Column | The narrative for the 2022 F1 season has been set
Column
- Rishi Wig
The first two Grands Prix of the 2022 season have gone by in an entertaining and adrenaline-filled flash. In these two races, we have seen some incredibly close battles as the drivers push to achieve as much as possible. However, none have put up quite the spectacle as seen by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The drivers
The two young drivers have already set the benchmark in F1 for 2022. In the last two Grand Prix, the races were dominated by their fights for the lead of the race, with close and electrifying wheel-to-wheel combat becoming a major highlight of these races. The newly crowned champion seems to have met his rival for the season from the last two races, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc putting up sterling efforts to protect his leads. This could be well and truly the battle for the championship brewing between the two young contenders.
Both drivers are considered incredible talents, if not prodigies for how fast they’ve been able to grow their abilities within their racing careers. Each has their teams well and truly built around them, standing as team leaders and the intended future of their constructors. The new regulations stand as the greatest opportunities in recent F1 history to begin making their mark within the sport.
The teams
Ferrari’s tale when coming into this season is one of incredibly hard work and determination. After their woeful 2020 season, Ferrari’s Chairman, John Elkann, was quick to provide quickness to the team from Maranello. He stated that expectations to be fighting for wins would return in 2022 and so they have. Firing immediately out of the box, the team won the first race of the season to lay down an ominous warning to their rivals: Ferrari is back.
Red Bull is now the stable of the newly crowned champion and they weren’t too far from championship success themselves. Hitting the ground running in 2021 to set the marker for the season, they aim to do the same for 2022. A pole position for Sergio Perez and a win for Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia mean that the team have got two major accolades to show that they mean business from this season. Prone to being hunters, the team are now the hunted, as a target will truly be on their backs for this season. The expectations are high for the Milton Keynes squad.
This season
One win for Leclerc & Ferrari in Bahrain and one win for Verstappen & Red Bull in Saudi Arabia. With accolades apiece, the attention now turns to Australia. The interest is solely on the two fighting at the front on the refashioned streets of Albert Park, as both will attempt to gain momentum for their full-scale title assaults. They will have to grapple with the new environment and layout while pushing to try and establish dominance over the other. The incredibly tactical battles are also set to continue, with four DRS zones set on the Australian circuit. All eyes are now set on the spectacle ahead.