Formula One made its highly-anticipated return to Australia this weekend, after two years of cancelled races due to COVID-19. There was also some news about the gap in the 2022 calendar due to the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix, as well as some news regarding Audi and Porsche.
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The option to hold two races at the Singapore Grand Prix is reportedly being discussed. Qatar, which held a race last season and is set for a 10-year deal starting next season, is expected to be the preferred candidate to fill the gap in the calendar left behind by the cancelled Russian Grand Prix. However, plans are reportedly in place to hold two races in Singapore if the Qatar plans fall through. The second race in Singapore would be held at dusk, with the other race retaining it’s original night start time.
Any possible announcements by either Porsche or Audi have been put on hold. The German car manufacturers have both decided to wait until the 2026 engine regulations are confirmed before making any commitment to joining Formula One. Both companies have been rumoured as potential new entries to Formula One both on a team and engine supplier level for some time now.
Fernando Alonso said this week that he expects to remain in Formula One for another “two or three more years”. The former World Champion returned to Formula One with Alpine last season after retiring from McLaren at the end of 2019. This new revelation could be bad news for Alpine junior driver Oscar Piastri, who is expected to be Alonso’s replacement when he eventually retires or leaves the team.
Alpine insisted that the mechanical issue Fernando Alonso suffered in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been fixed. The team reports the issue was caused by a water pump issue that has since been rectified, preventing it from happening again in the future. However, the failure will cost Alonso dearly, as the engine has been removed from the team’s allocations meaning he will almost certainly face a grid penalty later in the season.
The Haas F1 Team could be without a spare chassis for some time while the team works to repair the chassis heavily damaged by Mick Schumacher’s qualifying crash in Saudi Arabia. The damaged chassis is being transported back to the team’s headquarters in the UK, but team principal Gunther Steiner confirmed that the team will not have a spare car ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
There was some concern that teams would be without necessary equipment at the Australian Grand Prix, having been hit with some shipping delays. The teams prepare some cargo for the long distance races ahead of time, putting some containers on a cargo ship more than a month ago to make the 42 day journey down to Australia. The ship holding that equipment had been delayed more than a week, raising questions of whether it will make it on time. However, DHL intercepted the cargo at a port in Singapore and flew it the rest of the way to Australia, ensuring it arrived on schedule Monday.
The FIA issued a reminder to all drivers that wearing jewellery while in the car is against the rules. This is not a new rule, having been in the FIA’s International Sporting Code since 2005, and the FIA insists the reminder is not in response to any particular incident. Many drivers on the grid have piercings and jewellery. There has been some speculation that some drivers have been spotted wearing jewellery while in the car.
Early in the week, the FIA confirmed that there would be a record-breaking four DRS zones at the newly modified Australian Grand Prix. The FIA removed one of the DRS zones after the first two practice sessions on Friday to improve the safety of the circuit.
Carlos Sainz led Ferrari to a 1-2 finish in the first practice session of the weekend on Friday, followed closely by both Red Bull drivers. The session was briefly red-flagged for some debris from Sergio Perez’s car when he ran over a curb. A second red flag was also waved late in the session when Sebastian Vettel’s car suffered an engine failure. The German driver attracted the attention of the stewards for riding a marshal scooter on the circuit to return to the pit lane. It was an act that earned the former World Champion a fine of €5,000.
Charles Leclerc set the quickest time in the second free practice session on Friday, ahead of rival Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. Alpine showed strong pace in the session, finishing P4 and P6 surrounding Sergio Perez. Vettel’s engine failure in the previous session prevented him from leaving the garage. The session was red-flagged once for some debris left behind by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Lando Norris finished the final practice session on Saturday at the top of the timing sheets, thanks in part to an early end of the session. Sebastian Vettel crashed at high speed on the exit of turn 10 late in the race, leaving his team with more work to do on the car. Near the end of the session, Lance Stroll also crashed at turn 11, ensuring both sides of the Aston Martin garage would be busy ahead of qualifying. The session did not resume, leaving Norris at the top of the time sheets, as most of the front-runners had not yet completed their low-fuel programmes.
Pole position was secured by Leclerc on Saturday, ahead of Verstappen, Perez and Norris. There was drama in Q1 as the two Canadian drivers in the field collided. Nicholas Latifi allowed Lance Stroll to pass him. Stroll then slowed and began moving over. Latifi was passing the Aston Martin driver, but Stroll clipped the rear of Latifi’s car, sending him into the barriers. Stroll was given a grid penalty for the race. There was another crash in Q3, with Fernando Alonso hitting the barriers while setting a lap time that was on pace to challenge the eventual pole time of Leclerc. The red flag caught out Carlos Sainz, who qualified in P9.
After qualifying, Alex Albon was disqualified from qualifying. His session had ended in Q1 after he was told to park the car because he was almost out of fuel. The FIA was unable to get the required fuel sample size from the car after the session and was therefore disqualified for a breach of the technical regulations. He was allowed to start the race from the back of the field.
The race was won by Leclerc on Sunday, leading from lights to finish and appearing to be in a league of his own. Carlos Sainz’s race finished after only two laps. He had a poor start and dropped to the rear of the field and then pushed too hard into the fast turn 10, beaching himself in the gravel. Max Verstappen looked like the only car capable of challenging the Ferrari, but his race came to a devastating end with a mechanical failure for the second time this season. This left Sergio Perez to take the second step of the podium. George Russell was also on the podium, having benefited heavily from a safety car in his pit window. Alex Albon amazed many, running nearly the entire race distance on the hard compound tyres. He pitted on the final lap of the race, still managing to secure a point for the team. Click here to read a full summary of the race.
The Weekly F1 Recap on Racing Clothesline is a series published every Monday. Each article breaks down the previous week's Formula One headlines into bite-sized pieces, perfect for casual fans to keep themselves in the loop.
