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Will Mercedes continue its dominance in the new era of Formula 1 or will there be a new team that takes the crown in 2022?
The 2022 Formula 1 World Championship will commence with the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. 10 teams will compete for glory but only one can be crowned as the Constructors’ winner at the end of the season.
Here, we take a look at how the season may shape up for the 10 teams, predicting where each side will rank at the end of the year.
10th – Williams: The British manufacturer has shown that it has taken time to adapt to new changes in the past. Nicholas Latifi’s car catching fire during pre-season testing was also not a good sign for the team. Meanwhile, his teammate Alex Albon will also have to adapt to the new team after a year away from F1. The Thai-British driver previously drove for Red Bull.
9th – Haas: The American team will have the experience of Kevin Magnussen this year. However, given their crisis before the season opener, it would give them lesser time to get to grips with the workings of the new campaign. Mick Schumacher was impressive last year but will need to step up to the plate if Haas are to get in the points.
8th – Aston Martin: During the testing in Bahrain, both drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll highlighted the difficulty in driving the new car. Understeering and locking up were the main issues during testing. However, with four-time F1 champion Vettel, the team is expected to pick up a few points at least. Stroll has shown improvements over the years, but still has a lot to work on if Aston Martin will challenge higher up the field.
7th – Alfa Romeo: Guanyu Zhou may be in for an impressive rookie season in F1. But the Chinese driver will have a few doubters to prove wrong. Valtteri Bottas’ experience will also help the team develop after having replaced fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen. Bottas drove with Mercedes for five seasons and has won races as well. He will now be hoping to get the best out of Alfa Romeo in 2022.
6th – Alpha Tauri: Pierre Gasly has made solid progress in F1 over the years. Even their car has been making plenty of improvements over time. However, with the inexperience and recklessness of Yuki Tsunoda, the team may struggle to get into the points regularly. The Japanese driver had been involved in several crashes last season and will need to buck up if the Italian team need to challenge places higher up the midfield.
5th – Alpine: Fernando Alonso has promised F1 fans that this year will be good and the Spaniard rarely disappoints. The veteran is now the oldest driver on the grid but after finishing on the podium last year, he is expected to kick on and get even better like fine wine. With Estaban Ocon also getting his first win last year, Alpine is bound to have a good season.
4th – McLaren: The Woking-based team struggled with their car during the Bahrain pre-season testing. With some reliability and brake issues faced by Norris, the team is heading into the 2022 season with some uncertainty. But Daniel Ricciardo and Norris are expected to be in the hunt for wins and podiums after challenging Ferrari to the limit last season.
3rd – Mercedes: Shock? Not really. The eight-time and reigning Constructors’ champions had rather underwhelming testing sessions in Bahrain after flaunting their raw pace in Barcelona. Even Lewis Hamilton admitted that his team may not be in the running for victories as rivals Ferrari and Red Bull were a few steps ahead of Mercedes. There was also the porpoising issue to be resolved for Mercedes in Bahrain. However, the team are arguably the best at development and could find their feet sooner rather than later during the course of the season.
2nd – Red Bull: After having ended Mercedes’ total dominance in the recent past by winning the Drivers’ Championship last year, Red Bull will now be hunting for more success in 2022. With their Honda-powered car, Red Bull looked as solid as ever during the pre-season testing. Although Max Verstappen seemed to get the best out of his car, Sergio Perez has still not been able to showcase his full potential since joining the team last season. The Mexican driver’s performances may eventually decide whether Red Bull win the Constructors’ championship this year.
1st – Ferrari: The Italian manufacturer is eager to bring back the glory days of the past. Ferrari began working on its 2022 car even before the 2021 season began and it seems that they may have just got it right this time. With Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz putting in consistent displays over the past few years, the Prancing Horse look like the favourites to win the Constructors’ title this year.
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