Honda has finished participating in F1 as an F1 power unit supplier until 2021. From the 2022 season, at the request of the Red Bull Group, the new HRC (Honda Racing) will support Red Bull Powertrains, the power unit development department.
Red Bull power units will be used by two teams, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. From Oracle Red Bull Racing, new champion Max Verstappen, who took the 2021 Honda F1 driver’s title for the first time in 30 years, and Sergio Perez, who came 4th last season.
Scuderia AlphaTauri has appointed Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, the only regular F1 driver from Japan. Both teams continued with the same players as in 2021, and started the 2022 season.
The opening round of the F1 Bahrain GP held on March 20 was difficult for both teams. Verstappen, Perez, and Gasly, who were competing for the top positions, retired in the final stage due to engine problems. Although Tsunoda finished the race in 8th place, it was a difficult start.
The situation improved in the second round of the F1 Saudi Arabian GP the following week, and Verstappen won a fierce battle with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and took the first win of the season. However, in the third round, the F1 Australian GP, Verstappen’s engine once again experienced trouble and retired. With this, there is a big gap in points from Leclerc, who has been in great form since the start of the season.
The new machine was made under new regulations this season, so it was a little uneasy in the early stages of the race, but from the 4th round F1 GP Emilia Romagna held from April 22nd to 24th, an immediate improvement was shown. Verstappen finished the qualifying sprint on top and took pole to win the final race. Perez finished in 2nd place, achieving his first 1-2 finish of the season. Verstappen went on to win the F1 Miami GP and the F1 Spanish GP, surpassing Leclerc and rising to the top of the standings.
Round 7, which was greeted with a good flow, is the GP F1 Monaco, famous as one of the three great races of the world. Perez and Verstappen started from the 2nd row on a course that was difficult to overtake, but Perez took the lead thanks to his clever pit strategy and took his first Monaco GP win. He was also the first Mexican driver to win.
Oracle Red Bull Racing continues to show momentum in Round 8, F1 Azerbaijan GP. Verstappen and Perez finished 1-2 for the third time this season in Baku, known as a fast street course. Verstappen also won Round 9, the Canadian Grand Prix, and entered the standings at the top of the standings. Ferrari wins the 10th and 11th rounds, but Verstappen wins the 12th F1 France GP round. In the 13th Hungarian GP F1 round, Verstappen’s power unit problem occurred in qualifying and he started 10th. However, as a result of taking measures for the final, Verstappen regained the pace that overwhelmed the others and took the come-from-behind victory from 10th. After a satisfying weekend called “one of my best races”, we entered the summer holidays in less than a month.
On August 2nd, during the summer holidays, it was announced that HRC’s support, which was to start until the end of 2022, would be extended to the 2025 season, making the partnership even stronger in the second half of the race. In the 14th Belgian F1 GP round, he achieved a 1-2 finish for the fourth time this season, and Verstappen also won the pole-to-win in his native Netherlands and the 16th Italian GP round, winning 5 wins in a row. He finished 7th in the 17th round, the F1 Singapore GP, but with 11 wins and tremendous strength so far, he leads the championship with a difference of more than 100 points from Leclerc in 2nd. As early as this weekend, there is a possibility that the championship will be decided by the Japanese GP.
Oracle Red Bull Racing is in good shape, with Perez also in 3rd place, just behind Leclerc. In contrast, Scuderia AlphaTauri have not been on the podium so far, with Gasly in 13th and Tsunoda in 17th.
For Suzuka Circuit Racing School graduate Yuki Tsunoda, Suzuka is a home course he is more familiar with than any other driver. This will be his first home GP, and he will aim for his best result of the season, gaining points for the first time since Round 6.
Category: F1 / honda f1 / red bull / F1 Japanese GP / Alpha Tauri
