'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIF/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM6i4//EAB8QAAICAgEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBREDEgAEITKBw//aAAgBAQABPwBUmletYmrHiMyg+tuMk7sdM8Oq32B6TMftz//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAA//aAAgBAgEBPwA5G//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAv/aAAgBAwEBPwB23//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2022 F1 season was expected to be a fantastic run. The new cars were supposed to make racing better, while the cost cap and the restrictive nature of regulations were to prevent teams from developing solutions that helped them gain an unassailable lead over the rest of the competition. Most importantly, this season was supposed to build on the 2021 F1 season where we had an epic title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
In retrospect, while it's safe to say that while the 2022 F1 season had its moments, it did not entirely deliver on the promises that had been made before the start of the season. Compared to what we got in contrast to the expectations laid out, the season could be called a bit of a failure. In this feature, we will be digging a bit deeper to find out why the 2022 F1 season was a failure.
#1 Singular F1 team domination
It is safe to say that the 2021 F1 season was a welcome surprise for the fans. Everyone was reeling from the single-team domination that had plagued the sport in the turbo-hybrid era that started in 2014. Other than the fragmented parts of 2017 and 2018 where Ferrari was competitive, it has been seven straight years of Mercedes mercilessly dominating the sport.
The 2021 F1 season was a change where we had two teams in similarly paced cars with two of the best drivers on the grid fighting it out every race weekend for every point possible. Coming into 2022, the first thing these new regulations were supposed to address was this and carry on from a competitive season delivered in 2021.
Looking back, it's safe to say that this did not happen. Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races, while Max Verstappen alone won 15 races this season and sealed the title in Japan with a handful of races left. In the first year of regulations, this kind of domination does not ruffle too many feathers as we've seen something similar almost every time there is a change. What causes unrest is the fact that the year prior was arguably the greatest F1 season in terms of driver skill, competition, and engagement.
The new regulations ended up delivering domination from a single team and that is just not desirable.
#2 No surprise winners/ big gap between the midfield and the front stayed constant
One of the key attributes of these new regulations was their supposed restrictive nature. These regulations were expected to prevent a huge field spread that has been a feature of F1 for a long time. For instance, the turbo-hybrid era saw the field divided into three segments: frontrunners, midfield, and backmarkers, with a sizeable performance difference between each of them.
This is one thing that was supposed to be addressed with the new regulations. The restrictive nature was supposed to mean that the cars would not have too many areas to find performance from and hence the gaps between the teams were going to reduce. Looking at the numbers this season, even in comparison to last season, is a bit disappointing.
There has only been one surprise podium out of the top 3 teams and it belonged to Lando Norris in Imola. Last season, we had more surprise winners (Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon) than the podiums we've had this season. We could see the grid converge next season with more surprise results, but this season did not live up to the hype in any which way.
#3 DRS is still a necessity
Racing has certainly improved this season as the cars can follow much closer than before, but it is safe to say that there is still work left to do. One reason we say that is because races like Australia, where overtaking was almost not viable, stick out like a sore thumb.
And it's not just Australia, particular battles like Max Verstappen vs George Russell in Barcelona this season (when the Red Bull driver's DRS malfunctioned) as proof enough that while there are certainly improvements made in terms of cars being able to follow each other more, DRS is still the final piece of the puzzle that aids overtakes. The cars are heavy and massive in size, this is something that makes the race in Monaco almost a complete write-off as there is just no space for a car to get alongside.
Even though the new regulations have made things better, expecting DRS to not exist in the future would be a misguided idea as the tool is still a necessity in modern-day F1.
