Formula 1

Gasly was one of the standout F1 performers in 2021, taking a podium in Baku alongside several top six finishes. It propelled Gasly up to ninth in the drivers’ championship with 110 points, just five points behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and well ahead of rookie team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (32). The Frenchman has steadily blossomed with

Alonso made his return to F1 in 2021 after two seasons away, partnering Ocon at Alpine. Ocon managed to score his maiden grand prix victory by taking a shock win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, aided by Alonso, who managed to halt Lewis Hamilton’s charge with a brilliant defensive display. The duo helped Alpine secure

Ferrari Driver Academy member and 2020 Formula 2 champion Schumacher graduated to F1 last year with the backmarker Haas team. Haas opted against developing its car for 2021 so it could focus all its resources on the new technical regulations for 2022, resigning it to the back of the grid and a season without points. But

Before the summer break, Ocon triumphed in Budapest after a chaotic wet-weather start had propelled him into the lead, and the Frenchman held firm to take his maiden grand prix win and the Enstone team’s first victory since 2013. While Ocon’s win was an important milestone for Alpine in its quest to become a regular

Following a difficult 2020 that saw Alfa Romeo struggle with its underperforming Ferrari power unit, the team appeared to take a step towards the other midfield teams last year, improving its points tally from 8 to 13 with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. But the team would drop from eighth to ninth place in

Two-time world champion Alonso returned to F1 last year after spending two seasons out of the series to explore other racing disciplines. After leaving F1 at the end of 2018 following a four-season stint with McLaren, Alonso raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar Rally. Alonso enjoyed a successful comeback season with Alpine

After finishing last in the constructors’ championship for three years in a row, Williams rose to eighth place in the 2021 standings as the team enjoyed its most successful season since 2017. Williams ended a points drought dating back to Germany 2019 by finishing seventh and eighth in Hungary, capitalising on a race of attrition

Russell has stepped up to a full-time Mercedes F1 seat for the coming season after spending the last three years racing for the customer Williams squad. Russell’s performances at Williams won him widespread acclaim throughout the F1 paddock, and convinced Mercedes to partner him with Lewis Hamilton five years after joining its junior programme. PLUS: How

Piastri took a convincing F2 title in 2021 as a rookie, his third straight title in three years after previously conquering FIA F3 and the Formula Renault Eurocup. But despite being tipped as one of the hottest talents to come through the ranks in recent years, the 20-year-old Australian will spend the 2022 season without

Norris spent two seasons racing alongside Sainz at McLaren prior to the Spaniard’s switch to Ferrari for 2021, where he partnered Charles Leclerc. Sainz enjoyed his most successful season in F1 to date last year, scoring four podium finishes en route to fifth in the drivers’ championship ahead of Norris and Leclerc in sixth and

Perez joined Red Bull from Racing Point for 2021, becoming Max Verstappen’s fourth team-mate in as many seasons. The Mexican driver initially struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull RB16B car, which is known for requiring a very aggressive driving style, but he scored his second F1 win in Azerbaijan. Perez finished the

The Red Bull driver had been cool, seemingly bulletproof throughout the season. He brushed off the low moments and never appeared overly obsessed with viewing the world championship as some monumental life achievement. “It’s not really going to change my life,” he had said back in October. To him, it was always simple: he and

Haas opted against developing its car for last year so it could focus on preparing for the new technical regulations arriving in 2022, believing they held a greater opportunity to make a step forward and gain performance. It resigned the team to a transition year in 2021 where it failed to score any points with

Putting two great drivers together often brings success – but it can also create fireworks that damage the harmony inside a team. Even legendary combinations that have brought titles to their teams have sometimes ended in acrimony. PLUS: How Russell sees his place in the Mercedes-Hamilton F1 superteam Here’s our selection of some of the ultimate

Ocon benefitted from a chaotic wet weather start in Budapest to surge to the lead after a restart, as leader Lewis Hamilton pitted. Ocon kept his cool and led the entire race to take his maiden grand prix victory, holding off Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton. It was one of several standout races for

Szafnauer had long been expected to leave his role at Aston Martin, with Autosport reporting back in November that he looked set to take up a senior role with the rival Alpine squad. Szafnauer said he had “no intention” of leaving Aston Martin and that he had a long-term contract in place, having dismissed reports

Deadline reports that Apple Original Films is now in exclusive negotiations to seal a deal for the planned, and as-yet-untitled, Hollywood blockbuster feature film. It is understood that Pitt will play a veteran racing star who comes out of retirement to mentor a young driver, while taking his own last chance at on-track glory.  Rivals

Sainz joined Ferrari last season as a replacement for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, signing a two-year deal. He scored four podiums en route to fifth place in the drivers’ championship during his first year with the team. Sainz quickly formed a good relationship with new teammate Charles Leclerc as the duo combined to secure

McLaren ran an all-new livery for the Monaco Grand Prix race weekend, ditching its regular papaya for the orange and powder blue colours of Gulf Oil to run on the cars of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. The team also opted to tweak its livery for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi,

Alpine suffered from an inconsistent 2021 campaign, but a shock maiden win for Esteban Ocon in Hungary and a podium for Fernando Alonso in Qatar gave the Enstone outfit the edge over AlphaTauri to clinch fifth in the constructors’ championship. While it is clear Alpine has plenty of work to do to catch up with

Hamilton missed out on a record-breaking eighth world championship after being passed by Max Verstappen on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following a late restart by race control that did not appear to follow the regulations. Mercedes initially protested the restart procedure and considered a further appeal, but ultimately put an

While the regulations are not specifically designed to make overtaking easier per se, the hope is that the new concepts will allow drivers to follow their rivals much closer than before. To achieve that, F1 has had to move away from a reliance on downforce created by the front and rear wings and instead the

This year will mark the start of a long-anticipated new technical ruleset for F1, forcing teams to pursue different aerodynamic concepts and manage the introduction of the new 18-inch tyres. It will provide an opportunity for all teams to make a big step forward, with Ferrari in particular looking to return to the front of

Ricciardo joined McLaren on a three-year contract for the 2021 season after his exit from Renault, but initially failed to match team-mate Lando Norris for pace. Norris scored three podium finishes and more than double the points of Ricciardo before the summer break as the Australian struggled through the first half of the season. But

The McLaren driver, who scored his first F1 pole in 2021 and took four podium finishes, has made no secret of the fact that he struggled at times with the pressures that come with being a grand prix driver. In particular he said the stress caused in his early races during his 2019 rookie season, where

The 2009 world champion, who made his F1 debut with Williams in 2000, took on a role as a senior advisor at the Grove-based outfit last year as the team continues its recovery under new owners Dorilton Capital. However, with F1 personnel put in bubbles because of COVID protocols, Button found himself unable to mix with the team as

The Milton Keynes-based team was locked in a tight fight with Mercedes until the final round of this year for both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship crowns – with honours being split between the two outfits. But while Red Bull and Mercedes were kept on their toes to the end, other squads like Ferrari made

After a disastrous 2020 season, Haas decided not to develop its car for 2021 and instead focus straight away on the all-new regulations for 2022. That meant 2021, with two incoming rookie drivers in Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, was a write-off from the start as the Haas team continued to prop up the timesheets

Four-time F1 world champion Vettel joined the rebranded Aston Martin team for this season following his exit from Ferrari, linking up with Lance Stroll. While Aston Martin slipped back to seventh in the constructors’ championship after being hurt by the downforce cuts under the tweaked regulations for 2021, Vettel was able to score the team’s best result of the

The progress of youngsters like the Spaniard himself, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris, has opened the possibility of new faces gunning for victories as their teams make progress up the grid. So far, their rivalries have proved to be exciting but fair, and Sainz is keeping his fingers crossed that even when the