Auto Racing Digest

Will 2022 prove to be a whole new F1?

Rules changes, mechanical changes and new race directors are just some of the new things we'll see as the season kicks off this weekend

Gregg Fielding

Will 2022 prove to be a whole new F1?
Will 2022 prove to be a whole new F1? /

Mercedes, Red Bull. For twelve years, that’s been the list of Formula One teams that have finished a season entitled to use the word “champion”, either as a team or for a driver.

For fans of the series’ other eight teams, expectations have been limited to outscoring other mid-field rivals, the occasional podium, and for some the celebrating of a rare finish in the points for a single race.

But finally, with the last eight years being much of the same when it comes from a mechanical standpoint, things are ready to change - maybe.

What is certain is that 2022 is bringing big changes to the cars –new bodywork with an emphasis on ground effects, new larger tires, new regulations, and for good measure new race directors after the 2021 Abu Dhabi debacle.

Less certain is whether we will see new faces featuring in the battle for supremacy.

Following completion of the six pre-season testing days, few if any cards are yet to be turned face up. Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes isn’t ready to compete for wins. Lando Norris claims McLaren isn’t even the best of the mid-field.

But pre-season quotes in F1 are about as useful in predicting the season as the leaderboards of the test sessions, which is to say pretty much not at all. Rivals point to Ferrari as looking ready to step back up to the front of the field, but until the cars take to the track for the first time in anger this weekend in Bahrain, it’s nothing more than the verbal jousting that has long been part of the sport.

It was Hamilton who predicted the field “closing up” in 2019 before he and teammate Valtteri Bottas proceeded to win 15 of 21 races for Mercedes. Not surprisingly, the oddsmakers have Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the two heavy favorites to come out on top. But it’s the dawn of a new era, and if you can’t have hope now, when can you?

Can F1 conquer America – or is it the other way around?

It’s been five years since American corporation Liberty Media purchased control of Formula One, and the series’ desire to increase its presence in the United States continues to gain traction. After the Circuit of the Americas in Austin saw an incredible weekend attendance estimated at 400,000 in October, tickets have sold fast for the new Miami Grand Prix set to take place this May. The rising popularity comes despite the absence of an American driver in the series - although that might not be the case for long.

Colton Herta’s signing of a development deal with McLaren’s F1 division may not have sent a shockwave through the sport, but it does have people taking notice. McLaren already has a driver on their own IndyCar team with an eye on a possible future in the international series – Patricio O’Ward, who got a test in the F1 car last October.

Herta has also been talked up as a possible driver for a future Andretti Autosport-owned F1 entry. The two young drivers recently got to showcase their skills for a different audience while teaming up for the Rolex 24 in Daytona, impressing as part of the winning LMP2 DragonSpeed entry.

As for Andretti, he continues to show determination to break into the exclusive F1 owner’s club, a venture requiring not just huge amounts of capital, but also unanimous approval of the other teams for the creation of a new entry. Andretti has F1’s favorite American (his father, Mario) on his side, as well as McLaren CEO (and native Californian) Zak Brown. Brown recently criticized other F1 teams for failing to embrace the younger Andretti, saying his investors are ”exactly the type of investors you would want in motorsport”.

An easier path would be the purchase of all or part of an existing team. One prospect is the series’ current American team, Haas, following the departure of their Russian sponsor, Uralkali. Andretti has admitted to reaching out to owner Gene Haas about taking over the team (prior to Uralkali’s departure), but stated the NASCAR/F1 boss has not shown any desire to sell.

If Haas is having any financial issues after losing his main sponsor, that’s another card he’s not showing. In an interview Sunday, Haas said that it was the F1 budget cap, not his own bank account, that was limiting his spending. “The car is fast, we have two good drivers, and we’re going forward”.

Now-former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, son of the Uralkali owner, threatened legal action against the team, but also found himself placed on a European Union blacklist, meaning he would have been prohibited from participation in much of the season in any event.

“Unfortunately, Nikita got run over by a Russian tank”, Haas added, appearing ready to move on from that chapter. 

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Gregg Fielding
GREGG FIELDING

Gregg Fielding has followed all forms of motorsports since watching the ABC nighttime broadcasts of the Indy 500 in the late 1970s. He lives in New York, is particularly keen on F1 and IndyCar, and has attended the Brooklyn Formula E events since their first running in 2017. Follow Gregg on Twitter @GreggFielding

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