Formula 1: One team pulled off a complete lineup overhaul

While the majority of the Formula 1 teams that competed throughout the 2021 season are set to retain both of their drivers, one is set for a complete overhaul.

Just three of the 20 drivers who competed in Formula 1 throughout the 22-race 2021 season are not slated to return to the sport for 23-race 2022 campaign.

Of the 17 drivers set to return, 15 are set to do so for the same team.

In total, 12 of these 15 drivers are set to return with their teams and keep their teammates, meaning that six of the sport’s 10 teams have made absolutely no changes to their driver lineup this offseason.

The other three of these 15 drivers account for three of the other four teams; they are both set to have a new teammate.

That leaves one team set for a complete driver lineup overhaul.

Two of the three drivers on their way out of Formula 1 competed for the same team in 2021, and that team happen to be one of the only two teams that had not previously made a change to their driver lineup since the start of the 2019 season.

This time around, this team find themselves as the only team set to enter the 2022 season with two new drivers.

That team? Alfa Romeo.

Kimi Raikkonen has retired from Formula 1 and is set to be replaced by Valtteri Bottas, while Antonio Giovinazzi has joined Formula E with Dragon/Penske Autosport and is set to be replaced by Guanyu Zhou, the lone true rookie in this year’s driver lineup.

The other three teams that made driver changes ahead of the 2022 season each made just one change, leaving one driver in the same seat and swapping out the other.

Two of those teams are connected to the changes at Alfa Romeo.

Bottas’s move to Alfa Romeo was prompted by him being replaced at Mercedes by George Russell, the only driver aside from Bottas who is set to return to Formula 1 in 2022 but with a different team from 2021, alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Set to replace Russell at Williams alongside Nicholas Latifi is Alexander Albon, who did not compete in Formula 1 in 2021. However, unlike Zhou, he is not set to become a rookie, as he did compete in 2019 (for Toro Rosso — now AlphaTauri — and Red Bull) and 2020 (for Red Bull) before losing his ride.

The only other change took place at Haas, with Kevin Magnussen set to replace Nikita Mazepin. Magnussen, like Albon, competed in 2020 but not in 2021. In fact, Mazepin ironically replaced Magnussen in 2021, but he spent just one year with the team. The team cut ties with title sponsor Uralkali amid the Russia/Ukraine conflict, leading to Mazepin being dropped.

As far as Alfa Romeo go, they also made another exciting announcement in recent weeks.

They confirmed that Hyland, a United States-based leading content services provider that enables thousands of organizations to deliver better experiences to the people it serves, has joined them as a partner for the upcoming season.

In related news, today, Bottas announced that he has signed a multi-year partnership with the brand, which, prior to their initial Alfa Romeo announcement, had not yet ventured into the Formula 1 space.

The 32-year-old Finn is set to feature Hyland logo placements on his racewear both on the side of his firesuit and the side of his helmet as he enters his 10th season in Formula 1. He is the most recent addition to their expanding roster of professional sports partnerships, with also includes one with Olympic gold medal-winning golfer and PGA TOUR star Xander Schauffele.

Here is what Bottas had to say about the new partnership.

"“Partnering with a company like Hyland was a clear choice because we both share a belief in driving better performance, both on the track and off. Hyland is committed to helping its customers reach their goals and I am proud to represent Hyland as we achieve our goals through the season together.”"

The 2022 Formula 1 season is scheduled to begin this Sunday, March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. With the race set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET, don’t miss this chance to begin your free trial of FuboTV!