2022 Season

The 73rd Formula One World Championship runs over twenty-two Grands Prix, ending earlier than in recent years to avoid overlapping with the FIFA World Cup. Max Verstappen enters as defending Drivers’ Champion, with Mercedes the defending Constructors’ Champions.

Driver changes

Kimi Räikkönen has retired after a 19-season career in which he won 21 races and the 2007 World Drivers’ Championship. Valtteri Bottas, who spent five seasons at Mercedes, takes his seat at Alfa Romeo. George Russell moves from Williams to Mercedes, replacing Bottas. Alex Albon, returning from a year competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, joins Williams to replace Russell.

Zhou Guanyu, who finished third in the 2021 Formula 2 Championship, joins Alfa Romeo in place of Antonio Giovinazzi. Zhou becomes the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula One.

Nikita Mazepin’s multi-year contract with Haas was terminated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant cancellation of Uralkali’s title sponsorship of the team. Kevin Magnussen, who last raced with Haas in 2020, returns to replace him.

Team changes

Honda had stated it would not supply power units beyond 2021. Red Bull Racing has taken over Honda’s engine programme through a new in-house division called Red Bull Powertrains, rebranding the Honda-built units accordingly. Honda continues to provide technical and operational oversight during race weekends. Red Bull secured the arrangement after successfully lobbying the other nine teams to agree to an engine development freeze until 2025; Red Bull acknowledged they would have left the championship had the freeze not been agreed.

Calendar

Twenty-two rounds are on the calendar. The Miami Grand Prix makes its debut at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. Australia, Canada, Japan, and Singapore return after two-year absences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Portugal, Styria, and Turkey, which were added to the 2021 calendar specifically to fill gaps left by the pandemic, are not included. Qatar does not feature, with the country focused on hosting the FIFA World Cup; it returns in 2023. China was under contract but is excluded due to travel restrictions. Russia, originally scheduled as the 17th round, is first suspended and then cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Emilia Romagna, Austrian, and São Paulo Grands Prix host the sprint format.

Regulation changes

The most sweeping technical overhaul since the 1983 season comes into force. Ground effect aerodynamics are reintroduced for the first time since venturi tunnels were banned after 1982, with the underfloor becoming the primary source of downforce. Bargeboards are eliminated entirely. Front wings are simplified, with the wing required to connect directly to the nosecone. Rear wings are wider and mounted higher. The FIA’s simulations indicate that a 2022-specification car following another car will retain up to 86% of its normal downforce, compared with just 55% for a 2019-specification car. Car development was frozen from March 2020 to end of year to prevent teams gaining an advantage after the regulations were delayed from 2021.

Wheel diameter increases from 13 to 18 inches. Tyre blanket temperatures are reduced: both front and rear are now capped at 70 °C, down from 100 °C and 80 °C respectively. Tyre warmers are standardised, with a phased ban planned from 2024.

The rule requiring Q3 drivers to start the race on the tyre used to set their Q2 fastest time is scrapped. All drivers now have free starting tyre choice.

The sprint format returns for a second year — now called simply “sprint” — with points awarded to the top eight finishers instead of the top three. The qualifying session result determines the official polesitter, not the sprint result.

The points system for shortened races is revised following the controversy at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. Full points now require more than 75% of race distance under green flag conditions; reduced points on a sliding scale apply between 25% and 75%.

Safety car unlapping procedures are revised after the controversy at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The safety car now withdraws one lap after the unlapping instruction, rather than waiting for all cars to complete the process.

Michael Masi is removed as race director following an FIA inquiry into the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He is replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who take the role on an alternating basis. Herbie Blash, Charlie Whiting’s former deputy, is appointed permanent senior advisor to the race director. A new virtual race control system, modelled on football’s video assistant referee, is also introduced.

The cost cap is set at US$141.2 million.

Pre-season testing

Two tests are held rather than the usual one, to help teams gather data on the new cars. The first runs at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 23–25 February; the second at Bahrain International Circuit on 10–12 March. Pre-season testing indicates that Ferrari and Red Bull are the two strongest teams, ahead of reigning Constructors’ Champion Mercedes.