Nobody wanted to see Formula One 2022 end the way Formula One 2021 did–when an official’s call made for a contrived ending to the final race of the year and handed the championship to Max Verstappen. Luckily, this year’s championship was won without controversy.
But the beginning of the race year did not indicate how things would eventually turn out.
It looked like Red Bull would not be the dominant force. Ferrari came out of the opening two tests in a refined style, and many fans and journalists thought that Red Bull and Mercedes would have to battle against them.
The first season race in Bahrain was proof, as Charles Leclerc opened up with a 1-2 victory with his teammate, Carlos Sainz. Verstappen took the next round in Saudi Arabia, but Leclerc followed with a win in Australia, indicating that 2022 could be a championship battle between those two drivers.
That was not to be. Verstappen took the next three races in Imola, Miami, and Spain, and Ferrari began to experience difficulties starting in the Florida race. After Verstappen won in Azerbaijan and Canada, France turned out to be the tipping point. Leclerc led the race quickly, but he then made a significant error and spun into the barriers. Verstappen won that race and also the next four in Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy.
The series then moved outside of Europe, where Verstappen clinched the title in Japan, followed by another victory in the United States at the Circuit of the Americas, and in Mexico before taking the final race in Abu Dhabi. It was a dominating run for what is now a two-time world champion.
Verstappen broke the seasonal winning record of 15 victories in a year, surpassing the 13 that Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel had done before.
While Verstappen was winning many races, others had their moments, too. Sergio Perez, took street circuits qins in Monaco and Singapore, while Sainz won in Great Britain, the first of his career. Mercedes had a disappointing year as Lewis Hamilton did not win a single race all season long, but teammate George Russell had an impressive maiden victory in Brazil. As for Ferrari, Leclerc won twice–following up the early win in Bahrain win with a later victory in Austria– and he also came in second in the Driver’s Championship, nudging out Perez by finishing second in Abu Dhabi.
The Red Bull team won its first Constructor’s championship in a few years with Ferrari in second place. Last year’s winner, Mercedes, finished third.
With 2022 now in the books, we can look forward to 2023 with its many changes in the drivers’ cast.
–Sabastian Vettel has retired from racing, with Fernando Alonso moving from Alpine to take his place at Aston Martin.
–Alonso’s vacant position goes to Pierre Gasly, who moves over from Alpha Tauri, where rookie Nyck De Vries will replace him.
–Nico Hulkenberg will be the #2 driver at Haas replacing Mick Schumacher, who may end up being a tester at Mercedes.
–In the most controversial move of the season, Oscar Piastri, reportedly going to Alpine, will instead race for McLaren, replacing Ricciardo, who may become a Red Bull test driver.
–At Williams Racing, the first American driver in many years has Logan Sargent replacing Nicholas Latifi.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the Formula One season goes next year. Even with the record 24 races scheduled, it will be challenging for all involved.
The Formula One Cast of 2022 (photo courtesy The Telegraph)
