Three drivers who were not among the 20 who competed in Formula 1 throughout the 2021 season are set to join the sport for the 2022 campaign.
Six of the 10 teams that competed throughout the 2021 Formula 1 season are set to return in 2022 with the exact same two-driver lineups that they fielded throughout the 22-race 2021 season.
But three teams are set to make one driver change ahead of the 23-race 2022 campaign, and one team is set for a complete overhaul.
In total, 17 of the 20 drivers who competed in 2021 are set to return in 2022, with 15 staying at their respective teams.
This means that three drivers who did not compete in the sport in 2021 are set to do so in 2022.
Of course, we can hardly call two of them “new” to Formula 1; one “new” driver is Alexander Albon, who is set to replace the Mercedes-bound George Russell at Williams alongside Nicholas Latifi.
Albon was without a ride in 2021, but he will not compete in 2022 as a rookie; he was replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull after the 2020 season. He spent the 2019 season competing for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and Red Bull before spending the entirety of the 2020 season with the latter.
As for Russell, he is set to replace the Alfa Romeo-bound Valtteri Bottas, who is set to replace the retiring Kimi Raikkonen.
Another “new” driver is Kevin Magnussen. Like Albon, he competed in 2020, but he lost his ride with Haas for the 2021 season. He wasn’t initially slated to compete in 2021, but Haas dropped Nikita Mazepin when they cut ties with title sponsor Uralkali following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So Magnussen is ironically set to replace the driver who replaced him a year ago.
The other new driver — the only truly new driver to Formula 1 this year — is rookie Guanyu Zhou. Zhou is set to replace the Antonio Giovinazzi, who has since joined Formula E, at Alfa Romeo, the lone team set to see two new drivers in 2022.
After three seasons competing in Formula 2, Zhou is set to become the first ever Chinese-born driver to compete in Formula 1.
The 2022 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix. The race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET, so don’t miss your opportunity to start your free trial of FuboTV now!