Season 9 (2022 Season)

## Overview

Season 9 of the F1 CAREER will be contested using the F1 22 official game on PC, with a custom 2022 season grid.

## Teams & Drivers

* Williams used 2022 spec Red Bull RBPTH001 Power Units, badged as Dorilton under a sponsorship agreement.

### **Free Practice Drivers**

\* Wehrlien was released by Mercedes following the Austrian Grand Prix.

## Pre-Season Testing

### McLaren-AMG

McLaren were the first team to break cover, and enter the new age of Formula One. The MCL36 is the first McLaren since 2014 to bare a Mercedes-AMG Power Unit. The Papaya team were making clear ground in the recent few seasons, but early signs look as if McLaren will be in the midfield. After building cars around Renault Power Units since 2018, it will take time for the British outfit to understand their new German power. Mclaren also look to be having issues with break temperature skyrocketing. Both drivers had to run very conservatively when out on track, ultimately leading to the team completing the least mileage combined from both drivers over the three days of running.

The engine supplier may be new, but McLaren's driver lineup remains unchanged. After putting up an unexpected title challenge using a glorified 2020 car, 2019 Champion, Mick Schumacher and one time to date race winner Lando Norris look to be the dark horses again in this year's coming title race if McLaren can fast track their understanding of their car.

### Alpine-Renault

Renault come into 2022 with a new name and a fresh paint job. For the foreseeable future, the Enstone based team will be known as Alpine F1 Team. This coming off the back of the teams 2021 success, Renault want to increase the popularity and brand recognition of their sports car brand Alpine.

The team in blue look to have taken a consevative approach to the regulation changes, but it looks to have paid off. long run pace was exceptional from both drivers, whilst one lap pace looks to be a weaker area. The A522 looks to be a stady base, and should be easy to adapt to new concepts that emerge as the season progresses. The Renault Power Unit looks again to be powerful, but suffered from technical issues on each day of testing.

To the surprise of no one, Alpine keep the same driver lineup for 2022 that Renault had last season. Fernando Alonso still looks to defend his Driver's title, and match Sebastian Vettel with a fifth. Esteban Ocon will again look to back up the Spaniard and help guide Alpine Renault to Constructor's success.

### Ferrari

After a shambolic 2021 campaign saw Ferrari finish bottom of the Constructor's table for the first time in their history, radical change was needed. Making the most of the extra allotted wind tunnel time, Ferrari look to have developed a car to catapult themselves back into contention.

If not the car performances on track, the Tfosi at least have a driver lineup to be proud of. Charles Leclerc remains faithful to the Scuderia, but will have a new team mate to work with this year. The relationship with Rio Haryanto, although not bad, just wasn't gelling as either camp would've liked. Much like Kimi Raikkonen in 2009, Haryanto has been paid the remainder of his contract in return to not race in F1 again until 2024 at the earliest.

This opened a seat for Ferrari to bring in their 2021 reserve driver Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was outed of the Red Bull programme at the end of 2018, despite showing decent pace up untll then. Following a year adapting to the Scuderia's way of life, Ferrari are confident Sainz will re find his 2015 and 2016 form.

### Toyota

Toyota come into 2022 with a statement of intent, buying ot the remaining shares and becoming a full works entrant for the coming season, with Haas remaining as the team's title sponsor. Toyota have taken a similar approach to Alpine, with the design of the TRD122 taking on a more neutral philosophy. Where it differs from Alpine, is that Toyota don't appear to have any major upgrades planned within the first half of the season, suggesting the Japanese outfit are struggling to understand the new ground effect cars. To compound Toyota's difficulties, the engine freeze has forced the team to fast track their engine program, which has lead to the prominent electrical issues still being present. A basic package with a potentially unreliable Power Unit could create a perfect storm to condemn Toyota to the midfield.

By all means Toyota's 2021 season was below target, and the team's continued work and development of the TRD121 wasn't enough to convince 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton to re sign. Taking the place of the Brit is the feisty Dane, Kevin Magnussen. The most recent race winner and Monaco specialist aims to build towards his first title challenge. On the other side of the garage, with the 2021's breakout star and multiple race winner Nobuharu Matsushita also signed a new two year deal.

Niko Kari remains as the test and reserve driver, but Toyota have also shown interest in their Simulator driver Pietro Fittipaldi to step into a race seat if required. The fight behind the scenes could be just as, if not more intense than the one on track. Both of them will feature in an FP1 session throughout the season.

### AlphaTauri-RBPT

AlphaTauri's resurgence in recent seasons look to have come to an end. The previously named Torro Rosso outfit have often struggled on the first year of new regulations. This trend looks set to continue. AlphaTauri have taken the unusual route in not continuing to use the philosophies of sister team Red Bull. One advantage the team look to have an understanding of how to negate the purposing issues. This could prove to be an invaluable benefit in the early rounds, and the AT03 can be run with lower ride height, maxamizing ground effect, and will reach a higher top speed with less bouncing.

It's unlikely Pierre Gasly will return to Red Bull any time soon, but he remains part of the family, the Frenchman with another season to show his skill, with early speculation that Alpine or McLaren are interested in him for 2024, if he can keep performing at the high level he's proven to be capable of.

On the other side of the garage is the new youngest driver on the grid. At the age of 22, F2 graduate Yuki Tsonoda steps up to F1 after a difficult but encouraging F2 campaign with Carlin last year. Tsonoda also has Honda backing, and the Japanese mega corporation were keen to keep hold of him, after realizing their mistake of underutalizing now multi-time race winner Nobuharu Matsushita with compatriot rivals Toyota. Sergio Sette Camara leaving the team and the Red Bull family presented the perfect opportunity to bring in the first driver born in the 21st Century into F1.

### Aston Martin-AMG

Aston Martin may have finished 8th in the season just gone, but look to be in a dire situation ahead of the new season. A striking sidepod design doesn't look to have had the major areo effects, along with struggling to maximize ground effect around the floor. Team owner Lawrence Stroll, previously said Aston Martin have a five year plan to become a title contender, but with current trajectory, it cold take that long to reach the midfield.

Aston Martin come into 2022 with a new teammate for Lance Stroll. Sergio Sette Camara moves from AlphaTauri and the Red Bull family to join the main Mercedes customer outfit. Unwilling to move to Red Bull and play second fiddle to Max Verstappen, Brazil's new hero will now look to build the team around him and help take the team out of backmarker status.

Pascal Wehrlein returns to the role of reserve, despite impressing on short notice in 2021. Mercedes feel the German still has a lot left to offer, and remain keen on keeping hold of his services for the time being.

### Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

Alfa Romeo come into testing on the back foot. The mid season Ferrari engine nerf forced the Italian outfit to focus more resources in chassis and aero development that expected, leaving less time to focus on 2022. At times both cars were struggling to make it into the top 10 on one lap pace, but showed encouraging consistency on long run pace. Alfa Romeo have taken a similar approach to their 2018 and 2019 campaigns and look to have maximized straight line speed, and also looked to have negated significant purposing.

Josh Tirowee remains at the team he put so much faith in back in 2019, despite recent hardships. Partnering the two-time Champion will be the first Chinese driver to race in F1, Zhou Ganyu. The former Renault Academy graduate cut ties with the French marke, and brought with him over £30M in sponsorship. Many were left puzzled why the team would drop Kevin Magnussen in favour of someone who finished mid table in F2 last season. The official reasoning given was the ever growing on track tension between both drivers would only harm their chances of defending their Constructor's title, and once again cost both drivers a shot at Championship glory.

There's growing speculation of an imminent buyout of the team from Andretti. Sauber have proven they can be a Championship force on a budget, but still lack that little bit extra to maintain an advantage in the development race. An Andretti cash boost could see them land an off-the-shelf championship contending car. Colton Herta is also linked with a move to the team if the buyout goes ahead, the former Haas-BMW and IndyCar ace might appear in a few FP1 sessions throughout the coming season.

### Red Bull-RBPT

Red Bull hit the track running. Both drivers were appearing the fastest and most consistent on long run pace. Design genius Adrian Newey has designed the RB18 to be superior in a straight line, whilst also have more than enough downforce and stability in hight speed cornering. Red Bull also appears, along with McLaren to be the only other team not experiencing purposing issues.

Honda exited F1 at the end of the season just gone. The Higher-ups within the company want to focus on the objective of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. The engines will still continue to be used by Red Bull, AlphaTauri and Williams. Honda's IP will be sold to Red Bull and will run under the Red Bull Powertrains division until the new engine regulations some into affect in a few years time. With the news of an imminent exit, Honda have fast tracked their engine for 2022, with the overall package looking to be the strongest out of the blocks.

Red Bull enter a new lucrative sponsorship deal with Oracle, one of the World's largest multicultural computer technology cooperation. The deal is believed to be worth $100M a year, making Red Bull the second highest funded team, behind only Ferrari.

The RB17 may have been difficult to drive at times, but it was easy for Red Bull to decide to carry on with Max Verstappen as the lead driver, and defending World Champion. Verstappen has a long term contract with Red Bull, until 2025, but there's always talks he's moving.

After a poor second half of the season, Alex Albon found himself out of the team he'd won two races for in 2020. The Thai-Brit dropped to reserve for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Sergio Perez replaces Albon, and finally has a chance in a title contending car. The F1 veteran still searching for that all elusive first victory. After putting in two very impressive campaigns for a backmarker Aston Martin team, the Mexican finally has a chance to challenge for a Driver's title.

### Mercedes-AMG

Mercedes took to the track with the distinctive 'zero sidepod' design, but their downfall looks set to continue in 2022. The German giants are suffering the most from purposing. The W13 appears to be a very good car, but Mercedes can't optimize the car to its full potential. To compound their misery, fuel supplier Petronas have struggled to produce a competitive E10 fuel. Along with customer teams Aston Martin and McLaren, Mercedes are the slowest cars in a straight line.

Mercedes' result may have taken a dive as of late, but the team know it's the car and not the drivers. Therefore, it was a no-brainer for the German Giants to sign both Lewis Hamilton to return and partner George Russell. Hamilton grew frustrated with Toyota's strategic failures, along with many mechanical failures last season. Danill Kvyat exits F1 frustrated to miss out on multiple title opportunities, and with Mercedes only falling further away, opted to explore other opportunities.

### Williams-Dorilton

Williams enter a new age under new ownership. Dorilton Capital are now the owners of the historic British outfit, and will run Dorilton branded RBPT Units. It's also the first real chance to show the upside of their investment. Fully utilizing the prize money payouts saved from Williams' time with BMW backing, the team look to be back in the upper midfield, and have a stable development structure in place for the short to medium term. Traditionally, Williams have struggled in the first season of regulation changes, but it looks the team have finally turned a corner in the early season development race.

Along with new owners and financial backing, Williams enter the new era of F1 with a while new driver lineup. Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon has been cleared to race outside of the Red Bull family, whilst retaining his connections. The Thai-Brit struggled at times to gel in the Red Bull-Verstappen environment, and more often than not found himself in the shadow of the Dutchman. A change of environment could be just what he needs to re find his pace that earned him a promotion from Toro Rosso back in 2019. Partnering the two-time race winner is the first Williams Academy driver to be promoted to a race seat, Dan Ticktum. The Brit has had a storied junior career, but showed genuine pace and consistency last season in F2, running in title contention for the duration and earning enough Super Licence points to be granted the seat. His simulator work with Williams behind the scenes also appears to have calmed his infamous fiery temperament.

## Season Report

### **Round 1: Canada**

#### Practice

Aston Martin's fears were confirmed, as both cars ended FP1. over 2 seconds off the pace. Red Bull looked set to their best start to a season since 2016, with both Verstappen and Sergio Perez running competitively. Williams looked to have made a huge step forward, and would be knocking on the door of the top 12 on raceday. Toyota seemed to have unlocked a little more pace from the TRD121, but it'd be a struggle to secure points. Josh Tirowee crashed into the 'Wall of Champions', and brought out the first red flag of the season.

    Dan Ticktum brought out a red flag in FP3, after losing the rear right tyre from his Williams.

#### Qualifying

Alonso took the first pole of the season, and with it a very early Championship lead. Esteban Ocon completed an Alpine front row. Rookies Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 in their first qualifying attempts.

#### Race

Alonso lead cleanly from the start. Ocon held off a challenge from Max Verstappen to maintain second position. The top three would go on to pull away from foruth placed Sergio Perez. Tsunoda and Zhou ran strongly inside the top 10 in the opening stages.

On lap 15/35, Ocon and Perez became the first drivers to make a pit stop with the new cars. Alonso and Verstappen went a lap longer, and Verstappen was able to overcut Ocon. Josh Tirowee went a lap further and rejoined back in 5th.

Three laps later, all the drivers that started on the Hard compund tyres made their stops for Mediums. Charles Leclerc made the most of the faster tyres and moved passed Zhou for 6th position on lap 29. Three laps futeht on, Zhou retired from 7th with a Ferrari Power Unit failure.

On the end of lap 33, Tirowee pit for Soft tyres. After being stuck behind the Red Bull of Perez for the entire race, there was just enough of a gap for the two-time Champion to maintain position ahead of Leclerc.

Fernando Alonso cruised to victory, ahead of Verstappen and Ocon. Perez came across in fourth, Tirowee fifth (FL). The remainder of the points places were filled by Leclerc, Albon, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Sainz, Matsushita & Ticktum.

### **Round 2: Japan**

#### **Practice**

McLaren's fortunes don't look set to change, with a brake redesign unable to be implemented until Round 4 at the earliest. Red Bull came to their engine supplier's home race, receiving an engine upgrade, along with AlphaTauri & Williams. Alpine once again looked to be the team to beat, on a track where Alonso & Esteban Ocon haven't been particularly strong in the past. Williams have made the most of the engine upgrades, showing the most consistent long run pace, and could be in contention for a podium finish. Toyota ran reserve driver Niko Kari in FP1, with the Finn ending the session in 17th position. Fernando Alonso was immediately on the pace in FP1, along with Max Verstappen & Esteban Ocon. Alex Albon was a very encouraging 5th. Tirowee & Sergio Perez focused on long run pace. Albon & Williams found a sweet spot with their set up, and topped FP2. Dan Ticktum backed up his team mate in 5th. Tirowee again focused on race pace. Williams locked out FP3, further building on their earlier running. Both Toyotas finished inside the top 10.

#### **Qualifying**

Albon was getting used to the top spot, taking his first pole position, and Williams' first since 2019. Dan Ticktum landed a second row start. Red Bull could manage no better than the third row in the wet conditions.

#### **Race**

Alex Albon lead cleanly from the start, and was able to pull clear of Alonso and Ticktum. Sergio Perez held of Josh Tirowee, who was the only driver to start on the Hard compound. Misery again afflicted Zhou Guanyu, who retired on lap 3 with another Ferrari engine failure. On lap 9/27, Lewis Hamilton locked up into turn 1, and fell behind Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman then going on to catch and pass Tirowee.

Lap 12, Albon pitted from the lead and narrowly rejoined ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc. Three laps later, the Thai-Brit caught up to Tirowee, who was the only driver left to pit and retook the lead - Tirowee pitted at the end of the lap and rejoined behind Gasly.

On lap 16, just after setting the fastest lap, Albon's Dorilton badged RBPT Power Unit failed, and forced the Williams driver to retire from the lead. He was set to take Williams' first victory since 2019. This left Fernando Alonso to inherit the lead.

On lap 18, Tirowee and Gasly reignited their epic battle, with them both exchanging position multiple times before the Brit could break clear. From here he also went on to set the fastest lap.

Alonso held on the the lead, unchallenged by Ticktum, who reached the podium in only his second race. Verstappen completed the podium. The remaining points places were taken by 4th Ocon, 5th Perez, 6th Tirowee (FL), 7th Gasly, 8th Hamilton, 9th. Leclerc, 10th Magnussen, 11th Sainz, 12th Tsunoda.

After two races, Fernando Alonso was nearly a race win's worth of points clear of Verstappen. Dan Ticktum rocketed up to 5th. What could've been for Alex Albon, who only came away with 3 points for pole. Alpine moved further ahead of Red Bull. Williams were in the top three for the first time since 2019. AlphaTauri leapfrogged Mercedes for 6th. Aston Martin & McLaren were yet to score.

### **Round 3: Australia**

#### **Practice**

Red Bull returned to the track featuring the fan favourite 'Urban Camo' Livery. Test & Reserve driver Liam Lawson also made his FP1 debut for Red Bull, finishing the session an impressive 7th. DAMS' F2 driver Ayumu Iwassa also featured in FP1 for AlphaTauri, finishing an outstanding second overall. Alfa Romeo brought a new cooling package. Josh Tirowee topped FP1, with Yuki Tsunoda top in FP2 and Esteban Ocon fastest in FP3.

#### **Qualifying**

Alexander Albon hooked up his Williams to take consecutive Pole Positions. Josh Tirowee and Fernando Alonso completed the top 3. Albon's team mate Dan Ticktum lined up in 5th.

#### **Race**

Most of the field started on the Medium compound tyres, apart from the Ferrari drivers. Leclerc used the extra grip to his advantage to jump up from 4th to 2nd on the opening lap. He would hold 2nd until lap 6 when Alonso's Mediums became the better tyre and the four-time Champion moved ahead. On the next lap, Tirowee made a dive into turn 6 to move into third.

On lap 8, Zhou Guanyu suffered a third Power Unit failure in three races. This brought out the Safety Car and every driver made a stop for the Hard tyres. Leclerc retired from the race under the Safety Car.

Albon maintained the lead on the restart, but lacked pace and was holding up Alonso and Tirowee. On lap 19, Alonso failed to make a move on Albon. This gave Tirowee the momentum to make moves on them both to steal the lead.

Tirowee held the lead onto lap 23, when Albon launched an attack. The two battled though the first sector. Albon pulled ahead out of turn 5, but had a compromised corner exit. Tirowee tried to switch-back, but made contact with Ticktum, who was trying to follow through Albon. A high speed impact took both out of contention for points, but both were able to continue. The Safety Car was redeployed so debris could be cleared.

Albon once again held the lead on the second restart ahead of Alonso and Max Verstappen. Tirowee made up places, now on Softs on the final two laps to scrape 2 points for 11th. Lando Norris fought through the chaos to finish 12, and open McLaren's score for the season.

Albon held on to take his third race victory. Alonso finished 2nd and extended his points lead. Max Verstappen took another podium. Carlos Sainz salvaged 4th for Ferrari, ahead of Tsunoda. 6th Ocon, 7th Hamilton, 8th Magnussen, 9th Perez, 10th Russell, 11th Tirowee, 12th Norris. Dan Ticktum finished with the fastest lap, but doesn't secure the point, as he was outside the top 10, in a non-wildcard race.

Alonso moved to 21 points clear of Verstappen. Albon moved into the top 3 for the first time in his career. Magnussen elevated himself into the top 12.

Alpine moved to 29 points clear of Red Bull. Ferrari took 4th from Alfa Romeo, but lost ground to Williams in 3rd. McLaren overtook Aston Martin for 9th.

### **Round 4: Bahrain**

#### **Practice**

Alfa Romeo unveiled a new black and red livery, in conjunction with a further updated cooling package. Red Bull brought a major weight reduction upgrade. The RB18 now 12kg lighter. McLaren introduced a new brake package.

#### **Qualifying**

Sergio Perez stole pole position in the final seconds from Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz in third. The second Red Bull of Verstappen lined up fourth, with Tirowee in fifth. 6th Alonso, 7th Ocon, 8th Zhou, 9th Albon, 10th Hamilton.

#### **Race**

All cars started on Mediums, except the Aston Martins, who started on the Hard compound.

Leclerc got a lightning start, and passed Perez into turn 1. Things got worse for Red Bull, as Verstappen damaged his front wing and had to pit at the end of the lap.

Mick Schumacher didn't get the chance to put his new brake upgrades to the test, as the front brakes failed on lap 2, and he crashed into Pierre Gasly. On lap 5, the Safety Car was deployed, as debris from Schumacher's demise needed to be cleared. Leclerc led away on the restart, Alonso dived past Tirowee for third.

The order remained stable until the pit stop window opened on lap 13/29. Most took the opportunity to pit, but Leclerc and Perez went one lap longer. The top 2 rejoined ahead of the yet to pit Sergio Sette Camara. The 2019 F2 Champion put up a fight to both Alonso and then Tirowee before pitting for Mediums.

Verstappen made his third stop on lap 21, after passing Lance Stroll to temporarily move out of last place. His race, however, would be cut short as he retired on lap 27.

Charles Leclerc picked up his, and Ferrari's first win since the 2019 season opening Australian Grand Prix. Perez secured second, ahead of Alonso. Tirowee dropped away from the Spaniard in the second stint, but held onto fourth. An inspired drive from George Russell leaad to fifth place. Zhou Guanyu finished for the first time in sixth. 7th Ocon, 8th Magnussen, 9th Hamilton, 10th, Ticktum, 11th Tsunoda, 12th Norris. Verstappen still had the fastest lap, so no one took the point for it.

Alonso further increased his Championship lead, now to 33 points. Perez moved equal to Verstappen. Leclerc brought himself into contention.

Alpine's consistency increased their lead at the top of the Constructor's Championship. Ferrari closed the gap to Williams for third. Mercedes passed AlphaTauri for sixth.

### **Round 5: Singapore**

#### **Practice**

This event was the first 'Wildcard Race', meaning all 20 drivers would score points in the race, and 5 points were available for Pole. Alpine brought a new 5KG lighter chassis, in response to Red Bull's upgrades previous race. Aston Martin brought a new rear wing, to use at this Grand-Prix, and other high-downforce circuits. McLaren further developed their break package.

Verstappen topped FP1, ahead of Leclerc and Ocon. Alonso was fastest in FP2, with Verstappen only a tenth behind on a harder compound. Zhou Guanyu became the first Chinese driver to top a session in FP3.

#### **Qualifying**

Charles Leclerc stormed to Pole position, ahead of Zhou & Tirowee. Ocon picked up a 5-place penalty for impeding Alonso during Q3.

#### **Race**

For the first time, the Singapore Grand Prix began in wet conditions. Leclerc held the lead into turn 1, as chaos ensued behind. Sergio Perez hit the back of Tirowee's Alfa Romeo and lost his front wing.

At the end of lap 5, it was time to pit for dry tyres. There was a mix of Soft and Medium compounds at play. Leclerc still held the lead, ahead of Verstappen and Zhou. On lap 12, Zhou's Soft tyres were starting to go off, and he made way for Tirowee, on Mediums, to move into third. At the end of the lap he, and most other Soft runners pit. This lead Tirowee in the lead, ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris. The McLaren couldn't hold onto third place, as Leclerc and Verstappen swarmed the McLaren.

Russell pit on lap 17, and undercut Tirowee who pit three laps later. A crucial move as the rain returned. Four laps later, some drivers pit for Inters, but others came in for new Softs, believing the rain would pass. This would prove to be a grave error in judgement, as at the end of the lap all those on Softs came back into the pits for Intermediates.

On lap 28 Tirowee now held the lead, but Russell had his tyres fired up, and in a battle through sector 2, the Mercedes stole the lead. Contesting his fourth season in F1, Russell was still searching for his first race win. His wait would continue as he locked up into turn 1 on lap 29, and Tirowee retook the lead, both lapping last place Esteban Ocon during the exchange.

Tirowee held the lead for the remainder of the race (+ FL), finishing four seconds clear of Russell. Norris was closing on the par to finish less than six seconds behind Tirowee. 4th Leclerc, 5th Verstappen, 6th Schumacher, 7th Tsunoda, 8th Zhou, 9th Alonso, 10th Perez, 11th Sainz, 12th Sette Camara.

Despite a lower finish, Alonso only lost 6 points over second place, now Josh Tirowee. Russell and Yuki Tsunoda gained places.

Red Bull closed in slightly on Alpine at the top of the Constructor's. Both Ferrari and Alfa Romeo leapfrogged Williams. McLaren's strong result moved them up to 8th, ahead of Toyota.

### **Round 6: Azerbaijan**

#### **Practice**

Mercedes brought an upgrade package, looking to reduce purposing. McLaren appeared to be in for a rough weekend, Norris & Schumacher were slowest in the speed trap. Theo Pourchaire makes his F1 session debut with Alfa Romeo.

The circuit layout suited Red Bull and Verstappen, who topped FP1 on Mediums. Norris & Schumacher put in impressive times. Theo Pourchaire finished in the top 12.

Alonso got to grips in FP2 and narrowly edged out Zhou Guanyu. Verstappen again focused on long run pace.

Alonso opened the gap at the top in FP3. Nobuharu Matsushita raised Toyota's hopes.

#### Qualifying

George Russell made heavy contact with the wall during Q1, bringing out the red flag and ending his session.

Charles Leclerc secured pole position. Alexander Albon will look to utilize the straight line speed of the Williams starting 5th.

### Race

Leclerc holded the lead. Alonso fended off Verstappen. Tirowee suffered early ERS failure and dropped back. Aston Martin showed signs of improvement, battling with the McLarens and AlphaTauris.

Lap 7, Russell was moving through the pack, his Mercedes slower on the straights than the Toyota of Kevin Magnussen, but the superior aerodynamics of the W13 enabling the Brit to move ahead. Tirowee continued to drop back, by lap 9, only four cars were behind him.

The lower midfield pitted on lap 11 from Mediums to Hards, the front runners doing the same on the next lap. Charles Leclerc held the lead still from Alonso and Verstappen.

The AlphaTauri drivers had better pace on the Hards, both Tsunoda and Gasly made up places. Lap 14/26 Alfa Romeo finally remedied Tirowees's ERS issue, and the two-time Champion passed Mick Schumacher's McLaren.

Two retirements on lap 20. First Gasly parks down an escape road in Sector 2. Sergio Sette Camara suffered a full shutdown and lost his breaks in Sector 3, and couldn't avoid plowing into the barrier. This brought out the Safety Car.

With nothing to lose, Alfa Romeo pitted Tirowee for Softs.

On the restart, Leclerc was again able to pull a gap on the field behind. He controlled the gap for the remaining laps to take Ferrari's first win since the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. 2nd Alonso (FL), 3rd Verstappen, 4th Zhou, 5th Ocon, 6th Sainz, 7th Perez, 8th Hamilton, 9th Russell, 10th Ticktum, 11th Albon, 12th Magnussen.

Alonso maintained a healthy Championship lead of 23 points. Leclerc moved up to second, ahead of Verstappen. Tirowee's pointless race droped him to fourth.

Alpine are 20 points clear of Red Bull, Ferrari remain in contention. Mercedes close on Williams for fifth.

### **Round 7: Italy**

#### **Practice**

It was an all-Monegasque affair at Ferrari during FP1, as Arthur Leclerc partnered his brother. Williams have a new livery, as Singapore Airlines join as major backers. BMW also return, but in name only. The deal was struck, as BMW partnered the team from 2016-19 and Williams saved a large amount of the prize money to develop this car.

Leclerc topped FP1 to the delight of the Tifosi. Zhou Guanyu confirmed the Ferrari engines' early superiority. Williams and Toyota expect strong results.

Verstappen narrowly topped FP2 ahead of Carlos Sainz. Williams finished in a strong 4th and 5th.

#### **Qualifying**

The track was green following a washed-out FP3. Alonso made the best of the conditions to secure pole in the dying seconds of Qualifying. Alexander Albon secured a well earned point for third. Both Toyotas reached Q3 for the first time this season. Esteban Ocon dropped 10 places due to PU component penalties.

#### **Race**

Alonso held the lead at the start from a charging Albon. The other Williams of Dan Ticktum made contact with Tirowee, and both recieved damage.

Land Norris' race ended on lap 2, due to an electrical fault.

Albon started to drop back as the first stint played out, Verstsppen found his form and moved to the front on lap 6. Albon found himself locked in combat with Nobuharu Matsushita.

Lap 12, Veratappen and Alonso headed to the pits for Hard tyres. Zhou Guanyu stayed out for another lap looking for an overcut. The Chinese driver's AR/22 appeared well suited to the Hards, as he powered into the lead on lap 17. His time at the front was short lived, as Alonso retook the lead on lap 19.

Lap 21, there was action between the other Red Bull and Alpine. Ocon tried for a move on Sergio Perez, but made contact with the Mexican, and had to put from a new front wing. On lap 23, Tirowee moved into the top 12, the two-time Champion struggling with the balance of his damaged car.

Verstappen held the lead going onto the final lap, only for Alonso to power past and hold on to take the victory. Zhou completed tje podium, only half a second behind the Spaniard. 4th Albon, 5th Matsushita, 6th Leclerc, 7th Sainz, 8th Perez, 9th Hamilton, 10th Russell, 11th Magnussen, 12th Tirowee. Ocon had the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so the point went vacant.

Alonso further increased his impressive points lead. Verstappen moved back up to second. Albon's excellent result moved the Thai-Brit up to sixth. Zhou continued his rapid ascent towards the top.

Alpine's gap over Red Bull remained the same. Alfa Romeo closed on Ferrari. Despite a large point haul, Toyota remained in 9th.

### **Round 8: Netherlands**

#### **Practice**

There were home welcomes for Nyck de Vries and Richard Verschoor, who completed FP1 with Williams and McLaren. Alfa Romeo and Toyota brought upgrades.

Alonso was straight on the pace in FP1, with Lewis Hamilton showing pace in second. Both Toyotas were in the top 12. Zhou Guanyu showed the Alfa Romeo's new found pace in FP2, topping the session by nearly half a second. Alonso was back on top in FP3, once again ahead of Hamilton. Tirowee had an early incident, but recovered to finish third.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee put his FP3 problems behind him, and took pole by over three tenths from team mate Zhou. Alonso shared row two with Verstappen.

#### **Race**

The Alfa Romeo pairing held their positions off of the start. Tirowee on Hards, whilst most of the field opted to start on Mediums. A few in the midfield started on Softs. Carlos Sainz picked up damage on lap 1, and had to pit for a new front wing.

Coming onto lap 4, both Zhou and Verstappen found a way past Tirowee into turn 1. Zhou began to pull away, whilst Verstappen was kept honest by Tirowee.

Lap 10, most of the Soft starters pit for a 26 lap stint onto the Hard tyres. Sergio Sette Camara wouldn't get the chance to, pulling his AMR22 off the track.

Verstappen overshot turn 1 on lap 13, allowing Tirowee to slip up the inside, back into second place. One lap later, Zhou spun at turn 1, and dropped back into the lower reaches of the top 10.

The start of lap 15 would result in the scariest incident of the season. Verstappen dived up the inside of Tirowee into turn 1 from too far back. The Dutchman hit Tirowee's rear wheels, rotating the AR/22. Verstappen then launched the RB18 over the top of the Alfa Romeo. The back of the Red Bull landing hard on the halo of the Alfa Romeo, no dount the halo saved Tirowee's life. Both cars unbelievably were able to continue.

End of lap 21, the Hard tyre starters pit for Mediums. George Russell's stop brought about the end of his race, a loose wheel forcing the Brit to park on circuit.

Zhou went on a late charge, first passing Esteban Ocon for third, and then Charles Leclerc for second. The Chinese ran out of laps to catch Fernado Alonso.

Alonso cruised to victory, ahead of Zhou (+ fastest lap), and Leclerc in third. 4th Ocon, 5th Hamilton, 6th Albon, 7th Tirowee, 8th Verstappen, 9th Norris, 10th Ticktum, 11th Perez, 12th Magnussen.

Alonso moved 48 points clear of Leclerc. Verstappen was five points further behind. Tirowee nursing his car over the line allowed him to take 4th from Perez. Zhou broke into the top 6, now only six points behind Tirowee.

Alpine continued to ride Alonso's wave of momentum, 46 points clear of Red Bull. Alfa Romeo closed to six points behind Ferrari. Norris' points moved McLaren ahead of AlphaTauri by one point for 7th.

### **Round 9: Belgium**

#### **Practice**

Red Bull and Aston Martin brought a further revised low-drag aero packages. Alfa Romeo brought a new chassis, as the Spa circuit has been a stronghold for the team in recent seasons.

Verstappen topped FP1 on Softs, with Tirowee not too far behind on Mediums. Those two were again the class of the field in FP2. Red Bull completed their domination of practice with Perez topping FP3, with Verstappen third.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee put the complete lap together in Q3, to take pole by half a second from Verstappen. Zhou completed the top three.

#### **Race**

Sainz was the only driver to start on Softs, with the other 19 drivers on Mediums. On the start, Verstappen got the better launch but Tirowee made a dive back up the inside into turn 1 to retake the lead. The Brit could only hold back the Dutchman for so long, and on lap 3 Verstappen made his move. A few laps lalter, Alonso also made a move past the Alfa Romeo for 2nd.

Sainz's Soft tyre gamble didn't pay off, pitting at the end of lap 5. 5 laps later, chaos not seen since 1998 erupted at pit exit.

Most drivers made their one stop at the end of lap 10. Perez pitted for Hard tyres. At pit exit, his RB18 suffered a gearbox issue, as was stuck in second. The Mercedes behind of Russell plowed into Perez, shattering parts of the M13 all over the track. Unsighted drivers behind plowed into the wreckage. Russell, Gasly, Ocon, Albon and Matsushita all left behind their wrecked machines. The four former would receive medical attention. The red flag was brought out, allowing Verstappen to hold the lead. Perez's fate wad sealed on the reconnaissance lap to the rolling restart, another gearbox issue holding the Mexican.

Verstappen maintained the lead on the restart ahead of Alonso and Tirowee. With only 13 cars on track, McLaren could've scored some valuable points, but Norris dropped back with a car issue, eventually dropping to 13th.

Tirowee fitted Mediums again under the red flag, with the others around opting to remain on Hards. The Brit used the extra grip to power past Alonso and back up to 2nd. Alonso tried to fight back, but dropped to 4th behind Zhou.

Verstappen was uncatchable, taking the victory 5 seconds clear of Tirowee, with Zhou completing the podium. 4th Alonso, 5th Leclerc, 6th Hamilton, 7th Sainz, 8th Stroll, 9th Magnussen, 10th Sette Camara, 11th Schumacher, 12th Tsunoda.

Verstappen took 11 points further out of Alonso's lead, but was still 41 behind. Zhou moved into the top 5.

Alonso's lead in the Driver's keeps Alpine ahead in the Constructor's by 34 points from Red Bull. Alfa Romeo's double podium saw them pass Ferrari for 3rd.

### **Round 10: France**

#### Prctice

FP1 for the French Grand Prix weekend saw five new faces on the track, four of which would go on to compete for the duration. Niko Kari stepped in for Toyota, Nicholas Latifi in place of Alexander Albon for Williams, Laim Lawson substituted for Pierre Gasly and AlphaTauri and Pascal Wehrlein for George Russell at Mercedes. Oscar Piastri completed FP1 for Alpine in place of Alonso.

#### **Qualifying**

Verstappen secured pole for 0.06 of a second ahead of Tirowee. Alonso started third for Alpine's home race, with Ocon fifth. Wehrlein started sixth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

#### **Race**

The race started in Intermediate conditions. Verstappen held the lead from the fast starting Alpines. Tirowee bogged down and dropped back. All drivers completed the first lap without incident. Kari's inexperience caught up with him on lap 3, spinning at Turn 2 and dropped to last.

As the track began to dry, Verstappen burned through his Inters and lost the lead to Alonso right as the crossover point was reached. Most drivers opted for Hards, with some lower in the pack chancing it on Mediums or Softs. Liam Lawson's impressive debut quickly turned into a disaster out of the pit on lap 13. Finding himself side-by-side with team mate Tsunoda, Lawson ran off circuit, and then lost his front wing to Kari's Toyota when rejoining. The debris brought out the first of two Safety Cars.

Alonso built a gap on the restart. Verstappen struggled to heat Hards back up and came under attack from Leclerc. Kari began his fight back up the order, but team mate Kevin Magnussen stopped on track by turn 1, and brought out the second Safety Car. Alfa Romeo took a gamble, and pitted Tirowee for a new set of Mediums. Alonso once again built an initial gap on the restart. Tirowee wasted no time and passed three cars on one lap, followed by passing Wehrlein and Norris not too long after.

On the penultimate lap, Verstappen had his tyres in the sweet spot, and robbed Alpine of a home victory. Perez's Red Bull also came alive, and secured the final podium place on the final tour of the Paul Richard circuit. Verstappen finished a second clear of Alonso. Perez made it a 1-3 for Red Bull. 4th Leclerc, 5th Zhou, 6th Ocon, 7th Sainz, 8th Hamilton, 9th Tirowee (+FL), 10th Norris, 11th Wehrlein, 12th Ticktum.

Verstappen continued to chip away at Alonso's sizable Championship advantage, with his second win in a row, Leclerc keeps himself in the picture 56 points behind the Spaniard.

### **Round 11: Emilia Romagna**

#### **Practice**

Imola returned to the calendar for the first time since 2006. The circuit played host to the second Wildcard points race of the season. Verstappen and Ocon were the pace setters throughout practice, Gasly and Albon returned. Toyota opted to retain Kari for the foreseeable future, as Matsushita's future was reevaluated. The Finn went on to top FP3.

#### **Qualifying**

Verstappen claimed the five points for pole, ahead of Leclerc and Tirowee. Lando Norris boosted McLaren's chances from 8th. Championship leader Alonso was out in Q2.

#### Race

Verstappen held the lead off the start from Leclerc and a fast charging Perez. Ocon was flying the flag for Alpine, and passed Tirowee for 4th on lap 5. Wehrlein pulled off to retire moments later. Perez made it a Red Bull 1-2 on lap 8.

Lap 14, Alfa Romeo pulled the trigger and pitted Tirowee for Hards. The Brit had been struggling with tyre wear and was falling into the clutches of Carlos Sainz. Verstappen and Ocon responded at the end of the next lap to cover off any undercut threat. Perez and Leclerc pitted at the end of lap 16. Ocon used the two laps on fresh Hards to jump them both into 2nd.

Zhou crashed out on lap 17. This brought out the Safety Car as there was a lot of debris to be cleared. This did little for Pierre Gasly, who picked up damage to his AlphaTauri from the debris and had to retire on track. When racing resumed on lap 21, Verstappen held the lead. Hamilton and Magnussen found themselves side-by-side for almost an entire lap! This invited Lance Stroll and Dan Ticktum to make opportunistic dives past the pair.

Albon and Tirowee came to blows on lap 23. The Thai-Brit went for a closing gap and turned the Alfa Romeo. Tirowee escaped major damage, but Albon had to box for a new front wing. The damage to Tirowee's AR/22 didn't do much to slow him down, as he found his way past both Toyotas before the end of the race. Hamilton concluded a wretched afternoon for Mercedes making a late pit stop for damage.

Verstappen took a dominant win, but was crashed into after the flag by Leclerc! The Monegasque was unsighted behind Ocon and plowed into the slowing Red Bull. Perez was a distant fourth, with Sergio Sette Camara directly behind taking Aston Martin's best result of the season to date. 6th Ticktum, 7th Alonso, 8th Tirowee, 9th Magnussen, 10th Kari, 11th Stroll, 12th Schumacher. Sainz secured the point for fastest lap in 14th.

Verstappen closed to 18 points behind Alonso. Perez moved back into the top 5. Ticktum and Magnussen reentered the top half of the table.

Alpine maintained a slim lead of 16 points over Red Bull. Ferrari benefited from Alfa Romeo's bad day to retake 3rd. Toyota moved ahead of McLaren for 7th. Aston Martin closed to 5 points behind AlphaTauri.

### **Round 12: Austria**

#### **Practice**

Mercedes looked to be genuine front running threat for the first time this season. Hamilton topped the session, whilst sharing the W13 with Nyck De Vries. George Russell also ran in FP1, so Mercedes could assess his fitness levels. It was decided Pascal Wehrlein would return for the remainder of the weekend. The German wasted no time getting up to speed on the Red Bull Ring, finishing FP2 in 3rd behind Verstappen and Tirowee. Zhou showed his hand in FP3, ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton. Kari again ran impressively to finish 4th.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee put the lap he needed together in Q3 to secure pole from Verstappen and Zhou. Wehrlein was the only Mercedes inside the top 10.

#### **Race**

Verstappen ran wide into turn 1 at the start, allowing Zhou to slip past into 2nd and Leclerc into 3rd. Perez in the second Red Bull also dropped back after a bad start. The McLarens of Norris and Schumacher went into combat on lap 4, the Brit maintaining position. 10 laps into the race, Verstappen moved moved back into the podium places. The Dutchman then put Zhou under relentless pressure, until the rookie ran wide and damaged his front wing.

Alfa Romeo responded to Verstappen by pitting Tirowee early, but the Brit rejoined behind a very slippery Aston Martin. Sette Camara held up Tirowee for two laps. Verstappen pit a lap later and rejoined in 2nd and began to close on the Alfa Romeo. Elsewhere, Kari was proving a difficult obstacle to overcome for Sette Camara. The Aston Martin was faster on the straights, but the Toyota had the advantage in the corners. Wehrlein looked for redemption, after retiring early last race. The German's tyre wear management was exceptional, and the German moved into 3rd ahead of Leclerc.

On lap 25/36, Verstappen launched his first assault on Tirowee for the lead. Tirowee was swarmed, but not easily overwhelmed. Two laps later, it was all over for the Dutchman, pulling off at the final corner. Tirowee pit under the resulting Safety Car, his battle with Verstappen forced the Brit to use his tyres harder than planned, and Wehrlein behind was starting to catch. Tirowee rejoined in 5th, but on fresh Softs.

Wehrlein lead back to green ahead of Leclerc, Hamilton, Zhou and Tirowee. Alfa Romeo called for team orders, and Zhou quickly moved out of the way of the two-time Champion. Tirowee wasted no time catching and passing Hamilton and Leclerc. Wehrlein was more of a challenge to pass. The German fighting for victory, and his future in the sport. Tirowee passed on lap 34, but Wehrlein passed back immidiatly down the start/finish straight. It was only a matter of time, and Tirowee made the pass and made it stick.

Tirowee took victory ahead of Wehrlein and Leclerc. 4th Alonso, 5th Zhou, 6th Perez, 7th Ocon, 8th Norris, 9th Albon, 10th Sette Camara, 11th Stroll, 12th Kari. Hamilton made a late stop for damage and finished 18th with the fastest lap.

Alonso rebuilt a comfortable buffer of 26 points over Verstappen. Tirowee remained over 60 points back in 4th. Albon moved ahead of Hamilton by one point to claim 8th. Alpine opened their margin by 6 points over Red Bull, 284 plays 268. Alfa Romeo moved back into 3rd ahead of Ferrari. Wehrlein moved Mercedes ahead of Williams to 5th. McLaren switched places again with Toyota.

### **Round 13: Britain**

#### **Practice**

Alpine brought a much needed upgrade package, in an attempt to reignite Alonso, and halt Verstappen's momentum. Mercedes exploited the soon to be closed loophole regarding young drivers, and ran Nyck de Vries alongside Hamilton. George Russell made his full return for his home race. Rumors regarding Dan Ticktum's future began to emerge, but the Brit is expected to be retained by Williams for 2024. Pascal Wehrlein remains on the grid, moving to Toyota. The German has been released by Mercedes, following negotiations with the Japanese outfit after the Austrian Grand Prix.

Tirowee, one of five home favourites, topped FP1 ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. Alonso validated Alpine's upgrades to go fastest in FP2, but struggled for consistency. Verstappen moved half a second clear of the field in FP3, with Alonso a second off the pace in 12th.

#### **Qualifying**

The gap closed, but Verstappen held onto pole by 0.009s from Tirowee. Alonso clawed his was to 3rd, 0.3s slower than the front row. Russell out qualified Hamilton in 6th and 9th.

#### **Race**

Verstappen held the lead. Alonso shot up to second, but finished lap 1 behind both Alfa Romeos. Wehrlein found himself in unfamiliar territory. Still adapting to the TRD122, and the Toyota was of working, the German dropped from 16th to 19th, but began to make moves to pass Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll. Charles Leclerc's slim Championship hopes were dashed on lap 6, when the Ferrari retired with an electrical fault. Sainz in the other Ferrari duly upped his game and passed Alonso, just as Leclerc was trying to do on lap 5. Alexander Albon was also on a push for points at Williams home event. Alonso grappled with his A522, and was causing quite the queue behind. Lando Norris wasted no time getting involved with Perez and Hamilton, the three going side-by side into Brooklands.

Tirowee pitted on lap 11/26 from Mediums to Hards, in an attempt to undercut Verstappen. The top 2 had pulled clear of Zhou in 3rd. This forced Red Bull into action, who pitted Verstappen at the end of lap 12. There was pit stop drama further back in the field. Sette Camara passed Schumacher on lap 13, as both then boxed. The 2019 Champion regained the place in the pits, only to rejoin the track behind Lance Stroll who had undercut them both.

Tirowee found a good balance on the Hards, and moved into the lead on lap 15. Zhou continued to run a clear 3rd ahead of Sainz. Norris showed McLaren's recent gains, overtaking Perez for 9th on lap 18. Verstappen began to close back in on Tirowee on lap 21, but wasn't close enough to make a move yet. The lead was traded on laps 23 and 24, Tirowee using all the battery to repass the Dutchman. Verstappen asserted his authority on the final lap, taking the lead into turn 1 and pulling over a second by the end of the lap.

Verstappen finished 1.4s ahead of Tirowee, with Zhou 3rd (+FL). 4th Sainz, 5th Ocon, 6th Russell, 7th Alonso, 8th Hamilton, 9th Norris, 10th Perez, 11th Albon, 12th Magnussen.

Verstappen brought Alonso's lead down to only 10 points. Tirowee and Leclerc tied on 3rd, 55 points back from Alonso. Hamilton and Albon swapped 8th once more, the Brit 2 points clear. Russell moved back into the top 12. All positions remained the same in the Constructor's. Alpine had a very slim margin of 5 points over Red Bull. Alfa Romeo were a further 40 points back and still firmly in the mix.

### **Canceled Monaco Grand Prix**

The Monaco Grand Prix was due to take place as Round 14. However, the new generation of F1 cars have finally out grown the legendary streets. All teams, notably Williams & Alfa Romeo, failed to complete Lowes hairpin at some stage during FP1. The session was abandoned after 35 minutes, and the event has now been cancelled. A replacement race is not expected, dropping the season down to 19 races. The Spanish Grand Prix next time out will become the third and final Wildcard Race of the season.

### **Round 14: Spain**

#### **Practice**

Jack Doohan and Felipe Drugovich completed FP1 for Alpine and Aston Martin. McLaren brought a new floor upgrade. The Woking outfit aims to pull clear of Toyota, and gain ground on Williams. AlphaTarui brought an upgrade package, knowing the final Wildcard points race of the season could decide the battle for 9th between the Italian outfit and Aston Martin. Mercedes looked to be suffering less purposing as this circuit than any other so far this season. The German team was confident in their chances this weekend.

Josh Tirowee easily topped FP1, half a second clear of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez. Mick Schumacher finished 5th for McLaren, ahead of both Williams. Verstappen had the pace in FP2, half a second clear of Carlos Sainz and Tirowee. Tirowee was back on top in FP3, but couldn't match Verstappen's earlier pace. Both McLarens were in the top 5, with the Toyotas 3rd and 6th.

#### **Qualifying**

Charles Leclerc put a complete lap together to secure pole by 1.5 tenths over Tirowee. George Russell lined up an encouraging 3rd. Verstappen qualified 2nd, but drops to 7th with a gearbox penalty. Alexander Albon scraped into the top 10, with the McLarens 11th and 13th.

#### **Race**

Leclerc held the lead from a fast charging Russell. Tirowee dropped to 3rd, narrowly holding off Fernando Alonso. The four-time Champion made a critical error on lap 2, running wide at turn 2 and ending up in the gravel and dropped to last place. Pierre Gasly also retired at turn 2, in an unrelated incident. The gloves were off at Alfa Romeo, Zhou Guanyu made a move on Tirowee onto lap 3 for 3rd. Further back in the field, Sergio Sette Camara was putting on an inspired drive, knowing the significance of this race, with one AlphaTauri out. Alonso was on a fight back, easily disposing of the backmarkers. Sergio Perez, who started 15th would prove harder to pass.

Mercedes had their first real chance of winning a race on pace, and pitted Hamilton on lap 14. Leclerc, Russell and Zhou responded on the next lap. A lightning stop from Mercedes got the Brit out ahead of the Ferrari and into the net race lead. Tirowee pitted at the end of lap 16 and overcut Zhou to take back 3rd. Verstappen started in Hards, and pitted at the end of lap 19 for Mediums.

Further back, Sette Camara was swarming the Williams of Dan Ticktum. The Brit wasn't easily overwhelmed, whilst fighting to keep his seat in F1.

Russell was putting on a masterful display of defending from Leclerc, the Alfa Romeos and Verstappen. The W13, for once, was running a lower drag setup, and was able to keep the faster Ferrari and RBPT powered cars at bay. Tensions rose when Sainz suffered yet another mechanical retirement on lap 23/33.

Alonso continued to gain ground and the expense of Kevin Magnussen's Toyota. The ever opportunistic Dane saw a chance to try and re pass the Alpine, although it was a spirited attempt, Alonso held onto the position. At the same time, Sette Camara finally broke through Ticktum's defenses.

Leclerc crushed Mercedes and Russell's hopes of a first win at the end of lap 27. The Brit had nothing left in his Hards, and a superior exit out of the final corner gave Leclerc the run he needed with DRS into turn 1. From there the flood gates opened, and the Brit dropped to 5th. In the chaos, Tirowee supremely passed Russell, Zhou and Verstappen through turn 3 to move into 2nd.

Leclerc recorded victory, 2 seconds clear of Tirowee, with Verstappen 3rd. 4th Zhou, 5th Russell, 6th Ocon, 7th Hamilton, 8th Norris, 9th Alonso (+FL), 10th Perez, 11th Magnussen, 12th Schumacher, 13th Albon, 14th Sette Camara, 15th Ticktum, 16th Tsunoda, 17th Wehrlein, 18th Stroll, 19th Sainz, 20th Gasly.

Verstappen took the lead of the Driver's Championship for the first time in his career, 5 points ahead of Alonso. Leclerc and Tirowee remained mathematically in the picture, 43 and 51 points behind.

Red Bull took the lead in the Constructor's, 6 points clear of Alpine. Alfa Romeo pulled 45 points clear of Ferrari for 3rd. Aston Martin moved into 9th, 4 points ahead of AlphaTauri.

### **Round 15: USA**

#### **Practice**

Alpine confirmed there would be no further upgrades to the A522, and it's up to Alonso and the team to maximize the package they have. Red Bull looked to be in a strong position, with a lighter RB18 chassis available if required. Toyota announced a partial sale of the team back to Gene Haas. Haas purchased a 51% stake, with Toyota retaining the remaining 49%. Haas will assume the CEO position going into the 2023 season. Colton Herta completed FP1 for Ferrari. Logan Sergeant completed FP1 for Williams. McLaren announced Oscar Piastri to partner Norris in 2023.

Alonso found the pace in FP1 on Softs, ahead of Zhou, Perez and Tirowee, the latter on Mediums. Tirowee was untouchable in FP2, 0.6s clear of Alonso and Russell. Verstappen languished a second off the pace in 7th. Alpine found the pace in FP3, with Alonso top and Ocon 3rd. Verstappen was again off the pace in 8th.

#### **Qualifying**

A rain affected qualifying hour lead to a very mixed up grid. Tirowee was on pole, four thousandths quicker than Leclerc. Alonso was 3rd. The Aston Martins of Stroll and Sette Camara were 6th ans 8th, with Gasly's AlphaTauri in the middle. Red Bull filled the back row, after neither car set a time in Q1!

#### **Race**

Tirowee had an awful start, and dropped to fourth, behind Leclerc, Hamilton and Alonso. The Spaniard started on Hards, and was powerless to hold back Tirowee on Mediums onto lap 2. Verstappen had to pit for a new front wing at the end of the first lap, effectively ending the Dutchman's race. Albon used his Softs and RBPT Power Unit to muscle past George Russell for 10th. Mercedes once again went aggressive with Hamilton's strategy. The 2008 Champion pit and the end of lap 6 for the first of 2 Medium stints. The Brit wasted no time passing the Toyota of Magnussen, but didn't make it easy for himself. Mick Schumacher's miserable season showed no sign of abating, the German pitting for a puncture on lap 9.

Ferrari stuck to their one-stop plan for Leclerc. The race leader pit onto lap 13 for a set of Hards. The Monegasque rejoined the circuit right infront of the battling Norris and Stroll. Norris dove into turn 1 to take avoiding action, but Leclerc made contact with the MCL36, and had to pit next lap for a new front wing. Hamilton was unable to take advantage. He was stuck behind the other W13 of Russell. The Brit span at turn 1 by himself, and dropped right back. This brought the race to Alonso and Tirowee. Alonso pitted at the end of lap 16, and rejoined behind Tirowee, but on fresher Mediums than Tirowee's Hards. Russell pitted on the same lap, and was narrowly missed by an out of control Stroll who plowed into team mate Sette Camara. The Brazilian continued, but the Canadian was out on the spot, and brought out the Safety Car.

Tirowee pitted for another set of Mediums, surrendering the lead to Alonso. Norris was third, ahead of Sette Camara, Russell and Leclerc. Alonso narrowly held the lead on the restart, as all 19 drivers made it cleanly through the restart lap. Mercedes' misfortune continued on lap 21/28. Russell was defending from Leclerc, and outbreaked himself at the end of the back straight and smashed his front wing off on Sette Camara's Aston Martin. The Brazilian once again carried on with no issue.

Tirowee made a decisive move into the final corner on lap 23 to take the lead from Alonso. Further back, the flood gates opened as Sette Camara damaged his front wing on Leclerc's Ferrari on lap 24 and fell out of points contention. Alonso put on one final assault on the final lap, and reclaimed the lead from Tirowee down the back straight. He was lucky to finish the race, after Tirowee outbreaked himself en route to second. Norris reached the podium for the second time this season. 4th Leclerc, 5th Perez, 6th Ocon, 7th Magnussen, 8th Wehrlein, 9th Sainz, 10th Schumacher, 11th Albon, 12th Tsunoda. Verstappen failed to score in 13th. Russell took the fastest lap, but it was a pointless race for Mercedes.

Victory for Alonso opened up a 16 point lead with four races remaining. Tirowee closed to 2 points behind Leclerc. Norris' second third place finish moved him up to 11th, ahead of Russell. Alpine reclaimed top spot in the Constructor's by 14 points. McLaren closed to the gap to Williams in 6th to 31 points. AlphaTauri close back in on Aston Martin.

### **Round 16: Mexico**

#### **Practice**

Sergio Perez announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2022 season. McLaren IndyCar driver Patricio O'Ward has his first taste of F1 with McLaren in FP1. Red Bull introduced a new lighter chassis, after the disastrous US GP. Under the budget cap restrictions, it's their final upgrade of the season. Zhou Guanyu found a good balance in FP1, Carlos Sainz again looked strong early on. Red Bull focused on long runs. FP2 was wet, and saw a mixed up order. drivers in the Championship hunt didn't trouble the top of the time sheets, those with nothing to lose pushed to impress. Hamilton narrowly pipped Magnussen to the top spot. Ticktum put in a spirited effort to finish 4th. On a green track for FP3, Ocon found the speed, with Sainz again in 2nd. Alonso struggled to the 10th fastest time.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee broke into the 1:17s to secure pole ahead of Verstappen. Alonso found soke improved pace to line up 4th. Ferrari couldn't match their practice pace in 8th and 9th. Ocon fell off in Q2, lining up 14th.

#### **Race**

Zhou mastered the run down to turn 1, going from 3rd on the grid to the front. The Red Bulls started on Hards, and struggled in the overcast conditions to heat up the tyres. Some towards the back gambled on Softs. Leclerc was on a charge and divebombed both Mercedes into turn 1 on lap 2. 5 laps into the race, Verstappen and Perez continued to fall further into the pack. Alonso made a move for the lead on lap 6, after Zhou ran wide into turn 1 under pressure. F1's first Chinese drover wasn't deterred and powered back past the Alpine on lap 9. The Soft tyre gamblers also pit onto lap 9.

Tirowee made it an Alfa Romeo 1-2 at the end of lap 9, the Bit beginning to push on his two-stop strategy. Verstappen reported issues on lap 11, and dropped behind his teammate and both Mercedes. The Dutchman's pace had slowed the such an extent that Tirowee rejoined after his first stop still ahead of the Red Bull. Tirowee wasted no time passing 2008 Champion Hamilton in pursuit of Zhou. Zhou pitted on lap 19 for Hards, and reentered the circuit behind Tirowee. Sergio Perez lead his home race for a lap, before Tirowee took the lead. Wehrlein's race came to an end on lap 20, the Toyota's ERS became stuck on full deployment and the German parked up. Perez pitted at the end of that lap, with Red Bull anticipating a VSC or full Safety Car.

Alex Albon had an issue out of the final corner on lap 24, whilst getting back upto speed, the Thai-Brit was collected by Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen. A pile of debris and suspension parts brought out the Safety Car. Tirowee used this opportunity to pit for Softs and came back on in 3rd. Zhou lead from Leclerc. Tirowee, Alonso and Russell. Both Red Bulls were on Mediums and were back in the hunt. Zhou lead back to green, but Leclerd used the slipstream down to turn 1 to assume the lead from the Alfa Romeo. The Chinese then played the team game and let Tirowee past. Russell also muscled past into the final podium position. Tirowee powered into the lead on lap 30/35, Leclerc had no answer on his worn Hards. Russell made a very opportunistic dive on Leclerc into turn 3 from way too far back and damaged his front right suspension. Another podium went begging for the Brackley based outfit. Ocon emerged from the midfield to steal 9th from Norris on lap 34. Alonso made what could be a Championship winning maneuver on the final lap, moving past Zhou to claim the final. podium position and increase the points gap further to Verstappen.

Tirowee romped home to victory (+ FL), pulling over 5 seconds clear of Leclerc. Alonso completed the podium. 4th Zhou, 5th Perez, 6th Hamilton, 7th Verstappen, 8th Sainz, 9th Ocon, 10th Norris, 11th Tsunoda, 12th Gasly.

Alonso reopened his familiar 20 point gap at the top. Alpine held a 14 point advantage over Red Bull. AlphaTauri's double points finish elevated the Italian outfit back ahead of Aston Martin.

### **Round 17: Miami**

#### **Practice**

Williams ended months of speculation by resigning Dan Ticktum for 2023. Miami native Logan Sergeant is signed as the team's reserve or next season. Niko Kari returned to replace Kevin Magnussen, as the Dane underwent hand surgery in preparation for the 2023 season. Alonso found the groove around the newest circuit on the calendar, to top FP1. McLaren showed early pace with Norris 6th and Schumacher 7th. Sergio Perez improved in FP2 to easily top the session from Tirowee. Verstappen found better pace than Alonso. Leclerc powered to the top on FP3. Williams & Aston Martin looked strong on qualifying simulations.

#### **Qualifying**

Zhou Guanyu exited the pits right into the path of Sergio Perez on his last run in Q3. The session wasn't restarted. The Sergio Perez/Zhou Guanyu crash secured pole for Verstappen on his first time. Tirowee & #lonso had no answer to the Dutchman. Zhou is handed a 5 place penalty for the crash, and will start the race from 9th. Kari lined up 13th on his return, ahead of Hamilton in 14th. Sette Camara made it through to Q2.

#### **Race**

Veratappen started the race on Hards, with Tirowee and Alonso on Mediums. Verstappen held the lead, whilst Alonso moved into 2nd. Russell started on Softs and powered into 3rd ahead of Tirowee. Wehrlein spun on lap 2, and the pack behind scattered. The resulting debris from the cluster out of turn 1 brought out the Safety Car. All drivers continued, but Kari had to pit for a new front wing. Russell also pit at the end on lap 2, as Mercedes believed the Brit had a slow puncture. Racing resumed at the end of lap 4. Verstappen again built up a gap over Alonso and Tirowee. Ocon made a move past Sainz into 5th at the end of lap 7. Wehrlein was on a recovery drive, and barged his way past Lance Stroll's Aston Martin.

Alonso and Tirowee pitted at the end of lap 13 for Hards. Verstappen pitted at the end of lap 16, and maintained the net lead over the Alpine and Alfa Romeo. The Ferrari drivers found themselves in close proximity once Sainz pitted at the end of lap 18. The Mercedes drivers went into combat on the same lap, with Russell making the move on his 2008 Champion team mate. Sette Camara was putting on an expert defense to hold onto 12th from Gasly and Wehrlein. Tirowee was putting Alonso under relentless pressure, and on lap 22, the Spaniard made an error into turn 11 and fell behind Tirowee. Gasly broke through Sette Camara's defense on lap 23/29 and moved into the final points position. Norris was quietly going about his business in 7th, but the Brit's tyres were finished on lap 25, and he fell behind Sainz, Perez and both Mercedes.

Verstappen eased to victory, 16 seconds clear of Tirowee. 3rd Alonso, 4th Ocon, 5th Zhou, 6th Leclerc, 7th Sainz, 8th Perez, 9th Russell, 10th Hamilton, 11th Norris, 12th Gasly.

Alonso's lead was down to only 9 points from Verstappen. Tirowee pulled away from Leclerc and is still in championship contention. Sainz finally put a weekend together. Alpine held an 8 points lead over Red Bull. Alfa Romeo wait in the wings if it all went south ahead. AlphaTauri moved a point clear of Aston Martin.

### **Round 18: Portugal**

#### **Practice**

Alpine announced Pierre Gasly would join the French outfit in 2023. Liam Lawson was confirmed to fill the vacancy at AlphaTauri. Verstappen found the flowing circuit to his and the RB18's liking, topping the session by 4 tenths from Tirowee. McLaren looked to be dark horses wth Norris third and Schumacher fourth. Sette Camara finished 7th. Tirowee topped FP2, but coundn't better Verstsappen's FP1 time. Alonso found some better pace to beat the Dutchman to second. Toyota found a better balance to feature both cars in the top 12. Ocon set the fastest time so far in FP3, ahead of Tirowee and Schumacher.

#### **Qualifying**

Alfa Romeo found two seconds from practice to lock out the front row. Verstappen lined up third, ahead of Perez. Ocon beat Alonso to 5th. Leclerc was the only Ferrari in Q3, lining up 9th.

#### **Race**

Rain was expected during the race. Alfa Romeo predicted the rain would come late in the race, Tirowee started on Hards and Zhou on Mediums. Red Bull anticipated a shower was imminent, and both cars started on Softs. Alpine played safe and started on Mediums. Perez and Verstappen powered to the front off the start. There was chaos through the midfield, as those on Softs tried to make as much progress before the expected rain. Alonso passed Tirowee for 4th on lap 7, just as the heavens opened. Perez, along with most of the field, pit at the end of lap 8. The Alfa Romeos double stacked. Verstappen chose to do another lap on Softs, and would fall behind Zhou and Alonso. Tirowee was reenergized on Inters, and set about regaining lost ground. First was Russell for 6th. Sainz initially repelled Tirowee's advances, but the Spaniard was passed two laps later. Sainz's dreadful luck contuinued on lap 17/33 as he pulled over with an electrical issue. Russell also parked up early on lap 21.

The rain was slowly becoming heavier, on lap 23 Zhou and Alonso headed to the pits for full wets. Red Bull left Verstappen out to gain track position over the Alpine. Alfa Romeo brought in Tirowee from 3rd on the next lap for wets. Albon and Kari also made the switch. Ocon pit for a new set of Inters and was posting times as quick as those on Wets. By lap 27, the rain was slowly worsening, but it was too late for Perez, Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris to pit without losing track position. Tirowee caught and passed Tirowee on lap 29, as it was now full wet conditions. The top 3 kept it on track for the final laps. Verstappen came into his element, and was taking seconds per lap out of Perez. On the final lap, he was within a second of the Mexican, but Perez held strong to take his first race win in his penultimate race.

Perez claimed his first win, half a second clear of Verstappen (+ FL). Leclerc completed the podium. 4th Tirowee, 5th Norris, 6th Zhou, 7th Alonso, 8th Hamilton, 9th Albon, 10th Sette Camara, 11th Kari, 12th Wehrlein.

Going into the final race of the season, Verstappen held a two point lead over Alonso. Tirowee was mathematically out of contention 28 points back, with a maximum of 24 available. Perez's victory moved the Mexican ahead of Zhou into the top 5. Albon passed the luckless Sainz for 9th. Red Bull held a 13 point lead over Alpine, with Alfa Romeo a further 7 points back. Sette Camara's 10th place finish elevated Aston Martin back into 9th and two points clear of AlphaTauri.

### **Round 19: Brazil - Season Finale**

#### **Practice**

Toyota announced Sergio Sette Camara would partner Kevin Magnussen for 2023. 2019 Champion Mick Schumacher signed with Alfa Romeo. Josh Tirowee replaced the outgoing Sergio Perez at Red Bull for 2023. Nobuharu Matsushita returned for the final race of the season in place of Niko Kari. McLaren announced an extension to their AMG customer deal until the end of 2025.

Norris showcased McLaren's recent upturn in form, setting the benchmark time in FP1, ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Alonso and Verstappen focused on long runs. The Spaniard ended the session 6th, with the Dutchman 13th. Business picked up in FP2 with the top three in the standings occupying the top 3 positions - Tirowee ahead of Verstappen and Alonso. Norris again featuted in the top 5, but Mercedes took a step back from their earlier tempo. Verstappen broke into the 1:09s in FP3 ahead of Hamilton, after Mercedes went back on their setup changes from FP2. Tirowee sacrificed a set of Hards to keep 3 sets of Softs from Q3.

#### **Qualifying**

Verstappen secured the most important pole by half a tenth from Tirowee. Mercedes locked out the second row, Russell ahead of the 2008 Champion. Perez lined up 8th for his final race. Wehrlein went from 11th in his swansong for Toyota. Home favourite Sette Camara started 14th. Matsushita was out in Q1 in 16th.

#### **Race**

Verstappen pulled away from the get go. Tirowee was a clear 2nd, after Russell lost time trying to make an overoptimistic move and dropped behind Hamilton and Alonso. Alpine's Constructor's effort took a blow when Ocon broke off his front wing through turn 3 and had to pit. Hamiltion made another error with the W13, and lost the final podium spot to Leclerc on lap 7. Toyota went against the grain and put Wehrlein on a two stop. The German made his first stop for Mediums at the end of lap 8. Ticktum's debut season came to an early end on lap 11 due to a gearbox problem. Two laps later, Sainz's race again finished early due to a mechanical failure.

Tirowee pit at the end of lap 16, in an attempt to undercut Verstappen. With no pressure from behind, Alfa Romeo could afford to play games with the strategy - especially with a slim chance at the Constructor's Championship. Tirowee wasted little time behind the Aston Martin of Sette Camara after rejoining, and swept round the outside of the Brazilian through the sweeping turn 5. Red Bull responded at the end of lap 17, and Verstappen maintained a comfortable advantage. Wehrlein made his second stop for another set of Mediums at the end of lap 22, and was on a push for a top 12 finish in his final outing for Toyota. Alonso's bid for a fifth championship was all but over by lap 30, as the Spaniard had fallen back behind Russell, as well as Perez and Zhou.

Verstappen almost put a lap on Ocon, and came home 15 seconds clear (+ FL) of Tirowee to win his first Championship in dominant fashion. Leclerc completed the final podium of the season. 4th Hamilton, 5th Perez, 6th Russell, 7th Zhou, 8th Alonso, 9th Norris, 10th Albon, 11th Sette Camara, 12th Wehrlein.

Verstappen closed out 2022 21 points clear of Alonso. Tirowee secured 3rd by 13 points from Leclerc. Zhou in his rookie season was only 3 points short of Perez for 5th. Albon defied all expectations with a race win and 9th overall. Norris maximized all he could from the MCL36 to finish ahead of the works Mercedes of Russell in 11th. Magnussen was consistent, despite the shortcomings of the Toyota. Ticktum will need to find his early season form going into 2023. Tsunoda impressed many in the paddock, and took AlphaTauri's best finish of the season with 5th at Australia. Sette Camara proved he had what it took to lead a team, and secured himself in the minds of the top teams. Schumacher struggled, but will have a new environment in 2023. Wehrlein showed he'd lost none of his speed during his time as a spectator. Kari was this season's super sub.

Red Bull secured their first Driver's and Constructor's titles since 2013. Alfa Romeo capitalized on Tirowee's and Zhou's consistency to steal second. Alpine slipped to 3rd in a two-horse race. Mercedes developed well throughout the season, but constant errors cost the team a shot at Ferrari and 4th. Williams looked to be back on the up with 6th. McLaren will need to ride the late wave of momentum going into 2023. Aston Martin's late push from Sette Camara secured 9th for the British outfit.

## Race Results

\* Fastest lap point wasn't scored, as the driver finished outside of the top 10 during a non-Wildcard race.

## Championship Standings

Points were awarded to the top 12 classified finishers using the following structure:

During Wildcard races, all drivers would score points. 25 for the winner, 20 for second, 18 for third, 17, 16, 15, etc. During these races and driver can take the point for fastest lap and 5 points would be awarded for pole.

Click on the points table to enlarge it.

Key;

* ¹ - Pole Position
* ² - Started in second
* ³ - Started in third

* Gold - Race Winner
* Silver - Second Place
* Bronze - Third Place
* Green - Points finish
* Blue - Classified finish outside of the points paying positions (regular points races)
* Blue ^ - Driver did not finish, but was still classified
* Purple - Did Not Finish
* Black - Disqualified
* White - Driver/ Team did not race
* ***Bold*** - Fastest lap