The top five Formula 1 drivers of 2022

The Formula 1 World Championship ended a few weeks ago, but anticipation is already growing for the new season, which will see many new faces enter the pit-stop. The men who drive the teams change (see Binotto’s departure and the arrival of Vasseur at Ferrari), but so do the people who sit in the single-seaters.

While we wait for the traffic lights to turn green for the New Year, let’s take a look at the best F1 drivers of 2022: a top 5 to see who impressed the most in a championship dominated by Red Bull, winner of the drivers’ and constructors’ classification.

The best Formula 1 drivers of 2022: the top 5

Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
George Russell
Sebastian Vettel
Carlos Sainz

Verstappen is the best F1 driver in 2022.

The first name on the list of the best Formula 1 drivers of 2022 could only be Max Verstappen. The Dutchman had an incredible season, winning another world title to add to the one he won in 2021 (his second in a row). This year he made everything seem too simple: after an uncertain start, he put the gears in place and began to grind points non-stop. Thanks to the support of the team, which made little or no mistakes, he won the World Championship already in the Japanese Grand Prix, setting the record for victories obtained in a single season at the end of the year (15 wins). Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher held the record with 13 victories in a single year.

Second place for Charles Leclerc

In second place in the top 5, we can’t fail to include Charles Leclerc, who despite his bad luck still had a season to remember. Up until a certain point of the year, it seemed possible that the Monegasque could bring Ferrari back to winning the World Championship, but in the end, it didn’t happen that way. Attention is already focused on 2023, but we must not forget how many good things have been done this season: 9 pole positions and some races to remember, such as Bahrain and Austria.

The other positions of the top 5 F1 2022 drivers

Rounding out the top 5 are a couple of riders who finished the World Championship with a position in the riders’ standings close to the two phenomena mentioned above and a rider who has just retired. In third and fifth positions are George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who both, during this season, have found pole position and victory in a Grand Prix for the first time in F1.

The position is higher for the Mercedes driver because, undoubtedly, his team had more problems during the season, but in the end, he still managed to finish above the Spaniard in the drivers’ standings. Mr. Consistency was the nickname that Toto Wolff gave him, and it was well deserved. Watch out for next season.

However, it was an excellent season for Sainz, who won three pole positions in 2022, proving that Ferrari was a car capable of flying in the flying lap.The season that has just ended can be an excellent starting point for next year.

Above him, however, we have decided to reward a former Ferrari driver like Sebastian Vettel, who left the world of Formula 1 at the very end of this season. The German, despite the great difficulties faced by Aston Martin this year, managed to finish above his teammate with double the points, the same as a McLaren driver like Ricciardo. In the most difficult year, in which he realizes he can’t be more suited to this sport, he scores a series of overtakes and fantastic performances. It’s hard to forget how Seb passed Magnussen on the last lap in the United States.