Karun Chandhok's 10 big questions facing F1 2022

As Formula 1 prepares for its biggest rule change in over a decade, still clouded by the events of the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, there are many questions hanging over the new season.

Ahead of the first day of official testing in Barcelona on Wednesday, Autosport asked Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok for his verdict on 10 of the most pressing topics facing the 2022 campaign.

1. Will the new technical rules work?

Mercedes has won every constructors title since the turbo hybrid rules were introduced for 2014, but faces its biggest challenge yet in 2022

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

This is undoubtedly the biggest question heading into the new season. After a 2021 campaign in which we had a convergence of performance, we were left hoping that the rule changes could be delayed a bit more, but that horse had bolted.

PLUS: Unpacking the technical changes behind F1 2022's rules shakeup

The first thing is to define what success for the new rules would look like, and my view on that is simply: will we get more genuine overtaking as a result of cars being able to follow more closely and therefore not be reliant on excessive tyre wear or DRS to allow the moves to happen?

The theory behind how the ‘wake’ following the car is produced makes sense in terms of a lot of the air coming off the car will now get thrown higher up, rather than down on to the front wing of the car directly behind, so hopefully in practice we will see this having the desired effect

Any conversation over the past few months with people such as Pat Symonds or Nikolas Tombazis, who work with F1 and the FIA, left you feeling optimistic for the changes. When you started speaking with the technical minds at the teams, the view seemed quite the opposite, with one technical director going as far as to say: “We’re going to spend a load of cash reinventing the category and basically end up doing a similar lap time and have similar racing as we do now.”

I certainly hope that the former are correct and the latter are wrong, because that would be a real shame for all the effort that’s gone into the research for improving overtaking in the sport. The theory behind how the ‘wake’ following the car is produced makes sense in terms of a lot of the air coming off the car will now get thrown higher up, rather than down on to the front wing of the car directly behind, so hopefully in practice we will see this having the desired effect. The increased weight, combined with the 18-inch wheels, make the suspension movement and ride quality different too.

PLUS: The apparent tributes to Ferrari's history in its 2022 F1 car

2. Could we see a change in the competitive order, as in 2009?

F1's last big rules shakeup in 2009 allowed the former Honda team, rescued by Ross Brawn, and Red Bull to leap from midfielders to the front

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

If you look back at the major rule changes in F1, there has always been a shake-up in the pecking order. In 2014, Mercedes came to the fore thanks mainly to its brilliant power unit. In 2009, Brawn’s double diffuser catapulted it to the front, but in fact even Red Bull went from being a midfield team to a title contender that season. Go back to 1998, and the switch to skinny cars and grooved tyres gave the then-newly recruited Adrian Newey the chance to create the McLaren MP4/13 that won the title after a few years of McLaren drought.

PLUS: Eight times when F1 teams got new rules very wrong

A common sentiment from the technical directors about the 2022 regulations was that there seemed to be a lot of potential loopholes to exploit. The way the ground-effects will work means that any team that can find a way to ‘seal the floor’ to the ground better than their rivals will gain a huge advantage. It takes me back to the story of Frank Dernie and Patrick Head uncovering the key to sealing the skirts on the Williams FW07 in the middle of 1979 and then blitzing the pack at the next race.

The difference in 2022 versus 1979 is that the rules are much more restrictive. Much to the chagrin of the creative designers and aerodynamicists, the principles behind the rules are to have more standardised sections of the cars, which they understandably believe curbs their creativity. But from a cost standpoint as well as a ‘let’s try and equalise the field for the show’ viewpoint, I can understand this.

PLUS: What can go wrong with the new F1 cars?

Therefore, I think it will come down to which teams have read the rules the best and find marginal gains. To quote the great Colin Chapman, “rules are for the interpretation of wise men and the obedience of fools”.

3. How will George Russell stack up against Lewis Hamilton?

Russell has been given his big chance at Mercedes after three years learning the ropes at Williams

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Heading into this season, this battle is getting me excited more than anything else. Yes, I want to see how the new cars affect the pecking order. Yes, I want to see if Red Bull and Max Verstappen can build on last year. Yes, I want to see if Ferrari can rejoin the battle of the big three. But, more than anything, I want to see how George Russell takes the battle to Lewis Hamilton in his first full-time opportunity in a top car.

PLUS: How Russell sees his place in the Mercedes-Hamilton F1 superteam

This intra-team battle has all the makings of a Fernando Alonso-versus-Hamilton from 2007 – a young hotshoe lining up against the best driver of his generation. We all know how that played out and, while at the moment George is saying everything out of the Mercedes PR machine’s handbook, I have no doubt that, when we get to the first braking zone in Bahrain on the opening lap, the gloves will be off.

The stunning form Lewis showed in the final part of last season should be a warning shot for George. In the past two years, Lewis and Max have raised the bar in terms of consistent brilliance in a way that Michael Schumacher did 20 years ago

George proved last season that he is one of the best qualifiers in F1. The laps at Silverstone, Spa and Sochi last year were among the best of the season. It’s hard to judge his race pace and tyre management because the Williams wasn’t the most competitive car, and therefore we tend to look at that one-off weekend in Bahrain with Mercedes (in 2020), where he was exemplary.

PLUS: How Russell left Mercedes with little real choice over his F1 promotion

But the stunning form Lewis showed in the final part of last season should be a warning shot for George. In the past two years, Lewis and Max have raised the bar in terms of consistent brilliance in a way that Michael Schumacher did 20 years ago. Other drivers can get close to them ‘on their day’, but across the 23 races it’s a tall order. The controversial season finale will have done one of two things: (a) made Lewis feel disillusioned and fed up with the sport; or (b) lit a massive fire under him, which, as we saw in Brazil last year, makes him unstoppable. A fascinating battle awaits.

4. Will Max Verstappen still get his elbows out now that he is champion?

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen is an incredibly fast and intelligent racing driver, with superb feel on the brakes and car control that you only see once in a generation. He has also raised the benchmark in terms of elbows-out, uncompromising racing in a way that Ayrton Senna and Schumacher did before him. Last year, he seemed very clear in his own head that what he’s doing is justifiable and acceptable, and moments like in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where he should have been penalised in my view, just fed that thought process.

My opinion is that the FIA needs to make the ‘rules of engagement’ clear to all the drivers, teams, media and the fans in terms of what is acceptable or not. Max’s party trick last year was basically to ease off the brakes and throw it up the inside of someone and hope that they compromised enough so that both cars get through the corner. The FIA didn’t clamp down on that until it got silly in Jeddah, where they penalised him, and really I think what needs to happen is a clear reset of ‘forget what penalties were or were not issued in the past, from 2022 this is what is allowed’.

Unless the FIA is clear in its own mind about what is and isn’t acceptable, it’s not realistic to expect the drivers to have clarity in the heat of battle. So unless they have a briefing with the drivers prior to the start of the season and make this clear, I don’t see any reason why Max will approach this season any differently.

5. Can Sergio Perez get closer to Verstappen?

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Racing

The second seat at Red Bull has become a poisoned chalice. On the one hand, you’re going to be driving one of the best three cars on the grid and therefore have the chance to fight for victories and podiums.
On the other, you have to go up against a driver who is not only one of the most talented in F1 history, but also in a team where the car is perfectly suited for his driving style.

Max’s style of driving is a lot like Schumacher’s was. They both have this amazing ability to steer the rear of the car on the brakes in a very controlled manner and then release the steering lock at the apex to get a great exit. This means that he wants a car that has a very pointy and responsive front end when first turning the wheel and then relies on his natural talent to just control the rear. Inevitably, like Michael in the 1994 or 1995 Benetton days, it means that other drivers will find the car to be a bit too edgy to drive.

All indications are that the 2022 rules will call for ‘flatter cars’, which could make them more benign to drive and close the gap in their driving styles

Red Bull has clearly got all its eggs in the Verstappen basket at the moment but, as I’ve said before, they need to only look at what happened to Honda in MotoGP after Marc Marquez fell off and broke his arm. That was a bike basically designed around one rider’s style, and it’s taken Honda more than a season to recover competitiveness.

PLUS: Why Honda's rivals have reason to fear its 2022 MotoGP bike

There were weekends such as in France, Azerbaijan, Mexico and the United States where Checo got closer to Max’s pace than his previous two team-mates, and his defensive role in Abu Dhabi was played superbly. The high-rake philosophy that Red Bull has used in recent years energises the front wing a lot on corner entry, but all indications are that the 2022 rules will call for ‘flatter cars’, which could make them more benign to drive and close the gap in their driving styles.

6. Will Ferrari or McLaren challenge the big two?

Ferrari improved dramatically last year to take third, but can it continue that progress and end the team's 14-year title drought?

Photo by: Ferrari

Ferrari’s progress last year was very impressive. It had a dreadful 2020 after the fuel-flow saga, but the rate of improvement from the chassis and engine side pushed the team clearly ahead of McLaren.

PLUS: How Ferrari triumphed in the battle for F1 2021's best of the rest

The Maranello squad ended 2020 with the weakest power unit, but made good steps throughout last year. The upgrade to the hybrid system that was introduced for September’s Russian GP was apparently planned originally for 2022, so the fact that they could research and produce it five months early will give a huge sense of satisfaction and momentum for the engine team.

The two men in the cockpit give Ferrari the best collective driver combination on the grid alongside Mercedes. Both Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc delivered at a very high level and, while there was the odd error, they will be ready to fight for consistent race wins if the car is up to it.

PLUS: The driving force that will yield Ferrari’s next F1 title

McLaren seemed to build on 2020, and really its surprising weak link in the first half of the year was Daniel Ricciardo. He did seem to get into a more comfortable zone after the summer break, and the team will be hoping that he hits the ground running in 2022 alongside Lando Norris. The young Brit was a star last season and widely regarded as the third best driver on the grid behind Verstappen and Hamilton. He should be even better with another year of experience under his belt.

With stability on the power unit side, James Key and Andrea Stella leading the engineering squad and Andreas Seidl and Zak Brown steering the ship, the blocks are all there for McLaren. But this is a season when simulation and correlation between the theory behind the new car and execution will be fundamental to success.

With McLaren’s new windtunnel still 18 months from readiness and the new simulator still six months away, the jump to becoming a title contender may have to wait until the new tools are fully in place.

7. Which teams are under pressure?

Significant investment in staff and facilities means Aston Martin need to get results

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

I would have to say that there’s always pressure on Mercedes to carry on winning, Red Bull to overthrow it as the top team and Ferrari, because it’s Ferrari! There’s nothing new there for these three, but outside that I would say the teams who need a good season are Aston Martin and Alpine.

Aston Martin has been on a very impressive recruitment drive since Lawrence Stroll took over. He clearly means business and has invested a lot of money into the team. They have laid down some very good foundation blocks for the future and were somewhat unlucky in 2021 that the rear floor regulation changes hurt its car concept, like they did Mercedes. The clean slate in 2022 gives the team an opportunity to show that last season’s step backwards was a one-off.

PLUS: The big team tightrope that Aston Martin must walk

It will be interesting to see how all the new staff changes affect the core of the team that put together the impressive 2020 campaign as Racing Point. Otmar Szafnauer has already departed, and the integration of new signings such as Dan Fallows and Luca Furbatto alongside the high-quality and established senior leadership including Andy Green, Tom McCullough and Andy Stevenson will be vitally important for the future direction of the team.

Alpine was a long way behind Ferrari and McLaren last year, let alone the top two and, with Aston Martin investing heavily for the future, it will have to make a massive leap forward to break this midfield cycle

Alpine may have won a race at the Hungaroring, but Alonso’s podium in Qatar was in my opinion the more impressive result of 2021. Renault came back to F1 in 2016 and, in its sixth season as a works team (albeit rebranded), seems to be stuck in the midfield. There’s a strong argument that if AlphaTauri had a stronger driver than Yuki Tsunoda in the second car alongside Pierre Gasly, it would have finished a good number of points ahead of Alpine in 2021, instead of 13 behind.

PLUS: How Alpine conquered F1 2021's battle of the 'A-team' midfielders

The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is one of the top three automotive manufacturing groups in the world. Therefore, it’s logical to think that its only involvement at the highest level of motorsport in the world would come with expectations of competing for victories and championships.

Ferrari showed in 2021 that you can turn a poor season around, while McLaren’s turnaround from 2018 to 2020 has also shown that, with the right people and culture, big gains are still possible in F1.

PLUS: The changes edging McLaren closer to an F1 title challenge

The team was a long way behind Ferrari and McLaren last year, let alone the top two and, with Aston Martin investing heavily for the future, Alpine will have to make a massive leap forward if it wants to break this midfield cycle of finishing higher than fourth (in 2018).

The Alliance need to once and for all decide if it’s in F1 to win or just to be a part of the show. New boss Laurent Rossi seems like a smart operator who has made some strong statements of late and has reshuffled the technical structure of the team. There’s no shortage of ability in the cockpit, with the highly rated Esteban Ocon alongside the brilliant Alonso, who has shown he is as fast and tenacious as ever.

8. Can Alexander Albon star for Williams on his return to F1?

Albon returns to a race seat at Williams, replacing Mercedes-bound Russell after spending 2021 on the sidelines

Photo by: Williams

Albon has managed what many drivers haven’t, which is to get multiple opportunities of a career at the highest level of the sport. He got called back to Toro Rosso after being demoted by the Red Bull programme, then has worked his way back into an F1 race seat after being dropped by the big team.

PLUS: The impressive attitude that earned Albon his second F1 chance

His tenacity and work ethic have paid off, but whether he can ‘star’ or not somewhat depends on what level of competitiveness the Williams is at this year. In 2019-20, the team wasn’t really fighting many others and therefore it took until 2021, when we started to see George Russell put those outstanding laps together in qualifying, that everyone really sat up and took notice.

Alex is a lovely and incredibly polite guy, but deep down he’s also a tough racer who has got good speed and racecraft that warrants a place on the grid. I hope that the team gives him the tools to deliver some good results because I think he has the potential to do so.

9. Is 2022’s 23-race calendar good for F1?

Will the 23-race season ask too much of F1 personnel?

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

The calendar for this season looks very intense, with more races being held in a shorter space of time. As I said last year, I think that 20 races is a good number and anything beyond that starts to devalue each individual race, but the reality is that commercial factors will dictate that this number is more likely to go up from the 23 races we have this year than come down.

While Melbourne is one of my favourite cities on the F1 tour, the races tend to be quite dull, so I’m pleased that we’re starting this new era of F1 in Bahrain

The new event in Miami has great potential. I’ve been told by friends in the area that the city is very excited about it, and in fact the tickets and hospitality were sold out within a week. The US GP at Austin was my highlight of 2021 in terms of an event, as F1 seems to have well and truly taken off there. Wherever we went in the town, people stopped to tell us how excited they were about F1 and how much they were enjoying it – and the 400,000 people who showed up over the weekend seemed to underline that.

I’m pleased that we seem to be heading back to Australia, Singapore and Japan. While Melbourne is one of my favourite cities on the F1 tour, the races tend to be quite dull, so I’m pleased that we’re starting this new era of F1 in Bahrain, which generally produces more exciting racing and in a more globally friendly time zone.

10. How will the FIA get its house in order?

Masi (left) with Chandhok, has been ousted as race director

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The reaction following the Abu Dhabi GP is something I have never experienced even after 20 years of working in the motorsport business. All winter long, people at the supermarket or the pub have wanted to ask my opinion about the events around the final 10 minutes of the world championship.

At the outset, I’ll reiterate what I said in the immediate aftermath of the race, which is that I believe a fairer outcome would have been to either throw the red flag when Nicholas Latifi crashed and have a simple five-lap sprint to the flag, or if they chose to use the safety car, as was the case, then they should have left the lapped cars in between Lewis and Max.

Max would have probably passed the lapped cars before Turn 7 and we would have had an amazing final half-lap with Lewis trying to hang on. To select just the five cars between Lewis and Max to unlap themselves made Lewis a sitting duck on the final lap and created the overwhelming feeling that the title was rigged to favour Max.

PLUS: What the FIA must do to restore F1’s credibility

I don’t for one second believe there was any premeditated plan prior to the race to favour Max, but actually think that Michael Masi was so focused on trying to finish the race under green flag conditions and clear the lapped cars out of the way that he didn’t fully consider the implications of what he was doing.

The silence from the FIA following Abu Dhabi has been quite disappointing. At the end of the day, it’s an explanation that the world is looking for about the small four-minute period between the message saying lapped cars would not be allowed past and then the selection of the five cars to go past. Why was that decision changed? Who was involved in that decision making, and what needs to be done better next time?

The new president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is a good, straightforward guy and his deputy president for sport, Robert Reid, is much the same. They have been unlucky to walk into a complete storm, since they took office less than a week after the finale. The FIA has a slightly odd system where there isn’t a handover period as such – literally the day after the elections, Jean Todt and his team are gone and the new team is in charge.

I’ve had the chance to speak with both Mohammed and Robert in recent weeks and they are very conscious of the fact that the FIA needs to re-establish its credibility with the teams, the media and crucially the fans. Lewis’s silence, maintained until the W13 launch, is basically a clear indicator that the sport’s biggest superstar doesn’t believe that the governing body is a fair organisation, and they need to work quickly to correct that in 2022.

New FIA President ben Sulayem has a tough job to restore trust

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images