Formula 1 2022: Fave High Performance Cars

You don’t have to be a gearhead to appreciate an F1 car. The smooth aerodynamic lines concealing a monstrous powerplant requiring ear protection when at full tilt is the epitome of what a sports car is, which also happens to be easily identifiable even by those least interested in motorsport. 

The F1 racer has come a long way since 1950, when the checkered flag fell on the first race at Silverstone in the UK. From front-mounted normally aspirated engines to today’s beastly rear-mounted 1.6 liter four-stroke turbocharged V6 reciprocated churns, the cars have undergone immense changes and today’s line-up of carts are truly things which merit awe. 

Take for example the new Ferrari F1-75. Ferrari, if we are being honest, really exists because of its pioneering reputation on the track, and not because guys with Ray-Ban aviators and white Chinos are obsessed with them.  

As Founder Enzo Ferrari quipped: “I have, in fact, no interest outside of race cars.” And that tradition holds true.  

The iconic red F1-75 is one of the highest ranked cars in terms of speed, and the car is so efficient that Ferrari has made minimal changes to race day configurations since the season began compared to other teams, experimenting with rear diffusers and slapping on bigger spoilers for more downforce. All the better since the current version got 2nd and 4th place respectively at Monaco.  

You can’t address the 2022 season’s cars without a shoutout to the recent powerhouse of the Oracle Red Bull (formerly just Red Bull). With the 2021 championship at the helm of Mac Verstappen and competitive teammate Sergio Perez in support, the team is blazing trails this season with RB18 making waves.  

Unlike the Ferrari, however, the RB18 is a work in progress. If the team was disappointed in the car’s performance at the Australian Grand Prix where it finished behind Ferrari, they didn’t let it show, getting to work on it in assiduous fashion overhauling elements of the car’s aerodynamics, including increasing the curvature of some of the ground effects like the bargeboard, yielding fantastic results in both Spain and Monaco.  

Sure, the model had braking issues during the 2022 run, overheating during the Bahrain Grand Prix where the team finished 5th and 6th respectively. And then 6th and 13th in Monaco.  

But this is McLaren we are talking about -- a direct descendent of James Hunt’s fabled M23, granted with vastly better aerodynamics, body composites, and safety features, like a cockpit you can’t fly out of as easily. McLaren might be off to a slightly shaky start with disappointing performances from its supposed leading man Daniel Ricciardo, but as all F1 enthusiasts know, F1 drivers are adept at fooling the hangman more than once, so never underestimate the sheer power of the underdog.