The great AUTOhebdo 2022 retro: the highlights of the season (1/3)

January 1-14: Victory for Al-Attiyah in the Dakar

The prince of the desert has hit the Dakar for the fourth time. Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah wins his first Dakar contested on Saudi soil thanks to satisfactory reliability of the new Toyota Hilux T1+, but he owes a lot of credit to his navigator Mathieu Baumel. The French co-pilot allowed him to leave all his adversaries behind from the first stage thanks to a navigation move more inspired than all his comrades. Only Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin, who followed closely aboard their BRX Hunter T1+, were able to keep in touch until a stubborn driveshaft definitively relegated them to second place. At the end of the season, Al-Attiyah and Loeb will finish the first world championship in the same order. rally-raid (W2RC).

3rd victory on the famous Dakar for Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-pilot Mathieu Baumel / © DPPI

January 20-23: Victory for Loeb at Monte-Carlo

The Monte-Carlo Rally gave us beautiful flashbacks and vintage thrills. Twenty years after his first victory in WRC, and ten years after his full-time retirement in the premier category of rallying, Sébastien Loeb has not lost a single ounce of talent. Arriving at Monte-Carlo only a few days after his 2nd place on the Dakar, the nine-time world champion opened the era of hybrid Rally1s with an epic battle with another rally legend, his compatriot Sébastien Ogier. A duel which turned to the advantage of the Alsatian, winner for the 80th time in the WRC and for the 8th time on the “Monte-Carl’”. For her first WRC rally as co-driver, Isabelle Galmiche became the first woman to win a world championship round in 25 years!

The nine-time WRC world champion still has some nice remains / © DPPI

January 29-30: Victory for Pagenaud- Catroneves-Pagenaud-Jarvis at the 24 Hours of Daytona

End of January 2022, for the opening of the seasonIMSA in the USA, simon pagenaud added the Florida double clock to his list of achievements for his first race with Meyer Shank Racing, and in the company of XXL teammates: Helio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist. As is often the case, these 24 2022 Hours of Daytona came down to the final moments of the race. After a final Full Course Yellow, Ricky Taylor, in the lead on the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura, was surprised by Blomqvist who placed the other prototype of the Japanese manufacturer, that of Meyer Shank Racing, on the royal road for the last hour . Castroneves got through the spectacular fight between the two Porsche by Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet to complete the work.

Meyer Shank Racing saw life in roses in Florida / © IMSA

February 24: Start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, ousting of Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali at Haas, return of Kevin Magnussen

We were in the middle of the Barcelona winter testing when news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke. Ten days later, time to settle some legal provisions, the contracts which bound Haas à Nikita mazepin and especially to his father Dmitry Mazepin's Uralkali company (as title sponsor) were unilaterally torn apart with immediate effect by the American team. In absolute terms, Nikita could have legally continued under a neutral license, but Haas simply no longer wanted to mix his image with that of the Mazepins, reputed to be close to Vladimir Putin. Financially revived by Uralkali's investments after a period of extreme difficulties the previous year, Haas decided to recall, against all odds, a veteran of the house, the Dane Kevin Magnussen, yet engaged in Endurance with Peugeot . A decision which will prove to be a great sporting success.

Nikita Mazepin took part in winter testing in Barcelona before being fired by the Haas team / © DPPI

March 18: Start of the WEC season and victory ofAlpine in Sebring

In Sebring, Alpine surprised everyone for the first round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season. At the wheel of an “avionesque” A480 on the atypical Florida route, Nicolas lapierre took an impressive pole position. The trio he forms with Matthieu Vaxiviere and Andre Negro confirmed in a race that the French team dominated from start to finish. THE 1000 Miles of Sebring were cut from their last hour of racing due to bad weather conditions approaching the circuit and which were going to fall on the former military airport during the very last moments. It was under downpours that Philippe Sinault and his men enjoyed their first victory in the premier category. Rainy podium, happy podium.

Alpine had launched its season perfectly in the Hypercar category of the WEC / © DPPI

March 20: Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari double. Leclerc first leader of the championship, double Red Bull retirement

After two years of hardship for Ferrari against the backdrop of a secret agreement reached with the FIA ​​regarding the use of its engine in 2019, the Team had not tasted victory since Singapore 2019. In Barcelona and Bahrain, the winter tests had raised enormous hopes among fans. Carlos Sainz and especially Charles Leclerc regularly dominated the timesheets. Until their dreams come true in Bahrain for the first of the year. First on Saturday, with the pole position signed by Charles Leclerc, and especially on Sunday with the victory of the Monegasque after very nice and bitter battles with Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz, 2nd, even allowed the team to score a Ferrari double, made possible by the double retirement Red Bull. Ferrari is back!

So far, everything was going well for Ferrari in 2022… / © DPPI