Very clever whoever manages to determine which team will be able to make the most of the new regulations in force in Formula 1 in 2022, at the dawn of the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain this weekend.
Of course, there are the usual suspects: Red Bull and Mercedes, who will be eyeing their ninth consecutive constructors’ championship this season.
But we must not dismiss Ferrari and McLaren too quickly, underlined the ex-pilot and analyst of F1 at the Sports Network Patrick Carpentier. The latter offered an overview of the 2022 season after scrupulously analyzing the results of the two winter test sessions, in Barcelona and Bahrain, in recent weeks. “What makes this championship really interesting is that there weren’t really any clear winners during these winter trials,” Carpentier first mentioned in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press.
“I think that each circuit will bring us its share of surprises, while the teams get to know their car. At the start of the tests in Bahrain, we saw cars that were extremely difficult to drive, but which gradually became more docile. In my opinion, at the beginning of the season at least, there is likely to be more frequent breakdowns on the cars and surprises in the results of the races”, he added.
A point of view shared by the promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix, François Dumontier, who preaches patience. “The avowed purpose of the new cars is to allow more overtaking. Are we going to see that from the first race this season? I am not sure. I think it will take some adaptation on the part of the drivers,” mentioned Dumontier, freshly returned from a meeting of the Promoters Association (FOPA) in Bahrain.
BT46 tunes at Mercedes
However, you don’t need to be an expert to see with the naked eye that a real little revolution took place this winter in the design of an F1 single-seater.
In addition to dealing with new aerodynamic parts, the 12 teams on the grid had to adapt to the new dimensions of the cars, which are larger and heavier, and tires which have gone from 13 to 18 inches. All of these changes have caused their share of technical challenges, including the phenomenon of “porpoising”. ” It’s a big problem. It’s like when you try to hold the head of a sweeper a few centimeters above the ground; she will end up sticking to it. It’s the same with F1 cars, which is to say that they repeatedly lift and crash on the track, ”imaged Carpentier.
And it is Mercedes’ difficulties on this point, with its new W13 model without side pods, which makes the analyst believe that the door is open for driver Max Verstappen. The Dutchman will try in 2022 to successfully defend his first world championship at the wheel of his Red Bull RB18.
“Last year, we saw a more mature Max Verstappen, a little more patient. Looks like he learned from master Lewis Hamilton. And in terms of raw talent, Verstappen is, in my opinion, an exceptional driver. He’s a lot younger than Lewis, he’s starting to gain confidence — it’s always hard to win a first championship, because you’ve never done it before — and the team [Red Bull] seems ready to lead the pack. It is therefore definitely him who could take up the challenge against Hamilton, “said Carpentier.
Aston Martin disappointed
In the middle of the peloton, the fight could still be very fierce. Moreover, Carpentier doubts that Aston Martin will be able to pull out of the game.
“The hierarchy will not disappear this year. The teams behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari will have to continue their development to hope to close the gap – including Aston Martin. To be quite honest, I was disappointed. […] You can bet on reliability to score points, but at some point, it takes pure speed. And that, I have not seen it yet, ”he said of the team of Quebec businessman Lawrence Stroll, who will once again count on the tandem formed by his son Lance and Sebastian. Vettel.
But as Carpentier reminded us so well, as long as the cars are not on track for the first free practice in Bahrain on Friday, nothing is decided yet.
“There will still be a lot of changes to the cars,” he warned.
And that’s what will make this season so intriguing.