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The new F1 season is nearly upon us. So, we wanted to share with you our wildest (F1) fantasies for the year ahead.
I reached out to some of our other writers and contributors, including the boss, to find out how they envisaged the season unfolding. Disclaimer: Caution. Spice ahead.
Abby 
I think the Constructors will be a four-horse race between Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. I’m a McLaren fan, so I want one of their drivers to win the title, or Hamilton.
The question is, which team will jump first in naming their number one driver? I think Red Bull or Ferrari are likely to decide first, depending on the performance of both Perez and Sainz towards the beginning of the season.
After 2021, I think Perez will start racing for himself more and want to get those podiums. Sainz and Leclerc are pretty much level, so it will come down to Sainz’s consistency. Personally, I see Sainz delivering results and rivalling Leclerc for most podiums for Ferrari.
Hamilton is always a great driver and I think having Russell as a teammate will provide a new challenge, which will mean the Silver Arrows battling against each other. Being a McLaren fan, I want the team to do well, and I can see them battling at the front of the grid, probably with Norris ahead of Ricciardo.
I’d imagine Haas would be closer to the midfield and close the gap after their development last season on the 2022 car. Alfa Romeo has two new drivers joining the team, and I think we could see them struggle as Bottas and Zhou settle into the team’s dynamic.
Aston Martin has had some shakeups within the team personnel, and I feel like they’re still trying to get themselves together under Lawrence Stroll’s control. Alpine and AlphaTauri battled against each other last season and I think we’ll see them battle again. Ocon will be stronger than Alonso in my opinion, especially with his knowledge from his year off at Mercedes, however, Alonso will always fight.
It’s going to be good seeing Albon back in F1, but I think he could struggle with the new car, so will be towards the back of the midfield.
Bridge
After 15-long-years, Ferrari’s time has finally come. With an era-defining aero system and legendary driver lineup, Ferrari will take home both the constructors and drivers world championship in 2022.
Mercedes will continue to be strong, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third in the driver’s standings and duly retiring as a 7-time world champion. George Russell will perform strongly, continuing the British legacy for years to come.
Red Bull will struggle with reliability after throwing everything (plus the kitchen sink) at Verstappen’s inaugural (and last) world title in 2021.
McLaren and AlphaTauri will be competitive but will not challenge the top 3.
Finally, Alpine will be the disappointment of the year after several big management changes and the departure of Alain Prost.
Haas will improve (because it can’t get any worse!)
Catherine
It is still early days to predict what might happen this season, but from what we have been reading so far, I believe that Ferrari will go out to surprise everyone. I am not just saying this because I support them, but the atmosphere around their team looks promising. They will not go on to win the Championship, I think Mercedes and Red Bull will be the ones battling it out again, but I do think that Ferrari is going to cost them some points.
Carlos Sainz had fit in well at Ferrari, and I believe that this season he will be getting his first win, while for Charles Leclerc, I believe that he will get great results, but he cannot let the low moments get to him. He needs to use them to come out stronger, and maybe this year we will finally see him achieve a great result in Monaco.
I think Aston Martin will not be very competitive, and rather than the Aston Martin vs. Alpine rivalry, we will be seeing more of Alpine vs Alpha Tauri. Red Bull’s sister team have come a long way and they are competing for a top-five finish, I believe.
Meanwhile, I also think that Williams are going to be stronger too, but I’m still unsure as to whether Alex Albon will out-score Latifi.
Chelsea
As a McLaren fan this might be biased, however, I think we will see Lando Norris winning a race this year, and it will be before Mercedes’ George Russell. Speaking of George, I think his previous team, Williams, will have an even better year in 2022. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.
I think there is going to be a close competition between a lot of the teams this year. I don’t think Mercedes and Red Bull are going to run away with it as much as they have prior. Especially with all the exciting podiums, we saw in 2021, it is certainly promising. I’m really hoping that we see an amazing season for McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo – think Monza 2.0.
To finish it off, I think Lewis Hamilton will come back fighting and take home his eighth world title.
Dalila
Pierre Gasly leaves Red Bull: The Frenchman often expressed the will to go back to Red Bull, but they have all the reasons to keep Sergio Perez and finally create some stability within the team. On the other side, Gasly’s future cannot be to remain forever at AlphaTauri, hence it’s easy to imagine he will try to move out of Helmut Marko’s sphere of influence.
Ferrari overtakes Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship: The consistency shown by both Sainz and Leclerc in 2021 suggests that if Ferrari give their pairing a competitive car, the duo won’t disappoint. However, this prediction can easily be wrong if the two start an internal rivalry for the title, hence once again the word for Ferrari in 2022 must be “teamwork”.
Lewis Hamilton retires at the end of 2022: Sir Hamilton’s last race in F1 simply cannot be the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, a 7-times World Champion has nothing left to prove, hence if Mercedes won’t achieve the same level of competitiveness, Hamilton might leave the sport and the 2022 season might be the last dance for him.
Lena
My first prediction is that Carlos Sainz will be the number one driver for Ferrari. He has settled into the Italian team so well and knocked Charles Leclerc off his perch. The fact that Sainz ended up two places ahead of the prodigy underlines my statement.
My second opinion is that Alex Albon will drive his team-mate Nicholas Latifi into the ground, even after a year off. No offence to Latifi, but Albon has spent so much time in the simulator for Red Bull over the last few months that he will feel right at home in the new Williams.
My third, but probably most controversial hot take, is about “der Plan”. With the restructures Aston Martin has made in recent weeks, some doubts about the team are coming up. I see it differently: Sebastian Vettel will have a chance to win his fifth world championship.
Niya
I think Mercedes will master their ninth title. Hamilton will earn his eighth title.
Lando Norris or Pierre Gasly will finish third in the driver standings.
And, we’ll see another new city added to the race calendar.
Oli
With both Red Bull and Mercedes fighting for both championships down to the wire in 2021 it is likely that more resources and finances were dedicated to the very end to winning the 2021 championships than the other teams.
Ferrari, for example, has been very clear about their focus on 2022 development and Haas didn’t develop the 2021 car whatsoever. Thus, ensuring that they had all their focus and resources on 2022.
I think Ferrari and McLaren will be fighting at the top in 2022, and we have the potential to see a new world champion.
Richard
2022 offers so much promise with new tech, new cars, new driver line ups and a new track.
All the off-season talk has obviously been surrounding Mercedes and Red Bull, however – the title contenders will also feature Carlos Sainz (who will again outperform Charles) and a sustained challenge from the McLarens and the Alpines.
The new regulations will close the field together but overtaking will not be as easy as ‘promised’. There will be mixed podiums this year – not just ‘the usual contenders’ – with more than one ‘unique’ winner.
James
Mercedes will miss a trick and fall back somewhat, whilst an unexpected midfield team finds a loophole. The ground-effect nature of the new cars will require a totally different driving style and shake up the pecking order as we’ve come to accept it. And it will be an all-or-nothing year for some. If Aston Martin nail the regulations, Sebastian Vettel will be a championship contender. If they don’t, he will retire.
Samuel
I made what I thought was a bold prediction in saying that Sebastian Vettel will win his fifth title in 2022. It was interesting to see that James and Lena have similar views.
I think we’ll see more ‘upsets’ this season, and I believe Red Bull will have taken a relative step back.
Ferrari and Mercedes will battle it out for the Constructors’. And at least one team will make major gains, and another will make major losses.
What do you think? Are any of us right on the money, or are we way off base? Let us know in the comments.
(And a special thank you to my colleague, Bridge Kisby, for his WordPress savvy in formatting this piece. He makes me feel both technically unsophisticated and old all at the same time.)
Featured Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty Images
