The 2022 Formula 1 season is almost upon us with the opening Bahrain Grand Prix set to begin a new era.
Brand new cars focused on ground effect are set to shake up the order, with the top teams expecting a tougher challenge this year from rivals under the budget and development caps.
Will the aerodynamic changes make the difference for some teams or will the usual suspects be fighting for the championship once again?
Here is everything you need to know about every team ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Red Bull
Team principal: Christian Horner
Key staff: Jonathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey, Dr Helmut Marko
Max Verstappen
Car No 1
Age 24
Wins 20
Poles 13
2021 position 1st
Aim in 2022 Simple: to defend his Formula 1 crown
Sergio Perez
Car No 11
Age 32
Wins 2
Fastest laps 6
2021 position 4th
Aim in 2022 To get closer to Verstappen’s pace
Mercedes
W13 E-Performance
Team principal: Toto Wolff
Key staff: Hywel Thomas, Mike Elliott, James Vowles, Ron Meadows
Lewis Hamilton
Car No 44
Age 37
Wins 103
Poles 103
2021 position 2nd
Aim in 2022 Win a record eighth drivers’ world title
George Russell
Car No 63
Age 24
Podiums 1
Fastest laps 1
2021 position 15th
Aim in 2022 Reduce gap to Hamilton in a way Bottas never could
Ferrari
F1-75
Team principal: Mattia Binotto
Key staff: Laurent Mekies, Enrico Cardile
Charles Leclerc
Car No 16
Age 24
Wins 2
Poles 9
2021 position 7th
Aim in 2022 Reassert team leader role over Carlos Sainz Jr
Carlos Sainz
Car No 55
Age 27
Podiums 6
Fastest laps 1
2021 position 5th
Aim in 2022 His first F1 drive was in 2015, so a first win is long overdue
McLaren
MCL36
Team principal: Andreas Seidl
Key staff: Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, James Key
Lando Norris
Car No 4
Age 23
Poles 1
Fastest laps 3
2021 position 6th
Aim in 2022 Securing a maiden F1 win (perhaps on home turf: Monaco)
Daniel Ricciardo
Car No 3
Age 32
Wins 8
Podiums 32
2021 position 8th
Aim in 2022 Find his missing pace; quicken up relative to Norris
Alpine
A522
Team principal: Otmar Szafnauer
Key staff: Laurent Rossi, Bruno Famin, Davide Brivio
Fernando Alonso
Car No 14
Age 40
Wins 32
Poles 22
2021 position 10th
Aim in 2022 Fight for podiums; he’s had just one in since 2014
Esteban Ocon
Car No 31
Age 25
Wins 1
Podiums 2
2021 position 11th
Aim in 2022 Beat Alonso regularly and find some consistency
AlphaTauri
AT03
Team principal: Franz Tost
Key staff: Jody Egginton
Pierre Gasly
Car No 10
Age 25
Wins 1
Fastest laps 3
2021 position 9th
Aim in 2022 Get among the front runners and take points more regularly
Yuki Tsunoda
Car No 22
Age 21
Best F1 finish 4th
Career points 32
2021 position 14th
Aim in 2022 To become much more consistent
Aston Martin
AMR22
Team principal: Mike Krack
Key staff: Andrew Green, Dan Fallows
Sebastian Vettel
Car No 5
Age 34
Wins 53
Poles 57
2021 position 12th
Aim in 2022 The four-time winner needs to out-score Stroll emphatically
Lance Stroll
Car No 18
Age 23
Podiums 3
Poles 1
2021 position 13th
Aim in 2022 Finish races ahead of Vettel – which he’s capable of on his day
Williams
FW44
Team principal: Jost Capito
Key staff: François-Xavier Demaison
Nicholas Latifi
Car No 6
Age 26
Career points 7
Best F1 finish 7th
2021 position 17th
Aim in 2022 Avoid the mistakes that led to retirements in 2021
Alexander Albon
Car No 23
Age 25
Podiums 2
Career points 197
2021 position N/A
Aim in 2022 Beat Latifi – as Russell did
Alfa Romeo
C42
Team principal: Fred Vasseur
Key staff: Jan Monchaux
Valterri Bottas
Car No 77
Age 32
Wins 10
Podiums 67
2021 position 3rd
Aim in 2022 Score points and dominate newcomer Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu
Car No 24
Age 22
Formula 2 career starts 68
F2 wins 5
2021 F2 position 3rd
Aim in 2022 The first Chinese F1 driver needs to keep on track and close to Bottas
Haas
VF-22
Team principal: Guenther Steiner
Key staff: Simone Resta
Mick Schumacher
Car No 57
Age 22
F1 starts 22
Best F1 finish 12th
2021 position 19th
Aim in 2022 Maintain his advantage over Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Mazepin
Car No 9
Age 22
F1 starts 21
Best F1 finish 14th
2021 F2 position 21st
Aim in 2022 Get closer to Schumacher and earn a point or two