Here is a quick write-up of how the season has panned out as F1 heads into its fourth race weekend.
Dawn of a new era
The new regulations put in place for the 2022 season focused on shifting the aerodynamic focus from the wings to underneath the car, making it easier to follow the car in front, and thus improving close racing. These are revolutionary changes for F1 and were expected to completely reshuffle the playing field, which they did, to an extent.
Last year, Max Verstappen dethroned 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, after one of the closest seasons ever in motorsport. Their respective teams, Red Bull and Mercedes were anticipated to be on the back foot coming into this season because of the number of resources they poured into the development of last year’s car. Ferrari and McLaren spearheaded the midfield (teams in the middle of the pack performance-wise) and were expected to have a leg up on Red Bull and Mercedes because they could spend more time and money on the 2022 car. Backmarkers (teams with the worst performance) like Haas, Alfa Romeo, and Williams hoped to make the jump into the midfield alongside Alpha Tauri, Alpine, and Aston Martin after pausing development on the cars last season to focus fully on 2022.
Early 2022 predictions
Even though it was premature to make predictions in early 2022, it didn’t stop a lot of people from trying.
Pretty much everybody, from pundits to casual fans, looked forward to a repeat of the Hamilton vs Verstappen duel from last year. Since history has shown that experienced drivers shine after big rule changes, many predicted that Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel would fight at the front. The fanbase was split over who would perform better between Hamilton and his new teammate, George Russell. Many also hoped to see Carlos Sainz’s first career win and banked on this season to understand the true measure of rookies Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher.
Preseason testing
Preseason testing took place in 3-day sessions in Barcelona and then Bahrain. Total lap counts were more representative of a team’s performance than simple lap speed, because it reflects the durability of the parts, which was much harder to hide. Regardless, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren topped both the lap counts and lap records at Barcelona. Red Bull, Williams, Alpha Tauri, and Aston Martin had a relatively quiet session, whereas Alfa Romeo and Haas could barely get running because of reliability problems.
In Bahrain, Mercedes unveiled a radical design with barely any sidepods (an aerodynamic component which directs air around the car), causing the biggest stir of preseason testing. However, it amplified existing issues with their car and did not give them a significant speed advantage. Ferrari looked like the best team for the first two days, but they were one-upped by Red Bull’s upgrades on Day 3. It was a smooth test for Alphatauri, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, and Alpine. Williams, Haas, and McLaren had reliability issues which prevented them from getting a lot of laps in, but they looked quick when they did.
The current pecking order
After 3 races, Ferrari has 5 podiums and 2 wins, Red Bull has 1 win and 2 podiums, and Mercedes has 2 podiums. However, Mercedes is ahead of Red Bull in the constructor’s standings because neither Red Bull finished the first race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen did not finish the race in Australia either. It is clear that Red Bull’s car is quick but unstable and unreliable, similar to the Alpine (in 5th place). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), George Russell (Mercedes), and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) top the driver’s standings. Ferrari look set to dominate with a powerful engine that has great corner exit traction, and a car that the drivers seem more than happy to drive. Haas and Alfa Romeo (6th and 7th place, respectively) have made massive improvements over the last year, thanks in large part to the Ferrari engine that they use.
Mercedes lurk behind the frontrunners at every race, faster than the midfield, but slower than Ferrari and Red Bull. Red Bull’s reliability problems have granted them lucky podiums. They are set to make major upgrades throughout the season to claw back the development gap. McLaren started poorly, alongside Williams, Aston Martin, and AlphaTauri. However, they seem to have sorted out many of their problems while the other teams remain near the bottom of the standings.
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