Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022

With COVID-19 restrictions easing it meant travel could return to some semblance of normality in 2022, meaning more experiences and memorable moments could be picked up along the way – either on purpose or by accident. From seeing the joys motorsport can provide up close and personal, to more touching and tragic episodes, this year has generated a multitude of memories special to each one of our contributors.

Here are Autosport writers’ most memorable moments and a small window into the unique highs and, at times, lows this world can generate.

By Matt Kew, Marcus Simmons, Charles Bradley, James Newbold, Lewis Duncan, Tom Howard, Megan White, Andrew van Leeuwen, Gary Watkins and Luke Smith

23 April - An unforgettable first visit to the F1 grid, Matt Kew

The first experience of a Formula 1 grid at Imola was one to savour for Autosport F1 editor Kew

Photo by: Matt Kew

Stepping foot onto a live grid at a Formula 1 race stinks. Really, it does. This year marked my first full season covering the grand prix scene. It was almost always an enormous privilege. The standout moment, though, remains walking onto the circuit at Imola ahead of the Emilia Romagna sprint race.

Having dabbled with reporting on rallying and the British Touring Car Championship previously, I somewhat expected F1 to live up to the stereotypes: clean, clinical, maybe even soulless. However, wonderfully, my first time on the grid utterly ponged! Warm tyres, a bit of fuel and the whiff of body odour induced by stuffy mechanics’ overalls plus a dash of nerves. As a bit of an aviation geek, it was awesome to see the Tricolori fly over. The live rendition of the Italian national anthem put hairs on end. But it was the smell that sticks with me most of all.

That said, the pre-race grid is an immensely intimidating place to be. You absolutely do not want to get in the way of the cars or team members making their way through the madness. You’re acutely aware that those in the grandstands probably hate you in that moment for the incredible access. Yet, it’s also tedious to weave your way around champagne-sipping VIPs who are posing for the perfect selfie rather than trying to absorb some of the sensory overload. But that's a price worth paying for something that will live long in the memory.

26 April - When reporting BTCC thrills was all in vein, Marcus Simmons

On return from the BTCC's opening round at Donington, Autosport magazine's deputy editor Simmons came up against a familiar foe

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The excitement of watching the explosive antics of Tom Ingram, Colin Turkington, Jake Hill, Ash Sutton and Gordon Shedden – plus a scary Dan Cammish fire – at the Donington Park British Touring Car Championship opener could have killed me. And (much more serious) cost me a karting championship title.

Well, that’s probably an exaggeration. But, on the Tuesday following Donington, I felt a familiar stiffness in my left leg.

I knew the symptoms. Back in the summer of 2019, I married Suzy, the absolute love of my life. The day after we’d returned from our honeymoon, I could hardly stand up, and hospital tests revealed that I had a massive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my right leg – caught just in the nick of time.

The specialist could find no cause other than a long-haul flight to Japan a few weeks earlier to attend a Super Formula round at Sugo. “Bloody hell Marcus,” chuckled my mother-in-law. “You nearly made her a bride and a widow in the same bloody week!”

Second time around, post-Donington, the tests revealed another DVT. No discernible cause this time, but I’m blaming those BTCC boys…

One wonderful thing that Suzy, a spectacularly talented sportswoman in her youth, has done is encouraged me to get back out there on the track. I’ve been karting locally, made some new friends and won a few trophies.

A couple of days after my post-Donington diagnosis came a heavyweight title decider against my pal Sam. I hobbled into the changing room but, once clad in rib protector, racesuit and boots, I developed a clammy sweat. I decided discretion was the better part of valour, and Sam drove a blinder to deservedly win the title as I spectated.

In a year when we shockingly lost friends and ex-colleagues Simon Arron and Andy Hallbery, just sticking around – now on my long-term blood-thinning meds, still karting, and still watching racing and reporting it for you – is a bonus.

6 May - Watching cars hit the track for inaugural Miami GP, Charles Bradley

The sight of cars heading out on track for the first time at Miami is Motorsport.com editor Bradley's top memory from 2022

Photo by: Charles Bradley

“That’s the place to be, in that stand overlooking the braking zone for Turn 1.”

It’s 11 March, and I’m stood at the top of one of the four helixes sited at the four corners of the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins football team, looking down on a ribbon of fresh asphalt that twists around the stadium like a crazy-shaped moat.

In just two months’ time, this facility had to be transformed into a fully-functional Formula 1 track for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, F1’s 77th different venue, and I’d been granted unique access by track designers Apex to get an exclusive insight into what to expect – including a lap of the track… on a golf cart.

Fast forward to 6 May, and I’m stood right where I wanted to be – the stand overlooking the braking zone for Turn 1 as the cars hit the track for the first time. The atmosphere in the crowd is unreal – they even cheer as the cars leave the pits for installation laps. And when they arrive at the first corner in anger for the first time, one by one all the drivers lock up, run wide or spin. The fans go absolutely wild, as the cars clearly have much less grip than their simulators suggested.

The whole point of the track design was that it was tricky to master, such as the tight chicane that was squeezed in under the flyovers as a mistake generator, but this seemed completely lost on the drivers who, apart from Charles Leclerc, complained bitterly that it was too hard.

Actually, that was music to my ears. The world’s best drivers should be forced out of their comfort zone. And, when the venue is literally a car park in the flattest state in America, what else did they expect?

21 May - Getting a brief taste of F1’s raw power, James Newbold

Autosport's nervous Plus editor Newbold had a blast around the Lausitzring in May behind ex-Minardi F1 racer Friesacher

Photo by: James Newbold

As Patrick Friesacher disengaged the pitlane speed-limiter on the barking Cosworth V10 violently vibrating behind my back, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d made a terrible mistake. Hours earlier, on my first day in the paddock as Autosport’s DTM correspondent, I’d agreed to the surreal offer of a passenger ride in a two-seater Formula 1 car (based on a 1998 Tyrrell but liveried up to look like a 2022 Red Bull) at the Lausitzring.

This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I couldn’t turn it down - even if I was worried about what the engine might do to my ears, repaired with a graft in my teens after a perforation in childhood. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about my ears - they were well-protected within my helmet. Which, thankfully, was attached to a HANS device.

When Friesacher banged down the gears into the left-right chicane on the back straight and jabbed on the brakes, my limited understanding of what a driver experiences in the car was transformed. Having felt rather queasy after Thorpe Park’s by-comparison tame Zodiac on my last visit over a decade ago, I began to wonder whether I’d been foolish to enter into this most extreme of rides.

I had initially planned to try and pay attention to what I could feel in my cocoon behind the long-serving Red Bull demonstration driver, who struggled to sixth with a faulty gearbox in his Minardi at the 2005 US Grand Prix, but after around four corners my focus instead shifted towards regulating my breathing. By the time we hit the brakes for the final chicane, followed by the long left-hand blast through the final corner, I was acutely aware that I’m really not as fit as I should be.

Friesacher later assured me that when driving the two-seater he’s never on maximum attack, for the benefit of his passengers, but it was more than enough to provide a very real insight into what a newcomer to F1 means when they talk about their neck going.

PLUS: The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality

As I breathlessly hauled myself out of the car, following a mere out and in lap, my respect for anyone who has ever competently hustled an F1 car around for a grand prix distance has increase immeasurably. It’s safe to say that I won’t ever forget my first visit to the Lausitzring.

June - The return of the TT and sharing it with someone special, Lewis Duncan

Autosport's international editor Duncan welcomed the TT's comeback

Photo by: Dave Kneen

The COVID pandemic led to a lot of events being cancelled, but the complexities of staging the Isle of Man TT and the continued uncertainty of the virus meant the event was cancelled for two years on the bounce in 2020 and 2021.

Its return in 2022 was very welcomed and getting to head back to the Isle of Man to cover the event in between a hectic MotoGP schedule was a privilege. There is nothing like the TT – it’s cliché, but it’s true. And hanging over the fence at St Ninian’s crossroads on the final night of practice when I arrived on the island watching the bikes fly by metres from where I was stood was incredible.

OPINION: The moral complexities of the Isle of Man TT that can’t be ignored

But it was a tough nine days away. What I’ve discovered this year is that life is quite a bit bigger than racing, and so there is a lot that motorsport gets in the way of. And so spending time away from home – which is necessary to get the most out of this job – is harder than it used to be.

So, when I wandered around the corner in the TT paddock to head into the media centre and saw Autosport news editor – and the love of my life – Megan White stood there having decided to surprise me with a visit on her day off, to say I was happy was an understatement.

I got to introduce her to the TT, which was a very special thing as we watched the Superbike practice lap on Wednesday morning from the other side of a church wall. Seeing something like that is memorable in itself, but it means more when it’s creating a memory for two.

We got to work together in the MotoGP paddock at Silverstone and in Valencia this year, and at the Formula 1 Italian GP, which were all good moments. But it was the surprise TT visit that was the best moment of my season.

31 July - Stepping into the WRC co-driver seat, Tom Howard

Rookie co-driver Howard seeks advice from Johnston before his first real-life run in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota

Growing up with World Rally Championship heroes Colin McRae and Richard Burns in their pomp, the voices of co-drivers Nicky Grist and Robert Reid urgently calling pacenotes are instilled in my brain.

The art of co-driving has long fascinated me and it’s an area of rallying I’ve always wanted to truly understand. Luckily, this year I was able to take a deep dive into co-driving when Toyota Gazoo Racing offered up an opportunity to become a WRC navigator for the day alongside factory driver Takamoto Katsuta.

The plan was to join Toyota for their pre-event Rally Finland test and attempt to call pacenotes, sitting in the Yaris Rally1 seat usually occupied by Katsuta’s co-driver Aaron Johnston.

After a crash course in understanding pacenotes - no pun intended - from WRC podium finisher Juho Hanninen and Johnston prior to the test, my evenings were spent practicing making and calling notes using the official WRC computer game. However, nothing can properly prepare yourself for the assault on the senses that is riding in a WRC car while attempting to accurately direct a driver as we rip through a narrow jump-ladened forest road lined by trees. It is the ultimate thrill.

VIDEO: What it takes to be a WRC co-driver

What drivers and co-drivers are able to achieve is nothing short of witchcraft in my opinion, it’s a phenomenal skill. I managed to call, or more accurately shout in fear, approximately two kilometres of notes before losing my place in my pacenote book, and having to abort. Luckily for me, Katsuta can drive extraordinarily well and we arrived safely at our desired destination in one piece. Having experienced that, co-drivers and rally drivers deserve far more credit.

This was the highlight of a season covering the WRC that provided many unforgettable moments. Witnessing the WRC’s all-time greats Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier go head-to-head before late drama helped Loeb score an 80th career win in Monte Carlo, to become the oldest ever winner, was indeed special.

Likewise, ticking off a bucket list trip to Safari Rally Kenya to witness one of the wildest events in motorsport, where even the media had to navigate a warthog to arrive at the media centre, is up there. Seeing the impressive 22-year-old Kalle Rovanpera rip up the WRC record book on his way to the title to eclipse Colin McRae’s youngest ever world champion record was difficult to top, too.

And on a personal level, receiving first-hand experience of what it’s like to be a WRC mechanic with M-Sport, and a co-driver with Toyota is something I will never forget.

9 September - Seeing Formula 1 cars up close, Megan White

News editor White relished seeing F1 cars in FP2 action at Monza

Photo by: Lewis Duncan

I had always expected my first trip to the Temple of Speed was going to be special, but I couldn't have prepared myself for what a brilliant weekend the Italian Grand Prix turned out to be.

Visiting the hallowed Curva Nord banking on the Thursday media day was a surreal experience, especially once I realised quite how steep it was (and got stuck at the top). It beggars belief that cars could have ever raced around there - you can really feel the history in that part of the circuit.

As Autosport's Formula 2 and F3 reporter, seeing both titles sealed felt like a triumphant end to a long season. Being there to see the happiness (and relief!) on both drivers' faces in their champions' press conferences just minutes after they had secured their crowns was truly rewarding, especially given the circumstances in which they won. It felt like the curtain closing on a standout season for both championships, and the fierce battle fought in F3 throughout that weekend was a demonstration of just how fantastic that series can be, even if there was heartbreak for some.

PLUS: Ranking the top 10 drivers of F2 and F3 in 2022

The true highlight for me, though, was standing trackside during F1's FP2 session. With the Friday afternoon Italian sun beaming down on one of the world's best circuits, I stood metres from Formula 1 cars as they sped down the front straight and into Variante del Rettifilo. Nothing beats being that close to the action, and the combination of the noise, the smell, the ever-passionate Tifosi and getting to watch all that with the person I love the most at our first F1 race together felt truly perfect.

11 September - Bidding farewell to a special Supercars venue, Andrew van Leeuwen

Taking the final Supercars win at Pukekohe meant a huge amount both to Van Gisbergen and his engineer

Photo by: Edge Photographics

Supercars’ final fling at Pukekohe Park is something that will live with me for a long time.

The atmosphere was electric from the moments the gates opened on Friday morning. The ridiculously enthusiastic Kiwi fans had been starved of live Supercars action for three years and didn’t want to miss the chance to farewell the famous Pukekohe circuit, which shuts down in a few months.

The place was packed, a full sell-out. And on Sunday afternoon that sell-out crowd watched one of the greatest Supercars races of all time when Shane van Gisbergen charged through the pack from eighth and staged a thrilling battle with Cam Waters to win both the race itself, and the Jason Richards Trophy, one the most treasured prizes in Supercars. When van Gisbergen finally got past Waters the crowd reaction was unreal. Like a 90th-minute home team winner in a football match.

At the end of the season when van Gisbergen was asked to name his highlight of the year, it wasn’t winning Bathurst. It was winning that race at Pukekohe. And it wasn’t just because he got to win the final Supercars race at his home circuit, it was because he got to share the moment with his new engineer Andrew Edwards. ‘AE’ had arrived at Triple Eight after 17 years at Brad Jones Racing. He and the late Jason Richards, whose life was cut tragically short by cancer in 2011, were close friends from the time they shared in Albury.

In early December I was chatting to Edwards and I asked him if he too felt that the Sunday race at Pukekohe was the highlight of the record-breaking season he shared with van Gisbergen. “By a long way,” he said.

“The Pukekohe thing was a life moment. It was a career moment. I still get emotional when I think about that race. Jason was my friend. With Shane and it being Pukekohe’s last race... you couldn't have scripted it.

“It wouldn’t have meant as much if we’d won every race that weekend and run at the front in that last race. The way it happened, they are the moments you live for in this sport. I’m so grateful I was part of that.”

I’m just grateful I was there to see it.

29 October - Ferrari's LMH vision is presented to the world, Gary Watkins

Ferrari launched its 499P LMH at its Imola World Finals in October, the high point of our sportscar correspondent's year

Photo by: Ferrari

Seeing, they say, is believing, so 29 October this year was a momentous day for me. Ferrari had announced back in February 2021 that it would, after an absence of half a century, once again chase overall honours as a factory at the Le Mans 24 Hours and beyond. But that was just a press statement, a bit of paper, or rather a PDF. It didn’t seem real even when the first photographs of the new Le Mans Hypercar testing — at Fiorano, of course — were released in July.

Only when the covers came off what was at that moment christened the 499P did it finally become a reality for me. It was a pinch-yourself moment. That’s it, that’s the car I’m going to see racing in the World Endurance Championship in 2023 against Toyota, Peugeot, Porsche and more. It was spine tingling for a sportscar nut like me.

Column: Why Ferrari's long-awaited prototype return is a milestone moment

The fact that Ferrari played up to a long history in endurance racing encompassing nine overall wins at Le Mans only heightened my emotions. That goes for the name of the thing, the evocative livery that tips its hat to the marque’s last outright challenged at the French enduro, the 312PB of 1973, and the race number on the side of the car, #50.

And just for good measure, it turned out that the 499P is a thing of beauty, something of which we weren’t quite sure on seeing the car pictured in camouflage during early testing. It all added to making the Ferrari 499P launch the moment from 2022 that I will always remember.

19 November - Running the track with Sebastian Vettel, Luke Smith

Autosport's F1 team took part in the track run organised by Vettel in Abu Dhabi

Photo by: Luke Smith

Since being bitten by the running bug a few years ago, track runs have become one of the highlights of my F1 race weekends - but it’s rare to say you’ve done one with an F1 world champion.

Ahead of his final F1 start in Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel issued an open invite to the paddock to come together on the Saturday night and run the track together. The soon-to-be-former Aston Martin driver said it was “a nice thing to do together” and a rare opportunity to see all of the familiar faces he had gotten to known through his F1 career.

We were all handed a white t-shirt with ‘Danke Seb’ written on for the run, which saw a huge variety in pace! While some went full pelt into the distance, I took it gently - a marathon under my belt six weeks earlier! - along with my colleague Matt Kew, enjoying the music being played around the circuit PA system from Norbert Vettel’s iPod. He’s got great taste!

Far ahead of us, Vettel ran along with Mick Schumacher most of the way, but he stuck around to the very end to clap people home and chat to everyone. It was a really gracious, memorable way for him to say goodbye to the paddock, and also summed up the farewell that he got.

Most times you go for a track run, you’ll see a handful of people out there; this was an easy couple of hundred people. He’s been a unifying force for good, his final acts in Abu Dhabi only cemented that.

Vettel was joined for most of his lap around the track by Schumacher as Autosport's team focused on a steady pace

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images