What a season 2022 was. In many aspects, this was the changing season for the Formula One. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes lost their dominance on the grid for the coming years. GOAT Latifi and Mick Schumacher failed to impress and have to disappear from the grid. While Sebastian Vettel waved goodbye. The other side, that changed the sport for good, is dark and toxic. It is horrific to see, and I’m afraid it won’t change.
I’m a random, like Manor was, in the Formula One community, my voice is as loud as my public can reach. However, I have the luck I don’t have to care about my “sponsors” their reaction when I post something. Neither do I have to look after others their opinions and feelings. I assume when you read this, you’re a follower for a while, you have an equal mind-set, or your randomly came across this article.
How 2021 finished is how 2022 started, the Lewis fans still angry. The Verstappen fans still annoying as usual. There was no day that passed without them yapping about the season finale. Verstappen stole the title and so on. 2022 is also the year that we came out of the Corona pandemic, at least in my country it was. Life started to become normal again and there was a new Formula One season ahead.
I have always been critical about Liberty Media and their management style for the Formula One. Sure, a lot did not go well when Bernie Eccelstone was still there. However, he loved the sport in it’s purest form, and he loved the money of course. Anyway, Liberty tries to make a show from the Formula One. There are way to many races on the calendar. Drive to survive is one of these tools they have to turn it into a soap. It brought a lot of “new” fans as almost anyone seems to have Netflix these days. The soap gives a wrong view of the Formula One. Well if you ask me of course!
If I want a soap with a Formula Ona theme call it “As the wheels turn” or similar. Anyway, it brought in the new fans that are, let’s be honest, not the best for the sport. I’m not saying I’m picture perfect as a fan, I’m far from it. I have never felt to attack others with a different opinion in the Formula One. It seems it became normal to attack other fans. God knows why. I used to think that Football type supporters would not end up in the F1. I was wrong.
In 2021, the #WeRaceAsOne slogan was big business. The awareness was there. In 2022, the slogan was vanished. We had a race in Saudi Arabia, a race I never agreed with there was a reason for the #BoycottJeddahGP hashtag. Simply said why would we race in a country who doesn’t care anything? Even backed by activists nothing sadly happened. The Formula One went “happily” to Jeddah to race on a street circuit.
Oh boy little did we know what a shit weekend that would become. The bombs literally felt next to the circuit, and the drivers, teams and others. Well they just continued racing there as nothing has happened. Of course, under the thread, they went back on the track. What a joke, how can you race as bombs drop? A quick reminder Spa 2021 was too wet, and too dangerous to race. I hope you understand me.
Don’t let me start about that joke when all the drivers were wearing “No War” and posed with it. Look Russia! Look out for us! Where are the statements after this statement? It seems most of them don’t even care what is going on in Ukraine. Though I’m not surprised many seem not to care human and animal rights to start with. I don’t buy the argument “What should they do then, stop racing?” that is complete nonsense.
This is how the Formula One kept on going the complete season, with fans attacking each other, race directors who didn’t understand the rules. Rules implemented in favour of some drivers. Both Verstappen and Hamilton have had a lot of luck in 2022. For what reason? Weird decisions were made during the season if you ask me. Oké, I only seen 14 Grand Prix’s in 2022. However, I assume a lot has happened in the other races as well.
Neither am I a fan of the “standardization” that’s going on in the Formula One. What is the point to have equal cars on the grid in the Formula One? It is the series were young talent can show what they are really worth. There was a time in the Formula One that new teams appeared on the grid with the same goal. Now it’s forbidden to have a new team it seems. Andretti wants badly. Though the Formula One? Oh no 11 teams means less money! How dare you to take away our money!
I won’t start about the lying and silly fans that make up stories so they get invited by some team. Only to show the world how “open” they are. I mean, the story of the two girls that came with made up stories to appear in the grid. I feel sorry for Aston Martin they felt for this nonsense. It shows how rotten the Formula One has become. It is also one of the reason I don’t believe that the Formula One is my destiny.
I miss the teams, the drivers, and the people that gave the grid that magical atmosphere. I miss the generation of Ecclestone, Mosley, Schmid and Walkinshaw. Those with a passion, one more than the other, and the drive to make something out of nothing. Now it is well.. Not my style. It might be time for a new generation to make the Formula One exciting. That could be as well.
Like Sebastian Vettel, which I was not a fan of in the period with his finger, 2022 was the last full season. I might watch six or seven races next year, there is more than Formula One. Something I could not have imagined to say 10 years ago.
