The 2022 season

[Chrill]

The 2022 season can be said to start today. Bottas and Russell are testing for their new teams. In addition, a whole bunch of juniors (and some not so junior) are out driving:

Oscar Piastri (20), 2021 F2 champion, Alpine
Guanyu Zhou (22), 2021 F2 3rd place finisher, Alfa Romeo
Liam Lawson (19), 2021 DTM Runner-up and F2 9th place finisher, AlphaTauri
Nick Yelloly (31), 2018 Porsche Supercup Runner-up, Aston Martin
Robert Shwartzman (22), 2019 F3 champion and 2021 F2 Runner-up, Ferrari & Haas
Pietro Fittipaldi (25), 2017 World Series Formula V8 champion, Haas
Pato O'Ward (22), 2021 IndyCar 3rd place finisher and 2018 Indy Lights champion, McLaren
Nyck de Vries (26), 2021 Formula E Champion & 2019 F2 champion, Mercedes
Jüri Vips (21), 2021 F2 6th place finisher, Red Bull
Logan Sargeant (20), 2020 F3 3rd place finisher, Williams

[Chrill]

Here is Bottas driving the Alfa Romeo for the first time, complete with 18" rims!

[Penfold]

Tyres look fine to me, in fact I might go so far to say they look wheely good....

[Matt]

But Alfa doesn't have the wheel covers on.

[Chrill]

But Alfa doesn't have the wheel covers on.

Fine, here's a McLaren testing the LED wheel covers.

[Chrill]

We're banning team communications to Race Director. The Race Director, who will not be Masi in 2022.
http://racefans.net/2022/02/17/fia-confirms-departure-of-masi-and-changes-to-race-control-after-abu-dhabi-row/

Masi will be replaced by both a football VAR style control room at FIA headquarters, and an alternating scheme of race directors Niels Wittich (unliked after the farcical DTM finish last year) and Eduardo Freitas (more liked, WEC race director). The two will be assisted by "senior adviser" Herbie Blash (deputy race director under Whiting for maybe twenty years in the mid-90s to 2016).

[Penfold]

About time that teams were prevented from haranguing the Race Director.

[Chrill]

Yes, certainly. There will be a "non-intrusive" method of reaching out to race directors, probably filtered through the VAR style room or Blash.

I guess they will alternate race directors because neither would commit to 23 weekends in a year, but it does give room for varying interpretations. We shall see how it goes. Having Blash back is very positive.

[Penfold]

Talking of positives.... at least we finally see the back of the Q3 tyre rule, a well-intentioned but flawed attempt to inject variety into proceedings.

[Chrill]

Yep. Free tyre choices will help teams split strategies more easily. Slap Perez on hards for the start, and Max on mediums? Sure, Perez could go long and benefit from a SC period. Why run on the same strategy when you don't have to sacrifice your Saturday performance? Good idea, dropping the Q2/Q3 rule

[Chrill]

https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/25/formula-1-confirms-it-will-not-race-in-russia-this-year/

No Russian GP. I suppose Turkey will fill the slot.

[Penfold]

Sainz reckons these new tyres can take more punishment: https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/28/racefans-round-up-28-02-5/

[Chrill]

https://f1i.com/news/433330-red-bull-juniors-vips-and-lawson-to-make-fp1-debuts.html

Juri Vips will drive the Red Bull in two friday practice sessions, and Liam Lawson the same for AlphaTauri.

[Chrill]

https://www.racefans.net/2022/03/06/will-f1s-rules-revolution-succeed-20-questions-for-the-2022-season/


Let's answer their 20 questions here, then:

1. Will the series hit its target of holding a record 23 races on the 2022 F1 calendar?
2. Will one team find a significant advantage over its rivals and win each of the opening three races?
3. By the end of the season, will F1's new aerodynamic regulations be generally considered a success in terms of the improvement they've made to the quality of racing?
4. Which team will finish ahead: Alpine or Aston Martin?
5. What will be the biggest political story during 2022?
6. How many different teams will win races over the course of the 2022 F1 season?
7. Who will be the first driver to retire from a race during 2022?
8. What will Valtteri Bottas's best result be?
9. Will last year's Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri gain a race seat for 2023?
10. Will an 11th team be confirmed for an upcoming season?
11. Who will win the Monaco Grand Prix?
12. Which drivers will leave F1 at the end of the year?
13. Which driver will suffer the most retirements during 2022?
14. Which team will make the biggest improvement on its 2021 points haul?
15. Will Red Bull keep Sergio Perez on for the 2023 season?
16. Which driver will collect the most penalty points?
17. Which drivers, if any, will fail to score any championship points?
18. At which race will the drivers' championship be decided?
19. Who will win the constructors championship?
20. Who will win the drivers championship?

[Chrill]

1. Will the series hit its target of holding a record 23 races on the 2022 F1 calendar? Yes, Malaysia or Turkey will replace Sochi and no other race will drop out
2. Will one team find a significant advantage over its rivals and win each of the opening three races? No
3. By the end of the season, will F1's new aerodynamic regulations be generally considered a success in terms of the improvement they've made to the quality of racing? Yes
4. Which team will finish ahead: Alpine or Aston Martin? Alpine
5. What will be the biggest political story during 2022? Flexi-floors
6. How many different teams will win races over the course of the 2022 F1 season? 4 - Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpine
7. Who will be the first driver to retire from a race during 2022? Valtteri Bottas (the Alfa was awfully unreliable in Barcelona)
8. What will Valtteri Bottas's best result be? 7th
9. Will last year's Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri gain a race seat for 2023? Yes
10. Will an 11th team be confirmed for an upcoming season? No, Andretti will be rejected
11. Who will win the Monaco Grand Prix? Max Verstappen
12. Which drivers will leave F1 at the end of the year? Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Nicholas Latifi
13. Which driver will suffer the most retirements during 2022? Guanyu Zhou
14. Which team will make the biggest improvement on its 2021 points haul? Haas
15. Will Red Bull keep Sergio Perez on for the 2023 season? Yes
16. Which driver will collect the most penalty points? Lance Stroll
17. Which drivers, if any, will fail to score any championship points? Alexander Albon, Nicholas Latifi
18. At which race will the drivers' championship be decided? 2nd to last
19. Who will win the constructors championship? Mercedes
20. Who will win the drivers championship? Lewis Hamilton

Yes, this does not align with my other pre-season prediction of Carlos Sainz. It's fine.