Lewis Hamilton and Formula 1: a match made in heaven. After first meeting back in 2007, wedding bells rang the following year when the star from Stevenage lifted his inaugural Drivers’ Championship in São Paulo, Brazil. Extra-marital affairs with Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, and Nico Rosberg provided some slight bumps in the road, but nothing that couldn’t be patched over by four years of smooth sailing from 2017 to 2020. Yet this year just gone might have finally pushed the pair to their breaking point, with race director Michael Masi the maker and executor of a dreaded divorce. Although the separation papers remain unsigned, and may well stay that way, it’s poignantly clear that the 14-year relationship is on the rocks.
Ever since the infamous ‘Decider in the Desert’ last month (12/12), rumours of Hamilton’s anger with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have been making the rounds. Masi’s controversial decision to allow just the five cars between pole position Hamilton and title contender Max Verstappen to unlap themselves sparked a thunderstorm of protest and complaint, with Hamilton’s Mercedes crew invoking Article 48.12 of the F1 sporting regulations to suggest that the race director should instead have allowed all eight lapped cars to overtake and then finish the race behind the safety car, thus granting the Brit a place on top of the Abu Dhabi podium and his record-eighth Championship.
“As Ricciardo approaches the end of his prime, Norris has firmly cemented himself as the better driver, while his Aussie teammate must produce more this coming year to warrant his big-money contract and never-ending hype”
As Hamilton is reportedly ‘disillusioned’ with the sport, Mercedes and the entirety of the F1 grid surrender themselves to his will, in a year that will see the sport undergo it’s biggest change since the introduction of the ‘Hybrid Era’ in 2014. 2022’s new regulations aim to ‘allow closer racing’, with a complete overhaul of the aerodynamics systems and wheel designs lying in wait for the new season. Regardless of Hamilton’s decision, it could prove to be an era where Red Bull steps out from the shadow of Mercedes to reclaim their dominant years with Vettel, in the form of Verstappen’s podium prowess. Verstappen is continuing to improve as he matures, while Checo Perez availed himself well in his first outing with the team despite the apparent ‘curse’ afflicting the second Red Bull seat. Although the new regulations will reduce Red Bull’s speed advantage, it’s difficult to see Verstappen’s superiority waning anytime soon.
But let’s say Hamilton does relinquish his place in the paddock, what battle plan would be available to Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff? George Russell, who drove for the lacklustre Williams Racing in 2021, naturally occupies a Mercedes seat for this coming season following contract talks back in September — yet the possibility stands that he could become the lead driver for F1’s currently most successful organisation in just his second year of competing at the top. Dual reserve driver for both Mercedes and Aston Martin, and former Renault racer, Nico Hülkenberg is an option, while the name of Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who was a part of the Mercedes driver development programme before the move to his current team, has floated around publications and bookies alike. Meanwhile, Hülkenberg’s fellow reserve drivers, Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne, have also found themselves among the chatter. None, however, quite have the ring of ‘Hamilton’, nor the talent.
“Regardless of Hamilton’s decision, it could prove to be an era where Red Bull steps out from the shadow of Mercedes to reclaim their dominant years with Vettel, in the form of Verstappen’s podium prowess”
A field without Hamilton in the lead is an unfamiliar sight for most F1 fans, yet it may prove an exciting one for those yearning for new faces on the podium. Ferrari, who in recent years have found themselves as once-great stragglers, have been tipped by some to become the resurgent force on the 2022 grid. This season just gone was their best campaign in a long while, and they managed to find pace in a car that many thought wasn’t fit to challenge in a packed midfield. As well as this, they arguably have the most talented drivers on the paddock in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Leclerc has long been touted as Ferrari’s best chance at a title, but Sainz was slightly more impressive last time out after placing fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Among the rest of the chasing pack, McLaren experienced a paradoxical 2021 season, with young British star Lando Norris consistently excelling and so cruelly robbed of a maiden F1 victory in Russia. The more experienced Daniel Ricciardo, however, struggled at times with the McLaren car, despite being the team’s so-called ‘flagship driver’. As Ricciardo approaches the end of his prime, Norris has firmly cemented himself as the better driver, while his Aussie teammate must produce more this coming year to warrant his big-money contract and never-ending hype.
For those in the midfield, the new regulations provide an opportunity to narrow the gap. Alpine, AlphaTauri, and Aston Martin have all opted to stick with their drivers for next season, despite questions raised over Yuki Tsunoda’s performances during his debut showing for AlphaTauri. 2022 also sees the return of Alex Albon, plying his trade for Williams, and the relocation of Hamilton’s former partner Valterri Bottas to Alfa Romeo. Bottas is joined by F2 graduate Guanyu Zhou, a decision that most view as motivated by Zhou’s financial clout. Meanwhile, the best driver in F2 last year by some distance is left without an F1 seat, as no teams opted to pick up the brilliant Oscar Piastri. Perhaps Alpine’s ageing legend in Fernando Alonso will hand over the baton in 2023 after Piastri takes on the role of reserve driver this year. Haas will undoubtedly be bringing up the rear once again, but hopefully in a closer fashion than last time out.
After 2021’s enthralling title race, and new fans attracted to both the on-track drama and Netflix’s thriving Drive to Survive series, next season shapes up to be yet another classic. And quite frankly, this will be the case regardless of whether Hamilton chooses to pull on his race suit. What happened in Abu Dhabi undoubtedly left a bitter taste in the mouths of many spectators, but such controversy is also what makes the sport so striking; just like the pretty ‘pink Mercedes’ of Racing Point back in 2020. A grid without Hamilton will certainly be unfamiliar but certainly not boring, especially when the power unit of Verstappen is knocking about.
