The 2022 season has reached the summer break, but it very much feels like the remainder will be a cruise to the finish for Max Verstappen.
After three races, some fans and pundits were fearing the championship was already over on account of Charles Leclerc’s 46-point advantage over Verstappen.
But fast-forward less than four months and the situation could not be much more different.
A series of calamities – mostly mechanical and strategic – have seen that 46-point deficit for Verstappen turn into an 80-point lead heading into F1’s summer holidays.
Picking up where we last left off – after the British Grand Prix – things were looking a little better for Leclerc and Ferrari.
Redemption in Austria
It was redemption on two counts for Leclerc at the Red Bull Ring.
Firstly, making amends for a frustrating Sprint Race on Saturday where the two Ferrari drivers fought amongst themselves to the extent that Verstappen was able to get away.
But more importantly, it was revenge for the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. A race that looked set to become Leclerc’s maiden victory, only for Verstappen to controversially snatch the lead away in the dying stages courtesy of a particularly impolite pass on the Monegasque.
On this occasion, Leclerc would be the one doing the passing, overtaking his title rival no fewer than three times as they ran differing strategies.
He then clung on commendably despite a late clutch issue to narrow the gap to Verstappen to 38 points and spark hope of a comeback.
Pain in France
That hope would all come crashing down a fortnight later, however.
Yet another Leclerc pole position preceded what looked set to be a fascinating battle between the season’s two main protagonists.
Verstappen had followed Leclerc closely in the early stages before fading slightly, prompting Red Bull to attempt an undercut.
We would never find out whether or not that would work, though, as Leclerc made the biggest mistake of his season – if not his career – thus far, spinning out from the lead and ending up in a barrier.
There have been rumours and suspicions about a throttle issue contributing to the accident, but these are unproven and Leclerc publicly took responsibility.
Verstappen went on to take a comfortable win and extended his lead to 63 points – an advantage from which nobody has ever lost the title.
Another Ferrari Disasterclass To Round Off Part 1
The heat was immediately taken off Leclerc with another strategic blunder by his team in Hungary, though.
Having passed George Russell for the lead and with Verstappen recovering from 10th on the grid, Leclerc had the chance to keep his ever-so-slim title hopes alive heading into the summer break.
But Ferrari would be having none of that.
A bizarre decision to put their lead man on the hard tyre – and then later the soft – had the top three of Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Russell laughing in the cool-down room.
It dropped him from the lead to sixth and allowed Verstappen to win, despite having spun shortly after passing the helpless Leclerc.
Speaking of Mercedes, that makes back-to-back double podiums for the Silver Arrows and five in a row for Hamilton.
They appear finally to be gaining an understanding of their new car and – depending on the impact of the new Technical Directive at the Belgian Grand Prix – could truly fight for wins in the remainder of the season.
Something which would be most welcome to prevent the season petering out in total Verstappen dominance.
And Finally, the Silliest of Silly Seasons
Within 48 hours of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the F1 driver conveyor belt had gone into meltdown.
With Sebastian Vettel having announced his upcoming retirement in Hungary, Fernando Alonso shocked the paddock on Monday by announcing he would be filling the vacant Aston Martin seat.
That led Alpine to announce Oscar Piastri’s promotion… Only for Piastri – after a couple of hours of deafening silence – to totally denounce said announcement.
As things stand at the time of writing, it would appear that he will be replacing compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren next season.
The Honey Badger star that once shone so brightly is now flickering and in danger of being totally extinguished.
It would appear his only hope is returning to the Alpine seat – albeit Renault at that point – which he abandoned at the end of 2020, and perhaps rediscovering some form there.
There is also talk of the French marque going for an all-French line-up, however, with Esteban Ocon being joined by Pierre Gasly.
Gasly supposedly has an exit clause in his contract that allows him to leave for a team who are higher in the standings than AlphaTauri – which is currently most teams – and surely can’t be content stagnating in a Red Bull feeder system from which he will almost certainly never gain a promotion again.
The remaining seats to fill are at Williams, Alfa Romeo and Haas.
Nicholas Latifi is expected to leave the sport, with Formula E champion Nyck de Vries and Williams academy driver Logan Sargeant seemingly the frontrunners to replace him.
Zhou Guanyu looks reasonably likely to retain his seat at Alfa, despite the promising Théo Pourchaire waiting in the wings and fighting for the Formula 2 title.
And as for Haas, it would surely only be a desperate Ricciardo – on a significantly lower wage – that could usurp Mick Schumacher.
