One Goal Each Team Must Accomplish for 2022

The F1 Car Template For 2022

Mercedes 

"Poach Red Bull Engineers"

How do you improve on perfection? Mercedes are tasked with doing so going into 2022. One place they could start is by poaching some engineers from their arch-rivals. The only part of the car you could argue lacks an advantage is their engine. Red Bull making the switch to engine manufacturer provides Mercedes with the perfect opportunity at sabotage. There will never be a more important time for them to offer contracts to Red Bull's performance engineers. 

Red Bull 

"Promote From Within"

The perpetual chink in the Red Bull armor has always been teamwork. No other team struggles with the challenge of running two cars in the sport like they have. Checo's a great example of this. His best season ever has been immediately followed by his worst. Common sense dictates that they should look elsewhere for 2023 and beyond. Gasly has demonstrated more than enough talent to warrant a second opportunity. Saving face will only get you so far. The opportunity at Red Bull remains the only leverage they have for keeping him on the team. Red Bull would be wise to consider that Max will not always be the best driver on the grid. That will only become more important the further down the grid they slide. Red Bull's best bet for a successful 2022 season will be their best driver lineup possible.

McLaren 

"Cover Their Weaknesses"

Riccardo is an aging star who might never regain the form that won him his seven prior races. His win this year only stands out among a series of disappointing results. McLaren likely favor Lando's car going forwards. The team has progressed consistently up the gird for the past 5 years. It feels like only a matter of time before they return to the championship hunt. Once they're back it's going to take the full effort of both cars to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes. Having a reliable experienced driver ready to take over is key to winning a championship. Consider how Mercedes were able to use Bottas immediately after Rosberg left. Many drivers are signed to other academies which makes it difficult for them to sign with McLaren right away. The team could do themselves a favor by signing an experienced reserve in case of emergency.

Ferrari

 "Calm The Storm"

Rumors floating around Maranello suggests there is tension between Mattia Binotto and Charles Leclerc. This is not good. Both of these figures seem set to lead the team going forwards. Sainz is a reliable backup who will help them win championships if they are in the race for the title. Displeasing Leclerc runs the risk of him hopping ship to a title contender. The greatest asset of the early 200s Ferrari teams was harmony. The inseparable bond Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher led to the era of domination that we're now familiar with. Recently McLaren have proved the theory that synergy is key for success. Ferrari needs to execute with all masts pointing in the same direction.

Aston Martin

"Grow The Brand"

Not every team is made to be a champion. Aston Martin are unlikely to challenge for the title in the near future. Their heavy investments into these past two years will place them at a disadvantage compared to their future-focused counterparts. Stroll bought the team for two reasons. Firstly to keep his son in the sport. Secondly to profit off of the brand of Aston Martin. Aston Martin as a brand still maintains a lot of its naturally gifted 'cool factor'. James Bond being the primary culprit to that end. Aston Martin are ultimately an investment. Sauber and Haas are examples of true racing teams. Aston Martin has been bought by a consortium of investors looking to make a profit. They will continue to scrape the top of the midfield until their full array of improvements are completed.

Alpine 

"Buy Some Engines"

The pride behind the Alpine name is evident. Their entire reason for being in the sport is connected to Renault's identity. The company is owned in part by the State of France. This means they have a special responsibility to be independent. But being independent doesn't win races. The fact that they have zero customer teams indicates how little other teams value their engines. Even though their materials are probably the cheapest. Hiring a Red Bull team to help them implement those engines would do wonders for their bottom line. That change alone would likely save them upwards of 100 million Euros a season. Making big changes like this are best done when the regulations change. There will never be an easier time to implement an engine change. 

AlphaTauri 

"Find New Talent"

AlphaTaru are a weird team. It's the only team on the grid without championship aspirations. They are always meant to be behind their senior team. The introduction of the cost cap has meant great things for them. Red Bull are now able to use the money they've saved as new investment for their sister team. The one aspect they are lacking in is drivers. Their role as the stepping stone for juniors has been questionable in recent years. returnees like Gasly and Kyvat have slowed the pipeline of young talent into the sport. They need to ensure that they keep moving in drivers though. Gasly is sure to leave soon if he's not offered a seat at Red Bull. Having two drivers underperforming at once would be disastrous for their season. They need to sign new juniors as soon as possible. More experience will always benefit the team's bottom line.

Alfa Romeo 

"Balance The Books"

Alfa Romeo Sauber were once a proud home to drivers like Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. Their recent financial downturn has since forced them to hold onto sponsor-backed drivers for much longer then they probably would like. They need to return to the days of signing young drivers like Perez and Hulkenburg. This model produced great results for their racing division. Dropping Alfa Romeo as a sponsor would likely get them there. Rumors suggest this could happen as soon as next year. Being owned by Andretti will allow them to access the entire IndyCar pool of drivers. There could be no better ownership deal for them. Hopefully they can return to their midfield-beating ways. 

Williams 

"Be On Mercedes' Good Side"

Williams' aspirations might be different for 2022. Their legendary name obviously deserves to be at the top of their sport. Dorlinton's investment must have been a gigantic sigh of relief for all the engineers. This reality means they still need time to build new facilities. 2022 won't be their year. Neither will it be theirs until likely 2025 and beyond. Until then they could benefit from continuing their relationship with Mercedes. They made a bold move by signing a Red Bull Junior driver for 2022. This won't have made Toto Wolff happy. This will ostracize them from that key relationship. They ought to get more involved with signing Mercedes' young drivers. Frederik Vesti being the next in line. We all know how well that worked the last time. No one will suffer from extra help from the 7-time consecutive World Champions. 

Haas

"Shuffle The Deck"

The five years that Gene Haas' team have spent in F1 have been tumultuous. A surprise 5th place constructor's finish 3 years ago marks the only time they've finished above eighth in the constructor's championship. The legacy of the team so far has only been keeping their heads above water. They ultimately also signed the deal to stay on with F1 for a presumed five more years. It's unlikely however that they'll make it that far. The next few years need to be focused on growth. Five years with only one finish above eighth isn't good enough. Their strategy of total neglect to 2021 is bold. But there needs to be changes. Everyone from Steiner down should be looked at. In the best case they'll still have Mick for one more full season. Finishing 10th in the first year of the new regulations would be the financial nail in the coffin. The team is already practically owned by the Mazepin family.