Red Bull dominate. Ferrari squander. Mercedes struggle. McLaren nowhere. Reflections on the highs and lows of some drivers and teams in the paddock
It would be true to say that Max Verstappen dominated Formula One during the 2022 season, and it would be fair to say that the Dutchman deserved to be the 2022 drivers’ champion. The Red Bull driver set new records by winning the most races (fifteen) and scoring the most points (454) in a season, although there were more Grand Prix events to achieve those accolades than in previous years. Nevertheless, he accomplished that feat as well by claiming only seven pole positions.
Furthermore, Verstappen won the Hungarian Grand Prix from tenth position on the grid and went on to win the Belgian Grand Prix from fifteenth position on the grid, in what were two impressive drives. This was made possible by the vastly superior car Verstappen has had at his disposal compared to competitors during 2022, and the convenience of no rival competing against him throughout the season. I’m not diminishing his track record; I’m just reflecting reality.
However, there are several credible reasons to dispute the 2021 drivers’ championship result. The controversial fallout continued to play out off-track in 2022 when the FIA confirmed that Red Bull breached the first ever Formula One budget cap during the 2021 season, further undermining the legitimacy of Verstappen’s first championship. The team received a £6.04million fine and 10% less wind tunnel testing time, both rather lenient when you consider that Ross Brawn warned in 2019 that teams found to have broken financial rules would lose their championship.
Actions speak louder than words. In spite of that, what I found most perturbing was the reaction Red Bull gave in response to the findings and sanctions, despite the admittance from the team themselves as part of the accepted breach agreement that they had broken the budget cap. It beggars belief that Red Bull somehow think they were the victims of their own wrongdoing. The level of shamelessness and lack of contrition they showed in retaliation was quite breathtaking, as they attempted to deflect blame away from themselves.
"I’ve not known a driver and team to be as polarising in the Formula One paddock than Verstappen and Red Bull"
Performance variation of Formula One cars is decided by small differences. So, while the £1.864million overspend was only 1.6% of the predetermined £114million budget, the extra expenditure could have proved pivotal, as Red Bull would only need a marginal delta to be ahead of the competition. Red Bull, of course, would deny that they operated on an unfair playing field compared to rivals in the 2021 season, and they insist that no performance was gained from the increased expenditure but that, on face value, sounds dubious.
If that was the case that Red Bull had no advantage, then why have the FIA enforced the budget cap if teams don’t benefit from it by exceeding it? Something doesn’t add up for that to be a plausible excuse to avoid responsibility. This astonishing remonstration took place during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, which also coincided with the Red Bull team boycotting interviews with Sky Sports, after Verstappen took offence to what he perceived as disrespectful coverage towards him about the contentious circumstances around how the 2021 drivers’ championship was decided.
It's evident that Verstappen and Red Bull didn’t like how Abu Dhabi 2021 was being portrayed on Sky F1 after Ted Kravitz appeared to question its validity and legitimacy. But no matter how hard they attempt to obfuscate the events of that day, they won’t erase the objective truth of what happened, and they are unlikely to dissuade the perspectives of audiences watching. In the court of public opinion, Verstappen and Red Bull have never had any moral authority on the matter. Indeed, it has been a contrasting 2022 season for them. Despite the success, their reputation has fallen.
The successive public relations disasters have damaged their standing in the sport. Verstappen is a talented driver, but he appears to have the tendency of ostracising people, and the manner in which he and Red Bull have handled the controversies have not reflected well on them. They have not set an example to be followed. Consequently, they have alienated themselves from a significant proportion of audiences watching, probably to an irredeemable extent for many. I’ve not known a driver and team to be as polarising in the Formula One paddock than Verstappen and Red Bull.
Ultimately, they don’t really have anybody to blame but themselves for that discord, which does taint them in my view. Mercedes by contrast conduct themselves with more dignity and integrity. These qualities have been discernible during the 2022 season, despite the challenging circumstances. The team have admitted that they made mistakes in the design process of the W13 when interpreting the new technical regulations for 2022. After an unprecedented period of domination in the turbo hybrid era, the run of success has come to an end.
Since the start of the season, the W13 has been plagued with porpoising and bouncing. These are two separate problems that are caused by fundamental design faults. Progress was made throughout the season to resolve these two issues, but they weren’t eradicated completely, as they are inherent in the car. Considering the underlying complications, it makes it all the more remarkable that Mercedes actually won the Brazilian Grand Prix. It’s testament to the work ethic and culture of the team that they’ve managed to turn things around up to a point. As a Lewis Hamilton fan, I’ve tried to be as supportive and positive as I can – I don’t know how else I can help.
I don’t think it can be overstated just how extraordinary it is that Mercedes actually won a race with the W13. It was a superb first victory for George Russell in what has been an impressive first season with Mercedes. The measured and methodical manner in which he took control of the Grand Prix was ominous, although that impression was magnified by teammate Hamilton being out of the equation for the race win because of a first lap crash with Max Verstappen. That’s not to take away anything from Russell, just that he was not really challenged other than the last ten laps.
I remember watching and thinking at the safety car restart in Brazil that a clash was inevitable. A leopard never changes its spots. Hamilton blocked the inside line into turn one, Verstappen braked later as he attempted to make an audacious overtake through turns one and two. Hamilton was ahead, and the gap Verstappen was racing on was always going to disappear at the apex. With Hamilton taking the racing line through turn two, Verstappen was wedged and contact was made that resulted in damage to both cars. The collision compromised the races of them both.
"Verstappen weaponizes his car to intimidate opponents into conceding position when duelling wheel-to-wheel on track"
Verstappen was given a five second penalty as he was deemed predominantly at fault by race stewards for the incident. What was interesting though was the reaction of Verstappen when asked about it: "To be honest I went round the outside and I immediately felt he was not going to leave space, so I just went for it. He didn't leave me space so I knew we were going to come together." This reveals everything you need to know about his approach to racing. He admitted he was the instigator of the incident, and that his tactic, if there is contact, is to blame the driver he’s racing against for the collision if they don’t yield.
Essentially Verstappen weaponizes his car to intimidate opponents into conceding position when duelling wheel-to-wheel on track. That appears to be the case with Hamilton, at least that’s what I think his game is. The difference is obvious to any discerning viewer watching, even if he won’t confess to it. The likelihood of it happening again is high, but it’s something that Hamilton is aware of. Deep down, I think Verstappen knows that Hamilton is the biggest threat to him, that he is the superior driver, and that he should have been the 2021 drivers' champion.
He can’t admit that to himself, and that inferiority complex is Verstappen’s motivation to want to prove himself, and why he races Hamilton differently. Contending with Mad Max is not something Russell has had to deal with yet. He beat Hamilton in the standings, finishing thirty-five points ahead, something few would have seriously imagined happening, including myself. It must be difficult being teammates with him, just knowing who you are up against, who you are compared against. Russell has proved the doubters wrong in some ways, but in others, some reservations remain.
The finishing positions of Hamilton and Russell need to be taken in context with the situation Mercedes were in with the W13 during the 2022 season. The car was uncompetitive, and the anticipated performance wasn’t correlating on track with the team not understanding why. Hamilton undertook experimental setups across the spectrum on the car to gather data for the team so they could develop solutions to the problems. Whereas Russell took more conventional setups as he was bedding himself into the team.
This compromised the performances of Hamilton in the first half of the season, as he was handicapped by sacrificing the optimum working window of the car for the bigger picture and the greater good of the team. Russell wasn’t involved in that process to such an extent. As well as that, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that Russell has probably had the rub of the green compared to Hamilton, who I think has been less fortuitous across the season. That is not to downplay Russell, just that I don’t think the outcome was an accurate reflection of what Hamilton is really capable of.
There’s no denying though that they are closely matched in terms of performance, but because of the circumstantial constraints with the W13 during the 2022 season, it has been hard to compare them. Nevertheless, there has been an insight. I think Hamilton is the fractionally faster driver, and marginally more talented. He’s able to dig deeper and extract more potential from the car. I think Hamilton has the edge to overcome any driver. He did so in the 2021 season, which proved to me what I already knew – that he’s the best driver in Formula One right now. I like Russell, he has lots of talent and potential, but for the time being, he has met his match in Hamilton.
Ferrari endured a season that started brightly but faded as race events progressed. It was fatally undermined by operational and strategic errors as well as driver mistakes. The predicament has been deemed so unacceptable by Ferrari that team principal Mattia Binotto has been replaced after only three years in the role by Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur for 2023. That decision highlights the pressure to deliver and how precarious the position is. Charles Leclerc was second in the standings putting together a strong season. He has talent and potential, and I’m sure he’ll only get better.
Carlos Sainz won his first race at the British Grand Prix, but was still clearly beaten by his teammate. He’ll need to improve if he wants to compete for more wins and be the main man at Ferrari. McLaren were nowhere during the 2022 season, as the MCL36 simply wasn’t fast enough. Lando Norris continues to impress despite that. He’s got the talent and has the potential; he just needs the car to prove it. In that regard, it’s concerning that Andreas Seidl has left his role as team principle. At a time when the team is transitioning behind the scenes, they needed some sort of stability and continuity. His departure comes as a blow for them.
Meanwhile, you may remember Daniel Ricciardo leaving Red Bull in 2018 because he didn’t want to be the number two driver. Well, he’s now returned to Red Bull for 2023 to be the third driver… which makes sense! Oh, and I’ve forgotten to mention Sergio Perez. As the number two driver at Red Bull, he ended up finishing third in the standings, even though he was driving the fastest car... congrats Checo!
Photos: Mercedes-AMG F1
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