Formula One: 5 talking points that shaped the first half of the 2022 F1 season
- From Fernando Alonso’s move to Aston Martin, and the remarkable recovery by Mercedes, we look back on the first half of F1’s dramatic 2022 season
- While drivers take to the European beaches for their holidays, teams will keep working on solutions to the ‘porpoising’ problems that have affected many cars
Fernando Alonso’s move to Aston Martin to replace retiring Sebastian Vettel next year was the focus of interest in Formula One after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But as the F1 heads into its annual summer holiday shutdown, we take a look at the five storylines that have shaped the first half of the season and what the remainder of the year looks like for this year’s top contenders.
Ferrari boss under pressure
Team boss Mattia Binotto faced increasing pressure on Monday after Sunday’s flop as Ferrari started the Hungarian Grand Prix second and third, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, but finished fourth and sixth.
World champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez went from 10th and 11th to first and fifth with a comprehensive demonstration of smart teamwork and strategy.
Red Bull lead the constructors championship with 431 points. Ferrari has 334. Rising Mercedes are third on 304.
Although Ferrari have had the fastest car for much of the season, notably in qualifying, they have squandered that advantage with bungled strategy calls, driver error, engine and other technical failures and a lack of consistency and reliability.