Every driver had their share of highs and lows during the 2022 Formula 1 season, albeit with some having more of one than the other.
As the end of the year approaches, The Race has picked out the best moment for each of the 20 F1 regulars this year.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Belgian Grand Prix
Verstappen made winning from 14th on the grid at Spa seem straightforward, taking the lead from Carlos Sainz on lap 18. Given it was only the 13th time that a driver has won from 14th or lower, Verstappen made it look absurdly easy to win by just under 18 seconds.
SERGIO PEREZ – Saudi Arabia Q3 lap
Nobody waited longer than the 218 grands prix Perez did for his first pole position, which came in Jeddah this year with a mighty Q3 lap. Sadly, the safety car denied him a chance to close out the victory he’d set himself up for.
LEWIS HAMILTON – Hungarian Grand Prix
After missing out on a shot at pole because of a DRS problem in qualifying, Hamilton had a strong run to second in the race. What made this such a boost was that after a tough first half of the year, it was confirmation Mercedes really was getting somewhere.
GEORGE RUSSELL – Brazilian Grand Prix
Although Russell claimed his first F1 race win in the Saturday sprint at Interlagos, it was victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix proper that stands as his greatest moment. Almost two years after being denied in Bahrain, it was worth waiting for.
CHARLES LECLERC – Australian Grand Prix
Leclerc was on top of the world after making it two wins out of three in Australia, opening up a 34-point championship lead (and taking a 46-point advantage over Verstappen). That he’d win only once more in the next 19 races seemed impossible on that April day.
CARLOS SAINZ – British Grand Prix
Sainz’s first pole position in F1 and early lead didn’t look set to convert into a maiden victory given Leclerc’s advantage in the race. But Ferrari’s strategic decision, and Sainz’s rejection of the attempt to use him as a rear gunner, meant he was free to pass Leclerc and break his duck to seal his first F1 win.
DANIEL RICCIARDO – Mexican Grand Prix final stint
Ricciardo has been a shadow of his old self during his McLaren stint, but a switch to soft tyres briefly allowed him to be his old attacking self. After his clash with Yuki Tsunoda, he charged through to seventh place to take his best result of the year.
LANDO NORRIS – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Norris produced a litany of strong performances to less flashy positions with drives that were, on occasion, better than what he did at Imola. But in a difficult year for McLaren, the one podium finish is the obvious highlight.
FERNANDO ALONSO – Canada Q3
Alonso made the most of the opportunity presented by the conditions to take an unlikely second place in Montreal qualifying. He even talked up his chances of attacking Verstappen for the lead at the beginning of the race after earning his first front-row start for a decade.
ESTEBAN OCON – Japanese Grand Prix
Not only was the race at Suzuka Ocon’s best result of the season with fourth place, but he kept the quicker Mercedes of Hamilton behind him with stoic defence. In a season when he regularly made it tough for people trying to pass him, this was a masterclass.
VALTTERI BOTTAS – Bahrain Q2
Why Q2? Simply because Bottas maintained his long run of reaching Q3 on his first outing for Alfa Romeo. He was delighted after qualifying, admitting that if he’d been told he be in the top 10 in qualifying for the first race when he signed the deal, he wouldn’t have believed it.
ZHOU GUANYU – Bahrain Grand Prix
When the anti-stall kicked in and Zhou briefly dropped to last on the first lap of his F1 debut in Bahrain, a top 10 finish seemed unlikely. But a well-executed race meant he started the last lap 11th, which became 10th when Perez spun after a fuelling problem to give him a point in his first race.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL – Abu Dhabi Qualifying
Vettel ensured he bowed out of F1 on a high with a strong performance during the Abu Dhabi weekend, as proved by making Q3 and qualifying ninth. Strategy went against him on Sunday, but he’d made his point.
LANCE STROLL – Japanese Grand Prix Start
Stroll transformed his race at Suzuka with a great start from 18th on the grid, not just getting a good launch but squeezing up against the pitwall to make the most of the drier part of the track and surge up the order. He ended the first lap 11th, the highlight of another season of attacking first laps.
KEVIN MAGNUSSEN – Brazilian GP Qualifying
Magnussen’s qualifying ‘victory’ at Interlagos was the biggest qualifying shock for a decade or more in F1. But while fortune presented the opportunity, Magnussen’s execution in tricky conditions was outstanding throughout Q1, Q2 and Q3.
MICK SCHUMACHER – British GP
Yes, he scored his first points but it was the way he did it that really made the mark. He started 19th, with his final stint on hards during which he battled with Verstappen – almost pipping him to seventh – particularly strong.
PIERRE GASLY – Monaco FP3
It says a lot about Gasly and AlphaTauri’s season that a free practice session was his high point. But setting the fifth fastest time behind only the Ferraris and Red Bulls shows what Gasly would likely have achieved but for the team’s delay in getting him into the pit exit queue in Q1.
YUKI TSUNODA – Emilia Romagna GP
Not only was Imola Tsunoda’s best result of the season, but it was also one of his most accomplished race drives. After a brief grass tracking moment on the run to Tamburello on the first lap, he drove a fine grand prix, passing Vettel for seventh to bag valuable points.
ALEX ALBON – Australian GP
After a year on the sidelines, Albon’s marathon first stint at Albert Park allowed him to nab the final point. He made his sole pitstop at the end of the penultimate lap and managed to stay ahead of Zhou – just – through the first chicane to get a rare point for Williams.
NICHOLAS LATIFI – British GP Q1/Q2
Latifi made Q3 for the one and only time in his F1 career in unpromising circumstances at Silverstone given he didn’t have the major Williams upgrade team-mate Albon benefitted from. In wet conditions, he did a good job in Q1/Q2 before failing to set a time in Q3 after mistakes at Abbey on both laps.
