After a successful year of post-Covid racing, its always worth looking back and seeing how each driver on the field has performed this year.
Prior to Abu Dhabi, here's a list of each driver's season and relative position:
1. Max Verstappen (Champion, 13 race wins, 7 poles)
It's been the year everyone expected from Verstappen. With a record for most wins in a season in-hand, there's little to no debate he has been this year's top performer.
2. George Russell (1 win, 1 pole)
Despite a lack of true "achievements", Russell's 2022 campaign has been severely underrated. In a year that, especially for the first leg had an extreme lack of consistency, Russell's streak of top 5 finishes continued to push him much further up the field than even his 7-time World Champion teammate Hamilton was able to achieve. It has been a breakout year, and a signal of championship potential for the 24 year old Briton.
3. Lando Norris
There aren't many instances where a team capable of scoring 148 points pre-Abu Dhabi has such a large gap between drivers. That said, Norris has put forth the performance of his career so far with an unforgettable 2022 campaign. Due to the lack of podium finishes, most of his highlights aren't often posted online or shown on the TV streams, but he continues to impress and make the case for the best driver not at a top 3 team currently.
4. Charles Leclerc (2 wins, 9 poles)
Despite a near title challenge, the Monagasque has been poor across the course of the season. A lack of defensive skill, and the unfortunate relationship between himself and his team has contributed to a season of "what-ifs". It's hard to quantify a drivers skill in building relationships and maintaining a team morale, but it's necessary, and a requirement for any #1 driver. These soft skills have held Leclerc back, and will continue to do so, even if Ferrari change their leadership structure.
5. Carlos Sainz (2 wins, 1 pole)
Sainz, A.K.A. Mr. Consistency has lived up to his name this year. Despite being consistently bested by his more experienced Ferrari teammate Leclerc through the beginning of the season, their more recent performances have been nearly identical. His constant lack of phase-ability, and optimistic demeanor has showed on track in the form of a successful campaign within touching distance of his far-favored teammate.
6. Lewis Hamilton
2021 was a watershed year for a variety of reasons. As is now becoming more clear, one of those key reasons is that Hamilton is succumbing to the creep of age. Now 37, he's entering the twilight years of his career. Despite showing he has the talent to continue competing at the front, he's unlikely to dominate in the ways his early thirties and late twenties showed.
7. Fernando Alonso
Once again, achievements take a back seat to the eye-test this year for Alonso. A near pole performance in Melbourne sticks out among a long list of potential stand-outs reduce to mere "what-ifs" by accidents. That being said, his ability to far exceed expectations and still maintain points-pace with his teammate despite abhorrent luck has been something worth celebrating.
8. Valterri Bottas
The end of the year for Alfa Romeo has been embarrassingly quiet. They've failed to reach a position above 9th for the last 12 races. That said, their points are coming from a single source. After escaping the shadow of the second 7-time world champion in F1 history. Bottas was seemingly on track to display his transcendent talent. While he's certainly been better than his car would seemingly allow, his move to Alfa Romeo now seems less likely to bear competitive fruit.
9. Sergio Perez (2 wins, 1 pole)
This year has been another where the beginning of the year is the highlight for Perez. Whether its internal Red Bull decisions to prioritize their #1 car as they have been accused of for more than a decade now, or just track fits/setup differences, Perez has done enough to continue at Red Bull. If Red Bull were more willing to challenge Verstappen with their second driver choices, it would be exciting from a fans' perspective to see them chase Norris or Leclerc. That said, Perez is likely to continue in his supporting role for at least another year.
10. Kevin Magnussen (1 Pole)
Haas consistently makes their seasons work through a series of major highlights. Despite a pole producing only a single point from Sprint racing, their 5th place start with Magnussen has carried about a third of their points across the season. Ultimately, Magnussen has been the one to carry the brunt of the team's points needs across the year. That Pirelli Pole trophy will no doubt be displayed front and center at the factory.
11. Pierre Gasly
Though it feels harsh to say Gasly had a sub-par season, the truth is that the second half of the year has displayed a lot of his apathy towards his current team. Since announcing his move to Alpine, his performances have all but dwindled into mediocrity. Still a leg up on his teammate, this year has been proof of longevity enough to secure him the move he's been seeking for the past three years.
No one will be happy to see Vettel leave the sport next year. From setting the record for fastest penalty since joining the sport with Sauber to 4 titles to eventually becoming the father-like figure for around half the grid, Vettel has truly run the F1 gambit. His swan-song will no doubt be an example of his ability to turn it on when needed, but overall its been a calm, consistent season worthy of a mid-pack rating.
13. Alexander Albon
It's infinitely more difficult to rate someone when their car is so far behind that it hasn't really been highlighted on the TV streams for most of the second half of the season. Racing the entirety of a grand prix minus one lap on hard will go down as the best moment of the year for Albon's side of the garage. 4 points only mean enough to secure Williams the ability to boast a points-scoring season, but no team has suffered to the degree the Dorliton Capital outfit has this year.
14. Esteban Ocon
Another year of consistency makes Ocon an infinitely marketable drivers to teams. Had he been somehow dropped from the team, I'm confident Williams, Haas, and potentially even Aston Martin would have been happy to employ him. Nevertheless, the three year deal he's currently on shows exactly the value he's bringing to the team.
15. Yuki Tsunoda
Tsunoda's bubbly personality always makes him a tough target to criticize, but the reality is, he's been far behind his teammate yet again. De Vries looks to be an even tougher customer next year, but with AlphaTauri's new status as a sister team as opposed to a purely developmental outfit means his experience outweighs his outright pace as they attempt to build the team into a self-sustaining venture.
16. Zhou Guanyu
Rookie seasons are toughest when you're alone in the process. The only rookie on the grid this year had a strong start with a top 10 finish, and since then has been quiet. His sponsorship money means his performances are largely irrelevant, but with Audi moving in with a war chest reportedly, he'll have to improve dramatically to maintain his seat beyond the current Alfa Romeo sponsorship regime.
17. Mick Schumacher
Schumacher's name is the most positive part of his career in F1 so far. In all honesty, for those that followed his winning F2 season know he was truly fortunate to beat Illot. That information becomes more relevant as you examine his body of work in F1. Beating Mazepin has given him zero credibility with Steiner, and the outcome is a lack of a seat for next season.
18. Lance Stroll
The constant replays of late moves into breaking zones have really tainted what could have been the quietest year of Stroll's career. His status as team-owners son will always bring a lack of legitimacy to his current drive, but getting in the way of other drivers' seasons only continues to reduce his already shaky reputation.
19. Daniel Ricciardo
Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine a team being enthusiastic to pick up McLaren's leftovers the season after next. His personality, while popular, is also a hit-or-miss circumstance for teams. Imagining the outgoing personality with Mercedes or Ferrari's more measured approach seems like an incompatible fit. Ideally, he'll find his future position matches his potential for stardom, as his attempts at World Titles are frankly over.
20. Nicholas Latifi
It seems redundant to talk poorly about the driver at the back of the grid for three years straight, but it's impossible to ignore the races where he finishes 30+ seconds behind even the next driver. There's no real telling where he'll land next, but the title of pay-driver never felt more fitting than when describing his career.
Those are the Power Rankings for the drivers across the 2022 season. Let me know what you think!
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