La 2022 season he gave us several exciting moments that we will remember for a long time. Many memories come to mind as soon as you think about the recently concluded vintage: the dominance of Verstappen, the world championship fight of Leclerc, the first times of Sainz and Russell.
Today, however, we want to put who on the front page never made the front page this year. Who, despite having done a great job, has always been overshadowed by others. We therefore draw up a list of drivers who can all aspire to the "title" of the most underrated of 2022.
Underestimated, the first pilot: Lando Norris
The first name that must be given is his: the only midfield driver on the podium, seventh in the standings, constantly in the points. Yet his media relevance was not even remotely comparable to 2021 in which he conquered several podiums, a pole position and sixth place in the general standings, ahead of 2022 runner-up Leclerc.
It almost seems that, due to the worst performance of his McLaren, everyone assumed that the pilot got equally worse. However, that was not the case. Lando has matured, took the team on his shoulders and led it to fight for fourth place in the constructors with Alpine which, however, could count on the good performances of both of its standard bearers.
If any doubts remained about his talent in 2021, especially in race reading (when he threw away an almost certain victory in Sochi), this season Norris has established himself as a top driver in all respects.
Alexander albon
The results of number 23 have certainly gone unnoticed, also because 6 points in a season are certainly not many. We must, however, consider the car at his disposal: one of the worst Williams in recent years, the slowest car on the grid by gap. Despite that, Albon has always managed to close close to the points, most of the time without even taking advantage of other people's retirements. He also ended up in the points zone three times: you will remember the tenth position clawed in Australia doing 57 out of 58 laps on the same set of tires.
His first part of the season in 2019 with Toro Rosso showed his talent. Then, a promotion in Red Bull probably too hasty had put him under pressure and even found himself without a seat at the end of 2020. Now he's getting back what he deserves.
Last but not least: Lewis Hamilton
Our last name can make most people turn up their noses, since 2022 has been the worst year of the seven-time world champion's career. Zero poles, zero wins and behind his teammate in the general standings. For someone used to dominating far and wide, it's a giant step backwards. The first part of the season was the most difficult: constantly behind Russell, sometimes even out of the points, others stuck in the middle of the group. But it was precisely the spring races, in which he tested different setups, that allowed Mercedes to get back on track so quickly and return to success in Brazil.
From the summer onwards he began to consistently finish ahead of his team-mate and, more importantly, he returned to being a regular presence on the podium. 8 podiums in the last 14 races and the awareness of still being at the top.
