Lewis Hamilton says element of the unknown makes 2022 most exciting pre-season in years

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says the unknown element that the 2022 regulations are bringing to Formula 1 is making this pre-season the most exciting he has seen for years.

F1 is back with pre-season beginning in Barcelona this week, with what is the first of two test sessions before lights out on March 20th in Bahrain.

Indeed, it’s an intriguing period for every team and driver as they assess their completely overhauled cars compared to last year, and Hamilton is as excited as any fan at what unpredictability is being thrown up.

Speaking at the test in Barcelona, the 7-time champ said:

“I think every year is exciting but in previous years it was an evolution of the previous year’s cars.

“In this one, it’s completely brand new.

“Of course, I’ve seen designs of our car over several months but now to see everyone’s car out there you’re kind of just trying to get a close eye, see what’s different, if there is anything why certain teams have chosen a certain route in terms of sidepod design, front wing and rear floor.

“It’s the most exciting one. And you have no idea where you stand.”

Of course, you might expect the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes to remain at the front given the resources they have but testing has already shown that Ferrari and McLaren appear to look strong too – though it is of course very early days to make firm predictions.

Interestingly, the design of each car looks quite different to another as each team interprets the new rules and we might only see in Bahrain on race weekend who has truly got it right and who hasn’t.