F1 2022: Pre-season target for every team

The 2022 F1 season is going to be pivotal for every team. With new regulations in place, the teams that gain a headstart at the beginning of the season will be able to reap benefits.

This becomes apparent if we look at the last two regulation changes that led to Red Bull's domination from 2010 to 2013 and then Mercedes' domination from 2014 to 2021. In this article, let's have a look at what the pre-season targets will be for each of the teams before the F1 2022 season is underway.

Mercedes

Target: Redemption

For Mercedes, the word that resonates with the team now is redemption. The German team duly won the constructors' title last F1 season but lost out to Max Verstappen in the drivers' title. For the 2022 season, the team will be looking to redeem itself and get back both those titles.

Red Bull

Target: Clinch both the titles

For Red Bull, the 2022 regulations come at a pivotal time. The team has just regained its spot as one of the top teams on the grid. Yet a new set of regulations pose a threat as it could lead to challenges that cannot be predicted.

For the Milton Keynes-based squad, the team will be hoping for more of the same in terms of what they did in the 2021 season and this time clinching both the championships instead of one.

Ferrari

Target: Challenge for the title

Ferrari returned to prominence in the 2021 F1 season. For a team of its stature, however, third in the standings and fighting primarily in the midfield is not what should be expected. The Italian team will be looking to make its way back to the top and challenge for the title after a lean period in the last 3 seasons.

McLaren

Target: Challenge for wins

McLaren has maintained a sustained growth trajectory over the last few years. In 2021, the team picked up its first 1-2 finish in a decade which was further proof of the progress it has made.

For the team, the next goal would be to leave the midfield and challenge for wins consistently.

Alpine F1

Target: Challenge for the title

Alpine is a team that has a lot riding on it in 2022. The team was supposed to be a front runner by now in F1, however, it has been unable to do that. Being just the third works team on the grid, other than Mercedes and Ferrari, excuses for the Enstone-based outfit are running out now.

For the F1 2022 season, the team has great drivers in Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, great resources, and it started working on the 2022 challenger very early. The team has to target a title challenge this season, especially if it wants to retain Alonso's services for the future.

Alpha Tauri

Target: A more consistent and efficient season

Alpha Tauri was surprisingly impressive in 2021. The car was well entrenched in the midfield and took the fight to McLaren and Ferrari on occasions. For the Italian outfit, however, the lack of consistency was the biggest issue as it cost the team sixth place in the constructors' championship.

To add to this, the performance of Yuki Tsunoda was underwhelming throughout the season. For the team, the target has to be a more consistent front with more contributions from the Japanese driver this season.

Aston Martin

Target: Lead the midfield bunch

Aston Martin suffered immensely from floor regulations in 2021 and was unable to recover from the deficit throughout the season. This season, however, is a clean slate, and the team, inundated with good drivers and a few star signings, will be looking to progress from where it was last season.

The team admits it is not going to be a title challenger for the next few seasons. It will, however, be targeting a move to the front of midfield this season.

Williams F1

Target: Return to midfield

Williams made a return to points and the podium in 2021 with George Russell. With the team losing its priced asset in the Briton, the team will be looking to make further progress on the grid and return to the midfield.

Alfa Romeo

Target: Consistently fight for points

Alfa Romeo had a below-par season with two underperforming drivers last season. After admittedly switching focus to the 2022 challenger very early and with a new lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, the team will be looking to make a return to the midfield pack and become a consistent points scorer.

Haas

Target: Return to midfield

Haas had the most underwhelming season of all teams last year. The team had openly claimed that it will not be making any progress on the 2021 car and would focus entirely on the 2022 challenger. That resulted in the team having the slowest car for the entire 2021 season.

For this season, the team needs to deliver if it has to secure its future in the sport. It cannot produce another backmarker and expect to stay in the sport for long. For the 2022 F1 season, the team will be targeting a return to midfield. After a season at the back of the grid, it would show significant progress if the team can consistently fight for points this season.

About the author

Charanjot is an F1 writer and Content Specialist at Sportskeeda with over 5 years of experience covering news, trends, and analyses related to the sport.

He started watching F1 when Narain Karthikeyan made his F1 debut in 2005 and was hooked when Kimi Raikkonen delivered a stunning lap in Monaco in the same season. He has been with the firm for almost 4 years and tries his best to put his links in the F1 paddock to the best use so as to report relevant and accurate information.

Charanjot has interviewed Indian motorsports driver Kush Maini during his time with Sportskeeda. He has also written 4K+ articles on the sport and is the key factor behind all the F1-related content that goes out in the domain.

If given a chance, he would like for India’s Buddh International Circuit to be added back to the calendar. A Mechanical engineer and an MBA, Charanjot aims to spearhead the cause of making F1 a mainstream sport in India. Apart from F1, he also follows MotoGP, cricket and MMA.

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Edited by Anurag C