FORMULA 1 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Discover the race cars, technology, drivers and crews behind the world’s biggest and most popular motorsport
WORDS MIKE JENNINGS
DID YOU KNOW?
The halo, which protects drivers’ heads, can withstand 12,000 kilograms of pressure
Formula 1 is the fastest, most popular and most lucrative motorsport on the planet. Its status means it attracts the best drivers, the biggest car manufacturers, huge media attention and global audiences in the hundreds of millions. It’s a big deal. Races take place on five continents, the season stretches across most of the year and F1 has never been so popular on social media.The sport has just experienced one of its best ever seasons, too: the 2021 campaign was a fierce and sometimes bad-tempered battle between Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.
It’s a big, bold, high-tech circus, but it can be complicated if you’re not sure how F1 works. The first race of 2022 took place in Bahrain, and this season will be the longest ever, with 23 races, so there’s never been a better time to dive into the cockpit. Ten teams – each with two drivers – will contest the 2022 campaign. Red Bull’s world champion, Max Verstappen, will drive alongside Sergio Perez. Mercedes will field seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton alongside young driver George Russell, who joined the big leagues after impressing with the weaker Williams team.
Red Bull and Mercedes have dominated F1 for a decade, but the other teams hope that big changes to the 2022 cars will help them close the gap. The historic Ferrari team has excellent drivers in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but the team has struggled with a weaker car. McLaren relies on British driver Lando Norris and Australian veteran Daniel Ricciardo, and they’ve been getting better every year. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel drives for Aston Martin, and you’ll find former world champion Fernando Alonso at Alpine. Smaller teams can spring surprises, too: Alfa Romeo will field Valtteri Bottas, who was Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, and former Red Bull driver Alex Albon takes his talents to Williams. Then there’s Haas, where you’ll find Mick Schumacher – the son of the legendary Michael Schumacher.