2022

The 2022 World Championship had 22 rounds: it opened with the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March and ended with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 20 November 2022. The Miami Grand Prix was held for the first time, and after a two-year break the Australian, Canadian, Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix returned to the calendar. Charles Leclerc won the opening round — Ferrari’s first win since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix — and at the third round he won the Australian Grand Prix too.

But the season belonged to Max Verstappen: a second title in a row, 454 points and 15 wins — more than anyone had ever won in a single championship; the previous record of 13 wins had been held by Michael Schumacher since 2004 and Sebastian Vettel since 2013. Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races and took the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 2013: 759 points to Ferrari’s 554. Mercedes, who had won it eight seasons in a row from 2014 to 2021, finished third with 515 points and one win.

From 2022 the cars were built to new technical rules. Most of the downforce now came from a floor with shaped tunnels — so-called ground effect returned to Formula 1 — and the wings were simplified so that a car lost less downforce when running close behind a rival. The wheels got bigger. In the first half of the season many teams had to fight porpoising, with their cars bouncing at high speed. Sprints were held at three rounds — the Emilia Romagna, Austrian and São Paulo Grands Prix. The top eight scored points, from eight for a win to one for eighth, and the sprint winner started Sunday’s race from the front. Verstappen won two of the sprints and George Russell the third.

The start of the season belonged to Leclerc: Verstappen failed to finish in Bahrain and Australia and after three rounds was 46 points behind the leader. He then won the Emilia Romagna, Miami and Spanish Grands Prix, and after the race in Barcelona on 22 May 2022, where Leclerc retired, he led the Drivers’ Championship for the first time that season. Verstappen never gave up the lead again.

Verstappen won the Hungarian Grand Prix from tenth on the grid and the Belgian Grand Prix from 14th. After winning the Austrian Grand Prix on 10 July, Leclerc did not win again. Sergio Pérez won in Monaco and Singapore, Carlos Sainz took the first win of his career at the British Grand Prix on 3 July 2022, and George Russell took his at the São Paulo Grand Prix on 13 November, where Mercedes finished one-two; it remained the team’s only win of the season. Lewis Hamilton went a whole season without a win for the first time in his career and finished sixth, two places below Russell.

The title was decided at the Japanese Grand Prix on 9 October 2022. The race at Suzuka lasted only 28 laps instead of the usual 53, but full points were awarded. Verstappen won from pole, Pérez finished second and Leclerc third, and Verstappen’s lead — 113 points over Pérez and 114 over Leclerc — became more than his rivals could score in the four remaining rounds. Red Bull sealed the Constructors’ Championship two weeks later, at the United States Grand Prix on 23 October.

The fight for second place went on until the last race: before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Leclerc and Pérez had 290 points each. In the season finale Leclerc finished second and Pérez third, so Leclerc became runner-up — 308 points to 305. In the Constructors’ Championship Alpine were fourth with 173 points, 14 more than McLaren.

Zhou Guanyu made his debut with Alfa Romeo: he finished tenth in his very first race and scored a point. Nico Hülkenberg stood in for Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin for the first two rounds, and at the Italian Grand Prix on 11 September 2022 Nyck de Vries made his first start, for Williams in place of Alexander Albon — ninth place and two points. Kevin Magnussen returned to the championship with Haas after a season away.

For Sebastian Vettel, who had made his debut in 2007, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 20 November 2022 was his last World Championship race. Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher have not started a race since either. For the 2023 season Fernando Alonso moved from Alpine to Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri to Alpine, and Oscar Piastri took Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren.