AATISH MISHRA
Aatish dives into what he would like to see in the 2022 F1 season
IT’S ALMOST HERE! FORMULA ONE IS SET to return for 2022 and there’s so much to look forward to. New cars, drivers shuffling around, new tracks — it’s hard to keep up with all that’s happening. The most significant change is to the technical regulations. Sweeping new regs always shuffle the order up — some teams get it right from the get go, having found more effective loopholes than the others and that gives them a head start while the rest play catch up. We’ve seen it many times before — with Mercedes in the turbo-hybrid era, or with Red Bull before that.
It will be interesting to see how things play out. Testing is on but there’s no way of saying who is holding back, and who has showed their full hand. We will only get a true sense of where teams’ pace is after qualifying at Bahrain on the first race weekend of the season. Regardless of who is at the top and who’s at the bottom, I do really hope that the field gets closer together. That the mid-field gets closer to the top two-three teams and can actually fight for podiums through the season. And that the stragglers, while they are at the back, actually have the pace to capitalise on situations that may arise and allow them to score points. A closer pack will make for more entertaining battles throughout the field, more rivalries to look out for, and will only do the sport good.
It will also be interesting to see how the new dynamics within teams will play out. George
Russell behind the wheel of a Merc, driving beside Lewis Hamilton will be something to look out for. Hamilton has established himself as the most dominant driver on the field. Meanwhile, Russell showcased his potential two seasons ago when he got behind the Merc in Bahrain and wiped the floor clean with Bottas. Will he take the fight to Hamilton? Will he be fighting for wins or will he remain a step behind? I think it will be more the former than latter, and that could make for some real interesting racing within the team.
The hangover from the last race of the season will continue into the new one, with all eyes on the battle between Max Verstappen and Hamilton. Hamilton seems more motivated than ever but Max is no pushover. He drove a superb season last year and despite the strange calls in the last race of the season, he was a deserving champion. I hope the Merc and Red Bull have similar pace so we can see that rivalry continue. With cleaner racing, of course. And the onus lies on the FIA. I do hope that the restructuring there also brings in some consistency to what is allowed and what isn’t allowed while overtaking.
Secretly, I hope Ferrari is back to its winning ways. I’ve been supporting them for as long as I can remember and the recent drought hasn’t been fun to deal with as a fan. The new car looks incredible. I really do hope it actually moves as well as it looks, and the young duo of Leclerc and Sainz manage to put it into race winning situations throughout the season.
There are more world champions on the grid in Alonso and Vettel and if given the right equipment, they could make a bid for the championship as well. Alonso may be the oldest on the grid but he is more determined that ever — convinced that a third championship win at the dusk of his career will seal his legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time.
My biggest hope though, is that the new regulations do what they intend. The whole idea was to clean up the wake behind the cars to allow for closer racing, to ensure there is less ‘dirty air’ for the cars behind to deal with. I’m sure these teams have devised plenty of ingenious ways to maximise their wake — there is an advantage to be had there after all — but going by what drivers have had to say about following cars close during testing, things look heartening. Allowing cars to follow closer will mean better, more intense on track battles and that is exactly what the sport needs.
Now I shall go back to twiddling my thumbs and wait for the first race of the season. Wait, when does Drive to Survive drop again? ⌧
I hope the Merc and Red Bull have similar pace so that rivalry can continue