F1 Preview

By Chelsea Wintle and Kiwi Kali

Chelsea is a lifelong Formula 1 fan. Kali’s knowledge of F1 comes from watching season 4 of Drive To Survive on Netflix this week, having seen Lewis Hamilton on the Graham Norton Show, and various Daily Mail articles.

Here are their thoughts on season 2022.

 

What to look forward to

Chelsea – George at Mercedes. For me, he’s the most exciting of the fresher talent out there, now that Max is a veteran of eight seasons. It will also be fun to see how the Mercedes/Red Bull rivalry shapes up over the initial few races. Mercedes are being typically coy about their early season chances, but we all know that’s a load of cobblers.

Kali – George Russell going to Mercedes. He looks like an exciting prospect, but I’m not sure how well he will cope with playing second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton.

 

Driver to watch

Chelsea – Guanyu Zhou. China’s first F1 driver joins Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo. He brings a rumoured 30 million euro to the table, but also a ton of talent. I’m excited to see how he fares.

Kali – Lewis Hamilton. He’s back, like a wounded bull, and presumably nearing the end of his career. I love his activism, whether it be BLM or LBTBQI+ rights, especially in the Middle East.

 

Team to watch

Chelsea – McLaren. I’m a Ferrari fan, but McLaren will be fighting hard for third place in the constructor’s championship this year.

Kali – Red Bull. Having won the drivers championship last year, surely the constructors crown is in their sights.

 

Christian Horner – Hero or Villain?

Chelsea – Full disclosure, I’ve not watched the fourth season of Drive To Survive yet, where I understand he comes across as a bit of a dick. I like a lot about Christian. He’s got a great story and clearly works well with genius Red Bull CTO Adrian Newey. I always enjoy his pit wall comments and the fact that his tweedish countryside demeanour doesn’t entirely mask his occasional bouts of childishness. His reaction to losing Daniel Ricciardo to Cyril Abiteboul on Drive To Survive was marvellous, awkward television.

Kali – Mr Spice, as I think of him, comes across as highly competitive but also has a warmth towards his team that Toto Wolff seems to lack. I think he played up for the Netflix cameras and he’s not afraid of a sound bite. But dismiss him at your peril. I lean towards hero, but with a hint of villain. As the Australian vernacular would have it, he’s not here to fuck spiders.

 

Favourite Grand Prix

Chelsea – Singapore. I’m a sucker for a night race, and it’ll be the first Grand Prix I head to once the gates to the world open. In terms of circuits, I can’t go past Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium – always a good time.

Kali – Australian. Because of the timezone. And I have fond memories of living in Melbourne and hearing the noise of the engines from Albert Park. Not sure I will be watching the Northern Hemisphere ones live.

 

Predictions for season 2022

Drivers’ Championship

Chelsea – Max Verstappen. One championship won’t be enough for Max, and the pressure will start to weigh on Lewis as he tries to eclipse Michael Schumacher as the greatest of all time.

Kali – Lewis Hamilton

Constructors’ Championship

Chelsea – Mercedes. How can you dismiss that lineup? Presuming they play nicely together, of course.

Kali – Red Bull

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