Summer is official over for Formula 1 fans as we continue onward with the 2022 season. It’s off to Spa for the Belgium Grand Prix. Coming into the weekend there were some huge story lines that potentially could make for must see TV. First was the breaking news that McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo would be mutually ending their contract effective at the end of the season. Next is the new rule implication allow for some modification of the floors of the car in 2023, although this won’t affect anything now it certainly created a lot of drama between team principles Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. Going into to testing and qualifying the big news coming out was all the penalties that were given out most notably Max Verstappen and Charles LeClerc who would start at P14 and P15.
This left the field open for potentially to the two strongest drivers out and allowing another of the best of the rest to come in. Carlos Sainz drove well enough to get P1 for Sunday followed by Sergio Perez and another shocker, the immortal, Fernando Alonso in third.
Would Sainz make a push to keep the RedBull’s at bay or would Max be able to overturn his penalty and roar to another podium in Spa?
All those questions answered and more.
The Winners:
Red Bull:
As noted earlier the deck was stacked against Max being in P14 following his penalty for use of extra engine parts which made testing and qualifying just a display of what was to come and he did not disappoint. Within a few laps Max had surpassed everyone to lead the race and there was no looking back. Whether it be pit stopping excellently or overtaking everyone with ease, he made it look all too easy. Finishing P1 from this his starting position put him in elite company and had shades of Michael Schumacher all over it.
Sergio was the driver that could have challenged as he was second on the grid at P2 and managed to fight off Sainz and Russell as his two closet opponents for that spot. An excellent teammate for Max as he pits, Checo comes into the lead and holds there creating a slip screen and sling shotting Max right back in front of the pack. A P1 and P2 podium for the Red Bulls for the second time this season is a bit of a foreshadowing of what may come with only eight races left.
Alex Albon:
It was a banner weekend for the British born Thai driver where he secured two fantastic
performances. He’s Q3 result on Saturday meant that he would be racing on Sunday in P6 which
as of now is the highest a Williams driver had started since Spa of last year where George Russell pulled off the miraculous P2 for qualifying. But back to Albon and how he was aggressive and never settling.
It’s a show of clear intention to make a push for higher positions throughout the year. It’s been slim pickings throughout the season and his teammate seemingly making mistake after mistake makes this drive particularly special. It’s most likely an anomaly but here’s hoping for the legendary team to get back some of its mojo.
Alpine:
Today was another strong showing from the French outfit which I believe was welcomed after
three weeks of silly season with all the drama surrounding the upcoming driver lineup for 2023.
Alonso was in vintage form and really proving he still has a lot to offer the sport at the ripe age of 42. Equally impressive today was his French counterpart, Esteban Ocon who took a penalty and started P18 to fight through the field for a P7 finish. Some of his skill and overtaking just
demonstrated how fast the car is and how skilled the driver is who is applying it. One battle in
particular was between himself, Ocon and Vettel with Ocon getting the best of the more seasoned drivers vaulting past them both simultaneously. They have separated themselves from the best of the rest as the top guys in fourth in the constructors’ championship. Here’s hoping the off the track drama doesn’t derail their most successful season in some time.
Pierre Gasly:
Celebrating his 100th appearance in a Grand Prix the Frenchman had made a decent afternoon
after fighting his way through the back of the pack for the majority of the 44 lap race. Having
qualified in P8 but was given a pit lane start penalty. He had a lot of ground to make up. Finishing in P9 and fighting through the likes of Ocon and Vettel was in fact quite impressive. It certainly doesn’t hurt that behind their parent company Red Bull, their Alpha Tauri was clocked at being the second fastest car on the grid. With this revelation it’s clear to see why they can pull off a result like this but equally left frustrated as to why they can’t do this week in and week out.
Let’s hope that in Holland the team can pick up where Gasly left off.
Now gear-heads, off to the losers from the weekend!
The losers:
Ferrari:
The chances of catching Red Bull I believe are well and truly over. After today’s performance and
the strange call to get LeClerc a fastest lap point was just downright foolish. The team were
behind the eight ball as it has been significantly behind Red Bull on points in both the constructors and drivers’ championship but the Monegasque driver incurred a penalty and was starting from P15 on the grid. On lap 1 more bad luck befell Ferrari as a tear off from Verstappen’s visor hit the front right tire of the number 16 driver forcing him to pit and he just simply couldn’t recover. He fought bravely in the end finishing P5 but he was docked a 5 second penalty for speeding in the pit lane resulting in a P6 finish. You just can’t make this stuff up.
Ferrari continually shoot themselves in the foot and it’s only because of their legacy that real questions about how to go about these races aren’t being asked. As one of the big three and in a year where Mercedes had taken a step back this was the year to put it all together.
Unfortunately, it just hasn’t happened for the legendary Italian unit who are left searching for answers yet again.
McLaren:
Similarly, to Alpine and Aston Martin, the drama surrounding the team is overshadowing anything positive they could do on the circuit. And after today’s race it’s clear to see that the dysfunction of their driver lineup is maybe the right decision. Lando started with a grid penalty on Sunday in P17 but managed to fight his way up to P12. Ricciardo was in a much stronger position and with the anger he must feel towards the treatment he’s received over the summer break period, I expected him to make much more from his P7 start on Sunday. The Australian started strong but faded throughout the race and finished in P15. Another race without scoring any points and the team who formerly had the most wholesome bunch on the grid have really blown up in a matter of weeks. It’s clear that the partnership between the drivers never got off the mark and a change of direction could potentially be what the doctor ordered. Only time will tell.
Lewis Hamilton:
Uncharacteristically the Briton had made a bad mistake causing the collision with Alonso on the
first lap forcing him to retire. This is the first time all twenty drivers have a DNF. Not a great day but on a positive note he did assume the responsibility saying he (Alonso) was in his blind spot and for that was sorry. But that certainly wasn’t enough for the Spaniard having choice words for Hamilton. Feuds run deep in this sport.
Final Thoughts:
Alright gear-heads, it’s another race weekend in the books and at least this season we were able
have a race. Max and Red Bull are saying why they are going to win this championship at a canter.
Ferrari are a joke and with McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine all making moves over the summer
break, there is no shortage of story lines to keep people like us glued to it.
On the surface it seems like Aston Martin are the ones that come out of this drama unscathed.
The retirement of Sebastian Vettel is the most straight forward reason for the need of a seat for
next year. In steps in Alonso ready to take all of what they have to offer and because it’s a multi-
year deal and all the bells and whistles it makes a lot of sense. Now there’s Alpine, who are in a
much better position this year in terms of the points on the circuits but it’s odd that how quickly
Alonso jumped ship and their top prospect is leaving them for a seemingly worse off outfit in
McLaren. Why would someone who is as highly rated as Piastri leave the team who funded him
through Formula 3 then 2 just for him to jump ship to a rival like McLaren? Ricciardo did the same thing back when they were in their Renault years so I wonder what’s going on there. And to top this all off, it might be Ricciardo who could slot back into Alpine although the setup would be much different from the one he left two years ago.
So many questions to answer and since all these moves can be made within the season it is shaping up to be a quite juicy ending.
That’s all for now gear-heads. It’s off to the Zandervoot circuit off the coast of Holland and the
home track of the reigning champion, Max Verstappen. Are we going to see a repeat of last year’s
dominant return to the track from the flying Dutchman or will someone else make a memorable
performance?
Tune in next week to find out the breakdown of the race and who left track as a
winner or loser.