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Tyres NorthamptonThe chequered flag at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix also brought the 2022 Formula One World Championship – the longest season to date – to its conclusion. A Red Bull double triumph in the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships saw them go one better than their 2021 Drivers' win, albeit with a cloud of financial controversy hanging over them. The sport is undeniably growing its fanbase, but has this year's on-track entertainment matched the interest levels of new viewers?
If Formula One's 2021 championship was a heavyweight blockbuster, 2022 has often seemed like an Olympian boxer fighting with nursery kids. Max Verstappen's sublime canter to taking 15 wins and a second championship was as devastatingly dominant as it was predictable by the season's second half. Not to take anything away from the Dutchman's achievements, but after so many years of unconquerable Mercedes, 2022's title fight felt like the Lewis Hamilton-controlled era of F1 with a lick of Red Bull paint.
All that said, let's be more optimistic about the events since Bahrain in March. 2022 introduced the long-awaited regulation change for aerodynamics and car design, penalties for the FIA-imposed cost and wind tunnel testing cap, and Pirelli's 18-inch low-profile tyres. Despite the gulf between Red Bull and the chasing pack, these tweaks improved the show and gave us plenty to be excited about for F1's future.
Ferrari's early-season proximity to Red Bull, which Mercedes picked up in the latter stages, gave glimpses of how thrilling and unpredictable the wheel-to-wheel action can be in this generation. The few races when car damage reduced the Verstappen threat, such as at Silverstone and Sao Paulo, had us guessing who would stand on the podium and win the race until the very end. That's where F1 needs to be, and these Grands Prix showcased this current formula will work once the performance gap inevitably reduces.
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We should celebrate Pirelli, too, who provided dry-compound tyres that introduced further jeopardy into 2022's races. Undercuts and overcuts – staples of F1 strategy – were never foolproof, with the performance window for Pirelli's rubber rarely being an exact science. While teams may lament this unpredictability, it improved the show for viewers. Coupled with rules that lowered tyre blanket temperatures, drivers with fresh Pirellis often had to juggle the new-tyre grip against the lack of temperature over the first lap, with us fans as the ultimate victors.
Red Bull's short-term (potential) gain from their cost cap breach will be their long-term pain as they slip into their rivals' clutches in the coming years. Admittedly, in my opinion, their financial fine is a little wishy-washy. Still, receiving a further reduction in their already-reduced wind tunnel development time will see others close in to give us 2022 British GP thrill levels more frequently.
Away from the big three, the competition level was more intense than ever. McLaren took the only non-Red Bull/Ferrari/Mercedes podium but finished behind a resurgent Alpine. Haas somehow usurped AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo finished level on points, and Williams were... well, Williams, but with Alex Albon showing flashes of speed. Without wishing 2022 away too quickly, 2023's grid will see no Nicholas Latifi-esque 'pay drivers' making up the numbers, further improving the show.
Just as we had Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher vs Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel in the past, the Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc title-fight period finally kicked off. The two seemingly share more respect for one another than last year's championship protagonists, and both happily race in the new 'push to the line' racecraft we have today.
With George Russell showing Mercedes were correct in their long-term faith, Lando Norris continuing to demonstrate his impressive credentials, and now-elder statesmen Fernando Alonso and Hamilton showing no signs of slowing down, I could argue we had the deepest grid of talent in recent memory over the past 22 races. McLaren's 2023 signing Oscar Piastri already provided entertainment off-track in 2022, and his ascent through the junior ranks echoes the likes of Russell and Leclerc, suggesting the skill level will only rise from here on out.
So, while this season won't live as long in the memory as some others, I'm encouraged by the sport's direction. 2022 laid a solid foundation for the new generation of F1 cars and had its memorable moments. The three-month break before March 5th 2023, will rapidly pass, and if F1 2023 fulfils the potential 2022 possessed but seldom reached, the bumper 24-race calendar could see two-dozen fun-filled Sundays next year.