The 2022 Formula 1 Calendar Could Be Busier Than Ever

The Formula 1 calendar for the 2022 campaign has been released, and it stands to be the busiest ever. There will be twenty-three races in total, which represents the most performed in a season in the history of the sport, which is sure to please fans.

It will be the first time that Formula 1 has visited the Miami International Autodrome, with the Miami Grand Prix scheduled to go ahead in race day five of the new season. And there is also the opportunity for Canada, Japan, Singapore and Australia to come back into the reckoning after being sidelined for a while.

Of course, the decision to postpone visits to specific countries was out of the hands of Formula 1 chiefs, with the 2020 and 2021 seasons affected significantly where race calendars are concerned. In the last couple of years, plans have had to change on the fly, and while this is possible again in 2022, many hope the schedule can play out as planned.

Steve Nielsen, the Sporting Director of Formula 1, insists it would be a “blessed relief” if the 2022 calendar could be completed as originally intended. He suggests there is a desire to “actually deliver what’s on the paper at the moment” in terms of racing weekends, and at present, things are looking good.

While the 2021 season didn’t run as smoothly as many hoped, the rivalry between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is something Nielsen and his team will be hoping to build on this time around. Everything came down to the final race in Abu Dhabi, which Nielsen hopes will be the finishing point on November 20 this year, with the controversy adding a new dimension to proceedings.

And Max Verstappen is already attempting to light the fire between himself and Hamilton once again, after suggesting the Brit needed “luck” and a “dominant team” to achieve the success he has enjoyed over an extended period.

Many feel Verstappen was lucky to win the title last season, after controversial calls by Michael Masi allowed the red bull drive to enter a straight shootout for victory against Hamilton, even though the latter had led the race from the first turn. The onus will now be on the defending champion to prove he is the man to beat, as he plots an era of his own at the top of the sport.

Questions remain about Hamilton’s future, with the 37-year-old absent from social media since being beaten to the line by Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. There have been suggestions that seven-time champion could be considering retiring from the sport after the controversial result.

But, it’s no secret that he harbours hopes of winning that elusive eighth championship, which would see him move one ahead of the legendary Michael Schumacher, making him the most successful Formula 1 driver in history. If Hamilton continues, he will be doing so alongside a new teammate in George Russell, who has swapped Williams for Mercedes.