The Eagerly Anticipated 2022 Formula 1 Season Begins This Weekend

An eight-month Formula 1 season gets underway in Bahrain this weekend. Following the most exciting racing action in decades, and with a raft of new regulations, the forthcoming season comes with high expectations.

The 2022 Mercedes Formula 1 car features simplified wings, bigger tires and wheel winglets. ©Wolfgang Wilhelm/MercedesF1

Pre-season testing suggests Red Bull is the team to beat. But Ferrari has clearly produced a very pacey car. Surprisingly, Mercedes appears to sit only third in the early pecking order.

Regulation Changes

The key regulation changes to 2022 Formula 1 cars include two long underfloor tunnels that create a ‘ground effect’ and pull the cars closer to the track surface.

There are simplified front wings and stylish new rear wings. The new bodywork has been designed to stop sending airflow outwards. Instead, it narrows it.

Additionally, there are new 18-inch tires with wheel winglets. They direct air away from the rear wing. The larger tires serve to improve the handling of the cars.

Driver Changes

The 2022 drivers are familiar. Kimi Raikkonnen and Antonio Giovinazzi have left the sport. Valtteri Bottas has transferred to Alpha Romeo to claim one of those race seats. He is joined by this year’s only newcomer, 22-year-old Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou.

George Russell is promoted to Mercedes, allowing Alex Albon to return to the sport and join Williams. The biggest surprise in the game of driver’s musical chairs is the return of Kevin Magnussen.

The Dane has been a late call-up for Haas following the team’s dismissal of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. Haas has also parted ways with their former sponsors, Russian fertilizer producer Uralkali.

2022 Race Calendar

2022s calendar was originally scheduled to feature 23 races. However, the Sochi Grand Prix was culled when Russia was ostracized from commerce with the western world.

Its absence has left a three-week gap in the calendar during September. The sport may yet introduce a replacement. Turkey’s Istanbul Racing Circuit is thought to be in talks to fill the void.

The Current Calendar Reads as Follows:

What Are the Odds?

For the weekend ahead, leading online sportsbooks are unanimous in making Max Verstappen the Bahrain race favorite. 9/4 is the very best price available for the Dutch driver.

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, can be backed at 3/1. His new Mercedes teammate, George Russell has been given a 12/1 quote by the Unibet sportsbook.

There is not such a big disparity between Ferrari’s two drivers. Charles Leclerc is 5/1. Carlos Sainz, who finished 2021 with more points than his teammate, is 8/1.

Does Haas Really Have It?

At a much bigger price, Mick Schumacher is an interesting candidate. The Haas driver has yet to score a World Championship point, but he is as short as 66/1 to win the race.

The best online betting sites quote a top-price of 9/4 about the second season German racer claiming his first top-10 finish on Sunday.

The reason for such optimism is some excellent times recorded by both Haas drivers during the final few days of pre-season testing here at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Freight delays had meant the team could not take part in testing during the first morning of the final three days of testing. But authorities allowed the team to test late into day two and day three.

It was during this time – when other teams had finished for the day – that these impressive clockings were registered. Consequently, with atmospherics different from those encountered by other cars, they may need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Max Verstappen receives congratulations from Lewis Hamilton following the controversial season ending 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. ©Lars Baron/Getty Images

The Weekend’s Best Bet

In recent years pre-season testing has been a genuinely and reliable guide to the year ahead. In 2021 Verstappen posted the most impressive test times – he went on to win 10 races during the season.

If anything, his Red Bull looks even stronger in 2022. Resultantly, during the season’s opening races Max Verstappen could be hard to beat. Despite never scoring at this venue in seven previous attempts, the new World Champion looks a sound betting proposition at 9/4.

Bahrain Grand Prix Fact File

• The Bahrain International Circuit is located in the middle of the desert, on what was formerly a camel farm. It features 1,120 palm trees!
• It may be located in a desert, but sand does not present much of an issue for the teams and cars in Bahrain, and the track surface cleans up quickly.
• The Bahrain Grand Prix is a twilight race, starting at sunset and finishing at night-time. 495 lighting posts will illuminate the track.
• High-speed sections of Bahrain International Circuit are easily taken flat-out. But mechanical grip is crucial out of the slow corners. This is the opposite to the focus areas at tracks such as Silverstone, where high-speed corner performance is key.
• Tire degradation is high in Bahrain because it has one of the most abrasive track surfaces. In 2022 there could be greater tire degradation compared to previous years. It will be due to the technical changes to the cars and their new tires.
• Bahrain is always a punishing circuit for brakes. Here drivers will brake for 0.4 seconds or longer, with 4G or more.

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