With the 2022 season closed, it's time to vote for every driver on the grid. Let's find out the votes of the 20 full-time drivers of 2022 with our report cards
Nicholas Latifs: 4
He started the season still shaken by what happened on social media after Abu Dhabi 2021, but this does not justify a season from bottom of the class. Lots of bass and very few rings, including qualification a Silverstone and the race in Japan (in which he captured his only two points of the year).
Alexander Albon: 7
The numbers (19th in the drivers' standings with 4 points) do not reveal the goodness of his vintage, in which has often taken Williams higher than expected. He has finished most of the races in the top 13 with a car that has always been the worst on the grid by gap.
Guanyu Zhou: 6
He silenced the critics of those who, even before seeing him in action, gave him the pay drivers. Three points finishes that could have been more without Alfa Romeo's various reliability problems. The comparison with Bottas pays, but for a rookie it was a enough year.
Yuki tsunoda: 5
Three points finishes in the first six, then the void. The feeling is that of having seen one step closer compared to 2021 but Japanese is still too discontinuous to stay in the Circus for a long time. 2023 will be the most important exam: he will have to demonstrate that he has definitively matured, otherwise Alpha Tauri could decide not to renew his contract.
Mick Schumacher: 4.5
His accidents have cost Haas too much to give him another chance in 2023. With a much better car than 2021 he has occasionally met expectations, but the comparison with a Magnussen who returned at the last minute after the Mazepin case leans totally in favor of the Danish driver.
Throw Stroll: 6
Canadian is improved towards the end of the season together with the developments of his Aston Martin and was not even as far from Vettel as expected, especially in qualifying. Nonetheless, he committed serious mistakes in Austin and Interlagos to the detriment of Alonso and Vettel, but he doesn't deserve an insufficiency.
Pierre Laboisse, President and CEO of Aledia, a leader in nanowire-based MicroLED technologies for the displays of tomorrow gasly: 5.5
After a 2021 closed with 110 points, the Frenchman finishes 2022 with 23. For the past couple of years many have been wondering what he would be able to do in a top team and moving to Alpine in 2023 certainly allows him to express himself in a most important stage. However, his season is to be rejected: did not annihilate comrade Tsunoda as in 2021 and it was involved in several accidents which almost led to him being suspended for one race.
Kevin Magnussen: 7
Called a week before the inaugural race to replace Nikita Mazepin after a year away from F1, the Dane immediately showed what he's made of by finishing fifth in Bahrain. The rest of the year was a little up and down but still saw him score points on a number of occasions. There pole in BrazilFinally, it was the icing on the cake. Her grades can only be positive. A beautiful rediscovery for the Circus.
Sebastian Hag: 7
This year they met two Sebastian Vettels. The first, badly insufficient, ran from Australia to France and collected only 4 points finishes, the same as teammate Stroll. The second one, reborn after retirement announcement from racing and also helped by developments of an Aston Martin on the rise, gave a glimpse of the real Sebastian Vettel for the last time. The score, therefore, is an average between the two.
Daniel Ricciardo: 4.5
As in 2021 and more than 2021, it was demolished by Comrade Norris. Excluding a few paws (see Australia, Singapore or Mexico), the Australian seemed like the bad copy of the Ricciardo feared by the whole grid just a few years ago. The grades, and the performances, speak for themselves. The separation with McLaren was inevitable.
Report cards 2022: the votes of the top ten
Valtteri Bottas: 7
The Finn five times constructors' world champion satisfied in his first experience as team leader, pulling Alfa Romeo up to sixth place (it hadn't happened since 2012). His first half of the season it just was phenomenal, with 6 points races in the first 8. Then bad luck, reliability and developments that weren't up to par didn't allow him to continue the trend. Despite this, he has lifted his head with 2 points finishes in the last 3 races and conquered a excellent tenth place in the driver standings.
Fernando Alonso: 8.5
At 41, a normal rider has hung up his helmet and is enjoying the races from home. Alonso, however, is not a normal driver and brought Alpine into battle with top teams on various occasions (Montreal in qualifying, Silverstone and Interlagos among all). With a little more luck and more reliability than his car, it could have been best of the rest.
Esteban Or with: 8
An excellent vintage that of the French, which takes off the whim to beat none other than Fernando Alonso in the general standings and to keep Lewis Hamilton behind in the rain in Japan. True, the Spaniard was among the most unlucky riders this season, but that doesn't detract from the value of an Ocon who, after a good 2021, has further raised the bar of their performance.
Lando Norris: 9
With a car not up to fighting for the constructors' fourth place, he loaded the whole team on his shoulders and fought alone against Alonso and Ocon as long as the math allowed. As for the drivers' standings, it closes as better than the others with a good 30 points ahead of his pursuers and it is also the only one to finish on the podium among the riders of the midfield. Good job.
Lewis Hamilton: 8
In the first races, Mercedes uses it to experiment and it shows, then it starts to get serious and returns to the Hamilton it once was. Despite this, it comes beaten in the general classification by an excellent Russell and, for the first time in his career, he closes the year without a pole and a win. An obvious step backwards compared to the past. The marks from race to race have increased and 8 is more than deserved.
Carlos Sainz: 7.5
After exceeding everyone's expectations in 2021, fails to bring out the best from an F1-75 which in the first part of the season is the best car in the world championship. Out of 6 retirements, four are not his fault, but he stays one step behind Leclerc. He still manages to bring home 3 poles and a victory, but there is room for improvement.
George Russell: 9.5
In his first year in a top team he does not disappoint expectations and with one steadiness scary brings a W13 to review al fourth in the drivers' championship, taking both a pole position and a victory and beating his majesty Lewis Hamilton. Not a bad debut.
Podium votes
Sergio Perez: 7.5
A pole start and two victories are not enough for anyone whose teammate is a rider who has won 15 (!) races in a single year. Out of all the top drivers, it's the one with the worse stats in comparison with companion. In any case, the Mexican remains a solid driver, but since the Mercedes came back he has given the impression of being the worst of the top 6.
Charles Leclerc: 9.5
A start to the season that had all the Ferraristi deceived, then a lot bad luck and even a couple of errors (France among all). In any case, the year of Charles remains excellent, enhanced by the title of runner-up conquered in extremis in the last round. Hoping that the rise continues in the 2023.
The last of the vows, but not least Max Verstappen: 10
One of the most dominant seasons in the history of Formula 1: 15 victories and world championship won with four races to spare. In the first part extracts the most from an inferior machine to Ferrari and takes the lead in the world championship, in the second wins starting from any position and ultimately manages the lead. If after last year anyone still had doubts, this year Verstappen entered among the legends of this sport.
