F1 2022: Predicting 5 shocking developments during the season

The 2022 F1 season is going to feature an entirely new set of regulations. The regulations are expected to have an impact on how we watch the sport as the cars are supposedly going to be easier to follow, which should make racing better.

That's not all, however, as there could be a change in the pecking order. Some teams could have a headstart on the way they understand the regulations as compared to others. At this stage, predicting the pecking order would involve a lot of guesswork and that's probably not prudent.

Regardless, certain key developments are independent of that. In this piece, we look at our predictions for the 5 key developments during the F1 2022 season.

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#1 Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clash at Mercedes

Many fans are excited about it as this was something Mercedes had to do after forcing George Russell to slug it out at Williams for three years. This year, Russell is replacing Valtteri Bottas in the team. There is, however, a possibility that the partnership is not going to turn out well for Mercedes.

In essence, though, he will not be looking to be a part of the team as a driver who takes over from Bottas and does the job that the Finn did. Russell has his eyes firmly set on the throne, where Lewis Hamilton has sat since 2014.

He's not going to be the team's 'number two' driver, rather he's going to prove himself and become their leading driver. That attitude did not work well when Nico Rosberg drove for the team, resulting in an extremely fierce rivalry between the team's drivers.

In all of this, there are a couple of things that go against the seven-time world champion. The first is his age, as at 37-years-old, Hamilton might not have a 5-year plan at the end of which he will continue driving in F1. On the contrary, his current contract might just be his last in F1. As a result, Mercedes might have a keen interest in George Russell and his progress, speaking in terms of prospects.

The second is the fact that Russell is a rare talent. He's not only fast but he has shown that he's very consistent as well in his limited tenure in F1. With all things equal, Russell is going to be a threat to Hamilton. If history is an indicator of any kind, then the senior Briton is not going to take that lying down.

One could argue that a complete implosion at Mercedes is an improbability. A flashing point between the two drivers, however, is possible. For the F1 2022 season, we predict that there will be at least one incident where the two drivers come together and clash.

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#2 Sebastian Vettel retires from F1; Pierre Gasly moves to Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel is an F1 legend. Four world championships and more than 50 wins in his career is an achievement that many drivers can only dream of. If we are being honest, however, ever since the implosion at the 2018 German Grand Prix, where Vettel ran off the track in the rain and conceded a race win to Lewis Hamilton, the German has not been the same.

The errors have increased, the consistency leaves more to be desired, and the lack of speed is noticeable. Right now, Vettel is part of Aston Martin, a team with Lawrence Stroll as the boss with aspirations of winning the championship one day. The team, at this stage, doesn't look anywhere close to those aspirations.

There are changes in the management and there are changes in the personnel as well. An essential factor, like stability within itself, that the team needs to challenge at the front, is still missing.

It's safe to say that the team might not be challenging for the title this season as it targets a run at the top in 2024. Vettel's contract, on the other hand, runs out this season. With the team not appearing to be challenging for titles any sooner, one has to question the four-time world champion's motivation to continue with it.

From the team's perspective as well, Vettel, who did not have a great season in F1 2021, could be viewed as a liability by the team. A resource that is too expensive but doesn't yield the desired results. As someone who is notorious for being impulsive, Stroll could be looking at possible options to replace the German.

And talking about options, could there be anyone better than Pierre Gasly waiting for an opportunity to prove himself? In many ways, this would be the perfect fit as a team, looking for a long-term leader, partners with a driver that is out of options and desperate for a move outside the Red Bull umbrella.

With all his initiatives off track, Vettel does appear to have one foot out the door. One could be excused for believing that the hunger for that fifth title is just not there anymore. For the 2022 F1 season, we predict Vettel will walk away from the sport and retire while Aston Martin signs Gasly as their next big driver.

#3 Fernando Alonso retires from the sport

Fernando Alonso is in the last year of his contract in F1. As a driver, if there were any question marks around him, they got answered last season. Alonso not only scored more points than his team-mate, he also produced some special performances. Of note is his podium in Qatar – a thing of beauty, as well as his drive in Hungary to hold off Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso, however, has not made his way back into the sport to compete in midfield. He had done that in his previous stint and it was the disappointment from that which drove him away from the sport. What brought the Spaniard back to F1 was the possibility of being able to fight for a world title once again.

Looking at where Alonso finds himself right now, it's hard to say that he's in the perfect position to challenge for the title, or even fight at the sharp end of the grid. Alpine, as a team, has been a bit of a disappointment ever since it made its way back into F1, taking over Renault. If we look at the way the top management is being reshuffled, the team looks like an unsettled unit as of now.

Will they be challenging upfront for the title in F1 2022? This is one prediction that is very hard to make. The team doesn't inspire much confidence in its ability to contend for titles right now. The reason being the way they have performed over the last two seasons (Mclaren has jumped them convincingly) and how unsettled they are at the top.

In the next 2 to 3 years, will Alpine be a front-running contender? Maybe that's still a possibility. Having said that, though, will Alonso be able to stick around for that long in F1? At 40 years of age, it's hard to accept that he would do that. To add to this, neither Mercedes, Red Bull, nor Ferrari are going to pick him up at this stage of his career which leaves him with no other option but to retire from F1.

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#4 Daniel Ricciardo moves on from McLaren

Lando Norris has just signed an extension with McLaren which confirms that he will stay with the team until the 2025 F1 season. That is a good thing for McLaren, however, as they secure the services of the young driver for a long period of time. It is, however, not a positive sign for Daniel Ricciardo as he sees his team secure the services of his team-mate and invest in the latter for the long run.

The journey at the Woking-based outfit has not been ideal for Ricciardo so far. The Australian he has seen himself get completely outclassed by Norris in their first season together (115-160 on points). Last season, the Briton leveled up significantly and Ricciardo, who himself was facing so many issues adapting to the car, just could not keep up.

It does appear that confidence in Norris was bolstered as McLaren secured him for the long term. Ricciardo, however, came in on a three-year deal with McLaren which is rumored to be a two-year contract plus a one-year extension.

If the 2022 F1 season follows the same trend as last season, there could be a scenario where McLaren start looking at Norris as their future with the team leaning towards him. Should that happen, Ricciardo will be left in an uncomfortable position at McLaren as he will be forced to play a supporting role for Norris.

If the situation reaches that stage it's fair to say that Ricciardo, whose contract does run out at the end of the season, will be looking at other options in the market. If there is a favorable one available, the Aussie is expected to make the jump. For the 2022 F1 season, we predict Ricciardo will sign with another team for next season and terminate his contract with McLaren.

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#5 Mick Schumacher scores a podium for Haas

Mick Schumacher was certainly impressive in spots in his rookie season. Getting through to Q2 in a year-old Haas in Turkey is no joke and it takes a certain level of driving skills to get that done.

Haas has been working on the F1 2022 challenger for far too long. Their focus probably switched at the earliest to this year's car, bringing a sense of optimism around the car that the outfit will produce. To add to this, the improved performance of the Ferrari power unit should help the team as well.

It's hard to predict upfront whether Haas will be a regular podium contender. Will the new Haas challenger be a midfield contender? Now that's a comparatively safe prediction considering the team allocated all of its resources to the new car.

In a new set of regulations where the probability of a freak result is possibly high, is it too big a stretch to expect a podium from Mick Schumacher? It doesn't seem that way and because of this, we're predicting a return of the famed 'Schumacher' name on the podium.