2022 F1 British GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2022 British GP weekend has crept up on F1 fans almost unaware as the sport has been embroiled in one controversy after the other. That, however, does not mean that it takes any shine off one of the most passionate weekends of the year. The Brits have always been avid motorsport fans and even if it rains mercilessly, they will still pack a lunch and reach Silverstone to watch the annual F1 race.

This time around, we reach the British GP on the cusp of a very important juncture in the championship. Red Bull has snatched the initiative from Ferrari and ran with it after the disaster of the 2022 F1 Australian GP. Max Verstappen holds a healthy lead in the championship and so does Red Bull. The team is on a 6-race win streak and has won 7 of the first 9 races (that's dominance, isn't it?).

The British GP was the site where tensions boiled over last season and the championship was split wide open. It will be interesting to see what we will be talking about when all is said and done this weekend.

So, what can we expect from the 2022 F1 British GP weekend? Let's find out in our preview and predictions for the British GP.

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Key storylines

#1 The racism debate

The last few weeks have seen Juri Vips' contract terminated by Red Bull over the use of a racial slur in a live stream and Nelson Piquet's access to the paddock terminated for the usage of the same against Lewis Hamilton last season. This has highlighted the problem of racism that still plagues F1 and needs urgent addressing.

Piquet's paddock ban is expected to redirect questions towards Max Verstappen and his views on the whole debate. This could spin off into more spicy headlines rather than focusing on the task at hand, which is the inherent racism problem and the existing lack of awareness in the F1 paddock. It will be interesting to see what stance Red Bull and Verstappen take on this. Let's hope their stance does not take the focus away from the most important thing — the underlying racism that is still rampant in F1.

#2 The underlying tension between the teams around the bouncing issue

Toto Wolff's rather agitated interview post the team principals' meeting was a sign of things to come. The FIA's introduction of the new technical directive sprung up on the teams a day before the 2022 F1 Canadian GP weekend, which was not welcomed positively by many teams, including Red Bull and Ferrari. Having said that, the bouncing debate is not going to go away any time soon and there is no dearth of bumpy tracks on the F1 calendar.

Fortunately for Mercedes, the track for the 2022 F1 British GP is rather smooth and should not impede the lower running of the car. That, however, does not mean there will be no discussions over the porpoising/bouncing issues. The meetings could get spicy once again and it will be worth keeping an eye on.

#3 Charles Leclerc and Ferrari's response this weekend

The 2022 F1 British GP is the weekend that could make or break this year's championship for Ferrari. The Scuderia has been in a rut over the last 6 races. The car has speed (hence the staggering number of poles for Charles Leclerc), but Ferrari as a whole has not been the complete package that it needs to be.

For Silverstone, the team is bringing a set of upgrades that are essentially meant to be the last roll of the dice for the Italian squad if it is to mount a challenge against Red Bull. Moreover, this set of upgrades will need to produce results.

Ferrari and Charles Leclerc need a win at the 2022 F1 British GP. Let's see if they can get one.

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Form Guide

On Form

Max Verstappen finally put it all together at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP. Unlike the past few races, the Red Bull driver was not only fast in the race but also held the edge in qualifying as well, scoring just his second pole position of the season. The Dutchman has not had the most comfort while pushing the car over a single lap but Montréal was a sign of things starting to come together for him.

At the 2022 F1 British GP, Max Verstappen will surely have some memories of what happened last year and will be looking at retribution of some sort.

Out of Form

McLaren has been rather exposed in the last few races due to their car's deficiencies. The team has blown hot and cold this season and while we saw Lando Norris scoring a podium in Imola, we also saw the poor driver struggling to even get close to the top 10 in Canada.

With the British GP being McLaren's home race, this might be the time for it to bounce back into contention after a rather average showing in the last few races.

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Predictions for the 2022 F1 British GP

Race winner

6 wins in 6 races for Red Bull. 5 wins in 6 races for Max Verstappen. Signs are ominous if you are Charles Leclerc or Ferrari. Concurrently, however, Leclerc could have won at Barcelona or Monaco, and there was an outside chance of a win in Baku as well.

Ferrari has been rather disappointing this season and that has hampered Leclerc in more ways than one. Having said that, even a broken clock is right twice a day and Ferrari does have very competitive speed when poor Leclerc can run the race distance. For the 2022 F1 British GP, the track is expected to suit Ferrari more than it would suit Red Bull, and hence we're backing Charles Leclerc to make his way back into championship contention with a win.

Surprise of the 2022 F1 British GP weekend (Team)

Aston Martin has been showing flashes of brilliance ever since fitting the 2022 F1 Spanish GP upgrade package. The car has been getting better on a race-by-race basis as the team has been learning more and more about how to optimize it. At the 2022 F1 British GP, the team is bringing another upgrade package to be fitted on the car (wonder which car this one would resemble).

Aston Martin has not only shown improvement but has also shown consistency. So this weekend, we're backing the team to finally emerge as the fastest car in the midfield.

Surprise of the 2022 F1 British GP weekend (Driver)

Carlos Sainz missed out on yet another win in Canada as he valiantly tried to chase down and overtake Max Verstappen. What was surprising in all of this was the kind of speed that the Spaniard showed and his consistency during all this.

Sainz would rarely be able to match Charles Leclerc when it comes to the ultimate speed of the car, but what the Spaniard can do, as he showed in Canada, is stay consistent. At the 2022 F1 British GP, we're not backing Sainz to beat the two top dogs of Ferrari and Red Bull (Leclerc and Verstappen). What we expect from the Spaniard, however, is a much better and more sustained challenge as he keeps Sergio Perez at bay.

Disappointment of the 2022 F1 British GP weekend (Team)

AlphaTauri was a revelation on the long straights of Baku, but when the circus moved to Canada, the team got caught out and the car was not as effective. The track in Silverstone is a mix of everything as it has some good slow speed sections in S1 and at the end of S3 but simultaneously the fast speed efficiency gets tested in between as well.

The Red Bull sister team has a car that is still quite peaky when it comes to performance. This weekend, we expect the team to struggle to score points compared to its midfield competition.

Disappointment of the 2022 F1 British GP weekend (Driver)

Sergio Perez was quite the revelation in Monaco and Baku as he capitalized on Charles Leclerc's DNFs and snatched P2 in the championship. The race in Canada was a bit of an eye-opener where Perez, trying to match his teammate, ended up making a mistake in qualifying.

The race could have been a lot better for the Mexican if not for the DNF. Perez was a victim of trying to achieve too much with the car throughout the 2022 F1 Canadian GP weekend and trying to beat his teammate in the process.

The 32-year-old sees himself as a championship contender for the first time in his career (he is P2 in the championship after all). The 2022 F1 British GP, however, might just be another weekend where the highly-flying Mexican gets a jolt and is brought back to the ground.