CHARGING BULL

2022 was a year where Formula One changed and stayed familiar at the same time

- GAURAV DAVARE

There's no doubt that the 2021 Formula One season was one for the history books with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battling it out to a last-lap thriller. But it was time for a fresh start, and 2022 was the perfect opportunity for Formula One to do just that with arguably the biggest technical regulation changes in decades. So did the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship season achieve this? Well, yes in some ways, with history repeating moments too, and we take you down memory lane for all the key moments of the season.

Raceable cars

Before we get to juicy bits of the season, let's start with the reason why 2022 was a fresh start in the first place. The 2022 regulations were a proper attempt to rectify the age-old dirty air problem with the return of ground-effect aerodynamics for the first time since the early 80s. Basically, with a lot of the downforce being generated by the underfloor instead of the bonkers aerodynamic appendages from before, it theoretically reduced the dirty air effect, thereby allowing the car behind to follow closer.

Did it really work? Well, the season-opener in Bahrain saw plenty of fights including the intense battle between reigning champion Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc for the race win.

Fortunately, this wasn't just a one-off as the races in Hungary and Spain saw proper racing again. Of course, Monaco was an exception as the cars have simply outgrown the circuit.

First blood