While doom-mongers paint a bleak picture for the future of motor sport, competition on four wheels remains a broad brush that continues to provide thrills and spills around the world. In case you missed any of the action in 2022, Damien Smith gives a round-up of the myriad codes away from Formula 1, including F2, F3, WEC, WRC, BTCC, Extreme E, Formula E, Aussie Supercars and the American series

GETTY IMAGES, ALASTAIR STALEY, MICHAEL JURTIN, DOM ROMNEY

The Le Mans 24 Hours was a 1-2 for Toyota GR – with No8 raced by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa leading. Next year, Toyota will have more competition

Some delicious irony for you. A few weeks ago I was on my way to a Porsche Formula E Gen3 launch to find out more about a new racing car built on the premise of chasing an alternative route to sustain the ‘filthy’ sport we all love. Now here I was, stationary on the M25, because a group of Just Stop Oil protesters had clambered up on the motorway gantries. Despite what I do for a living, I sat their sympathising with their cause – yes, I’m as much of a self-confessed tortured hypocrite as Sebastian Vettel on climate change – even if I disagreed with their tactics. Especially as they were stopping me from learning about a small part of a possible solution to their cause. Hell, they nearly made me miss my flight.

That’s the irony right there. The launch was in Italy. I should have saved the carbon and just tuned in to a live stream rather than head over for one night, then fly all the way home again. Gawd. What a pickle we’ve got ourselves in. There’s seemingly more motor sport around the world than ever, despite everything, and yet no matter how hard we try to justify it and take responsibility for our actions it’s just getting harder.

Our cosy bubble will pop one day. But not yet. Instead, we continue to “go around in circles” as Vettel put it after stepping from his Aston Martin in Abu Dhabi, having pulled a load of crowd-pleasing smoky donuts… Yet there is a pattern emerging from the patchwork morass of global series competing for our attention, outside the blinding spotlight hogged by Formula 1. Those that are embracing sustainability – or let’s face it, at least claim to be – look healthier in complexion. Racing around the world is changing because it must, if we are to continue enjoying the smorgasbord of fabulous variety that still remains on offer.

Adapting to alternative power sources is either pulling the big car manufacturers in or at least keeping the faith of those that have stuck around. F1 has been wily in aligning itself to the wider automotive industry with its 2026 engine regulations, which is precisely why Volkswagen (through Audi, and in theory Porsche) has taken the bait. That example is echoed elsewhere on the motor sport food chain, especially for the codes that are sensibly hedging their bets and going hybrid. The World Endurance Championship, the World Rally Championship and the British Touring Car Championship are the stand-out examples of series that have gained a head start on the future in 2022.