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The 2022 F1 season is now done and dusted. The first season for the new ground-effect cars was not too bad, especially when compared with the time when the regulations change. Having said that, the season was supposed to be high stakes. After the way the 2021 season had panned out, rivalries were simmering, and there was an expectation that those would continue in the new regulations.
A few of them did, but others didn't. Overall, the 2022 F1 season had its share of ups and downs. There are a few teams and drivers who will head into the winter with a smile on their faces, while others wouldn't be too happy with how the season went.
Who belongs to which category? Let's find out as we take a look at the winners and losers of the 2022 F1 season.
2022 F1 Season(Winners and Losers)
Winners
Max Verstappen and Red Bull
The 2021 F1 title battle was intense, and even Max Verstappen admitted that he could not have too many title battles like that one. When the 2022 season kicked off, Red Bull were competitive against Ferrari, but two DNFs in the first three races were a disaster.
After the DNF in Australia, Verstappen said that he wasn't even focused on winning the title any more. He was more than 40 points behind Charles Leclerc at one point in the season but started his comeback from there. What a comeback it was. Utter domination in both championships saw Red Bull and Verstappen break records galore.
The cost cap breach was not ideal, and we will be kidding ourselves if we did not expect the sanction to have an impact on the team's 2023 season. Having said that, what a rousing start to the new technical regulations. Red Bull and Verstappen were the biggest winners of the season.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Two quotes that aged badly during the 2022 F1 season were from Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff.
Wolff's last line in the "Drive to Survive" series was, "Everyone should watch their back in 2022". Hamilton said before the start of the season: "My team does not make mistakes".
As things turned out, Mercedes had their worst F1 season in a decade, while Hamilton produced the worst season of his career. He could not pick up a win or pole and was outscored by his teammate George Russell.
Both Hamilton and Mercedes suffered massive disappointment because of how the Abu Dhabi GP panned out. They were supposed to bounce back and beat Red Bull after winning their first race of the season in Sao Paulo a week ago. However, that didn't happen, as Hamilton had a DNF due to hydraulic issues, while Russell came home in fifth.
Winner
Ferrari
The amount of slander Ferrari got from the media and the fans alike was a tough watch.
It's probably fair to say that the team deserved that as well because of the way their race operations failed miserably. Charles Leclerc lost multiple race wins this season because of either reliability issues or just poor in-race decision-making. Looking back at what the team could have probably achieved this season, Ferrari should be disappointed.
Having said that, let's put things into perspective. Ferrari had a disastrous season in 2020. Even the 2021 F1 season was spent fighting McLaren in midfield.
In 2022, the team made a leap and started fighting with the frontrunners. If you take these things into context, Ferrari will be happy to see the progress they have made in the last couple of years.
Loser
McLaren
McLaren announced their return to the top three constructors in 2020. They capitalized on an efficient driver lineup and Ferrari's struggles to lead the midfield behind Red Bull and Mercedes.
Since then, they dropped to P4 in 2021 after losing a year-long battle with Ferrari. In 2022, a season where many considered McLaren to be a dark horse, the team took another step back. They struggled with car deficiencies since the start of the season, and those struggles continued till the end.
The 2022 season ended with McLaren in P5 of the constructors' championship. This is a slow but steady downward spiral for Mclaren, which they would like to reverse next season.
Winner
Alpine
Alpine had their fair share of shortcomings this season. Losing Fernando Alonso will rank very highly on that list. Losing Oscar Piastri to McLaren comes a close second. The reliability was all over the place as well, with both Alonso and Ocon struggling massively and losing a chunk of points because of that.
Despite all these issues, a rousing positive was their performance on the track. Apline were easily the fourth fastest car on the grid, a result they confirmed at the end of the season.
Loser
Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher
The 2022 season started with a lot of expectations from Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher. As things turns out, they did not materialise.
Ricciardo was looking forward to challenging Lando Norris after a disappointing 2021 season, while Schumacher was happy to finally drive a more competitive car.
By the end of the season, though, both drivers are out of their seats and do not have one for the 2023 season. Will we see them again on the grid in the future? Who knows, but for now, the duo will be very disappointed with how the 2022 F1 season turned out.
