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Your Pre-Season 2022 Formula 1 Predictions: The Results

Nicky Haldenby

Before the 2022 Formula 1 season began, I posted 20 prediction polls on the Lights Out F1 Blog twitter account about the upcoming season. Now that the season has reached its conclusion, it’s time to see how many of your predictions were correct!

1. HOW MANY RACES WILL THERE BE IN 2022?

YOUR PREDICTION: 23

CORRECT ANSWER: 22

There was supposed to be a record-breaking 23 races this season. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw the planned Russian Grand Prix cancelled. At the time of this poll, Qatar was expected to fill the vacant slot but the race never materialised and a total of 22 races were contested.

2. HOW MANY POINTS WILL HAAS SCORE IN 2022?

YOUR PREDICTION: 1 – 15 POINTS

CORRECT ANSWER: 31 POINTS OR MORE

Haas exceeded your expectations in 2022. Over half of you expected them to score fewer than 16 points, but the team ended up scoring 37 points in total. The majority of points were scored by Kevin Magnussen – who even took the team’s first pole position at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix! Mick Schumacher joined Magnussen in the top ten at the British and Austrian Grands Prix.

3. HOW MANY DIFFERENT TEAMS WILL WIN A RACE THIS YEAR?

YOUR PREDICTION: 4

CORRECT ANSWER: 3 OR FEWER

With a change of regulations, less than 20% of you expected only three teams to win during the 2022 season. While Ferrari and Red Bull dominated proceedings, it took until the penultimate round of the season for a third team, Mercedes, to take a win this year.

4. HOW MANY DRIVERS WILL TAKE THEIR MAIDEN WIN IN 2022?

YOUR PREDICTION: 2

CORRECT ANSWER: 2

Both Carlos Sainz and George Russell recorded their maiden wins this year. Sainz became the fifth driver to pick up his first career win at Silverstone, while Russell became the first since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2003 to take his maiden win at Interlagos.

5. HOW MANY TIMES WILL RUSSELL OUT-QUALIFY HAMILTON?

YOUR PREDICTION: 4, 5, 6 OR 7

CORRECT ANSWER: 8, 9, 10 OR 11

It’s fair to say that George Russell exceeded your expectations against his team-mate in his first year at Mercedes. Russell out-qualified Lewis Hamilton on nine occasions. He became only Hamilton’s third team-mate, after Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, to out-score him over the course of a season.

6. HOW MANY TIMES WILL ALONSO FINISH ON THE PODIUM?

YOUR PREDICTION: 0

CORRECT ANSWER: 0

No podiums for Fernando Alonso this year! In fact, Lando Norris was the only driver outside of the top three teams to finish in the top three this year. Alonso’s best result of the year was fifth, which he recorded at Silverstone, Spa and Interlagos.

7. HOW MANY RACES WILL FERRARI WIN IN 2022?

YOUR PREDICTION: 3, 4 OR 5

CORRECT ANSWER: 3, 4 OR 5

After winning two of the first three races of the year, it looked like Ferrari were in for a big win haul in 2022. However, Red Bull went on to win all but three of the remaining races. Ferrari picked up four wins in total, with Charles Leclerc victorious in Bahrain, Australia and Austria, while Carlos Sainz took his maiden win at Silverstone.

8. HOW MANY DRIVERS WILL FAIL TO QUALIFY IN THE TOP 10 AT ANY RACE?

YOUR PREDICTION: 3 OR MORE

CORRECT ANSWER: 0

Of this year’s 20 regular drivers, all of them qualified in the top ten at least once this season. Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi recorded the fewest top ten qualifications, with one apiece.

9. WHERE WILL PIERRE GASLY RACE IN 2023?

YOUR PREDICTION: ANOTHER TEAM

CORRECT ANSWER: ANOTHER TEAM

One of the worst kept paddock secrets as the season progressed, Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine to partner compatriot Esteban Ocon was finally confirmed over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

10. AT HOW MANY RACES WILL NEITHER MERCEDES NOR RED BULL FINISH ON THE PODIUM?

YOUR PREDICTION: 3 OR MORE

CORRECT ANSWER: 0

There were no races in the 2022 season at which neither Red Bull nor Mercedes finished on the podium. The 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix remains the last race at which neither team featured in the top three.

11. WILL LAS VEGAS BE INCLUDED ON THE 2023 CALENDAR?

YOUR PREDICTION: NO

CORRECT ANSWER: YES

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is happening next year! A Saturday night race will take place on and around the Las Vegas Strip on November 18. The new race was confirmed in March.

12. WHICH TEAM WILL SCORE MORE POINTS IN 2022: ALFA ROME0, ALPHATAURI, ALPINE OR ASTON MARTIN?

YOUR PREDICTION: ALPHATAURI

CORRECT ANSWER: ALPINE

Alpine scored the most points from these four teams. They finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship following a close battle with McLaren. This was the first time since 2018 that the Enstone-based team finished in the top four in the end of year standings.

13. AT HOW MANY RACES WILL ZHOU SCORE POINTS THIS SEASON?

YOUR PREDICTION: 1, 2 OR 3

CORRECT ANSWER: 1, 2 OR 3

Formula 1’s first Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu had a solid debut season, scoring points on three occasions. He picked up points on debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix and recorded a season-best result of eighth at the Canadian Grand Prix.

14. WILL ANY TEAM BE DISQUALIFIED FROM A RACE FOR HAVING AN ILLEGAL CAR?

YOUR PREDICTION: NO

CORRECT ANSWER: NO

No teams misbehaved on the regulations this year and no drivers were disqualified from a race for a technical infringement.

15. HOW MANY POINTS WILL THE WORLD CHAMPION SCORE IN THE 2022 SEASON?

YOUR PREDICTION: 300 -350 POINTS

CORRECT ANSWER: MORE THAN 400 POINTS

Max Verstappen scored 454 points during the 2022 season, setting a new record for most points scored in a single year. It’s only the third time that a driver has scored more than 400 points in a year. Lewis Hamilton is the only other driver to have done so, having scored more than 400 points on his way to his fifth and sixth titles in 2018 and 2019.

16. HOW MANY TIMES WILL LATIFI OUT-QUALIFY ALBON?

YOUR PREDICTION: 1, 2, 3 OR 4

CORRECT ANSWER: 1, 2, 3 OR 4

Nicholas Latifi out-qualified Alex Albon once on pace this season. That was at the British Grand Prix, where Latifi recorded the first – and only – Q3 appearance of his three-season career. Latifi also out-qualified Albon at Imola – but Albon did not set a representative lap time in that session as his car caught fire.

17. HOW MANY WORLD CHAMPIONS WILL RETIRE AT THE END OF THE SEASON?

YOUR PREDICTION: 1

CORRECT ANSWER: 1

Just one of Formula 1’s active World Champions retired at the end of the 2022 season. Sebastian Vettel called time on his glittering career after 299 Grand Prix starts.

18. WILL THE TITLE BE DECIDED BEFORE THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON?

YOUR PREDICTION: YES

CORRECT ANSWER: YES

Yes, the title was decided well before the last race of the season. Max Verstappen wrapped up the title, somewhat unexpectedly, at the conclusion of the rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix.

19. WHO WILL WIN THE CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP?

YOUR PREDICTION: FERRARI

CORRECT ANSWER: RED BULL

All the pre-season signs pointed to Ferrari’s best championship chance in years and they just won this pre-season poll. However, the Scuderia were powerless to stop the Red Bull juggernaut and the Milton Keynes-based team comfortably wrapped up the Constructors’ Championship with three races to spare.

20. WHO WILL BE THE 2022 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPION?

YOUR PREDICTION: MAX VERSTAPPEN

CORRECT ANSWER: MAX VERSTAPPEN

The majority of responses to this question predicted Max Verstappen to win his second World Championship – and he duly delivered!

How many of this year’s pre-season prediction polls did you get correct? Leave a comment below!

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