2022 Formula 1 preview: Alfa Romeo reveals final contender

10 February: Aston Martin-Mercedes

Aston Martin had a troubled debut season, as the race-winning chassis that it inherited from Racing Point was nerfed by aero rules changes, so much so that it struggled to keep hold of the midfield teams’ coat-tails. There were some bright spots, though, most notably a fine first podium in Azerbaijan, thanks to Sebastian Vettel. The quadruple champion and his fast-growing fanbase will be hoping that Aston Martin can fulfil its promise of competitiveness (after all, its end goal is the title) to quell the questions hanging over his legacy. His team-mate will again be Lance Stroll (funny that), but his boss has changed, as Stroll senior has replaced long-serving Otmar Szafnauer with ex-BMW Sauber chief engineer Mike Krack.

11 February: McLaren-Mercedes

McLaren finally ended nine years of abject misery and then unfulfilled potential with victory at Monza, courtesy of a rejuvenated Daniel Riccardo. It should have celebrated a maiden win for British youngster Lando Norris, too, but for a misjudged strategy as the heavens opened above Sochi. And all this despite some serious financial trouble behind the scenes. Evidently much praise is due to Zak Brown and his team. Could even more be due this season? Along with fellow midfield maestros Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren has been making some brave claims about 2022… 

14 February: AlphaTauri-Red Bull

The Red Bull junior team – sorry, sibling team – proved that Pierre Gasly’s fantastic win at Monza in 2020 was no fluke, as it scored a string of points throughout the year and was at times the third fastest. You will struggle to find an F1 fan who doesn’t hope the plucky team that began life as Minardi can keep this up. Gasly’s demotion from Red Bull clearly lit a fire beneath him that has yet to dim, but Yuki Tsunoda will have to be faster and much more consistent if he is to avoid being labelled merely a marketing tool for Honda – and indeed to keep his seat. 

15 February: Williams-Mercedes

Last year was a watershed one for the British team, which has long been withering away in the shadow of its glorious former self, as it began its new life under the control of an American investment company rather than the Williams family – and George Russell, the young man who had returned to it some positivity with his consistently stellar performances, drove a blue car for the last time. His replacement alongside the largely anonymous Nicholas Latifi will be Alexander Albon, the talented Anglo-Thai earning a deserved reprieve. With the new big bucks behind it, we expect Williams to be in a much better position in 2022.

17 February: Ferrari

From being title-race outsiders earlier in the turbo-hybrid era and sporadically winning races, Ferrari quietly faded away to the extent that it now finds itself in its biggest win drought since the early 1990s. That’s certainly not due to a lack of driving talent, as Charles Leclerc is already a proven winner and Carlos Sainz Jr continues to be mister reliable. But can the Scuderia return to the top step as it has promised? The potential wrath of the Italian media and damage to its brand should be more than motivation enough to make sure that it does. 

18 February: Mercedes-AMG

It would be a fool who would bet against Mercedes-AMG remaining the leading force in F1, so great and so consistent has been its success over the past eight years – and its power unit is, if not the fastest, the joint-fastest on the grid. The team is still bridling with injustice over the fiasco that led to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen unjustly snatching what would have been a record-breaking eighth title from the grasp of Sir Lewis Hamilton; hopefully it can channel that energy to become even better. Meanwhile, George Russell has very big boots to fill in the other Silver Arrow. There will be no place to hide, but then we can’t see him needing one.