Last year F1 enjoyed the most intense title fight since 2016, which saw two different teams opposing after nearly a decade, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen getting the better of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the last race. of the season in Abu Dhabi, with an ending not for the faint of heart.
The duel between the Dutch and the British has given new strength to Formula 1 after years of Mercedes domination, and now we wonder if this battle can continue even with the advent of the new 2022 regulation, or if perhaps some team that was chasing will be able to exploit the new set of rules for joining the fight.
Some observers fear that the first year of the new regulation may instead end up opening the gap again, as some teams have started working on it earlier than others.
Just think of the 2009 regulations, when Brawn was able to dominate at the start of the season with the intuition of the dual diffuser or when Mercedes built a big lead in 2014, at the beginning of the power unit era.
However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown said he would be very surprised if the 2022 season were to see only one team dominate.
“I would be very surprised if there was a boring season with the new cars next year,” said Brown. “I think we will have several winners and some surprises. I would be surprised if we see a domination.”
“Maybe a team could be dominant for a short period of time, like Brawn in 2009. But I think, with the budget cap in place, you can feel the tension being put on the teams, who have stopped developing the car. current season to focus on next year. I would be surprised if the group doesn’t keep getting closer. “
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, the rest of the field at the start
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
While Red Bull and Mercedes battled on and off the track for both titles, Brown’s McLaren also had a good battle with Ferrari for third place in the Constructors, in which Red ultimately won.
However, McLaren managed to find in Monza with Daniel Ricciardo a victory that had been missing for nine years. In addition, Alpine also achieved success in Hungary with Esteban Ocon.
Brown hopes that 2022 will see a more open battle for the World Championship, believing that the more restrictive nature of the regulations will have a positive impact on Formula 1.
“My hope is that next year we will arrive in Abu Dhabi with three or four cars that can fight for the championship. I think that is the ultimate goal,” he added. “I think this year has been spectacular and I hope it may have been just a taste of what we will see in the future.”
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