The 2022 Formula One season is behind us and want to hear your pick or picks for which driver impressed you the most this year.
The revised Formula 1 regulations entering the 2022 season were intended to allow cars to follow closer and encourage more competition between the cars and teams after an eight-year reign by Mercedes. And while the cars certainly had improved ability to follow closely, the leveling of the competition was harder to spot.
An early season push from Ferrari quickly fizzled out, and the Red Bull cars led by Max Verstappen cruised to one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history. Despite this, there were impressive performances throughout the season from Verstappen and many other drivers. We want to hear from you who impressed you the most. Here are some ideas:
Max Verstappen – The obvious choice; Verstappen became the first driver in F1 history to achieve 14 wins in a season. Verstappen’s presence on the podium in 2022 seemed a foregone conclusion entering nearly every race, regardless of track type or weather. Verstappen now has two drivers’ championships to his name and looked unstoppable all season long.
George Russell – Russell would have had countless valid excuses if he had performed far worse in his first season at Mercedes than he did. Few people expected #63 to match his teammate, who happens to be the winningest driver in F1 history, but at the time of this writing Russell is ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. This season included Russell earning his first victory and proving he belongs at one of the premier teams in the sport.
Lando Norris – Like Russell, Norris outperformed a teammate with a greater career win total. The disparity in pace between Norris and teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2022 makes it difficult to assess the potential pace of their McLaren. Was Norris driving the wheels off a car that had no business in the top eight? Or was Ricciardo underperforming in an upper-mid tier car? The answer is likely somewhere in between, but undoubtedly Norris looked great, and even split the top teams in the standings through much of the early season.
Kevin Magnussen - Before the 2022 season started, K-Mag didn't even have a seat in F1. Fate intervened, and Magnussen ended up as the full-time teammate of Mick Schumacher at Haas. His 25 points so far in 2022 exceeds the expectations of most F1 fans coming into the season, and is double the current total of Schumacher. Magnussen also earned a pole position for the sprint race in Brazil.
Who is your driver of the year? One of the above? Someone else? Leave a comment below and be sure to vote in the poll.
The revised Formula 1 regulations entering the 2022 season were intended to allow cars to follow closer and encourage more competition between the cars and teams after an eight-year reign by Mercedes. And while the cars certainly had improved ability to follow closely, the leveling of the competition was harder to spot.
An early season push from Ferrari quickly fizzled out, and the Red Bull cars led by Max Verstappen cruised to one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history. Despite this, there were impressive performances throughout the season from Verstappen and many other drivers. We want to hear from you who impressed you the most. Here are some ideas:
Max Verstappen – The obvious choice; Verstappen became the first driver in F1 history to achieve 14 wins in a season. Verstappen’s presence on the podium in 2022 seemed a foregone conclusion entering nearly every race, regardless of track type or weather. Verstappen now has two drivers’ championships to his name and looked unstoppable all season long.
George Russell – Russell would have had countless valid excuses if he had performed far worse in his first season at Mercedes than he did. Few people expected #63 to match his teammate, who happens to be the winningest driver in F1 history, but at the time of this writing Russell is ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. This season included Russell earning his first victory and proving he belongs at one of the premier teams in the sport.
Lando Norris – Like Russell, Norris outperformed a teammate with a greater career win total. The disparity in pace between Norris and teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2022 makes it difficult to assess the potential pace of their McLaren. Was Norris driving the wheels off a car that had no business in the top eight? Or was Ricciardo underperforming in an upper-mid tier car? The answer is likely somewhere in between, but undoubtedly Norris looked great, and even split the top teams in the standings through much of the early season.
Kevin Magnussen - Before the 2022 season started, K-Mag didn't even have a seat in F1. Fate intervened, and Magnussen ended up as the full-time teammate of Mick Schumacher at Haas. His 25 points so far in 2022 exceeds the expectations of most F1 fans coming into the season, and is double the current total of Schumacher. Magnussen also earned a pole position for the sprint race in Brazil.
Who is your driver of the year? One of the above? Someone else? Leave a comment below and be sure to vote in the poll.
Photo Credit: Williams Racing
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