Future battles might tighten up. If so, the first indication will be in pre-season tests–Barcelona, February 21-25, and Bahrain, March 10-12.
Without question, the most important part of this year’s Formula One season is the ongoing battle between defending champion Lewis Hamilton and his chief rival, Max Verstappen. Hamilton and his AMG Mercedes team have dominated the sport for the past few years. But this season Red Bull gave Verstappen a fast car, and the Dutchman is primed to drive it to his first world championship.
With so much attention on Red Bull and Mercedes, the question is whether any of the other teams will challenge the top two. The 2022 season will have all new designs, which could make any team stand out if it can put things together.
The battle for third place in the Constructor’s Championship 2021 has two classic teams–Ferrari and McLaren–going down to the wire. Both teams made dramatic improvements on their racecars, and with some luck, could challenge the top two next year. Then there’s Aston Martin, a team that was up near the midfield during the season. but has since fallen off. Can the team regain its mojo?
Two other teams–Alpha Tauri and Alpine–could move up the grid, while Toro Rosso and Renault, respectively, need to go an extra step to find success.
Alpha Tauri is the minor league team to Red Bull, so any success must be linked to the big brother, which could be a conflict of interest if they improve to the point where they are in the top three.
Alpine could improve if they can get their management in the right place (there is no team manager currently). Having a veteran driver in Fernando Alonso might bring success soon. The team found victory this season with Esteban Ocon.
So future battles might tighten up. If so, the first indication will be in pre-season tests–Barcelona, February 21-25, and Bahrain, March 10-12.
