Better for the worst; Formula 1 revs up with the 2022 season

Arifeen Babar, Staff Writer
May 18, 2022

Vroom! Zoom! Crash! Kapow! Those words describe the typical 190 miles of 200 m.p.h driving. 57 laps. 4 miles per lap. 10 teams, 20 racers, and a whole mountain of hope.

For those of you who don’t know, Formula One (just call it Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racings sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers’ Championship, which became the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1981, has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants’ cars must conform. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, which take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads.

There are 10 different teams in F1, each has 2 drivers: 

    • Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton – #44, George Russell – #63
  • Red Bull, Max Verstappen – #1, Sergio Perez – #11
  • Ferrari, Charles Leclerc – #16, Carlos Sainz – #55
  • McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo – #3, Lando Norris – #4
  • Alpine, Fernando Alonso – #14, Esteban Ocon – #31
  • AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly – #10, Yuki Tsunoda – #22
  • Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel – #5, Lance Stroll – #18
  • Williams, Nicholas Latifi – #6, Alex Albon – #23
  • Alfa Romeo, Zhou Guanyu – #24, Valtteri Bottas – #77
  • Haas, Kevin Magnussen – #20, Mick Schumacher – #47

The Australian, Canadian, Japanese and Singapore Grands Prix returned to the calendar after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Miami Grand Prix made its debut, with the race taking place at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Portuguese, Styrian and Turkish Grands Prix were not included in the list of 2022 races. These Grands Prix were specifically added to the 2021 calendar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that as many races as possible could be held.

The Qatar Grand Prix, which made its debut in the 2021 championship at the Losail International Circuit, is not present on the 2022 calendar. The Grand Prix is planned to return in 2023 at a new purpose-built circuit, after a one-year halt during which the country would focus on hosting the FIFA World Cup.

The Chinese Grand Prix was under contract to feature on the 2022 calendar, but was not included due to Chinese travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Grand Prix is due to return in the 2023 championship.

The Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, which was scheduled to take place on 25 September as the 17th round of the championship, was initially suspended from the calendar in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, before being ultimately canceled. The Grand Prix is due to be replaced by another city.

Of course, there are more events lined up for us in the years, but for now, sit back as the cars zoom by.