What we just witnessed throughout the 2022 Formula One season surely must rank in the top echelons of what the definition of utter dominance is when referencing what Red Bull and now two time champion Max Verstappen achieved. Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races with 15 going to Max Verstappen and 2 to Sergio Perez. We rank Max as a once in a generation driver. His speed has never been in question, but now his race craft and maturity are rapidly scaling stratospheric levels.
    There were other highlights of course, with Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz winning their maiden GP's. The thing that we've had trouble wrapping our brains around is how certain F1 pundits never seem to give Max and Red Bull credit. All season we heard how Ferrari were going to fight back and Mercedes weren't going to be down for long. It wasn't until it finally became mathematically impossible for Max and Red Bull to be beaten, that said pundits finally conceded. We understand that they have to talk it up, but seriously! Credit where it's due. They've won more races in one season than anyone else since F1's 1950 inception. Ferrari, whether it be strategic, operational, communication or drivers' errors, despite producing an excellent car, give the impression of implosion, and it's not the first time. Mercedes' aerodynamic woes were well documented, leaving them to play catch up. However by season's end, it's perceived that they've finally started to constrain their performance gremlins, which certainly bodes well for next season. Red Bull on the other hand, under the astute leadership of Christian Horner, virtually never miss a beat and the amount of mistakes they make over a season, you could probably count on two fingers. 
    Red Bull with still probably the best design team in F1 overseen by Adrian Newey, rarely produce a "sub optimal" car, to use a Ron Dennisism. They've locked down arguably the most complete, fastest and exciting driver in Max Verstappen until 2028. Now Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the fold as third driver adding depth. All the ingredients are in place for Red Bull to continue to be the team that the other teams aspire to be. Are we on the verge of another period of Red Bull dominance? Are we now embarking on the age of Max?    

    Early morning fog shrouds The Mountain. The appetising aroma of bacon and eggs from early rising campers' BBQ's cuts through the clean crisp air. That's right. It's the beginning of October and that only means one thing. Supercars' premier event, the Bathurst 1000 at iconic Mt Panorama is the sole focus. 
    Supercars only true endurance race for the season gives little credence to current form guides. There's the uncertain ingredient of co-drivers, the demanding track itself and the unpredictable weather. 161 laps of intrigue. What drama and surprises will The Mountain reveal in 2022? Can anyone reign in championship heavy hitter Shane Van Gisbergen? Will Chaz Mostert achieve back to back victories? What of returning Kiwi legend and four time winner Greg Murphy who's come out of retirement and competing as a wildcard entry? Or evergreen Craig Lowndes who's also entered as a wildcard? Can he add to his already impressive seven victories in his 300th start?
    One glaring element that would not be lost on almost all fans. This is the last true Holden vs Ford battle for Bathurst glory. As you are no doubt aware, parent company General Motors have ceased production of Holdens some time ago and this is the last campaign at Bathurst for the renown brand in Supercars. In fact, next season's Gen 3 Supercars are doing demonstration runs at Mt Panorama. GM have replaced Holden with the Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford have a new Mustang. Both purpose built and aggressive looking, but will Supercars' new race cars be seamlessly adopted by the fans? There will be punters that embrace the next generation of Supercar and renew the rivalry. Conversely there will be punters that lament a long standing traditional rivalry that's involuntarily run its course.
    There is however this weekend's Bathurst 1000 to contend first with bragging rights on offer that potentially could take on extra significance. If a Holden team win, they will go in the history books as the last Holden team to win at Mt Panorama. Oh, and that fog we mentioned, might just be rain clouds the way the weather is shaping up. Bring it on....

    Why do sustained F1 championship challenges seem such a formidable demand to Ferrari? Last weekend's French GP saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc slide helplessly into the barriers while seemingly controlling the race. Whether it was a tyre issue, gust of wind, white line slip, sticking throttle, driver error or combination there of is irrelevant, as it's not the first time this season Ferrari have squandered a win. Team mate Carlos Sainz due to exceeding his power unit quota was relegated to the back of the grid, charged through the field, only to have a 5 second penalty inflicted upon him for an unsafe release from the pitbox. Again he charged forward into a potential podium position only for Ferrari to pit him again. Many questioned Ferrari's wisdom in pitting Sainz as the consequence was no hope of a podium. Didn't anyone notice how badly blistered Sainz's front right tyre was? Couldn't you assume that his tyres would drop off the cliff or worse still, suffer a catastrophic failure before the chequered flag? After all, track and ambient temperatures were through the roof. Isn't the more pertinent question why was he released at his first pit stop into the path of Alex Albon's Williams in the first place? 
    Meanwhile Red Bull's Max Verstappen methodically and quietly keeps amassing wins and podiums. With this weekend's Hungarian GP standing before F1's summer break, Verstappen could well be on his way to back to back championships.       
   Another winner that keeps on quietly achieving great things and deserves fanfare, is F1's halo safety device. Cast your mind back a couple of races ago. An accident at the start of the British GP saw Alfa Romero's Zhou Guanyu involved in a horrific crash which saw him skidding upside down through the gravel trap, catapulting off the tyre barrier, finally resting sideways between the tyre barrier and catch fencing. The roll hoop failed and the only thing between Zhou's head and the track was the cockpit surrounding titanium halo. He escaped uninjured. Remember this wonderful safety device can take the equivalent weight of a London double decker bus. Many were sceptical at its inception in 2018, citing tradition and aesthetics, but there have been many instances of the halo reducing the level of injury or even life saving to date. At Spa in 2018, Fernando Alonso's McLaren vaulted over Charles Leclerc's Sauber  at the start. There's no doubt Romain Grosjean's fiery Bahrain crash in 2020 could have resulted in far worse consequences if it wasn't for the halo. Who can forget Max Verstappen's and Lewis Hamilton's infamous coming together at Monza last year at the height of their championship battle? Max's Red Bull brushed Lewis' head before it sat perched on his Mercedes. 
    Plaudits go out to the designers, manufacturers, the governing body and all involved in implementing the game changing halo safety device. Let's not see it in action for a while though.

    4 time champ and current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement at season's end. Debuting in 2007, he's driven for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin. He sits third on the all time winners list with 53 victories to date. Congratulations on a stellar career.

    "Rain in five minutes." How many times have you heard the pitwall inform their driver of impending rain, only for it to not materialise? All F1 teams run numerous strategy simulations to arrive at the quickest solution from lights out to chequered flag. Majority of the time, utilising all the available data, even factoring in the rate of tyre degradation, they're right on the money. There's no doubt though, that when the precipitation arrives, pre-planned strategies are redundant and only the quickest to adopt new strategies are able to capitalise. Pre-empting rain however can be tempting strategic disaster. You can just hear the commentators on TV say to the boffins on the pitwall, they should listen to the driver and simply turn around, hold their hand out and look up. At these moments, is the driver's feedback as valuable as all the available data?
    It was certainly refreshing to hear Ferrari's Carlos Sainz at the recent Monaco GP insist on staying out on the extreme wet weather tyres  until he could go straight onto slicks thus skipping intermediates and stopping one less time. Barring a slow out lap behind a back marker, he could very well have won his first GP. You may recall McLaren's Lando Norris almost converting a stunning pole position into a maiden win at last year's Russian GP when he resisted the team's calls and persevered with slicks when the rain came with a handful of laps remaining. He ultimately failed as the rain just got too heavy forcing him to pit, but it does demonstrate strong conviction. That experience would surely render him more a formidable competitor. Last weekend's Azerbaijan GP saw Alpine's Fernando Alonso draw on his immense experience to convert his one stop strategy into their optimum result. He questioned whether the team pitted him too early, so to compensate, Alonso suggested he would manage his tyres before pushing on to the end. The great Michael Schumacher didn't win his seven championships by just doing what he was told. He possessed amazing insight in reading an unfolding race, and would often call strategy on the fly. He was largely involved in calling that memorable 5 stint strategy to win the 2004 French GP at Magny Cours for Ferrari. 
    F1 drivers obviously don't have access to all the data available while racing. If drivers simply called strategy in real time, why would the teams have strategists at the track, plus a team back at their factories on hook up? Teams are very adept at changing strategy to accommodate changing conditions or circumstances. How many times have you heard seven time champ Lewis Hamilton question Mercedes about a revised strategy? When hindsight reveals itself, haven't Mercedes been accurate? After a early race incident at this year's Spanish GP, Hamilton was ready to retire after suffering a puncture and dropping to a distant last. The team reassured him that P4 or P5 was possible and guess where he finished? Red Bull are another team that rarely misread strategy. Their masterclass at Monaco confirms that.
    F1 strategy is a meticulous process which requires all team elements operating at their best. Even then, with all the sensors on the car feeding the team data, weather radars, driver telemetry, and other instruments at the team's disposal, it can still be difficult to consistently nail. So, should drivers be encouraged to call strategy from the cockpit or should it be entirely left for the teams to decipher? Additionally, do some teams prefer to take charge of strategy themselves, as they consider their driver not experienced enough to be dictating strategy?  
    
        
        

    Formula One's most historic and grandee team Ferrari are most certainly in the midst of an epic battle to claim both Driver's and Constructor's Championships in 2022. After four races Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are leading both championships with defending champ Max Verstappen and Red Bull hot on their heels.
    When orchestrating a sustained assault on the championship, Ferrari have demonstrated over many past campaigns a very specific modus operandi. Dictated by early season form, Ferrari have traditionally put their collective might behind their higher scoring driver, with the second driver relegated to a diversionary, supporting role in their bid to achieve championship glory. Teams orders reversing driver positions or adopting delaying tactics to other competitors are nothing new to Ferrari or F1 for that matter. All perfectly legal and expected in a team sport where the stakes are high and the rewards immense. 
    With Leclerc leading the championship, team mate Carlos Sainz at present resides in 5th position. After starting the season strongly, he's currently enduring a wretched time DNF'ing in the last two races after crashing out in Australia and being punted on the first lap at Imola by a struggling Daniel Ricciardo. Even at this early stage of the season, is Carlos Sainz at risk of being assigned the subservient role of number 2 to further Charles Leclerc's championship quest? Think Rubens Barrichello to Michael Schumacher, or Felipe Massa to Fernando Alonso, or Clay Regazzoni to Niki Lauda. There's no doubt that Sainz is one of F1's top drivers. He competed strongly with Verstappen when they were both at Toro Rosso. Whether it's changing teams to Renault, McLaren or Ferrari, he's adjusted quickly, proving how versatile and accomplished he is. In fact he outscored team mate Leclerc in his first year at Ferrari in 2021. Ferrari obviously rate him too, as evidenced by his recently announced two year contract extension. 
    One simmering question remains that needs to be extinguished before the number 2 mantra becomes a reality. How many races will Ferrari afford Sainz to produce some podium topping results to avoid having a compliant number 2 status thrust upon him? A good start would be a win at this weekend's GP, guaranteeing Sainz and Ferrari a place in the records as the first winners of the inaugural Miami GP. Remember F1's Jewel In The Crown, the Monaco GP, is also being contested later this month. If Carlos Sainz won those two prestigious races or at least bagged big points, would that then leave Ferrari with no other option but to let their two drivers just simply race? Intriguing times ahead....
                        

    Forza Ferrari! The church bells at Maranello are probably still ringing out in recognition of Ferrari's impressive win at the Australian Grand Prix. After a false start, a couple of failed reschedules, Formula One finally made its triumphant return Down Under to Melbourne's stunning Albert Park. Record AGP crowds in excess of 400,000 over the 4 days were testament to its anticipated return.
    With 3 races consigned to history, the new for 2022 technical regulations governing car design, so far have produced riveting racing. A return to ground effect principles whereas the low air pressure under the floor generates the majority of downforce, coupled with simpler upper body aerodynamics to create higher and wider aero outwash, have appeared to allow the pursuing car to follow closer. To date, drivers are having to defend more vigorously and overtaking more prevalent.  You could conclude that the early signs regarding the new car designs are encouraging toward achieving their desired outcome. There's been closer racing throughout the entire field.
    Having said that though, it was an utterly dominant display from Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari team in claiming their second win in 3 races. They controlled the race from the moment the lights went out. Despite rivals Red Bull having the faster car in a straight line, they were unable to compete with Ferrari at Albert Park. Also concerning for defending champion Max Verstappen is his second retirement in 3 races. Could Red Bull's early season unreliability already be compromising a successful defence of his title? Also, what of world champions Mercedes? They say they have potential in their new car. But can they unlock it in time before the Constructor's Championship slips away? The positive element is they've maximised their results with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell claiming podiums in the early races.
    With the opening skirmishes falling Ferrari's way, can they mount a successful challenge for both the driver's and constructor's crowns? They have the drivers. They possess the infrastructure and facilities. Could 2022 finally be the year of the Prancing Horse? Perhaps we should ask the punters probably still celebrating at Lygon St in Melbourne's Italian precinct.  
            

    Welcome back. 2022 is shaping up to be an awesome motorsport season. It's that time of year where we outline the motorsport events we envisage attending throughout 2022. We trust you are enjoying the photos from the Sydney SuperNight at Sydney Motorsport Park featuring the opening round of the 2022 Supercars Championship. It's just the beginning.
    
    

​    Below is the list of proposed events for 2022. 
> April 7th - 10th: Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne featuring F1 and supported by Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup and S5000.
> April 15th - 17th: Bathurst 6 Hour At Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring the Bathurst 6 Hour for Production Cars and supported by TCR, Trans Am and Historic Touring Cars.
> May 13th - 15th: Bathurst 12 Hour at Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring the Bathurst 12 Hour for GT cars and supported by Aussie Racing Cars.
> May 27th - 29th: Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) featuring S5000, TCR, Touring Car Masters, Trans Am and Radical Australia Cup.
> June 11th - 12th: Sydney Classic At SMSP featuring Historic Racing.
> September 3rd - 4th: Sydney Masterblast at SMSP featuring the Muscle Car Masters.
> October 1st - 2nd: Australian Motor Racing Series at SMSP featuring Formula 3.
> November 11th - 13th: Bathurst International at Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring TCR, Touring Car Masters, S5000, Trans Am and GT.
> November 18th - 20th: Tasman Series at SMSP featuring S5000.
> December 3rd - 4th: Summer Festival at SMSP featuring Historic Racing.

    Despite the delayed start to the 2022 season, we should still be able to work the Nikon shutter button pretty hard. Better grab some extra memory cards. The aforementioned programme is of course subject to change. Next stop, F1 at Albert Park. Can Ferrari capitalise on their early season form? God bless and see you in Melbourne....

  
    

    We marvelled at Ayrton Senna's striking yellow helmut menacingly protruding from the stunningly beautiful Lotus resplendent in black and gold livery. That was 1985. Now we're hooked, fast forward to today and we still anticipate with baited breath the latest instalment of each and every race of Formula One. 2021 however, raised the bar to a level that we feel is unprecedented. We simply cannot recall a season that was as compelling and riveting as we just witnessed. From the first race at Bahrain to the very last lap of the last race at Abu Dhabi, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen went toe-to-toe all season with the championship lead changing several times throughout the campaign. In the end Verstappen triumphed over the 7 time champ to win his maiden championship in what some would say controversial circumstances.
    The two championship contenders were equal on points going into the final race. A race start skirmish saw Hamilton take the lead and maintain it from Verstappen until a late crash by Williams' Nicholas Latifi became the catalyst for a Safety Car. When racing resumed with one last flying lap left, Verstappen on fresh soft tyres was able to overtake Hamilton on ageing hard tyres and win the race and therefore the championship. The handling of the Safety Car period by the FIA Race Director is what has divided opinion. To some, this was where the controversy lied. Or was there? 
    The rules state that once a track is deemed safe to continue racing that lapped cars can pass the Safety car and unlap themselves, with the Safety Car leaving the circuit the next lap and racing to resume. What occurred at Abu Dhabi was that only the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to unlap themselves and the Safety Car left the circuit on the same lap. This was the basis of Mercedes' subsequent protest. However the very next article in the regulations supercede this by stating that the race director can exercise discretion and call the Safety Car in at any time when the track is deemed safe. No one wants to see a race finish behind the Safety Car. Are the teams the consequent victims of the "just let us race" mantra that they so strenuously lobbied the FIA for? The FIA was remarkably tacit on the fallout after the race. In fact, the incoming president had more to say than the outgoing president. Wouldn't it have been prudent to back their F1 Race Director when punters' discord was directed towards him, or was he effectively thrown under the bus? Also, given that F1 provide approximately 60% of the FIA's total revenue to administer all motorsport under its governance, is it time to have a dedicated department to just focus on F1? Should the same group of stewards be utilised at all events instead of routinely chopping and changing?
    The way the race transpired presents a raft of further questions. A great trivia question is, who finished on the podium in third place? We hate to refer to such a wonderful driver as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz as a trivia question, but why wasn't he afforded an opportunity to win the race by letting the lapped cars in front of him unlap themselves?
    Additionally, this doesn't mean that the regulations don't need some tweaking for the future. Nothing is perfect. To avoid future controversies such as this, should F1 adopt an Indy Car type approach to late race incidents? By this we mean, if an incident occurs within say 5 laps or less remaining that would normally constitute a Safety Car, should F1 red flag the race and have a standing start recommencement when the track is clear? Cast your mind back to this year's Azerbaijan GP. The late race restart was certainly exciting. Conversely, should tyre changing be outlawed in the event of a red flag? Perhaps pitlane should be closed for tyre changing with 5 laps to go?
     Both Verstappen and Hamilton were worthy champions and both should be congratulated. Lewis Hamilton was a class act in defeat. You can understand Mercedes' grievance over missing out on the driver's title. Not sure about boycotting the FIA prize giving gala in Paris though. Motorsport can be a cruel sport. The highs are high, and the lows are low. As a learned associate of ours stated, "somebody has to win and somebody has to lose". Either way, the publicity F1 generated is great for bringing in new fans. We once again wait with baited breath for the next instalment of F1. Bring on 2022. 
    

    All 6.213kms of bumps and turns watched menacing by the encroaching walls pose a challenge. Associate this with 161 laps of intrigue and you have the Bathurst 1000. Supercars' marquee event, the Bathurst 1000 at Mt Panorama is fast approaching. 
    The Mt Panorama circuit started as a tourist scenic drive, but its potential as a racing circuit was soon recognised by local authorities. Racing commenced in 1938 with the Australian Tourist Trophy. The Armstrong 500 (miles) moved from Philip Island to Mt Panorama in 1963. The distance increased to 1000kms in 1973, and thus became known as the Bathurst 1000 and been contested every year since. Now the 23 turns with a 174m elevation disparity between Murray's Corner at the start of pit straight and Skyline at the top of the mountain present the ultimate challenge for Australia's top Supercar drivers. Whether it be the fast evolving weather, the invasive kangaroos, mechanical gremlins, the teams and drivers race the circuit as much as each other, and when the Mountain bites, it bites hard. 
    The Bathurst 1000 presents itself as the only true endurance race for the 2021 Supercars' Championship. All entrants are utilising the services of a co-driver, with teamwork the key for unlocking success in the Great Race. As mentioned, 161 laps with 7 compulsory pit stops and driver changes provide the perfect ingredients for the toughest race to win in Australian motorsport. This year the Bathurst 1000 is being run much later than ever in December. It is also starting at the latest time ever at 12.15pm. Will fading light be an issue if the weather is questionable? Since the Great Race is the culmination of a mammoth 6 day event, will the increased amount of rubber laid down on the circuit translate to quicker lap times? Will the vastly different ambient conditions present new challenges for the teams to negotiate? Already the apprehensive excitement is palpable.
    The 2021 Supercars' Championship has already been decided. Red Bull Racing's Shane van Gisbergen has attained an unassailable lead in the drivers', and Red Bull have done likewise in the teams'. Red Bull's other driver, the 7 time champ Jamie Whincup is retiring from full time competition after Bathurst. We've already seen at the recent Sydney Cup at Sydney Motorsport Park that he is unwilling to acquiesce to team orders and has clearly stated he's out to win. Is there a chance of more paint swapping between the two Red Bull drivers at Bathurst? Perhaps we'll see a complete surprise prevail at the Great Race. We'll know in a week....

    What a riveting season this year's Formula One championship has been. The title quest seems unwilling to attach itself to the two leading championship contenders. Will Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton win an unprecedented 8th title, or will Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen abscond with his first? The so called Mercedes circuits have gone to Red Bull, and the Red Bull strongholds have been opportunistically snatched by Mercedes. This is one of the best seasons that we can ever recall. 
    Many a pundit has previously suggested that Max will succumb to the pressure as Lewis has won the championship multiple times before. We don't subscribe to this ideal. Max is mentally extremely strong, unperturbed by outside influences, and hence unflappable. Remember he started F1 only 2 years after winning the World Karting Championship. Many a karting champion has not been able to cut it in formula categories, but not Verstappen. Besides you don't become world karting champ without withstanding pressure, as it's impossible to control the race and win by 20 seconds or more like you can in other categories. The competition is always right there behind you waiting to pounce on any mistake. With five F1 races left to go, it's refreshing to read that many of these pundits have changed their tune. Hamilton could still very well win this year, and Max will be just as unflappable. He knows he'll have his day. Do you think that Max is a once in a generation driver?
    Tomorrow morning's (Australian time) Mexican Grand Prix could present an intriguing scenario. Mercedes have surprisingly locked out the front row with Red Bull on the second row at a so called Red Bull circuit. Max's team mate Sergio Perez is Mexican and a national superstar. Imagine a situation where Perez could be in a position to win the race, but told to let Verstappen pass for the sake of the championship? Bold and brazen to say the least. But how will the Mexican fans react?