For 2022, Martin Brundle sees “the usual suspects” in front for now, but trusts Ferrari and McLaren in particular to catch up
Who is the favourite for the 2022 Formula 1 season? Opinions are divided on this question. While Red Bull finished the latest tests in Bahrain with world champion Max Verstappen at the top, Mercedes is as usual piling the pile low. Lewis Hamilton, for example, does not yet consider the W13 to be capable of winning.
And Ferrari are also dampening their euphoria after their strong impression in Barcelona and Bahrain. “We all know that the tests don’t tell us anything,” stressed Carlos Sainz, for example. “I don’t know why people fall into the same trap every year.”
So who has adapted the new rules best now? ‘Sky’ pundit Martin Brundle says: “The big teams tend to get it right first. Even though we have the cost cap and limits on time in the wind tunnel to try and make the field more even and competitive. “
Ferrari and McLaren: Full focus on 2022
“What seems clear is that the battle for the world championship has not stopped Mercedes and Red Bull with their new car in terms of resources,” the Briton judges. At the same time, he believes, “Not fighting for the world championship has probably helped teams like Ferrari and McLaren. “
Hopes are therefore high that the gap between them and the top teams will close. In any case, Brundle expects all teams to have a much higher rate of development than last year, especially at the start of the season.
“You have to remember that most teams have tried to build a lot of things already in last year’s budget so it doesn’t affect this year. So we’re going to see a dramatic rate of change. And we might see a few surprises,” the Formula One expert looks ahead.
Brundle sees “not too many weaknesses “
“But you have to assume that the usual suspects will get it right first. And the others, the smaller teams…. The history of Formula One tends to suggest that a consistent set of rules will condense the entire field. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have great racing at the front. “
Should Ferrari and McLaren be able to compete there in sporting terms, Brundle certainly trusts them to fulfil their potential operationally. “As we saw at Monza in 2021, they did very well with the opportunity to win a race. So yes, I think that has to be said,” the Briton said.
“At McLaren, Andreas Seidl knows the ropes. He has a Le Mans background, which I know very well because I’ve raced there nine times, and it’s logistically one of the biggest challenges in motorsport, if not the biggest.”
“So Andreas knows what needs to be done. And I think the team is better funded. They are better structured and on the way up,” Brundle points out. “The biggest problem they have, of course, is that their wind tunnel is not operational for some time. And then you have to calibrate it first.”
“So that would be my concern, that they have some catching up to do in terms of aerodynamics in a car that is heavily dominated by aerodynamics. But apart from that, I don’t see too many weaknesses at the moment,” the ‘Sky’ pundit analyses.