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Home   /   Formula One 2022 Season – Driver Ratings

Max Verstappen won his second world championship in 2022, dominating a that which began under a very different light. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari won two of the first three races, but the Maranello team lost the fight at distance and the Dutchman was virtually unchallenged since the Summer. 

 BhrKSAAusERMiaSpaMonAzeCanGbrAutFraHunBelHolItaSinJapUSAMexBraAbu
Verstappen99810108.579108910101010105101010710 
Perez78886.589.584.5855.55.576.55.59877.56.57.5 
Hamilton8.54.5857.56678.597.59.59.548757.5998.57 
Russell788.587.59997.5 77.5888.594.56.5679.56.5 
Leclerc109104.59.5107.597.57.51036.56898.57.58679 
Sainz874575868.59.5887.586874 7.58.57 
Norris5.57.58.59588.57687.588.55.587.5968.5779 
Ricciardo56.584.5554.57.55.546644.54785.548.537 
Ocon7.58.57578667.568.56.5787559.5576.58 
Alonso687656.587.57.58.57.58.588.59787888.56 
Gasly7.57.56.556558.566.55568686.55556.54.5 
Tsunoda7 5857.54.5744.54.56.545.54.554.567647 
Vettel  4.58.5567.58675.56784.5578.58677.5 
Stroll5.55.556.575.554655.577685.58554.567 
Albon7.55988.5556.56.5 6.56.55.597 4 77.577 
Latifi43454.575.5457565443484.544.54.5 
Bottas877.5878.57575.5666 5.555.565785 
Zhou755.555547.57.5 54.55567555.5556.5 
Magnussen9.5757566656.575.555.544.5557.5584.5 
Schumacher5.5 54.5564.547.57.5855.55.57.56.556554.55.5 

Max Verstappen – 9.5

Not quite perfect, with a few weekends in which he suffered Sergio Perez and in which he made errors, but Verstappen was the dominant force of 2022, winning when the car was inferior to Ferrari and virtually clinching the championship with seven rounds to go, in Holland. 

In 2022, Verstappen appeared to make a step forward, realising scoring points was the best way to win the title and looking more rational than he was in the past. Arguably, it was this thinking which made him win a record 15 races, of which Belgium from the back of the grid. 

He saw the chequered flag 20 times, was on his way to win in Great Britain, and had a huge chance in Singapore, was it not for a mechanical problem in qualifying, but still triumphed in nine of the last 11 races. 

At distance, his superiority to Perez and the rest of the grid emerged and there was simply no way for anyone to challenge Verstappen, who looked capable of winning in any conditions, with remarkable drives when starting from further down also in Hungary and Italy. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P1 (x15)P1 (x6)5201718-417-44549.07
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Charles Leclerc – 8

Leclerc was fighting against an unbeatable opponent but was it not for some errors, he could have fought for the title until the end, being at one point 46 points in front of Verstappen. 

As they won two of the first three races and looked like the pair to beat, Leclerc and Ferrari entered a loop of mistakes. In the central part of the season, his title challenge failed with only two podiums in 11 races between Imola and Spa. 

He retired from the lead in France and Spain and lost a potential win in Azerbaijan. Leclerc also registered an impressive nine pole positions, but only claimed three wins, of which just one after round three. 

Part of this was due to his errors, but it is fair to say that Ferrari looked poor at delivering when it mattered, and the Monegasque was the victim more often than not. 

A string of podiums in the final part of the season meant he could finish in front of Sainz and eventually as runner-up in the championship, still demonstrating exceptional speed whilst having margins for improvement. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P1 (x3)P1 (x7)3191115-712-93087.86
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Sergio Perez – 7

Compared to 2021, we saw a completely different Perez. The Mexican was fighting for podiums regularly and at times put his wheels in front of Verstappen’s, winning at Monaco and Singapore. 

His season was again nothing like Verstappen’s, despite looking particularly strong in the opening eight races, before suffering in the central part of the season. But the Mexican was rarely able to exploit the entire potential of the car.

Perez couldn’t deliver the one-two finish in the standings for Red Bull but made a large step up and it must be remembered that Verstappen is already one of the top drivers of all time. 

He had far fewer weekends in which he wasn’t competitive as he did in 2021 and only twice finished outside of the top five. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P1 (x2)P1 (x1)319114-184-173057.09
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George Russell – 8.5

Mr. Consistency, as he was nicknamed throughout the season, was a positive surprise in the way he could match Lewis Hamilton. 2022 was his breakthrough year, scoring eight podiums and getting his first F1 win. 

His superb performances meant that he was in the fight for the runner-up spot in a car that was far more inferior to Ferrari and Red Bull until some effective upgrades in the autumn. 

George Russell scored 15 consecutive top-five finishes when he saw the chequered flag until difficult wet drives in Singapore and Japan ruined this record. 

In the head-to-head with Hamilton, he came out very honourably, not appearing to suffer the seven-time world champion too much and having a far better beginning of the season, outracing him seven times in the first eight races. 

In the long term, Hamilton proved slightly faster when at one with the car, but Russell was the one to deliver from day one until the very last moment, finishing an impressive fourth in the standings.  

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P1 (x1)P1 (x1)420810-1211-112757.69
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Carlos Sainz – 7

Leclerc’s raw speed was no match in the two years the pair shared the garage, but the Spaniard has always been more effective at scoring points and delivering in races. 

His points differential to Leclerc (62) was also largely down to three more retirements, two of which were mechanical and two of which were a consequence of being crashed into at the start. 

Sainz struggled more than last season, especially when the car could win races, and it was only at Monaco, in round seven that he finally beat Leclerc on track. 

From that moment, the pair looked evenly matched and Sainz stepped his performances up, winning in Great Britain and coming very close in Canada. 

However, across the season there were several off weekends, including too many crashes in the opening stages, something we were not used to seeing from Sainz, who was the driver who completed the least laps in 2022. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P1 (x1)P1 (x3)21797-159-122467.02
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Lewis Hamilton – 7

If only considering the second half of the season, Hamilton was probably only second to Verstappen. He demonstrated great speed and came very close to winning races. 

Since Canada, he finished behind Russell only in Holland (when he was leading), Italy (when he started at the back), and Brazil (after a collision). 

However, the season must be judged as a whole, and the verdict said that Hamilton finished in P6, his worst-ever result, failed to start from the front row and to win races, whilst Russell was able to achieve both these feats.

At the start of the season, he had odd performances in Saudi Arabia, Imola, and Monaco and looked nowhere, even dropping behind Lando Norris in the standings. 

However, in the long run, Hamilton proved he still had it and was often faster than Russell, but not so much to recover positions in the standings. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P2 (x5)P3 (x3)219912-1011-112407.34
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Lando Norris – 9

His season was almost perfect, scoring points every time the car allowed him to, finishing on the podium at Imola and outscoring Daniel Ricciardo 122 to 37. 

McLaren were rarely the fourth-best team and it was thanks to Norris that they were able to challenge Alpine, with the Brit finishing in the top seven 13 times and starting four times in the top four places. 

It was his consistency and raw speed which stood out, as he completed the season without major errors, only missing out on points five times, all of which were when he had problems. 

The podium at Imola was the highlight, but there were many stand-out performances, as Norris practically made McLaren a one-man team and finished 30 points in front of his nearest rival. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P3 (x1)P3 (x2)217120-216-51227.48
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Esteban Ocon – 7.5

Esteban Ocon will forever remain the driver who outscored Fernando Alonso and whilst this was largely due to the infinite problems suffered by the Spaniard, it was also down to the Frenchman’s merits. 

Ocon was always there when the team needed him, rarely having off days and scoring consistently despite not appearing as quick as Alonso across the season. 

He failed to score six times, two of which through retirements, and had sensational drives in Japan and Austria, when he finished in the top five. 

He got relatively lucky in suffering fewer mechanical problems than his teammate and the season could have been much different, but he still managed to finish a comfortable eighth whilst paired with a double-world champion.

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P4 (x1)P5 (x4)016 10-1212-9926.89
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Fernando Alonso – 8.5

At the age of 41, the Spaniard still reached exceptional levels, often outpacing Ocon by three or four tenths and he would have scored in every race since Monaco, was it not for mechanical retirements. 

Alonso started the year slowly, with only two points in five races, as he retired in Saudi Arabia, at Imola, and had a qualifying issue in Australia. From then on, he scored 10 times in a row, before again retiring out of Italy, Singapore, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi. 

The Alpine driver showed why he is one of the best drivers on the grid by qualifying second in Canada and having exceptional recovery drives in Spain, Austria, and Austin. 

Age might not influence his speed, but he was still the protagonist of a few errors which meant that he also failed to capitalise due to faults of his own, at times. In 2022, Alonso was not the perfect machine he was before, but at his age, he still completed a formidable season. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P5 (x3)P2 (x1)014 12-109-12817.45
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Valtteri Bottas – 7

His beginning of the season was just short of sensational and Valtteri Bottas scored in seven of the first nine races, whilst being comfortably eighth in the driver standings. 

However, in the rest of the season, he only managed to score three points, as Alfa Romeo suffered a drop in performance and Bottas started to be a match for teammate Guanyu Zhou, whom he finished largely in front to lead Alfa Romeo-Sauber to their best result since 2012. 

Bottas was best of the rest in Miami and Spain, sometimes qualifying ahead of the Mercedes cars and looking like a podium candidate in some instances. It was a good way to bounce back after a disappointing year with Mercedes, though he kept showing difficulty in wheel-to-wheel battles and the first lap. 

This is what cost him in some circumstances, as Bottas lost points through mechanical issues and errors, but still finished a positive season. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P5 (x1)P5 (x1)09 13-914-7496.63
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Daniel Ricciardo – 4.5

A season to forget for the Australian, who was just rarely competitive enough to score points and only beat Norris when he had a better strategy, like Mexico and Azerbaijan. 

At the start of the season, he looked competitive, losing points through issues in Saudi Arabia and scoring in Australia and the Imola sprint race. However, in the race, he crashed in the first lap, something he would repeat in Brazil and Mexico. 

Following this spell, Ricciardo suffered the presence of Norris and never seemed at one with the car, only scoring seven times across the year and finishing 85 points behind his teammate. 

This cost him a place on the grid, as a recovery drive in Singapore and a few points finishes were not enough considering what his teammate was achieving. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P5 (x1)P4 (x1)07 2-205-16375.59
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Sebastian Vettel – 7

In his final season, Sebastian Vettel proved to everyone that he was retiring from the sport while still being competitive, and performing better than he did in 2021, with a car that never got near the podium places. 

The German had a lot of ups and downs, often struggling in qualifying, before recovering to score points in the race and scoring six times in the last 10 rounds, ending the season on a high. 

He scored double the points of Lance Stroll and was more opportunistic, but especially there when it mattered for the team, finishing a strong sixth in Azerbaijan and Japan, plus eighth in Belgium and USA, where he would have deserved more. 

He still had a series of questionable performances, with crashes in either qualifying or the race in Australia, Miami, Austria, Azerbaijan, Holland and Japan.

The car showed great pace on Fridays, which hints that the two drivers may have not been able to extract all its potential, but Vettel did better than teammate Stroll and competitively finished his career.

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P6 (x2)P9 (x5)010 13-711-8376.63
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Kevin Magnussen – 6.5

On his return to F1, Kevin Magnussen was the biggest scorer for Haas, and whilst his season was full of ups and downs, the Dane delivered when it mattered and even got a maiden pole position, with a stunning lap in mixed conditions at Sao Paulo. 

His experience helped and Magnussen was always sharper than Mick Schumacher when the car allowed him to, struggling more when the car would suit the track less. 

He did waste several opportunities across the year through avoidable collisions, most significantly in Spain and Canada, when he started at the front but picked up first-lap damage. His head-to-head in the races with Schumacher was also against his favour, but K-Mag’s early form, scoring points in three of the first four races, was a reason why Haas were able to pip Alpha Tauri to eighth place in the standings. 

All in all, the peaks helped his cause, as Magnussen finished 13th in the standings and retained his Formula One seat. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P5 (x1)P1 (x1)06 15-78-13256.74
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Pierre Gasly – 5.5

The year began positively and as it looked like Gasly could retain his 2021 form for the next season, Alpha Tauri were off convincingly, with the highlight being a fifth place in Azerbaijan, just after points in Saudi Arabia and Australia. 

However, as he suffered from mechanical issues and a few driving errors, Gasly only scored three more times across the year and went head-to-head with Yuki Tsunoda, whom he beat soundly in 2021.

The Frenchman suffered from Alpha Tauri’s lack of competitiveness but struggled to stand out and appeared to lose motivation and confidence once it was announced he would leave for Alpine in 2023. 

After such a positive 2021, Gasly was expected to complete his establishment as a top driver but looked to have made a step back, often failing to deliver points when he had the chance. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P6 (x1)P1 (x1)06 13-914-8235.82
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Lance Stroll – 5.5

This season summed up his career. Decent, enough to secure his seat in the sport, but never quite exceptional and on the level of his teammates. 

Whilst he wasn’t necessarily destroyed by Vettel, the German demonstrated the same ability he had in 2021 of scoring big points and taking chances, whilst Lance Stroll may have been more regular (only twice finishing worse than 13th) but never offering a standout moment. 

The Canadian driver scored two 10th places in the first four races, but as he finished six times in that position, he would only twice finish better. Eight points finishes are not a bad number and show that Stroll can take the car home and score, but Vettel finished ninth or better seven times. 

He wasted precious opportunities at Azerbaijan and Austin, crashing when the car was competitive, and whilst he often recovered well in races and fought for points virtually every time, his lack of qualifying performance was also evident.

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P6 (x1)P5 (x1)08 7-138-11185.66
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Mick Schumacher – 5

Schumacher entered the season with high hopes but was off struggling. As his teammate Magnussen scored points, he was stuck with zero until a P8 in Great Britain. He followed that up with his best Formula One drive on his way to sixth in Austria and his form seemed to drastically pick up once entered the Summer. 

However, the German was accident-prone, and it was the main reason why Haas chose to part ways with him. Whilst demonstrating quick at times and finishing in front of Magnussen 13 times, Schumacher failed to score again, as Haas dropped down the order, with a few incidents costing him dearly.

The German’s start was negative, missing out on Saudi Arabia due to a crash and being distant from Magnussen until a mechanical issue cost him points in Canada when he put up his best qualifying. After the Summer break, he was more regular than Magnussen, but as the Dane qualified first in Brazil, the German was last. 

Poor strategies and team errors denied him other chances, but his score was not enough to back his cause for a seat in 2023. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P6 (x1)P6 (x1)02 7-1513-8125.64
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Yuki Tsunoda – 5

The Japanese driver’s season never took off and he finished 17th in the standings, with only 12 points to Gasly’s 23. 

Tsunoda finished eighth in Bahrain, seventh at Imola, and 10th in Spain, but only scored one point in the remaining 16 races, not benefitting from Alpha Tauri’s drop in the second half of the season. 

However, whilst he showed improvements compared to Gasly, the 22-year-old was unable to carry the team, finishing 13th or lower 10 times, with five retirements. Three of these were race-ending incidents in Canada, Singapore, and Mexico. 

His qualifying form was regular, but his performances in the races sub par and Tsunoda would often end up lower down the grid than he would start. Six times he was condemned to start from last or the pit lane due to penalty or team decisions and as a whole, it was a disappointing year. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P7 (x1)P8 (x1)04 9-138-14125.33
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Guanyu Zhou – 5.5 

His year was of missed chances, as Guanyu Zhou approached the season as a rookie and was in his learning curve when the car was at its best.

Consequently, when the Chinese driver scored his first points since his debut, Bottas had already scored 46 and the car would suffer a drop in performance for which the two drivers would only score three times more, combined. 

After Azerbaijan, Zhou was often as competitive as Bottas, beating him in qualifying, but struggling more in races, where he would often remain at the back of the grid, whilst the Finn would recover. 

He scored again in Italy, but as the car’s form picked up in the final four races, it was Bottas to compete in the top 10 and not Zhou. Whilst the Chinese driver demonstrated he is not too slow for Formula One, his racecraft and mechanical misfortunes meant he was only 18th, in front of the two Williams cars in the standings. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P8 (x1)P9 (x2)13 9-137-1465.27
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Alex Albon – 7.5

Alex Albon’s return to the sport was convincing and the Thai-Brit managed to score points on three separate occasions and never be threatened throughout the season by teammate Nicholas Latifi, whom he soundly beat. 

It was not just about the points finishes, which in itself were incredible drives. He finished 10th in Australia after starting from the back and completing all but one lap on hard tyres, an impressive P9 from 18th in Miami, and P10 after a strong defence in Belgium. 

Albon also gave Williams a series of Q2 and Q3 appearances, often beating Latifi by a big margin and being unfortunate to miss the race in Italy, where the car was at its best. 

It was a complete season, away from crashes, and Albon only finished behind Latifi at the flag on one occasion, suffering an unfortunate retirement in Japan when the Canadian driver would go on to score points.  

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P9 (x1)P6 (x1)03 19-216-446.74
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Nicholas Latifi – 4

Japan’s isolated high and his impressive Q3 appearance at Silverstone were not enough to secure a higher rating, as Latifi often finished last and only five times qualified higher than 18th

The car was the slowest throughout the season, but Albon was able to lift it further up the grid on multiple occasions and Latifi also finished behind one-off participant Nyck De Vries in Monza, where the Dutchman scored points. 

His only points of the year came thanks to a nailed strategy in the wet at Suzuka, but it was little consolation for a driver often involved in crashes and whose speed was rarely a threat to any other competitor. 

Best finishBest startFastest lapsPoints finishesPodiumsQualifying head-to-headRace head-to-headPointsAverage rating
P9 (x1)P10 (x1)03 2-194-1624.80
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