2022 F1 World Championship

The 2022 F1 season was the 73rd edition of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, contested over 22 Grand Prix weekends worldwide, starting in March and concluding in November, ending earlier than normal to avoid conflicting with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The 2022 season featured one of the biggest updates in F1 history to the sport’s technical rules. Originally planned for 2021, it was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following an investigation into the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Michael Masi, who had been the race director since Charlie Whiting’s death in 2019, was replaced in his position. The restructuring of race control led to the appointment of Niels Wittich, previously a DTM race director, and Eduardo Freitas, who had been a race director for the World Endurance Championship (WEC). They took on the role while agreeing to alternate races. In addition to boosting credibility, Herbie Blash, who had served as Charlie Whiting’s deputy, was appointed as a permanent senior advisor to the race director.

Season

The technical regulations for 2022 marked the reintroduction of ground-effect cars, not seen since 1983 when the ban on venturi tunnels under cars came into play. These changes, including a simplified bodywork design, shifted the primary source of aerodynamic grip to the car’s underside. The goal was to reduce the amount of turbulent air behind the cars, with the hope of allowing drivers to follow closer to the cars in front while maintaining comparable downforce levels to previous seasons.

Aerodynamic modifications were also made to limit airflow being manipulated by teams around the front wheels and minimise the cars’ aerodynamic wake. This included removing bargeboards and simplifying the front wing and endplates. The front wing was required to connect directly to the nosecone, differing from previous designs that allowed space under the monocoque for enhanced airflow. Rear wings were made wider and mounted higher, with additional limits to prevent the use of exhaust gases for downforce generation.

Max Verstappen, the defending Drivers’ Champion, secured his second consecutive championship at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. His team, Red Bull Racing, clinched their fifth World Constructor Championship, and their first since 2013, at the subsequent United States Grand Prix. In a surprising downward spiral, Mercedes, the previous year’s Constructors’ Champions, won just a single race in 2022.

The season also marked the retirement of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. It was also a challenging year for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, as he did not achieve any pole positions or Grand Prix wins throughout the season, a first in his Formula 1 career since his debut in 2007.

2022 F1 Entries drivers and teams

2022 Formula 1 Race Calendar

The 2022 racing calendar included 22 Grand Prix weekends. The races held in Emilia Romagna, Austria, and São Paulo also included the Sprint format.

2022 Formula 1 Race Results

2022 Formula 1 Standings

Points for the 2022 Formula 1 season were allocated to the top ten finishers, along with the driver clocking the fastest lap in the Grand Prix, provided they are among the top ten and to the top eight participants in the Sprint Race. When there’s a tie in points, the tie-breaker involves comparing the number of Grand Prix victories each driver has. If they have the same number of wins, the number of second-place finishes is taken into account, followed by third places, and so on.

Driver standings

Team standings