Top 5 Drivers Of The Formula 1 Season

The 2022 Formula 1 wasn’t quite the spectacle we witnessed in 2021. Max Verstappen secured his second world drivers’ championship dominantly. He won 15 races, the most in a single season, and scored the bulk of the points to secure Red Bull’s first constructors’ title in the turbo era of the sport. 

Listen to our 2022 season review and we look at the highlights and lowlights:

We countdown our five top drivers of the 2022 season.

1. Max Verstappen

There’s no denying Max Verstappen was in a different league last year. Despite not having the fastest car at the start of the season and on Saturdays, he was able to demolish his closest rival Charles Leclerc to the top spot. The Netherlands’ driver had a competitive car and then some as he secured the championship in Japan with four races to spare. 

2. Charles Leclerc

 The Ferrari driver started well, winning two of the opening three races. He outscored Verstappen in pole positions, but a string of bad strategy calls, DNFs, and lacking race pace saw him lose out in 2022. The F1-75 proved to be a handful at times, but the Monegasque showed supreme skill and had some epic battles with Verstappen and co. The 25-year-old finished with a paltry three wins, despite grabbing nine pole positions. 

3. Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion had a tough year after narrowly losing the 2021 title to Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton failed to secure a victory in a season he has raced in, for the first time in 16 years. However, the Mercedes driver was on the back foot after the team failed to put together a competitive package in 2022. They suffered from several issues, but that didn’t make Hamilton throw in the towel. He battled like a true champion and finished sixth in the championship and even came close to victories in the latter part of the season. 

4. George Russell

Mr. Consistency. George Rusell did an outstanding job in his first season at Mercedes. He finished above Hamilton in the drivers’ championship and scored the German team’s solitary win of the season. The Briton was razor sharp at making the most out of the W13, despite it lacking the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari. 

5. Lando Norris

The McLaren driver managed to shine in a season where all the headlines belonged to Red Bull, Ferrari, and sometimes Mercedes. Lando Norris showed grit and skill to deliver fantastic performances in the MCL36. He was the only non-Red Bull, Ferrari, or Mercedes driver to score a podium and finished seventh in the championship. Norris’ ability to outperform teammate Daniel Ricciardo by a large margin ratified his superiority in the team. Norris can become a future world champion if he moves to a more competitive team. 

Sean Parker

Sean Parker is a motorsport journalist and sports content creator at The South African. He has worked for the country's premier motoring publications, and is a Formula 1 contributor to Bet.co.za, the Bet Central podcast, and Vision View Sports radio.