The 2022 season in which new regulations came into effect ended with the same winner as in 2021, but in a much more overwhelming way
Anyone who sees the final standings of the 2022 Formula 1 season will clearly be able to detect a reality: Max Verstappen has swept. In a campaign of 22 races (it was supposed to be 23, but the Russian GP was killed by the war), which saw the introduction of new regulations designed to make the races more exciting and allow the cars to be shaken What are the conditions for the title, the Dutchman was again the winner. Those who haven’t watched every race might mistakenly think it’s been a boring season.
And it is that the year ended in Abu Dhabi started with Ferrari in the lead. Charles Leclerc and the Scuderia seemed unstoppable, the management work was perfect and even Carlos Sainz himself seemed surprised. It seemed like a repeat of what had been longed for so many years since Maranello: Michael Schumacher’s empire. However, to paraphrase a certain football columnist during the World Cup in Qatar, Ferrari is Ferrari and it showed during the almost nine months the championship lasted.
The chaotic decisions he made, both strategically and the evolution of an undeniable winning car, weighed on Leclerc’s options, who soon found themselves in the desperate reality of the Italian team. Ferrari’s cyclothymic performance also weighed on Carlos Sainz, who even after taking his first pole positions and his first win had to pull the car more often than he would have liked. That ‘Stop inventing’ that he dedicated to his team at Silverstone, a circuit for which he has always held a place in his heart, earned him the respect and admiration of those who saw a certain ‘barrichellisation’ of the man from Madrid. feared.
Although Ferrari was by far the only team that could control Red Bull. Especially on Saturday, when Leclerc held nine pole positions. of which he achieved only three victories. And that thanks to the fact that Mercedes made a serious trip from which she only got up at the end.
As with all births, especially the first, the birth of what would later become an unbeatable car like the Red Bull RB18 came with problems. Verstappen became the driver with the most wins in a season, 15, plus the two for Sergio Pérez, who would spark sparks in Brazil. The relationship between the two runners, somewhat unexpectedly, forced the bosses to publicly and privately berate the two-time world champion for his lack of camaraderie with the Mexican, devastated pound for pound by the Dutchman, but who fought – and lost – for runner – until the last race.
But if there is a losing team in the noble zone of the grid, it is Mercedes. The former dictator opted for a very risky interpretation of the new regulations to create a W13 without sidepods. His car was literally the only one that didn’t have those fancy air intakes that other teams had, albeit modified, to chart a new development path that could pay off later on.
The big loser for making that decision was Lewis Hamilton. For the first time in his sporting career, he has completed a year in Formula 1 without a win, something his teammate George Russell, who because of his great regularity is called ‘Mr. Consistency’ was mentioned, but has been achieved. He did it in Brazil, already at the end of the season, but it helped him finish the season ahead of the seven-time world champion himself. For the first time, and against a newcomer to the team, Hamilton didn’t drink from the top of the podium.
These performance problems were largely a result of the new regulations, which brought back an old enemy: ‘porpoises’. The pitching of the cars as a symptom of ground effect in the single-seaters was a nightmare for the engineers and even a risk to the health of the drivers, leading the FIA to allow the nose to turn up slightly through regulation. Since then, the Mercedes (among other teams) have moved up.
The midfield became a bit more confused, with Alpine being one of the teams generating the most action. The internal battles on the wall of the French team, the chaotic management of Otmar Szafnauer and the fatigue of Fernando Alonso, who was expelled from the team due to a clear lack of affection and respect from those in charge, ultimately hampered options . Neither better nor worse. Just the same as in 2021 but a little further from the podium and a lot more from the victories. The project has failed and the feeling that it could soon completely implode is increasingly on everyone’s mind.
2022 was also the season in which a sports career like Sebastian Vettel’s ended. The German has let go of his mane of protest and will no longer have to control his words (however little he did). His retirement opened the gap for Alonso to Aston Martin in 2023 in what could be a memorable campaign.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
