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The British GP has been the home of F1 for a long time. Every year, thousands of fans swamp the track to support their favorite drivers. Last season, we had Lewis Hamilton score an emotional win with Mercedes while Max Verstappen got checked out at the hospital.
This season, we have a strong Red Bull once again and its young Dutch driver is no longer a championship hopeful but the reigning champion. The home favorite Lewis Hamilton, however, is unlikely to put up a similar fight to last time around, considering Mercedes' lack of performance.
Though a British driver might not be the favorite to win at the start of the weekend, it's hard to predict what will happen on race day. Heading into the 2022 F1 British GP weekend, there are certainly some key questions that need answering. In this piece, we take a look at some of the key questions before the race at Silverstone.
#5 Who will be the king of the midfield?
The midfield has not been this competitive for a long time. Alpine was the fastest midfield team in Canada. In Baku, it was AlphaTauri and then in Monaco, it was McLaren. A change in track layouts has led to different teams taking charge every weekend, keeping things interesting behind the frontrunners.
Of the midfield bunch, Aston Martin seems to be the team that has made giant leaps since the start of the season and is even bringing a sizeable upgrade to the 2022 F1 British GP. Will this help the team in jumping to the front of the midfield?
#4 Who brings the best upgrade package?
The 2022 F1 British GP is where fans will have an eye on the final major upgrades of each team. Most teams have their headquarters very close to Silverstone, making the race a practical option to bring changes to their cars. Last season, Mercedes brought its final major upgrade package to the 2021 F1 British GP and made significant gains on Red Bull.
This season, there have been multiple teams bringing their upgrade packages to Silverstone. Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin are some of the teams installing upgrades this weekend. Will this see a change in the pecking order? We'll have to wait for the race to find out.
#3 What about the porpoising/bouncing debate?
Toto Wolff was rather animated in his interactions with the media after the team principals meeting at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP. He even went on to call his colleagues petty in the way they approached the whole bouncing situation. Christian Horner, arguably the biggest antithesis to Wolff, had a different take on the whole scenario and called the Mercedes CEO's antics "theatrical" in front of the cameras.
Porpoising/bouncing is a problem in F1 for sure, but there needs to be due process in place before changes are proposed or even introduced during the season. Will something like this stop Mercedes from raising the issue again at the 2022 F1 British GP? It will be interesting to see if it does, considering the smooth nature of the track in Silverstone.
#2 Can Mercedes close the gap to the front?
Mercedes' season is contingent on the 2022 F1 British GP upgrade package being a success. The German team has looked nowhere close to even challenging at the front this season. If we ignore the odd flash in the pan in the 2022 F1 Spanish GP, where Lewis Hamilton showed splendid form, Mercedes has not been performing at the same level as the frontrunners.
The German squad has not gone winless in a season since 2011. If the upgrade package this weekend does not show the required improvement, it could be looking at a rather average showing for the remainder of the season.
#1 Can Ferrari fight back at the 2022 F1 British GP?
Ferrari is facing the monumental task of overcoming its huge points deficit against Red Bull. The Italian squad has lost the last 6 races and has faced a multitude of issues ranging from reliability issues to a drop in general performance. So much so that Charles Leclerc was forced to take on a new power unit at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP and start the race from the back of the grid.
The Scuderia is bringing in a major upgrade package in what could be a significant roll of the dice for the team. Can it close the gap or overhaul Red Bull in the process? Wait and find out.
