When does the 2022 Formula 1 season start and who are the drivers?
Everything you need to know ahead of the new F1 season
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The 2022 Formula 1 season is not far away and there will be some crucial changes to the driver line-up as well as the car designs in the year ahead.
The 2021 campaign finished with one of the most dramatic and contentious races in F1 history, as FIA race director Michael Masi was at the centre of a safety-car storm which saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen snatch a last-gasp victory from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and clinch his maiden world title.
Hamilton is expected to return for another shot at what would be a record eighth world title, and this time he will be joined by a new teammate. Valtteri Bottas is moving on to Alfa Romeo and young talent George Russell is taking up his empty Mercedes seat.
Red Bull’s lineup of Verstappen and Sergio Perez is set to stay the same, while Ferrari and McLaren will stick with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz respectively.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2022 F1 season.
When does it start?
The 2022 Formula 1 season begins on 20 March at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
What are the new races?
There will be the first ever Miami Grand Prix which is set to be held in May at the Hard Rock Stadium. The 2022 season will also see the reintroduction of the Australian, Canadian, Singapore and Japanese GPs after they were cancelled due to the pandemic.
What is the provisional race calendar?
| Date | Grand Prix | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 20 March | Bahrain | Sakhir |
| 27 March | Saudi Arabia | Jeddah |
| 10 April | Australia | Melbourne |
| 24 April | Emilia Romagna | Imola* |
| 8 May | Miami | Miami** |
| 22 May | Spain | Barcelona* |
| 29 May | Monaco | Monaco |
| 12 June | Azerbaijan | Baku |
| 19 June | Canada | Montreal |
| 3 July | United Kingdom | Silverstone |
| 10 July | Austria | Spielberg |
| 24 July | France | Le Castellet |
| 31 July | Hungary | Budapest |
| 28 August | Belgium | Spa |
| 4 September | Netherlands | Zandvoort |
| 11 September | Italy | Monza |
| 25 September | Russia | Sochi |
| 2 October | Singapore | Singapore* |
| 9 October | Japan | Suzuka |
| 23 October | USA | Austin* |
| 30 October | Mexico | Mexico City |
| 13 November | Brazil | Sao Paulo |
| 20 November | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi |
*subject to contract **subject to FIA circuit homologation
What are the new law changes?
There will be changes to the windtunnel and CFD testing structure which will mean the amount of testing will be cut depending on the teams finishing place in 2021.
Figures supplied mean each team will have within one of the six aerodynamic testing periods: 320 windtunnel runs, 80 hours of wind-on time with teams allowed to spend a total of 400 hours within the windtunnel.
Percentage values apply depending on where each team finishes. A first place finish in the constructors’ standings rewards a team a multiplier of 70%, meaning a team’s time in the windtunnel is handicapped, But finishing 10th comes with a 115% multiplier and so they will have more time. CFD terms will work in the same way.
The cost cap is expected to drop to $140m from the $145m allowed in the 2021 season.
There will also be an increase in the sprint races with six in the 2022 season, up from three in the 2021 term.
Which drivers will be involved?
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Ferrai: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
McLaren: Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo
Alpine: Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon
Alpha Tauri: Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda
Williams: Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon
Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll
Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou
Haas: Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin
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