Sky Sports’ Johnny Herbert Shares His Take On F1’s 2022 Season

F1’s 2021 season can be summed up with just three words… What. Just. HAPPENED? Such an intense build-up leading into the finale, all to be torn asunder by bad judgment. But for better or worse, it’s now over, and we can rinse the aftertaste with (hopefully) another good season this year around. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t be getting another heated ending for 2022, not again.

With that being said, 2022 marks a new beginning for F1 in more ways than one. Some drivers have been given the boot from the sport entirely, while old drivers are welcomed back with open arms. It has been quite intriguing thus far, to say the least. Case in point, Haas has scored more Constructors Points in the first race this year than the last two years combined, and Alfa Romeo is doing well, too. 

Meanwhile, we have Ferrari scoring a fantastic 1-2 finish, with Mercedes trailing behind. McLaren has dropped to the rear of the pack, which really hurts my soul… Very much so. In their company, Red Bull fell hard, having been hit with a double DNF at Bahrain, now sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard. Oh, and let’s not forget how this year’s F1 cars are going to be quite a bit different from last year’s.

If there’s one man qualified to share his take on what 2022 is shaping up to be, Johnny Herbert might be our guy. As a former F1 driver (and Schumacher Sr.’s old teammate, by the way), he’s excited for what’s ahead. The changes in regulations, especially, could lead to plenty more of the close quarters, wheel-to-wheel racing that we all love. Plus, it’ll be a tough fight for everyone, across all teams.

Things Will Be A Lot Closer At The Top

Johnny Herbert’s recent interview with Betway reveals his thoughts on F1’s 2022 season. For a change, he says it’s good that drivers are now having to work harder behind the wheel. Following the unveiling of the redesigned 2022 cars, drivers had mixed feelings about it. But, most agreed that they were harder to drive and not as easy to control, ensuring that all teams could be more competitive.

There’s less dirty air interrupting the cars behind, among other serious revisions. Johnny Herbert has hopes that this alone could turn 2022 into a highly competitive season. And, it might also give all the smaller teams a fighting chance, as well. Speaking of teams, he finds it distracting (as do I, frankly) of all the beef between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. Sure, bitter rivalry can be quite fascinating.

Nevertheless, it’s now become too much about them, says Johnny Hebert. In the old days, it was all about the drivers, as fans rallied around them like heroes. As 2021’s seasons ran on, it turned more into a diss between teams and less about the actual racing. Here’s hoping that there’ll be less of it this year. In that case, does Johnny Herbert have a prediction about who’s going to win this time?

If you ask Johnny Herbert, it’s Lewis all the way. Seeing how 2021’s ended, he believes that there’s a serious drive and determination within Lewis to win it outright in 2022. That fiery motivation, on top of the interesting concepts that Mercedes has been working on, could be enough to defy Red Bull a consecutive win.