Can LeClerc bounce back?
After a strong start to the 2022 season, Charles LeClerc as has slipped massively in the Championship. Can he bounce back and be in the contention?
New Regulations for 2022
Mercedes has pretty much dominated the tubro-hybrid era, winning 8 Championships in a row. With the new Aero-regulations for 2022 there was a hope for a change in the Peking order. And change it did. Mercedes as still struggling to figure out their car and are a distant third to the front-runners. Ferrari has made a massive leap after struggling from 2019 to 2021. Red Bull has been able to hold on to their position with a great car and an engine to match it.
Advantage LeClerc, in the beginning
If 2021 was a fight between Mercedes and Red Bull, 2022 was to be a fight between Ferrari and Red Bull. Instead of Lewis vs Max, we were to have LeClerc vs Max. The first few races saw Verstappen and LeClerc going up against each other and having some great battles. Ferrari seemed to have figured out the regulations and have given a great car to LeClerc. Meanwhile Andrian Newey has not done a bad job either and neither has the newly formed Red Bull Powertrain department.
Reliability issues
Ironically both Ferrari and Red Bull were plagued by reliability issues at a time when engine rules were hardly changed, expect the E10 fuel.
As the season started Ferrari and LeClerc had the upper hand. Charles had a great car under him and he is in the form of his life, driving like a true Championship contender.
By the time Australian GP ended LeClerc was 46 points ahead of Max. Many wondered if 2022 will be a one-sided show with Ferrari and LeClerc dominating the season.
Max makes a come-back
Alas, it all proved to be wrong. While LeClerc was driving like a champion and kept on getting pole after pole, Ferrari showed the chinks in their armor. It brought back memories of 2008 and 2012 and 2018 when Ferrari gave up on the Championship after a dominating start to the season.
It all started with the reliability issues of the super-powerful Ferrari engine. LeClerc had to retire twice and the penalties caused him to start from the back of the grid in Canada. In Monaco, his home race, LeClerc moved from P1 to P4 because of a strategy blunder by the Ferrari team.
On the other hand Red Bull seems to have fixed their reliability issues, for now. Max also is continuing his top form from 2021 and has won pretty much all the times he has finished the race. Even Checho is in a very good form and is literally ahead of LeClerc in the championship.
The tide has turned completely. From a 46 point deficit, Max is not 49 points ahead.
Long 2022 season
2022 is a long season and more than half of it is still left. As LeClerc said, two wins for him and two DNFs by Max is enough is cover the gap. Ferrari team still has a good car and will not take much to get things together.
Let’s hope we have an exciting 2022 season, just like the previous one.