Formula 1 technical director Ross Brawn maintains that any degree of success an F1 team enjoys must be earned on track, and therefore hopes that the new technical regulations have not jumbled the order up excessively.
The cars have altered significantly ahead of this year, with the aerodynamics of the cars being simplified in a move that includes the return of ground effect.
This is in a bid to improve close-quarter racing, and the tyres have also been increased to 18 inches.
Due to the unprecedented nature of the new changes and the subsequent unpredictability that come with them, it is difficult to foresee who will be where in the pecking order, but the general consensus is that more teams will be brought into the fight towards the front.
Brawn, however, warns that good results cannot be cultivated overnight, and that the teams will have to work for them just as hard as they did before.
“Any win has to be earned and on meritocracy,” Brawn said.
“I honestly don’t think the regulations will change the general order of things dramatically.
“I think it will bring teams a lot closer and we’ll some of what were the midfield teams challenging, so a bigger group of competitive teams.”
Haas are powered by Ferrari, and will have been encouraged by the positive noises coming out of Ferrari regarding their engine.
The Banbury-based team spent a large chunk of 2021 developing this year’s car as they seek to climb off the foot of the Constructors’ Standings having managed no points last season.
The 67-year-old would love to see Haas’ Mick Schumacher emulate his father Michael, with whom Brawn worked at Ferrari and Mercedes, but he emphasises that such an eventuality can be all but ruled out.
“Although I’d love to see it, I don’t think we’re going to see Mick Schumacher dominating this year,” he stated.
“In a way, we don’t want that sort of disparity or that shock unless it’s an unusual race because that suggests it’s all become a bit random, and it can never be random. It needs to be a meritocracy.”
Mercedes and Red Bull took out 20 of the 22 race wins last season, with the other two being won by Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo in the aforementioned unusual races in Hungary and Italy respectively.
Brawn acknowledges that there is some supreme talent at Ferrari and McLaren, with Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc achieving 10 podiums between them last season.
He would like to see those two teams provide further challenges to the top two, and is also looking forward to casting an eye on how George Russell gets on alongside Sir Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
“As we know, [last year] we either expected a Mercedes or a Red Bull to win a race unless something different happened,” he explained.
“We’re blessed with a number of great drivers in Formula 1 today – Lando Norris, the Ferrari drivers, George Russell in a Mercedes.
“I think there’s any combination of a number of drivers who will give us a fantastic season. If there are three or four of them mixing it up, that’s even better.
“So I’m optimistic about the coming season. Good teams will always do a good job. They’ve got the expertise, the experience.”