Agile FORMULA 1 Living Up to Its Name in 2022

Last year’s F1 season was an absolute banger, as some might say. It featured an epic rivalry between the two of the sport’s best drivers, a down-to-the-wire championship with controversial calls from the refs, overcoming the global pandemic and more. So — what does 2022 have on offer?  

With a new car, new rivalries, and a new level playing field resulting from updated regulations, 2022 season might have just as much, if not more, shakeup drama that’s crafting up an unpredictable season compared to previous years.  

First, there are the rule changes. These rule changes, which have been talked about for a while now, involve many technical things like cost caps, where teams are only allowed spend a max of $145 million. May not seem like much of a cap but if you consider rumors that Mercedes spent more than $300 million in 2020, you start to see how the rules can even the playing field for others. Importantly, too, FIA’s big steps to literally level the playing field across all teams with new limits on budgets is a bold move toward ensuring the best performers aren’t those with the deepest pockets – opening up the track for new talent to emerge among the premiere teams. 

But the main rule change is a direct result of last year’s championship in Abu Dhabi, where a call to unlap cars between rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton resulted in the nail-biter finish that cost Hamilton the prize. The call and result caused a swirl of controversy and outrage. It even saw the removal of Michael Masi, the man who made the call, as director of F1.  

Speaking of Verstappen vs. Hamilton, they’re back! Hamilton’s recent inauspicious qualifying run, however, means that he has quite a bit of catching up to do. We have no doubt that the firebrand will quickly find his way to the winner’s circle again soon, but his 16th and 10th place finishes in the qualifier in Saudi Arabia is, um, less than ideal. Even he had to joke about it saying, “Are there points for 10th place?“ 

But aside from the whirlwind bro-rivalry between the Mercedes and Red Bull teams (aka Hamilton vs. Verstappen), there are also many other rising stars on the track on which a watchful eye should be kept. There are too many worthy of mention to be listed in this humble piece, so here’s a really good list from twsn.net.   

But some of our favorites have to be the McLaren team. Yes, we have a huge unabashed crush on McLaren. What of it? Anyway, McLaren is never far outside the winner’s circle and the team has podiumed on quite a few noteworthy occasions. Lando Norris has been in F1 for just a few years and last year alone has held a winning finish four times. Watch this guy, he’s gonna make waves.  

Another name to listen for: Yuki Tsunoda. This guy is gearing up to be more of a machine than he already is, with his stunning debut last year with Honda’s AlphaTauri team. But a recent story of Yuki giving up childish things like Uber Eats and video games to get into shape has us pumping our fists and wanting to be better ourselves. Just watch Yuki is all we’re saying.  

All in all, 2022 is shaping up to be a standout year for F1, unless of course all the rule changes are just lip service, and the officials are just gonna open a path for Hamilton and Verstappen to duke it out again. We’re all for a great rivalry but come on guys, there’s a reason people were angry.  

But isn’t that why we all love it to begin with?