The Championship Challengers: Ferrari V. Red Bull – The First Four Rounds of the 2022 F1 Championship

Two wins for Ferrari, two wins for Red Bull. Two wins for Charles Leclerc, two wins for Max Verstappen. One 1-2 finish podium for Ferrari, one 1-2 finish podium for Red Bull. One unlucky race for Ferrari, one very unlucky race for Red Bull. Here is a small recap of the first four races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia and, Italy.Beginner’s Guide to Formula 1: Basics About the Teams, Drivers, and the Races

Round 1 Bahrain:

In Bahrain, the first race of the season, Ferrari had the ultimate dream start with Charles Leclerc winning the race and Carlos Sainz coming in second. The two Red Bull drivers did not even manage to finish the race due to issues with their engines. Ferrari proved that sacrificing the past two seasons to work on the 2022 car was worth it and this year they can compete for the Championship. On the other hand, Red Bull had spent more time focusing on the 2021 championship, along with working on its own engine for 2023 after it announced it will not continue using Honda engines. Of course, the team that forfeited the most for the 2021 championship was Mercedes. Mercedes has repeatedly shown that they are not yet fit to fight for the top spot in the championship, however, they show promise of remaining in the top 4 teams still. McLaren, who was fighting Ferrari last year for the third spot, also did not show a lot of promise, particularly in the first race of the season.

Results:      Ferrari: 44 points     Red Bull: 0 points      Mercedes: 27 points     McLaren: 0 points

Round 2 Saudi Arabia:

In Saudi Arabia, Red Bull demonstrated how capable they are to fight for the championship with Max Verstappen having more power at the end of the race than Leclerc, and passing him easily. Ferrari still managed to occupy two spots on the podium, with Perez coming fourth.

Results:     Ferrari: 34 points     Red Bull: 37 points     Mercedes: 11 points     McLaren: 6 points

Round 3 Australia:

Australia was not predominantly lucky for Verstappen and Sainz as they did not manage to finish the race. Leclerc won and Perez came in second. Both Mercedes and McLaren had a better weekend than Saudi Arabia.

Results:     Ferrari: 26 points     Red Bull: 18 points     Mercedes: 27 points     McLaren: 18 points

Round 4 Italy:

In the fourth round in Imola, Italy, Ferrari had a very problematic weekend. Sainz in the first lap of the race crashed with Daniel Ricciardo, and Leclerc lost control of his car which made him lose the third spot on the podium.

Results:     Ferrari: 8 points     Red Bull: 44 points     Mercedes: 12 points     McLaren: 15 points

Overall Standings:

Team Standings

Ferrari: 124 points

Red Bull: 113 points

Mercedes: 77 points

McLaren: 46 points

Driver Standings:

Leclerc 1^st with 86 points

Verstappen 2^nd with 59 points

Perez 3^rd with 54 points

Russel 4^th with 49 points

Sainz 5^th with 38 points

Norris 6^th with 35 points

Hamilton 7^th with 28 points

Ricciardo 11^th with 11 points

How reliable are the numbers?

So far, they are not good indicators of the future of the championship. Considering that both Verstappen and Sainz who are in the two top teams, did not score any points in half the races so far because of an engine problem or a crash, is enough to explain how Mercedes had scored 27 points in those two races. What is a good indicator is the current mindset of the drivers.

Charles Leclerc displayed a lot of control of his driving and his decisions in the first two races. He was content and confident with the car. He was driving to bring points to the team but this changed in Australia. Even though Verstappen was out of the race and Leclerc was leading the entire race without any problem, already being the fastest one, he seemed ready to risk it all for one more additional point by achieving the fastest lap. No risk was necessary in the end because he had already realized his goal, but his determination showed us that his goal is to fight for the driver’s championship.

In Italy, Leclerc learned his lesson the hard way. Stuck in third place and lacking the pace to race second place, Perez, Leclerc lost control of his car and found himself in the middle of the grid. He was able to quickly recover and finish the race in sixth place, however, he had no one to blame but himself. The entire weekend Verstappen was faster than Leclerc, both in the qualifiers on Friday and the sprint race on Saturday. Leclerc’s frustration led him into making the ultimate mistake, but everyone is confident that the Monegasque has enough experience to move forward. He has not yet claimed an F1 championship, but he has won a Formula 4 championship, the Formula 3 championship, and the Formula 2 championship. He knows what it takes to fight for a championship but he still has to prove that he is ready for the Formula 1 championship.

Max Verstappen who is the defending champion, has had years of experience in Formula 1 fighting at the top. He joined Toro Rosso in 2015, and in 2016 he moved to Red Bull. In Red Bull, he has always shown dominance over his teammates. He has been involved in numerous controversial incidents over the years, but he always had a car able to compete against the dominant Mercedes at the time. In 2021 when he became the champion, he showed a lot of maturity compared to his previous races. He had perseverance and patience. He has absolute control of his car and most importantly, an entire team working together to give him the title. It is no secret that Red Bull considers him their Number 1 driver, it always had, and most likely it will continue at least until 2028 when his contract with the team ends. Compared to Ferrari who is claiming not to have a Number 1 and 2 drivers, the Red Bull team is ready to make many sacrifices to see Verstappen being named F1 champion for a second time.

Why will it be difficult for Leclerc to win the championship?

It is unlikely that Carlos Sainz will let Leclerc have all the glory to himself. Maybe now in the standing, they are far apart but this has nothing to do with the driving merits of the two drivers. Sainz has had a very unlucky start to the season, and at least last year, he had more podium finishes than Leclerc. However, Sainz is also prone to making mistakes under pressure. Unless the team decides to choose to focus on one driver winning the championship, Leclerc will not have as much support as Verstappen has.

The next race is this weekend on an all-new circuit in Miami.

Maybe it is still early in the season but without a doubt, every point counts. Who will win in Miami? Will it be a Ferrari or a Red Bull car? Will it be another team on the podium? Stay tuned for a Miami recap next week!