Lewis Hamilton announced that “he’s back” after weeks of not hearing anything from him following the dramatic end to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Well, at least on social media.
There’s still speculation surrounding the seven-time Formula 1 champion on whether he’ll suit up for Mercedes for this upcoming 2022 season, but there’s a chance that he’ll do so as several reports indicate lately.
Meanwhile, all constructors have released their schedules for their new car reveals and some have shared their goals for the upcoming season as well.
In the end, however, all eyes are going to be on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the Dutchman has put it out there that he’s more than ready to defend his title.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares the latest Formula 1 2022 updates.
Encouraging signs for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton has returned to the public eye for the first time in two months. The Mercedes driver posted on his Instagram saying: “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!”
Days later, Mercedes posted a picture of Hamilton posing in his racing gear while holding his helmet, which has the caption: “Keep rising.”
Hamilton’s activities in recent days appear to be signs that he’s preparing to race for another season. Following his “I’m back” post, he was also posting videos of himself doing physical training.
Moreover, recent reports bared that the seven-time champion has been at the Mercedes factory this week as he was seen completing several pre-season tasks required if he does indeed race this season.
So yes, there’s hope that he’ll be back for the Silver Arrows in March. However, neither Hamilton nor Mercedes have put out an official statement regarding the 37-year-old’s future, and that’s likely to stay for now since they’re still waiting on the outcome of their FIA inquiry into last season’s final.
Max Verstappen ready for big title defence
Max Verstappen has also been quiet since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he beat Lewis Hamilton for his first world title last December. Despite the controversy surrounding the said event, the Dutchman feels that his win isn’t tarnished at all.
“Not at all. I had a very good season and I think I really deserved it. People always remember the last race but, if you look at the whole season, the championship should’ve been decided way earlier,” said Verstappen.
Prior to the new season, Verstappen has switched numbers from #33 to #1, which signifies that he’s on top of the Formula 1 food chain.
“Number one is the best number out there so for me it was very straightforward to pick the number one, and hopefully number 33 doesn’t come back next year!” remarked the Dutch driver.
Verstappen will commence his title defence driving Red Bull’s 2022 car, the RB18, which will be unveiled tomorrow.
Ambitious plans for Haas after 2022 car and livery reveal
Haas were the first team to reveal their new car and they’ve shared their plans for 2022.
Last season, Haas didn’t develop their 2021 car since they were severely affected by the financial challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead they piled all their resources into 2022.
“It has been one of the biggest changes I can remember in Formula 1 from a technical point of view. The decision not to develop the 2021 car last year has given us more time and bandwidth to focus on the 2022 car, which was clearly a plus for ourselves,” said Haas technical director Simone Resta.
They are looking to to make a step in the right direction as they’ve been languishing at the bottom half in recent years. Their debut season in 2016 is arguably their last competitive campaign as they’ve finished fifth in the constructors standings.
Haas aren’t favoured by the Formula 1 2022 odds to win any races in 2022. But what they can do is to score points with their new VF-22 to be part of the midfield pack.
More 2022 cars to be revealed soon
Following Haas’ car reveal, other teams are expected to do the same in the coming weeks – which builds more anticipation and excitement among racing fans.
Red Bull, Aston Martin, and McLaren are next for this week. After that, AlphaTauri, Williams, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, and Alfa Romeo will follow suit next week.
2022 is looking to be the most exciting season yet as the teams and drivers will navigate through the various rule changes in place, such as the tweaking of various aerodynamic designs and the introduction of using fully sustainable fuel across all cars.
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