Half-season F1 driver ratings: Ranking drivers between 1-5 ft. Max Verstappen
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2022 season of Formula One
Formula One aficionados were anticipating a wonderful season after the 2022 Formula One season got off to a great start in the Bahrain Grand Prix, especially after seeing one of the best season finales at the Yas Marina Circuit the season before.
The ten Formula One racing teams and their drivers are preparing for the eagerly awaited summer break after finishing with half of the scheduled races. Due to the sheer number of events that took place in these 11 races, the first half of this season has been filled with exceptional occurrences. The drivers whose first-half season rankings ranged from 1 to 5 are all shown here.
Also Read: Half-season F1 driver ratings: Ranking drivers between 6-10 ft. Lewis Hamilton
5. Carlos Sainz
The Spanish driver had a bittersweet first-half of the 2022 season of Formula One. His campaign has been plagued with four DNFs which is a testament to the F1-75’s severe reliability issues. He had to retire his F1-75 in the Australian Grand Prix, Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Azerbaijan Grand Prix and most recently, in the Red Bull Ring during the Austrian Grand Prix. Sainz’s two-year contract extension, which will keep him with Ferrari through the end of the 2024 season, was made public. Sainz won the pole position in a rainy qualifying session for the British Grand Prix, his 150th Formula One race start, defeating reigning Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen by 0.034 seconds. He went on to win his first Formula One race in Silverstone after a safety car period.
4. Sergio Perez
The Mexican driver has been quite unlucky in regards to DNFs a lot like Ferrari’s second driver Carlos Sainz. The Red Bull driver has had 3 DNFs this season which poses a lot of questions with regards to the RB18’s reliability. This has proved to be a major hindrance for Perez. Perez had to retire his RB18 in the season-opener Bahrain Grand Prix, the Canadian Grand Prix and most recently, the Austrian Grand Prix. He set a record of being the first Mexican driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix. He’s currently placed third on the drivers’ standings with a total of 151 points.
3. George Russell
The Briton had his dream move to Mercedes from Williams before the 2022 season of Formula One commenced. ‘Mr. Consistency’ has been quite consistent with his results this season as he finished on the podium thrice, at P4 four times and at P5 thrice. Russell finished fourth in his maiden race as a full-time race driver for Mercedes. In his 63rd race, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, he finished third for his second podium finish after starting sixth on the grid. Russell had to retire his W13 in the British Grand Prix after a first lap incident involving Guanyu Zhou. Russell is placed at fifth on the drivers’ standings with a total of 128 points.
2. Charles Leclerc
It has been quite the first-half of a season for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. After a prolonged rough patch for the Maranello-based racing team, they seem to have found a way to compete for the title with their F1-75 despite its reliability issues. Leclerc won the season-opener-the Bahrain Grand Prix, and then went on to secure two more victories at the Australian Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix. However, his two DNFs have kept him trailing behind reigning Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen at second position on the drivers’ standings with a total of 170 points.
1. Max Verstappen
After a heartbreaking season-opener for the reigning Formula One World Champion where Max Verstappen had to retire his RB18 due to a fuel system issue, the Dutch driver seems to have found his way back with his consistent results. The Red Bull driver has won 6 out of the 11 races in the first-half of the season. He has also fared better in the RB18 than his teammate Sergio Perez. He now has a considerable 38 points lead over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, which makes him an easy favourite to win the championship. This would be his second consecutive championship then. He’s currently leading the drivers’ standings with a whopping total of 208 points already.
Also Read: Half-season F1 driver ratings: Ranking drivers between 11-15
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Rishika Saha
(445 Articles Published)