the points in seven races. Both drivers have had reliability issues, with Alonso bearing the brunt of it.
In the Constructors', Alpine is tied with McLaren on 81 points and would hope to continue their upwards trend in this battle. As a works team, Alpine has the resources to do even better in the latter half of 2022. The car's straight-line speed is second only to Red Bull, but reliability remains the team's Achilles heel.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen :
Alfa Romeo F1 acquired the services of Bottas and Zhou for 2022. Sporting an all-new driver lineup in a new era of the sport was a risk, which has paid dividends thus far.
Bottas' expertise and knowledge from his years at Mercedes have helped propel Alfa Romeo into the thick of the midfield. The Finn is currently P9 in the standings with 46 points to his name, with P5 being his best finish at Imola. Saudi Arabia and Silverstone were two races where he retired due to mechanical issues, but Bottas has featured regularly in the top 10, be it on a Saturday or a Sunday.
The Formula 2 rookie and the first ever Chinese F1 Driver, Zhou has had a tough start with only two results in the points in the first 11 races. The Chinese driver's best finish came in Canada ( P8 ), and he has suffered from more reliability issues than Bottas. Following a horrifying crash on the opening lap in Silverstone, which saw the HALO save his life, Zhou was back to racing again in Austria.
Although Alfa Romeo trail McLaren and Alpine by 30 points, they are only 17 clear of Haas F1 Team, the other Ferrari customer team. If Zhou can step up his performances to match Bottas' in the latter half of 2022, getting closer to P5 in the Championship will be possible. The reliability of the Ferrari PUs remains a concern still.
Haas F1 Team :
After a few seasons of mediocrity and hardship, Haas F1 are on the rise again in the new era of F1. It was a tumultuous start to the year, with the team terminating Mazepin's contract and saying goodbye to its title sponsor in Uralkali in a show of solidarity towards Ukraine, invaded by Russia. The search for a replacement led them to an old associate in Kevin Magnussen, who pounced at the opportunity to partner Mick Schumacher, the son of the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Magnussen has been the more consistent of the two drivers, with five results in the points, P5 being his best at the season opener in Bahrain. Schumacher secured two points finishes, P8 and P6, in Silverstone and Austria, respectively. Haas F1 is currently P7 in the Constructor Standings, 17 points shy of Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen. It is a close contest in the lower half of the field, but with the chasing pack suffering from various issues, Haas F1 should be able to hold on to P7 if not challenge Alfa Romeo.
Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :
Alpha Tauri, Red Bull's B-team, has had a trying first half of the season. The team retained the services of Gasly and Tsunoda for 2022. Both drivers continue to struggle with balance issues. Incidents on opening laps and intra-team battles have not helped matters either.
The team has gone backwards, and it seems unlikely this downturn will get arrested in 2022. Alpha Tauri is currently P8 in the Constructor Standings, 9 points clear of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1.
In the intra-team battle, Gasly remains the better performing driver with 16 points and three finishes in the top 10. P5 in Baku is the Frenchman's best result. Tsunoda's best finish was P7 in Imola, besides P8 and P10 in Bahrain and Spain, respectively.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team :
Aston Martin F1 is going through a baptism by fire in 2022. The team, like Alpha Tauri, is struggling with multiple issues, despite trying to emulate some above them in the standings. As a team that has enjoyed so many great days in its history, it is disheartening to see a tally of only 18 points at the halfway point of 2022.
Vettel had 4 points finishes, with P6 in Baku being his best result. He missed the first two races of the season due to COVID-19 and got replaced by the reserve driver, Nico Hulkenberg. Vettel has scored almost all the points for the team ( 15 out of 18 ), while Vettel's younger teammate and son of the owner, Lance Stroll, has only three 10th place finishes to show for all his efforts.
The team has plans for expansion with the construction of its new factory in the UK, but it might all come crashing down if they can't turn performances around on the track.
Williams Racing F1 Team :
After its acquisition by Dorilton Ventures, Williams Racing F1 is slowly and steadily returning to a level of competitiveness desired from a team with such a rich history. While the team lost Russell to Mercedes for 2022, they snatched up Reserve Driver of Red Bull ( in 2021 ), Alexander Albon, to partner Nicholas Latifi.
Albon secured 3 points for the team with P9 and P10 in Miami and Australia, respectively. Latifi's performances continue to be underwhelming, and the Canadian is yet to secure a top 10 finish. The rumours that the team are searching for a replacement are doing rounds, and Latifi needs to start matching Albon's results to squash such claims.
It is unlikely that Williams would do better than P10 unless there is a bizarre race result in the latter half of 2022.
The first half of 2022 produced its fair share of thrills and spills, and as things stand, Verstappen and Red Bull are en route to lifting the crown again. Ferrari and Leclerc had their reliability problems but aren't out of reckoning yet. As for Mercedes, they have found a base to mount a challenge and trim the deficit to the teams ahead.
Will the Bulls keep raging on? or will the Horse prance to the finish line first? Time will reveal all!