The last two races in Formula One have seen the first wave of new changes to the 2022 cars in action, and it has brought a new level of excitement to this elegant and passionate sport, with a return of Max Verstappen’s dominant form and performance.
The biggest story after the Imola Grand Prix was how effective Red Bull’s small changes were that focused on reducing the car’s overall weight. Red Bull had been driving almost 10 kg heavier than Ferrari in the first three races, but at Imola, they managed to shed three to four kg with updated and lighter parts; a new, more aerodynamic floor plan that added a winglet for better downforce; and improved brake cooling capacity. With these changes, combined with Red Bull’s already great power unit, Max Verstappen dominated in Italy, achieving a grand slam: qualifying on pole, winning the Sprint event, winning the Grand Prix, and setting the fastest lap over the weekend, scoring as many points as possible. Red Bull’s second driver, Sergio Perez, came in second, earning the team a spectacular one-two finish in Italy.
Ferrari opted to not make any updates and changes to their car for their home race. Originally this was not concerning, as the F1-75 is considered one of the best-designed cars and consistent power units on the grid, and almost showed that changes weren’t necessary — if it wasn’t for the disastrous weekend in Italy. Carlos Sainz crashed out of qualifying on Saturday, and on Sunday had his second straight race weekend end in a Did Not Finish (DNF) because of a crash caused by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in the first turn of the race. Charles Leclerc struggled to keep pace with the newer Red Bulls and was on track for a third-place podium finish, but Leclerc took a spin that cost him a podium and dropped him to sixth, leaving Ferrari with only an 11-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari has yet to announce any changes to their car, but don’t count them out. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes that the advantage between themselves and Red Bull will shift from race to race, as each track is so different. Ferrari had the best car and won in Australia two weekends ago, on another street circuit like the upcoming Miami Grand Prix.
Mercedes has continued to tweak their rear wing and downforce options, but still has done little to address their massive porpoising and pace issues. The porpoising looked worse in Imola than in previous races. Miami has the potential to breathe some hope into the German team with the arrival of some new parts, which Andrew Shovlin, the trackside engineer for Mercedes, said in a team video “will hopefully give [the team] an indication on whether we are moving in the right direction,” which at the very least will hopefully allow Mercedes to find the root of the issue.
Round five of the Formula One championship brings racing fans to the city of glam and glitz, flashing lights, cocaine, and neon turquoise and fuchsia vibes: Miami. Making its debut in Formula One this weekend at the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix from May 6 to 8, Miami is the 11th U.S. venue that has hosted a Formula One event and is the second U.S. track on the F1 calendar in 2022. The track is built around the Hard Rock Stadium, a massive entertainment hub that has hosted sporting and concert events from around the world. F1 technicians designed and simulated 36 different track layouts through the complex before choosing the layout for the street circuit being used this weekend.
The 19-turn street circuit is 5.4 km long, with the standard three DRS zones that project top speeds of 320 km/h and demand wheel-to-wheel racing while battling through the winding chicanes. The Miami circuit, like its sister in Austin, Texas, will also have some elevation changes throughout the track. Miami’s most notable change will be in the turn 14-15 chicane; the track travels uphill, with the peak in between the corners and a fast slope down.
Miami’s new track will be an interesting race and event for F1. It’s the first new track that has been designed entirely for the 2022 cars that F1 is committed to until 2026. The FIA and F1 are already working on finalizing the next power units and chassis designs for the 2026 cars. Miami’s adaptability will allow for different tracks through the city’s ten-year tenure, and keep the tracks fast and safe; so far, the only remaining question concerning Miami is whether it will be a Red Bull- or Ferrari-favoured track.
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.
