2022 Formula One World Championship

It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars.

[35] The following drivers were entered at selected events to drive in free practice: Honda initially stated that they would not supply power units beyond 2021.

Unlapping procedures were reassessed by the Formula One Sporting Advisory Committee following the controversy of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and presented prior to the start of the season.

The rotation policy was not met with favourable reviews from drivers, as well as being in response to criticism of Eduardo Freitas's performance as race director at the Japanese Grand Prix.

[72] Prior to the season, the FIA said it anticipated that the car performance deficit between the fastest and slowest teams on the grid would be cut by half when compared to 2021.

This aims to reduce the turbulent air in the wake of the cars to allow drivers to follow each other more closely whilst still maintaining a similar level of downforce compared to previous years.

The rear wings are wider and mounted higher than in previous years, with additional restrictions in place to limit the constructors' ability to use a car's exhaust gases to generate downforce.

[90] Bottoming out and porpoising can both cause significant forces readily felt by drivers; McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo described these as being "rattled" or "shaken".

[91] As a result, the FIA decided that from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards a technical directive would be introduced to prevent cars from porpoising and bottoming out to an unsafe level following safety and legality concerns in the first half of the season.

[92] The changes were initially proposed to come into force at the French Grand Prix but were pushed back in order to give teams enough time to comply with the directive.

[94][95] The proposed regulations involved removing the motor generator unit–heat (MGU-H) to simplify the technology used in the engine whilst raising the maximum rev limit by 3,000 rpm.

[101][102] Some aerodynamic components—such as the tray that sits at the front of the car floor—will also be standardised so as to restrict teams' ability to develop the area and gain a competitive advantage.

Unlike the previous season, the driver who sets the fastest time in qualifying was credited as the official polesitter, with the winner of sprint continuing to have the right to start the Grand Prix from the first place grid spot.

Additionally, in the event of a race that was suspended and could not be restarted, points would be awarded as follows:[110][111][112] The previous criteria had been in place for over 40 years prior to the change, last being altered some time between the 1977 and 1980 seasons.

[119] The pre-season test suggested that Ferrari and Red Bull were the two strongest teams, ahead of reigning Constructors' Champion Mercedes.

The Red Bull cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez both retired late in the closing laps with fuel issues, from second and fourth respectively.

Williams's Nicholas Latifi hit the wall at the final corner shortly afterwards, the two Ferraris and Verstappen made pitstops during the subsequent safety car, allowing them to gain position on Pérez.

[128] Alpine's Fernando Alonso, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, and Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas retired after 38 laps due to technical problems.

[129] Verstappen won the race after a late overtake on Leclerc, following several laps where they exchanged positions, Sainz finished third ahead of Pérez.

[136] Leclerc ran in third for most of the race but spun on lap 53, falling to ninth and promoting McLaren's Lando Norris to the final podium place.

[142][143] Leclerc and Sainz finished second and third, respectively, while Pérez, who had temporarily suffered engine issues that cost him about 30 horsepower, and Russell made up the top five.

[145] Leclerc took pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix,[146][147] which he led until being forced to retire on lap 27 due to a turbo and MGU-H failure.

[160] Five laps after Magnussen retired due to water pressure loss,[161] Schumacher spun near the swimming pool section, splitting his car in two and causing the race to be stopped.

[170] Verstappen took pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, which returned to the calendar after a two-year absence, after a wet qualifying session.

[174] Verstappen overtook him at turn one, before the race was red flagged following a multi-car crash, and was restarted with original positions,[175] meaning Sainz started first again.

[180] Russell took his maiden pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix while Red Bull Racing struggled in qualifying, with Verstappen suffering MGU-K problems and Pérez unable to get a clean lap in Q2 leaving them tenth and eleventh on the grid.

[183] The Belgian Grand Prix was the first race held after the August break, with several drivers taking on additional components and incurring grid penalties for doing so.

Verstappen made quick work of the cars ahead at the restart, with Pérez following to secure a one-two finish for Red Bull Racing.

[191] The Singapore Grand Prix was the first race wherein Verstappen could win the championship mathematically, needing to outscore Leclerc by 22 points, Pérez by 13 and George Russell by 6.

Daniel Ricciardo made his way from thirteenth to seventh in sixteen laps while also dealing with a ten-second time penalty due to a collision with Yuki Tsunoda.