Balance of F1, Verstappen, Hamilton, the drivers, the teams. Las Vegas with a race in 2023?

After Max Verstappen's victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 2022 season of the top category of world motorsport came to an end. After 22 exciting races, we take stock of what happened in F1 and what is to come for 2023, with changes both in the drivers and in the circuits that will be run next season.

Max Verstappen, the big winner. The Dutch driver dominated the season from start to finish, with 15 wins out of 22 possible races, breaking his record of 14 from last year, clinched his second title in a row with several races to go and is already beginning to establish his hegemony in the ' Big Carp' of motoring.

Red Bull, is a great constructor. The bull's team easily won the teams' title, beating Ferrari, its immediate pursuer, by more than 200 points. 17 victories, 28 podiums, and the majority of laps led in the grand Prix show the reliability and excellent management of the Austrians.

Charles Leclerc, the promise that is already a reality. The Monegasque had an outstanding 2022 and took the runner-up position from Sergio 'Checo' Pérez in the last race. In this season he achieved three victories (Bahrain, Australia, Austria) and nine pole positions, being the driver who started the most races from the first position.

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Mercedes, disappointment. The 'Silver Arrows team fell well short of their expectations and could barely reach third place in the constructors' championship. The irregularity throughout the season that only allowed them to get one victory, a top speed lower than that of their rivals that were only enough for one pole position in 22 races, and mechanical failures at key moments, condemned Toto Wolff's men.

Lewis Hamilton, the anti-record. The multiple world champion had 2022 to forget, after 15 years, he did not achieve any victory in the regular season, he did not reach any pole position, and barely achieved sixth place in the drivers' championship, even surpassed by his teammate George Russell.

Mick Schumacher, the premature goodbye. After two seasons in Formula 1, the son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher was fired by the Hass team and his place will be taken by the also German Nico Hülkenberg. In 2022, Mick scored points in the races in England and Austria, however, he scored 13 fewer points than his teammate Kevin Magnussen.

Guanyu Zhou, the beginner. At 23 years old, the Shanghai-born was the only rookie of the season, he is the first driver in the history of his country to run Formula 1. The Alfa Romeo driver got the fastest lap at the Suzuka Grand Prix and scored 6 points throughout the championship.

What's Next For 2023?

The big announcements have not been long in coming as far as pilots are concerned. The first was the retirement of multiple champion Sebastián Vettel, Aston Martin driver this season, who will be replaced by also former champion Fernando Alonso, who left the Alpine team. The French team decided to replace the Spaniard with Pierre Gasly, who, despite being the current Alpha Tauri driver, gave his place to the Dutch Nyck de Vries.

Canadian Nicholas Latifi has left the Williams team and will be replaced by Logan Sergeant, who has raced in Formula 2 this season. Regarding McLaren, it will also have news regarding its drivers, the Australian Daniel Ricciardo gives his place to Oscar Piastri, Formula 2 and Formula 3 champion.

About racing, the main novelty will be the return of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which after 41 years will return to the Formula 1 calendar. It is expected to be a night street circuit and will run on November 18. The race in the United States will replace the French Grand Prix that will not take place next year.

The 24-race calendar will also return thanks to the resumption of the Qatari and Chinese Grands Prix that did not take place this year. The first did not take place due to the organization of the World Cup and the second did not take place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that continues to affect the Asian giant.