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End of season F1 driver ratings: Who flopped and who starred in 2022?
The chequered flag has fallen on the 2022 season and after 22 races, it is time to run the rule over the 20 full-time drivers who took part, ranking and rating them. Yes, Max Verstappen won the championship and we know what the standings say, but we try to delve a little deeper behind the headline numbers to give you our driver ratings.
For that, we have a system. The system is quite a complicated beast but in essence it takes into account how a driver performs in qualifying and races both overall and relative to their team-mate.
As not all team-mates are created equal, each driver has their own personal rating heading into the season, which reflects how many points a driver can score by beating his team-mate. Sergio Perez beating Max Verstappen by three places, for example, should obviously be worth more than Alexander Albon beating Nicholas Latifi by the same margin. A driver’s penalty points are also taken into account, as well as our subjective ratings throughout the season.
Who comes out on top, then?
20. Nicholas Latifi – Williams (594 rating points)
After a couple of years of moderate progress, Latifi has been thoroughly shown up in his third season in F1. There are probably two or three bright points only for the Canadian this season: getting into Q3 at Silverstone, scoring two points in Japan and (perhaps tenuously), finishing fastest in a practice session in Hungary.
He leaves the grid at the end of this year and there has been little – or frankly nothing – in his results to suggest that he should retain his place at Williams, as likeable a person as he seems to be. F1 is a tough sport and Latifi has been found wanting, trounced by team-mate Alexander Albon in every area.
Championship points: 2 (20th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 1-19
Our season rating/100: 30
19. Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren (710pts)
The affable Australia is also on the way out of F1. That would have sounded ridiculous at the start of the season, never mind before he joined McLaren in 2021. Last year he was firmly beaten by Lando Norris but there were mitigating factors – it was his first year at the team, the gap was not enormous (45 points) and he delivered McLaren’s first win in nearly a decade at Monza.
This year there are no excuses for his baffling form. Even at the end of the season Ricciardo seemed confused as to what went wrong, with any progress extremely short lived, though with a slight improvement in the final five or six rounds. This year he has just under a third of Norris’s points and with just seven points finishes to 17. It is sad to see such a talented driver leave, but it is fully warranted.
Championship points: 37 (11th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 4-18
Our season rating/100: 35
18. Guanyu Zhou – Alfa Romeo (734pts)
It is difficult to call this an impressive debut season for Zhou Guanyu, with just three points finishes compared to team-mate Bottas’s nine. Part of the problem is that he was still getting up to speed with F1 in the early part of the season, when the Alfa Romeo was at its strongest. Bottas took advantage, but Zhou did not.
There has been improvement since, and a little bit of bad luck in there, too. His qualifying certainly improved once we got into July and from Canada to Mexico he outscored his team-mate, five points to one. Given Alfa Romeo allowed Antonio Giovinazzi the luxury of three full seasons before dropping him, another crack in 2023 seems about right.
Overall, a season a little better than the standings show – and with crucial progress. Still, he fares so badly in this because of how comprehensively he was beaten by his team-mate.
Championship points: 6 (18th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 7-14
Our season rating/100: 55
17. Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri (757pts)
It is debatable whether Tsunoda deserves a third year in F1 but it is not like there are legions of better options banging down the door at AlphaTauri. He has again been comfortably beaten by Gasly in both the overall standings and our system but the gap is much smaller than it was last year. And he has, generally, cut out the crashes. There were few standout moments, though.
In truth, in all the main areas, Tsunoda has improved but like a few other drivers on the grid the car has not been there for him to deliver as it would have been in 2021. Such is the way with new regulations. Toning down the aggression and effing and jeffing in the cockpit or at least channelling it more positively might be worth a shot. Faces a crucial year in 2023 with highly-rated rookie Nyck de Vries alongside him.
Championship points: 12 (17th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 9-12
Our season rating/100: 60
16. Mick Schuamacher – Haas (806pts)
Again, like Zhou, if you look at the overall standings you get a picture of Schumacher being firmly beaten by his team-mate. That does not tell the whole story. Like Zhou, too, his better races came as the Haas slipped back down the grid.
Early on in the season there were too many costly errors – some resulting in huge, expensive crashes – whilst Magnussen quietly went about his business. His best run of form came between Silverstone (his first points finish) until the flyaway in Singapore. In that seven-race stint he had the beating of the Dane and ranked in the top 10 of our system too.
Alas, for him, it was not sustained and he was dropped by Haas for the 2023 season. The decision to replace him with Nico Hulkenberg looks a tad harsh but also fully understandable.
Championship points: 12 (16th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 6-16
Our season rating/100: 65
15. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin (820pts)
At this point the rankings are following the championship order quite closely, but that probably reflects how middling and tight the battle at the back of the midfield has been. In truth, the drivers ranked from 18th to 15th come into a category which could be summed up as under-performing but not awful.
This is Lance Stroll’s sixth season in F1 and he has only beaten his team-mate once in that time. Again in 2022 he finished second-best. In fairness, the quality of his team-mates has been high but it still feels like the Canadian should be delivering more. Qualifying has always been a weak point and that improved to some degree, finishing with a 12-7 loss to Vettel.
Still, Stroll could be delivering more but this is far from his worst season. Next season against Fernando Alonso will be the sternest test of his career so far, no doubt. There will be nowhere to hide.
Championship points: 18 (15th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 7-12
Our season rating/100: 55
14. Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri (884pts)
This year was clearly not the stellar years of 2021 (110pts) or even 2020 (75pts and a win), but the AT03 dropped back to firmly to the back of the midfield. That performance drop left far fewer opportunities for Gasly to score points. He has not taken the opportunities he had, though some of that comes down to a few instances of bad luck.
That said, Gasly has not been able to extract the maximum from a more problematic car this season and that has shown in his performance relative to Tsunoda: still ahead, but not by as much and not nearly as often and that is why he ranks as low as 14th. Seemed to suffer from a frustrated attitude in the final rounds, once he knew he was on his way out.
Championship points: 23 (14th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 12-9
Our season rating/100: 70
13. Kevin Magnussen – Haas (909pts)
Magnussen’s unlikely F1 comeback got off to a brilliant start, with three top-10 finishes in the first four rounds. From then on it became a bit of a slog, more akin to his final couple of years at Haas with just three points in the final 11 rounds. Schumacher became more of a match, but does that say more about the German or the Dane? Perhaps we should reflect more favourably on Schumacher’s results than criticise Magnussen.
The 30-year-old had a long run in the top 10 of our ratings (just slipping to 11th at the summer break) but entered a difficult patch in the middle of the season. He deserves a place at Haas as much as anyone else, but picked up a valuable eighth in Austin, ending a seven-race pointless run. There were probably a few too many collisions, though, clearly the highlight of the year was a maiden pole position in Brazil.
Championship points: 25 (13th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 16-6
Our season rating/100: 65
12. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari (944pts)
After an impressive first season at Ferrari last year, 2022 has been much more of a test for Sainz. There is a fair jump in points from Magnussen in 13th to Sainz in 12th, and that reflects us entering the category of drivers who were probably marginal under-performers.
After an impressive first season at Ferrari last year, 2022 has been much more of a test. Early on he struggled to get to grips with the car, leaving him trailing team-mate Leclerc by a fair and consistent margin in both qualifying (it took him nine races to beat the Monegasque in qualifying) and races (he was 39 points behind after six rounds).
Take out those first six rounds, though, and he fares much more comparably, showing his steady improvement throughout the season. Early retirements derailed any hope of a title charge and, overall, Leclerc has been the better driver. There is some hope for 2023, though, and three poles and one win compared to Leclerc’s nine poles and three wins is no disgrace. Still, a disappointing season on balance and his one-lap pace needs to improve.
Championship points: 246 (5th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 6-14
Our season rating/100: 70
11. Sergio Perez – Red Bull (952pts)
In 2021 Perez was only occasionally the type of driver Red Bull needed him to be. With a bit more, Verstappen’s title may have come a little bit easier. In 2022 the stakes have been lower, but Perez has been much improved overall. His strongest period came early in the season, culminating in a terrific win in Monaco.
As the car was developed the gaps started to open up, but credit must be given to Verstappen for that. Still, his record to Verstappen – combined with a particularly poor run in the middle of the year – means he does not place inside the top 10 in our system. That is an improvement from last year’s 17th, though.
His win from the front row in Singapore was his finest in F1 so far. There are still some criticisms (qualifying on average 2.4 places below his team-mate, with only Zhou, Ricciardo and Latifi worse in that metric) but it is difficult to be too harsh on the Mexican and he found form late on.
Championship points: 305 (3rd)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 4-18
Our season rating/100: 75
10. Alexander Albon – Williams (954pts)
It was never likely to be easy to fill the George Russell-shaped hole at Williams this year, but Albon has impersonated his friend pretty well throughout the year. Perhaps there has not been that magical streak on Saturdays, but Albon regularly threatened Q2 and achieved that on seven occasions. A good return in the slowest car on the grid.
Points on Sundays have been hard to come by but in finishing the season with four, after three top-10 finishes, Albon has ensured he finishes the season with his reputation enhanced after a year out of F1 following his dropping by Red Bull. Another season like this and he could be a candidate to move further up the grid again.
Championship points: 4 (19th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 19-1
Our season rating/100: 75
9. Sebastian Vettel – Aston Martin (961pts)
After one and a half middling years at a middling team, the time for Vettel to announce his retirement seemed right. How has 2022 been for the four-time champion? Once his team found pace, so did he. In truth, he probably delivered a good return for Aston Martin from Monaco onwards – nine top-10s in 15 finishes, including five top-eights. A big improvement from 2021.
That is probably the kind of form to make you think that he could have carried on and done similar next year, but it is difficult to know how much announcing his departure eased pressure. It would not be quite fair to say that he “showed up” team-mate Stroll, but he was definitely the better driver. There were also fewer of the mistakes that plagued him in recent times, too. Making it into Q3 and scoring a point at Abu Dhabi made it a fitting finish for the four-time champion.
Championship points: 37 (12th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 12-7
Our season rating/100: 70
8. Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo (972pts)
Bottas’s results started to level off after a stratospheric start to the season. Qualifying was always a strong point and that has remained so in 2022, with his average qualifying position being 11.33 – 10th best overall – and the gap to his team-mate on this metric an enormous three places more than anyone else but Norris and Ricciardo.
From Canada results, if not his form, took a nosedive. Five retirements and no points in the following 10 races after 46 in the first nine is quite a drop-off but with Alpine and Aston Martin’s improvement – up to Canada they were the sixth quickest team, almost equal fifth with Alpine – you cannot argue too strongly that he should have done much better. Two points finishes in the final three rounds makes his late-season form a little less depressing reading.
Championship points: 49 (10th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 14-7
Our season rating/100: 70
7. Fernando Alonso – Alpine (1006pts)
Two retirements and an unfortunately timed safety car in the first five rounds left Alonso with just two points, compared to team-mate Esteban Ocon’s 24, but since then his form has been exemplary. Perhaps no less than we should expect, even at 41, he is still getting the best from his machinery… even if his disruptive tendencies were all too clear towards the end of the season.
It has been said and has been obvious for a long time that the two-time champion deserves more than midfield machinery but his chance of driving for a big team sailed a long time ago. The 2022 Alpine is as good a car as he has had since the 2014 Ferrari. His qualifying pace was exemplary, averaging a whole two places ahead of Ocon over the season.
It is still a shame that, even on a good weekend there are likely to be six cars comfortably ahead of him. His ultimate situation has not changed and looks unlikely to next year, either, with Aston Martin.
Championship points: 81 (9th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 12-9
Our season rating/100: 80
6. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (1007pts)
This has been a fine season for Esteban Ocon, but perhaps one that looks a little bit better on paper than it actually was. His points total of 92 puts him eighth overall and 11 points ahead of Fernando Alonso, but we would argue that the Spaniard had the stronger season, with a bit less fortune than his team-mate. The single point gap in our system – over 22 races – shows how close it has been between the pair.
Yes, the Alpine was probably on balance the fourth quickest car but Ocon delivered throughout the season. His qualifying lagged a little bit compared to Alonso, but his performances over the last two years mean that Alpine should not be overly concerned with losing Alonso to Aston Martin, as much as a loss that will be. Still, that our ratings system puts him very close to Alonso, it is not like Ocon has been definitively beaten by his team-mate, but perhaps only marginally.
Championship points: 92 (8th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 9-12
Our season rating/100: 75
5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1035pts)
A rare winless and pole-less season for the seven-time champion. Hamilton’s season looks worse than it is on paper because of how he approached the first third of the season, trying unusual set-ups in order to unlock the pace of a very problematic Mercedes in one go. That led to an early-season deficit to Russell from which he never really recovered, ending up 35 points behind in the final reckoning.
Hamilton’s form in the final third of the season, though, was up there with his best. Russell did become the first Mercedes winner of the season, but if you go through the numbers in the final half of the season, Hamilton was the leading man more often than not.
From Canada until Abu Dhabi he scored 178 points – more than anyone but Verstappen. There were a few mistakes in there, more than might be expected. Russell’s excellence and closeness to his team-mate do not suggest a waning of Hamilton’s powers so much as underlining the ability of the younger man. It was good to finally see a team-mate challenge him again, though.
Championship points: 240pts (6th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 14-8
Our season rating/100: 80
4. George Russell, Mercedes (1038pts)
Russell has impressed in his first season at Mercedes, but it might be a push to call this season a revelation. That, though, is mainly because of the quality he showed in his final couple of years at Williams. He was always likely to produce something like this. Yet he deserves enormous credit for doing it and becoming only the third man to beat Lewis Hamilton over the course of a season.
Hamilton won the qualifying battle 14-8, but digging deeper into the numbers shows the pair were incredibly evenly matched. When the car was problematic, Russell’s approach seemed to bring the rewards as he notched up three podiums to Hamilton’s one in the first eight races. From then on Hamilton reeled him in, but after a mid-season dip Russell returned to form towards the end of the season, capping it with a magnificent maiden win in Brazil.
The three point gap in our system between the two Mercedes drivers shows how closely they have been matched throughout the year. We should expect even more from Russell in 2023.
Championship points: 275 (4th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 8-14
Our season rating/100: 80
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1069pts)
It might be difficult to describe this as Leclerc’s best season in F1 but the scrutiny is different when you are at the very front. In many ways his form throughout the year has typified how he has operated throughout his five seasons in F1 – rapid over one lap and a fine race driver but with a tendency to overdrive and with a few too many large errors. Those mistakes have been exposed this year, though he has not been helped by the operational mistakes of his team, either.
Sainz had a poor start but regained his form from the mid-point of the season but, overall, Leclerc still had the beating of him in almost every area. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but judged on most metrics, this has been a good season for the Monegasque driver.
It might be slightly questionable whether he had a better season than Hamilton (probably, just about) or Russell (a coin toss), but on balance Leclerc probably just shades it. Second in the standings and third in our system feels about right.
Championship points: 310 (2nd)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 14-6
Our season rating/100: 75
2. Lando Norris, McLaren (1136pts)
For almost the entirety of the 2022 season you can ask the question “Could Lando Norris have achieved much more with this McLaren?” and the answer is no. With it back to a clear three-team bunch at the front, Norris’s opportunities for the headline catching results (though he scored a podium for the third year in a row) have been limited but his unfussy speed and consistency throughout the year show us what a driver he is developing into.
With the way our system works, Norris is perhaps a slight anomaly in that he has trounced his team-mate (a key component in the system) who came into the season with a high rating. Yet, I do not think that second place here is too far off at all. There were few, if any, dips in form bar the odd race. A best of the rest championship finish and another ton of points is what he deserves. He also deserves a race-winning car and soon.
Championship points: 122 (7th)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 18-4
Our season rating/100: 90
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1192pts)
As the points difference shows, this was another exceptional season from Max Verstappen. He came into the season as our highest-rated driver of the last two seasons and he ends it that way too. Really, after two retirements in the first three rounds, nobody came close to challenging him. The Ferrari was the better car in qualifying for most of the season but the Red Bull RB18 in Verstappen’s hands was a near-unstoppable machine. That, of course, is a shame but we cannot fault Verstappen for that.
As with Lewis Hamilton’s numerous titles, it was a shame he was not challenged more robustly as Leclerc’s title bid collapsed in mid-season. Aside from the two early DNFs it is hard to think of too many low points. A strange, off-pace weekend in Singapore and also the kerfuffle in Brazil where he crashed with Hamilton and then defied team orders, perhaps.
But by then nothing was at stake. Whether or not you like him as a character on or off track, he is currently out front of the current crop of drivers.
Championship points: 514 (1st)
Qualifying record vs team-mate: 18-4
Our season rating/100: 90
