Are Ferrari the favourites for the 2022 F1 Constructors Championship?
Looking back at 2020, and Ferrari’s sixth placed finish in the Constructors’ Championship was a travesty for the most successful Formula One team in history. They achieved just 131 points across the season, and reaching Q3 was a struggle at most tracks.
Sebastian Vettel certainly suffered more than Charles Leclerc, and the decision to replace him with Carlos Sainz was vindicated by their differing seasons. While Vettel struggled, Sainz shone, and joined Leclerc in 2021 to form one of the very best driver line-ups on the grid.
With the pair behind the wheel, the Scuderia made great strides last season, beating McLaren for third place in the Constructors, despite their early deficit. As the year progressed, Ferrari improved, and their rise from the bottom of the midfield to the top in just one year was certainly impressive.
However, there’s a suggestion that they could go even better in 2022. While Mercedes and Red Bull were the class of the field in 2021, their advantage at the top of F1 could well be significantly cut by the new regulations.
It’s entirely possible that both teams remain at the very front of the grid, but nobody yet knows how the season will pan out. With no clue who will be seriously competing for the title it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite for the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship, but Ferrari, and its pairing of Leclerc and Sainz, could feature prominently at the top of the standings.
Many believe that Ferrari will take the next step in 2022, and compete for the title, but how realistic is that? Are the Scuderia actually favourites for the Constructors’ Championship?Recent Improvement
The drop off from 2019 to 2020 was, well, fairly tragic for Ferrari. But, they’ve been building themselves back up since then, and their improvement from 2020 to last season was immense.
With the team improving in recent years, they could well continue that progression, and turn themselves into a title challenger, and perhaps the favourites. They had the biggest improvement of any team from 2020 to 2021, so could they continue that trend this year?
New Regulations
Now, the last time new regulations were introduced into Formula One, Mercedes were well and truly the team who took advantage of them. Red Bull, by comparison, suffered from new regulations, and the same could happen in 2022.
The knowledge of the turbo-hybrid era so far will be null and void this year, which plays into the hands of Ferrari, who won’t have to compete against peak Mercedes and Red Bull with extensive knowledge of their respective cars.
Of course, Ferrari may well suffer as a result of the new regs, but the playing field will be levelled, and it’s primed for Ferrari to return to the top, and challenge for the title again.
Driver Line-Up
Now, opinions differ drastically in Formula One, just scroll through F1 Twitter for two seconds and you’ll see, but one thing we can all agree on is that Ferrari have a killer driver pairing.
Charles Leclerc is the Scuderia’s golden boy, and is an immense talent, who is destined for a world title in the future. His raw pace is up there with the very best, and give him a car ready for a title challenge, and he’ll be battling with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for sure.
On the other hand, Carlos Sainz is as consistent as they come, and his 2021 season proved just how good he really is. Nobody expected him to even challenge Leclerc in his debut year, and most saw Daniel Ricciardo’s move to McLaren, in replacement of the Spaniard, as an upgrade for Zak Brown’s team. But, both couldn’t be further from the truth as the ‘Smooth Operator’ beat Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship on his way to a fifth placed finish.
Both drivers are supremely quick, and they appear to have a strong bond off the track, which makes them a seriously dangerous duo.
Not only that, but it will be George Russell’s first year at Mercedes, so he may need a bedding in period, and Sergio Perez, despite recent improvements, isn’t close to Max Verstappen’s level. Bearing that in mind, it could be time for Ferrari to strike.
Are They Actually Favourites?
Well, no. You’d have to say that the reigning eight-time world champions Mercedes are - given Hamilton’s expertise, Russell’s talent, their adaptability to new regs last time, and the fact they’re on an immense winning streak in the Constructors’ Championship - but I actually believe Ferrari could spring a surprise and do it.
Red Bull will fall back and Ferrari will win the 2022 Constructors' Championship. There’s my bold 2022 prediction. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me, but hear me out there’s something about the Scuderia’s 2022 chances that appeals to me, and I can’t seem to shake the feeling they could cause an upset. With Sainz and Leclerc behind the wheel, I think they’ll do it.
Joe will probably have a different view, so stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for our full predictions for the 2022 season. But, with all the teams expected to close right up with the new regulations, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will come out on top, and Ferrari have as good a chance as any.
Who do you think will win the Constructors’ Championship, and what do you make of Ferrari’s chances in 2022? Let me know in the comments section down below.
