After five of 23 Grands Prix scheduled for 2022, it is becoming likely that this season’s Formula 1 title is going to be taken home by either Ferrari or Red Bull.
Ferrari started off hot with wins in Bahrain and Australia, However, Red Bull replied with victories in Saudi Arabia, Imola, and the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.
On the other hand, defending constructors’ champions Mercedes are still having a difficult time figuring out how to squeeze more performance out from their W13, but they’re still in the running according to the Formula 1 2022 odds.
Continue to read on below as SBOTOP recaps the latest Formula 1 2022 updates.
Red Bull roaring back, Ferrari need a response
After back-to-back wins in Imola and Miami, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team have narrowed their gap against their Ferrari counterparts both in the drivers and constructors’ standings. The reigning Formula 1 champion is now 19 points adrift behind Charles Leclerc, while Red Bull are only trailing by six behind Ferrari.
Christian Horner is happy with his team’s recent outings, including their one-two finish at Imola – their first since 2016. However, he said that there’s still room for improvement for their RB18.
The Red Bull team principal shared that he’s aiming to cut their car’s weight while assuring their fans that their reliability issues that have hounded them in Bahrain and in Australia are already a thing in the past.
“You can always improve everywhere. We need to lose a couple of kilos off the car and it’s all those little incremental gains that you’re always chasing,” said Horner.
“I don’t think the car is particularly fragile. But we are working closely with HRC and they are giving us great support, and we’ll get those things figured out,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mattia Binotto has called on his Scuderia to put out a better showing in these next few races as their lead was cut down.
“If you consider how many points we are taking home from here, we can’t be too disappointed, given that we are leading both championships, but it’s clear we now need to respond. We are keen to get the job done and there are still a lot of races to go,” said Binotto.
Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered multiple DNFs while Charles Leclerc got “too greedy” in Imola which cost him the race, but both drivers did well in South Beach – finishing P3 and P2 respectively.
Mercedes stuck in “no man’s land”
Mercedes were poised to take a podium berth in Miami since their pace was better during FP1 and FP2 as George Russell finished P2 and P1 respectively. However, the W13’s copious porpoising has resurfaced, costing them crucial points in the process.
“It’s clear there is potential in the car and she’s fast. But we just don’t understand how to unlock the potential. It’s probably a car that is super difficult to drive, on the edge, dipping in and out of the performance window, more out than in,” lamented Wolff.
“We are third-quickest on the road – in a way in no man’s land. We had a good Friday, we need to dissect why that was, and then come back.” he added.
Now is not the time for them to wave the white flag just yet. However, they can only hope that their upgrade packages will give them more performance.
Sebastian Vettel questioning his F1 future
The four-time Formula 1 champion recently made his Question Time debut with BBC where he covered multiple topics – including the Russia-Ukraine war, Brexit, and the energy crisis.
One of the main highlights of the show was when Vettel said that the world needs to tackle global warming, and that he was a “hypocrite” for saying such since he’s a Formula 1 driver for a living.
“You’re right when you laugh because there’s questions I ask myself every day. I’m not a saint. It’s something that I’m asking myself,” said Vettel.
“We need to stop being dependent on fossil fuels, and we can, because there are solutions in place. We should think of ‘peace energy’ or ‘freedom energy’, which is renewable energy. That is the future, not just as a way of protecting people who can’t afford bills but also to protect against the future,” he added.
The good news is that Formula 1 has adopted certain measures for Vettel’s concerns. This year, the sport introduced E10 fuel to further lower car emissions, and they have plans to mandate a more carbon-neutral fuel in the near future. Moreover, Sebastian Vettel is out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of this season and he has yet to decide if he’ll sign a new deal.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FORMULA 1 STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
