Formula 1: Way-too-early 2022 manufacturer power rankings

Formula 1 manufacturer rankings: No. 1 – Mercedes

Many will hate to see it, but let’s be frank about this. Mercedes still produced the best power unit in Formula 1 and have been fully concentrated on the 2022 regulations since their debut at the 2019 United States Grand Prix.

This freedom could only be taken because of the dominance of the W11, which has only been changed since to fit seasonal regulation changes and still nearly took Lewis Hamilton to an eighth world championship under the guise of the W12 name.

The initial portions of this development cycle though also took place before the institution of Formula 1’s “sliding scale” for wind tunnel testing, meaning that each team could use 65 wind tunnel runs per week.

This was an immensely important time for Mercedes to get a jump on the rest of the competition, gaining an understanding of the basic nuances of the new regulations while their competition continued to fight amongst each other with soon-to-be outdated machinery.

It’s a sad reality, but these are the final fruits of their impressive labor from the leadup to 2014. You can wish for the return of consistent Ferrari formation finishes, but Mercedes are set to continue their reign over Formula 1.