Formula 1: All you need to know ahead of the 2022 season
March 18, 2022
What's changed?
In short: quite a bit. F1 bosses have been talking about an "aerodynamic revolution" and that's not an exaggeration.
A plethora of technical tweaks have been made to encourage more head-to-head battles and overtaking maneuvers, meaning more action during races. Ultimately they're meant to reduce the gap between the best and the rest.
The cars now have arched undertrays with air boxes, the rear wings are curved and the sidepods have changed. The front wing has been simplified and now consists of just four sections connected directly with the nose, while the front wheels now have mudguards.
These changes to the aerodynamic components are meant to reduce the air turbulence at the rear of the car and allow drivers to stay closer to the preceding car and overtake more easily, but the restrictions on car designs still leave enough room for teams to come up with their own ways of increasing speed.
Organizers are hoping that races in which a pursuing car finds it impossible to overtake a leader lap after lap despite being faster on the straights will be a thing of the past in 2022.
"I think the field will be closer together and that we'll have a larger group of competitive teams," F1's managing director for motorsport, Ross Brawn, said recently.
What else is new?
In addition to the aerodynamics, there have also been changes to the tires. Instead of the balloon-like 13-inch (33 centimeters) tires, F1 cars will now use 18-inchers with a flatter profile and hubcaps on the rims.
And there are personnel changes too, with race director Michael Masi stepping aside after a controversial decision in December last year infamously enabled Max Verstappen to overtake Lewis Hamilton and claim the drivers' championship.
Masi has been replaced by Niels Wittich, former race director of Germany's DTM series, and Eduardo Freitas of Portugal, who will take turns race by race, supported by advisor Herbie Blash from the governing body FIA.
Finally, the race director will be in direct contact with a virtual race control room which should help correct any wrong decisions – similar to the video assistant referee in football.
And, as one last consequence of "Masi-Gate" in last season's finale, the radio communication between race director and the teams will no longer be publicly broadcast.
Who are the favorites for the title?
Despite the changes, the battle for the title is still likely to be decided by the Netherlands' Max Verstappen and Great Britain's Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull driver Verstappen will no doubt be out to prove that last season's controversial finish in Abu Dhabi was no fluke, while Hamilton, who felt cheated in 2021, will be determined to reclaim his crown.
"I feel fresher than ever," said the 37-year-old Briton ahead of the start of the season, although he expressed doubts over the speed of his Mercedes after Red Bull drove fastest in test events. An eighth title this season would see Hamilton overtake Michael Schumacher as the all-time record holder.
Behind the two favorites, there is also intrigue as to whether Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Junior can shake up the title race. The same applies to McLaren, while Sebastian Vettel and his Aston Martin team will be hoping for a better season this time around - although the German is out of the first race in Bahrain with COVID.
Germany's Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael who was left with no chance last season with Haas, is again looking to rack up his first drivers' championship points but remains at the struggling team.
How has the war in Ukraine affected F1?
The Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, originally planned for September 25, has been struck from the F1 calendar for the foreseeable future.
This announcement came shortly after four-time drivers' champion Vettel had condemned the invasion and announced he wouldn't drive in Russia, while Haas has severed ties with main sponsor Uralkali, whose major shareholder Dmitri Mazepin has been sanctioned for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mazepin's son, driver Nikita Mazepin, has also had his contract terminated due to his failure to condemn Russia's aggression, while all other Russian and Belarusian drivers will be obliged to sign a driver commitment document, requiring them not to "express any support (direct or indirect) for the Russian and/or Belarusian activities with respect to Ukraine." No Russian or Belarusian is currently on the grid after Mazepin's exit.
During testing for the season-opening race in Bahrain, the drivers unfurled a banner on the home straight reading "No War." Further symbolic gestures are expected to follow on the race weekend.
Changes on the grid
After 19 years and 350 races, Kimi Raikkonen will no longer be on the grid, with Valtteri Bottas taking the place of the Finnish "iceman" in the Alfa Romeo cockpit.
Meanwhile, replacing Bottas at Mercedes is George Russell, who in turn has been replaced by Alex Albon at Williams.
After the termination of Nikita Mazepin's contract, Haas have turned to a familiar face in Kevin Magnussen. The Dane already had a spell with the US team between 2017 and 2020.
Guanyu Zhou, meanwhile, is a total newcomer, at least as a lead driver. The former Alpine test driver is Bottas' new teammate at Alfa Romeo, and is set to become the first Chinese driver to compete in F1.
"This is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport," Zhou said recently. The 22-year-old has been living in London since 2012 and came through the ranks with Ferrari and Renault. The only other Chinese racer in an F1 cockpit was Ma Qinghua in 2012, but he never competed in a race.
Russia out, USA in
After stripping Sochi from the calendar, organizers are still looking for a race to replace the Russian Grand Prix and complete the 23-race schedule, which is due to end on November 20 in Abu Dhabi.
F1 will head to Miami for the first time in May as the sport looks to continue its expansion into the US market. The race is to be held on the Miami International Autodrome, a planned temporary circuit to be set up around the Hard Rock Stadium, which is home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins. With the Texas Grand Prix scheduled for October, this will be the first time since 1984 that the F1 calendar features two US races.
In Imola, Austria and Brazil, there will be sprint races on Saturdays in place of the classic qualifying days, with the winners starting in pole position. The fastest eight sprinters will also receive bonus championship points, as opposed to the just the top three last year.
This article was adapted from German.