The sun sets on the 2022 F1 season

Can you believe it? There were times this year when it felt like the 2022 F1 season was a never-ending story. So much of intrigue and drama – Drive to Survive brought to life, almost as if the reality was trying to match the fiction that has drawn so many people to the sport. But fact or fiction, it doesn’t matter: The reality is that the 2022 season delivered every ounce of the excitement and adrenaline we could’ve hoped for, and the good news is that it isn’t quite over yet.

ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX BROADCAST DETAILS

Friday, 18 Nov
FP1 | 11:55 | SS Motorsport
FP2 | 14:45 | SS Motorsport

Saturday, 19 Nov
FP3 | 12:15 | SS Motorsport
Qualifying | 15:50 | SS Motorsport

Sunday, 20 Nov
Race | 14:55 | SS Motorsport

* Stream all the action on DStv *

Abu Dhabi is far from my favourite Grand Prix. If you gave me a choice right now, to choose any of the 22 races on the calendar I’d like to attend, Abu Dhabi would be in 20th place, I reckon. Sure, there are tracks and places that are even less exciting, but not many of them. On the other hand, the Yas Marina complex started out as nothing, and thanks to literally billions of dollars, it has become the home of not only the F1 circuit but a whole host of peripheral attractions to boot. So, if you aren’t that much of a hard-core F1 fan, this might just be the race for you.

As for this weekend, there are still a couple of things to keep an eye on. Or an ear on, since so much of the penultimate race’s drama unfolded over the airwaves of the team radios. So, this time around, we’ll all be waiting for the team to ask Max Verstappen to let Checo through – and then perch on the ends of our seats to see if he actually does it. He said he would, after all. But then again, what he says and what he does are often misaligned. Not that there’s any guarantee that the team will have to ask Max to move, but if they do… Well, it’ll sure make for nail-biting watching, won’t it?

Of course, Max still has nothing to lose (same as last weekend), whereas Checo now finds himself tied for second in the driver’s championship with Charles Leclerc. Surely even the stone-hearted Verstappen can see that it makes sense to let Checo through, never mind what he had made clear before (I’d still love to know what he was referring to).

So, the battle for second place is still a massive drawing card for this weekend’s race. That, and the promise that Mercedes might be fast again. If they are, it bodes ill for next season, where we may well have to contend with yet another boring Hamilton procession. “I feel for the fans,” said Toto Wolff earlier this year, when Red Bull won a couple in a row. He’d clearly already forgotten about the seven lost years all of us had to endure, while Lewis set one record after the other. But there’s hope yet – maybe the Mercs are fast, but not so fast that they become unbeatable. Or maybe last weekend was a flash in the pan, and they’ll be back to relative mediocrity in Abu Dhabi. Who knows?

We also have to bid farewell to some drivers this weekend. Nicholas Latifi is off to other pastures, Mick Schumacher has been replaced by Nico Hulkenberg at Haas, and Daniel Ricciardo is set to take a one-year break from F1, though nobody knows how long that break might actually last. And then there’s Sebastian Vettel…

The last few years have seen Vettel recede into obscurity somewhat, driving alongside Lance Stroll in a decidedly mid-pack car. He has grown his hair, and now looks more like a tennis player from the eighties than an F1 driver; he sounds more and more like a hippie with each passing interview; and to me, he has become decidedly strange. Yet, if you were to open the Wikipedia page to F1 Driver Records, I’m sure you’d be surprised to see how often Vettel’s name pops up.

When it comes to sheer stats, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers of our era. But beyond the black-and-white numbers on a page, Vettel has shown brilliance as a driver, over many races. He is one of those guys who just gets it. He sees the gaps, knows where he can brake late, and he has BMT. I, for one, will miss him dearly next year, and for many years to come. But at the same time, I respect his decision to leave the sport. At least it was still his decision, not some accountant somewhere who decided to put the champ out to pasture. Ironically, working in pastures as a farmer is one of the things he says he’d like to pursue…

So, the sun sets on the 2022 season at last. And what a season it has been! We’ll catch up with it all come Monday morning, but for now, it is time to sit back, slide into my favourite slippers, and watch the final drama unfold in Abu Dhabi. Rest assured, it won’t be nearly as exciting as last year’s race, that’s for sure. But even so, you never know what you’re going to get, and if the season continues to deliver drama and excitement at the pace it has done all year, we’re in for a final treat indeed.

Oh, and if I had to bet, I’d say Lewis wins it, followed by Verstappen and Perez. Because, you know, he isn’t going to let him past, is he?

Waldo van der Waal is a motoring journalist with nearly three decades of experience. He has worked as an F1 correspondent for various publications over the years, including WIEL and DRIVE magazines, in the late nineties. Since then, he has traveled the globe to follow some of the greatest motorsport events on the planet, including many F1 races and Le Mans. He has been closely associated with the Dakar Rally for the last ten years, worked with Fernando Alonso during his attempt at the race, and remains in touch with the wonderful world of Formula 1.