With the new 2022 F1 technical regulations promising better racing, Sportslumo looks back at the season's top three races thus far.
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The 2022 Formula One season saw the most significant technological changes in the sport’s history. Bringing ground effect vehicles back into F1 after they were outlawed in the 1980s was hoped to result in closer wheel-to-wheel racing with cars being able to follow one another more easily. As a result, it was believed that the new design would increase the number of overtakes while, in tandem with the budget cap, levelling the playing field. While it is debatable whether the regulations have delivered on all of their promises, F1 has not been short of exciting races this season. It is possible that there will be no uninteresting races in 2022, making it tough to narrow them down. We’ve done our best, though, and here are our top three races of the current Formula One season.
It was the beginning of a new era. Cars that look significantly different, teams with different drivers, and the promise of more entertaining racing. That promise was fulfilled when Bahrain proved to be an excellent way to kick off the 2022 season. The new restrictions had an immediate impact, with qualifying upsetting up the order after McLaren had a vehicle eliminated in Q1, while Haas – who didn’t collect a point in 2021 – made it into the final session thanks to Kevin Magnussen’s return. Magnussen had reason to say this following an exciting race that saw 77 overtakes, albeit just two more than the previous season.
The duel at the front between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc drew the most attention and provided a preview of what was to come for the remainder of the year. Starting from pole, Leclerc lost the lead to Verstappen at turn one on lap 17, only to retake it a few corners later. The following lap, the exact same thing happened, and what was so great about it all was that onboards. The Ferrari driver didn’t fight Verstappen into Turn 1 on purpose because he knew he’d have DRS on the straight between Turns 3 and 4, where the Monegasque overtook the Red Bull both times. Late in the race, technical issues caused a double Red Bull DNF, giving Ferrari a one-two finish in what was a thrilling start to the new era.
Monaco is a track that divides opinion; some believe that the tightness of the circuit makes it obsolete for modern F1 cars, while others believe that it should be preserved for historical purposes. While the racing wasn’t always the best, to give credit where credit is due, this year’s Monaco GP was a lot of fun. Leclerc secured pole for his home race, but rain in the principality changed everything the next day. The race was delayed by an hour due to standing water on the track, but it was well worth the wait. Monaco isn’t known for its wheel-to-wheel racing, but spectators were treated to Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton battling neck and neck, Pierre Gasly advancing through the field, and an extraordinarily tight race for first.
Although Leclerc appeared to be in command of the race, a strategic mistake in pit stops saw him drop to fourth as Ferrari pitted the Monegasque twice in four laps owing to changing conditions. However, because the second pit stop was a double stack, Leclerc lost time behind Carlos Sainz in the pits, and the Spaniard was also held up by the Williams cars on the out-lap. This aided Red Bull’s plan, which was aided by a strong drive from Sergio Perez, who finished first with his teammate in third.
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Silverstone was one of the first serious tests of the new regulations due to its fast circuit with sweeping curves that encourage wheel-to-wheel racing. The home crowd was not disappointed with the spectacle and tight racing throughout the race. After George Russell tagged Zhou Guanyu at the start, whose car was then flipped upside down before rolling into the barriers while resting on the halo, things got a little dicey. When the damage was repaired and it was determined that Zhou was safe, a thrilling race began. The lead changed hands several times in the early stages, with Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Sainz all pushing hard at the front.
Then Verstappen went over debris created by the AlphaTauri drivers colliding, knocking him out of contention and pitting Ferrari against Hamilton. It appeared that Leclerc would win, but a safety car was called with 14 laps remaining when Ocon stopped on the side of the circuit with a fuel pump problem. Ferrari failed to bring in its race leader for new tyres, leaving him exposed at the restart to those who had pitted. The racing that followed was some of the most exciting that F1 has seen all year. Hamilton passed Leclerc on the outside of Luffield on lap 48, then the Ferrari driver passed him again around the outside of Copse. However, on the same lap at Stowe, Hamilton utilised DRS to move into third, with the frontrunners remaining in place for the remainder of the race. Throughout it all, Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris were both on the outskirts of the action, ready to pounce if any of them made a mistake. It was a great way to cap off an exciting British Grand Prix that delivered on every promise of the new regulations.
