In the round-up: Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso remains disappointed how few teams can win in F1 despite rule changes
In brief
Alonso unhappy how 2022 rules did not close F1 midfield’s gap to top
Fernando Alonso says he was disappointed the revised technical regulations introduced for 2022 did not do more to close the field up.
“It was a bit disappointing for everyone to realise that things haven’t changed dramatically,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “There are at most two teams that can win races, as has been the case in recent years.
“The gap between the two or three top teams and the midfield is still too big. In 50% of the races we are one lap behind the winner. Therefore, we have not yet achieved the result that Formula 1 intended with the restart of the rules.”
Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races held this year. Ferrari’s four wins all came in the first half of the season, while Mercedes’ single victory was all that prevented Red Bull from sweeping the second half.
Blakeley crowned F1 Esports champion
McLaren Shadow’s Lucas Blakeley was crowned 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Champion after the 12th and final round of the season at Yas Marina Circuit.
Blakeley, who took four race victories over the course of his fourth season in the championship and first with McLaren, finished fourth as the finale to secure his first title, on top of McLaren sealing the teams’ championship.
Red Bull’s championship contender Frederik Rasmussen won the final race ahead of Haas’s Thomas Ronhaar. Pole winner Josh Idowu completed the podium in third, with Blakeley crossing the line in fourth to secure the title.
F1 Manager game launches driver database
The F1 Manager 2022 game has added a new online driver database which includes every single driver who has raced in F1, Formula 2 and the FIA Formula 3 championship this year.
The F1 driver ratings remain unchanged from the game’s launch. Game developer Frontier said adding the database means “players can identify future stars of the sport or compare individual ratings to maximise the opportunity for points.
“All ratings in the driver database are reflective of those at the start of a new game in F1 Manager 2022 and develop throughout a driver’s career as they earn experience from completing sessions on track. This allows aspiring team principals to make an informed decision on their dream driver line-ups from the start of their career, though they’ll still need to use scouts to discover the driver’s interest in joining the team and gain information on their current contract.
“Once they’ve done their research, they can step into the [game’s] paddock themselves and take their team to the top step of the podium as they compete for glory in the world’s most prestigious motorsport.”
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On this day in motorsport
- 40 years ago today Teddy Mayer and Tyler Alexander left McLaren as Ron Dennis completed his takeover of the team
