What to Look Out For in the Second Half of the Formula 1 Season

As I’m writing this, it’s the Sunday evening before Race Week in Belgium and I am absolutely itching for Formula 1 to be back after 4 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely flown by, but I’m ready for the racing to return, and to dissect everything we can expect in the final 9 races of the season.

So, I think the first goes without saying, driver announcements. Who remembers at the very start of the summer break when Fernando Alonso announced he was going to be driving for Aston Martin next year without telling anyone and caused absolute chaos by Alpine then announcing that F2 Champion and Alpine Reserve Driver Oscar Piastri would be partnering Ocon, before Piastri denied this claim and Alpine managed to lose two of their drivers in the space of around 48 hours. So, not only is there an Alpine seat up for grabs, but also an Alfa Romeo seat, an AlphaTauri seat, a Haas seat, and both Williams seats. It seems silly season has not only just begun, but will be carrying on past the summer break, and I’m sure we’ll see plenty more Twitter meltdowns in the meantime. Piastri has been rumoured to be driving for both McLaren and Williams but, so far, nothing has been confirmed.

I’m sure we’re all aware that Daniel Ricciardo’s 2022 performance hasn’t exactly been up to scratch, or where we would usually expect to see the Honey Badger. Rumours have been floating around that Ricciardo has asked for a hefty pay-out which will see his three-year contract at McLaren terminated a year early. The Aussie is the only one who can cancel his contract, and if he does get a drive at another F1 team, this money will be refunded back to McLaren. And, if the rumours surrounding fellow Aussie Piastri are true, it means McLaren will have to not only provide Ricciardo’s pay-out, but also pay for the legal troubles surrounding Piastri and then pay his salary on top of that. I mean, it’s a big jump, going from employing an 8-time race winner who has over 10 years’ worth of experience in the sport, to a, albeit consecutive F3 and F2 champion, rookie who has merely tested F1 cars, with none of them being a McLaren. I guess it’s all very much up in the air, and I can’t imagine everything is completely plain sailing currently in Woking.

To me, (and I imagine a lot of others) the second half of the season is always the most exciting, offering a hint of nostalgia as September was around the time I got into F1, and not to mention we go racing at Monza which is my favourite circuit! This year, Singapore and Japan are making a return to the calendar after being removed the past couple years due to Covid, and I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to go racing under the lights of Marina Bay once again. I think we’d all better buckle up, because these final 9 races are going to be ones to watch for sure.

Going into this season, it was immediately clear the title fight would be between Ferrari and Red Bull, or more specifically, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Yet with 80 points separating the two drivers, it seems that it is now advantage Verstappen going into Belgium. Sergio Perez isn’t far behind either, only 5 points behind Leclerc, and it’s safe to say the first half of the season hasn’t exactly been plain sailing for the Monegasque in his first world title fight, struggling with strategy, reliability and a little bit of confidence too. Mercedes are currently playing catch up, having a poor start to the season after the regulation changes, yet it’s definitely clear that they are hot on the toes (or rear wings) of Ferrari.

And finally, something I know for certain is that it will be a sad end to the season, as 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from the sport. It was a warm Wednesday evening in July, two days before the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix Weekend when Vettel sent social media into utter turmoil by joining Instagram, after previously never having any form of online account. Many people questioned if this was the beginning of the end however, and they were right, as the morning after, the German driver announced his retirement from Formula 1, posting two videos (one in English, one in German) stating that Abu Dhabi would be his last Formula 1 race, and how it is time for him to step away from the spotlight, to focus on spending time with his family and advocating for more important issues, which he has done so much of within his time in F1. If you haven’t watched the video yet, I highly suggest you do, and try not to cry whilst you’re at it. I don’t think anybody is really ready for Sebastian to leave F1; he’s done so much for the sport both on and off track and continues to be an important voice in decisions that are made. We’ll all be very sad to see him go, but for now, let’s enjoy his final Formula 1 races.

And on that note, that is a handful of things we can expect to look out for in the second half of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Only 6 days until lights out on Sunday, and I cannot wait.