The Australian GP is the third race on the calendar. It’s almost about that time of the season when the pecking order starts to become more and more clear. While every team tries to start the season on a positive note, it’s not always the case for all of them.
This is where the Australian GP becomes pivotal to the 2022 campaign for all the teams involved. The 2022 season has not been ideal for all the teams on the grid and this Australian GP weekend, there are a few teams that will be desperate for a good result to get their campaign back on track. In this piece, we will take a look at some of these teams.
Teams desperate for a good Australian GP
#3 Mercedes
If Mercedes have to be a part of the championship fight then they have to get going really soon. The German team is caught in a no-man’s land right now in the pecking order. It’s slower than the frontrunners to mount any challenge against them and at the same time, it’s faster than the midfield to face anything from that side as well.
But that’s not where the team wish to find themselves. The aim, like every season, is to fight at the front and for that, the team needs to take care of their porpoising issues.
Right now, the team are immensely handicapped due to cost cap regulations and restricted wind tunnel time. They have an estimated deficit of around half a second from the timings of the teams at the front.
While they were able to make the most of Red Bull’s problems in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia was a humbling experience. At the Australian GP, Mercedes will be looking to take their first step towards closing the gap at the front.
#2 Hass
Finding Haas on this list would have caught many by surprise. However, while the team has made a tremendous start to the season and scored points in both the races, the start has been anything but perfect. The team came into the season with next to no expectations and have approached the races in that manner and celebrated every point they have got.
However, Haas has not performed to their utmost potential. In both the races, the second Haas driver has been found somewhat missing. Mick Schumacher had a poor Bahrain GP where he was nowhere close to the kind of performance Kevin Magnussen was able to put together. At the Saudi Arabian GP, he ruled himself out of contention with a crash in qualifying.
The start of the season has not been an ideal one for the German driver. He has been unable to match the speed of his teammate and it is evident that this has forced Mick to maybe push a little too hard. Haas must have realized by now that this season, they are in a battle for 4th position in the constructors and they can achievethat place if both the drivers are contributing with points.
At the Australian GP, Haas need Mick Schumacher to start scoring points and contributing to the constructors’ standings.
#1 Aston Martin
Aston Martin have stayed below the radar despite having what should be considered a disastrous start to the season. The car is the second slowest challenger on the grid, with only Williams producing a worse machinery.
The star driver has missed the first two races because of Covid and to add to it, the team have no points to show for the first two races. There have been subtle jibes thrown by Otmar Szafneur, the former Aston Martin employee, about how the team work internally and how Lawrence Stroll is maybe a tad too intervening in the matters.
Stroll has made significant investments in the team and has brought Martin Whitmarsh and Mike Krack to the squad. The 2020 season was a disappointing one and the 2021 season is not showing any signs of improvement.
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At the Australian GP, with Sebastian Vettel making a return to the squad, the team will be looking to put things together much better than the first two races and maybe snatch a point or two in the race.
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