2022 mid-season F1 driver rankings half 1: 20-16 · RaceFans

The 2022 Formulation 1 season is over half means accomplished, however because the second leg of the season attracts nearer, it’s time to look again at how the 20 drivers on this season’s grid have fared over the primary 13 rounds.

These rankings are largely based mostly on RaceFans’ race weekend driver scores for every spherical of the season up to now. Nonetheless, there are different components that might be thought of when rating every driver.

This primary half will cowl the drivers which have been ranked the bottom out of their friends. The remaining 15 drivers might be ranked in future articles over the approaching days.

N/A – Nico Hulkenberg – Aston Martin

It’s simple to neglect that Nico Hulkenberg performed a task within the first two race weekends of Formulation 1’s new ground-effect period at the beginning of the 2022 season. Stepping in for Sebastian Vettel who examined constructive for covid within the week main as much as the curtain-raising Bahrain Grand Prix the veteran of 181 grand prix begins confirmed as soon as once more why he’s probably the most dependable short-notice substitute driver obtainable immediately.

Hulkenberg’s exploits in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had been unspectacular in comparison with his efforts for Racing Level again in 2020, however he additionally did a good job in a automobile that was instantly among the many slowest of its friends on the grid. He outqualified Lance Stroll in Bahrain however, understandably, struggled together with his race tempo and completed final of vehicles on observe. His Saturday efficiency on an unfamiliar Jeddah circuit was not as sturdy, however his Sunday was compromised by the early Security Automobile.

All in all, Hulkenberg’s efforts in his two race appearances proved that he’s nonetheless able to being one of many 20 privileged drivers to carry a spot on the Formulation 1 grid, however with solely two race weekends to his title, it’s not honest to issue him into rankings based mostly on such a small pattern.

20 – Nicholas Latifi – Williams

Even when he has grow to be a relatively mean-spirited meme in F1 fan tradition three seasons into his profession, Nicholas Latifi does certainly have the unlucky distinction of being the least spectacular of the 20 drivers on the grid this far into the 2022 season.

However analysing the Williams driver’s season up to now, his rating because the lowest amongst his friends maybe speaks extra to the final high quality on the fashionable grid than it does about Latifi’s competency. In comparison with some drivers prior to now that shortly come to thoughts, Latifi’s greatest weak point is only a normal lack of pace, relatively than him being an inherently erratic or reckless driver.

That stated, Latifi has actually made greater than his fair proportion of errors up to now in 2022. A really poor weekend in Saudi Arabia noticed him crash out of qualifying, then out of the race with an unforced error. Crashing below Security Automobile earlier than the Monaco Grand Prix had even begun additionally stands out as a low level.

Other than these moments, Latifi has merely been underwhelming on the instances sheets – out-qualifying group mate Alexander Albon solely as soon as. Paradoxically, his greatest weekend got here at Silverstone, when he missed out on the good thing about the upgraded Williams given to Albon. Latifi reached Q3 for the primary time within the moist (earlier than spinning) after which had a good run to complete in twelfth, dropping eleventh within the closing laps.

Latifi doesn’t should be the butt of jokes, however it’s arduous to argue he additionally deserves the slot among the many 20 elite drivers in Formulation 1.

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19 – Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren

After working the numbers a number of instances and contemplating the context of every race weekend by itself deserves, there was no different conclusion to attract however that Daniel Ricciardo is the second-lowest ranked driver mid means via the 2022 season.

Following a really troublesome first yr with McLaren in 2021 the place he struggled to adapt to the automobile, 2022 was alleged to be the reset level for Ricciardo. Nonetheless, the acquainted sample of Ricciardo floundering whereas group mate Lando Norris challenged on the high of the midfield has solely repeated up to now this season, with the eight time grand prix winner scoring lower than 1 / 4 of his group’s factors via 13 races.

Ricciardo did an inexpensive job on the very begin of the yr when he and Norris each needed to take care of McLaren’s braking woes, however as soon as they had been behind them and Norris got here in control, Ricciardo has too typically been far off his group mate. Crashing out at flip one in Imola whereas Norris scored a podium was a standout instance and he was merely nowhere in comparison with Norris at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

His lack of efficiency at McLaren is all of the extra mystifying when he exhibits he’s able to matching Norris, comparable to in Azerbaijan – it’s simply far, far too rare. Whereas there may be nonetheless time for him to show his season round, his disappointing efficiency throughout a year-and-a-half in Woking is demonstrated in how McLaren are actively on the lookout for a means out of their dedication to him for 2023.

18 – Mick Schumacher – Haas

In his second season in Formulation 1 and his first in a remotely aggressive automobile, Mick Schumacher has had a really noticeable swing in kind over the primary 13 races of the 2022 season.

Schumacher could very effectively be at the moment driving higher than he has in his F1 profession, however he was let down by a poor begin to the marketing campaign. Whereas the returning Kevin Magnussen disregarded the cobwebs and secured a number of factors finishes within the early rounds, Schumacher couldn’t again up his group mate and assist safe important additional factors whereas the group had the prospect. A sickening crash in qualifying in Jeddah ended his weekend early, whereas one other heavy crash in Monaco led to a really public warning from his group principal Guenther Steiner to cease racking up the restore invoice.

However even when he saved his automobile on the highway, Schumacher was nonetheless being out-performed by Magnussen nearly all of the group. That was till the Canadian Grand Prix, when one thing appeared to shift inside Schumacher and he delivered simply his strongest run of races ever, securing his very first factors in back-to-back rounds in Britain and Austria, together with a really sturdy run to sixth on the Purple Bull Ring.

All through his single seater profession, Schumacher as at all times been strongest within the second half of his second season in a class. Will he accomplish that once more with the good thing about an up to date Haas following the summer season break?

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17 – Lance Stroll – Aston Martin

The transition from Racing Level to Aston Martin has not been a very profitable one for the Silverstone-based group and particularly not for Lance Stroll. After securing podiums with Williams and Racing Level and even a pole place in 2020, Stroll has simply 4 factors from his first 13 rounds of 2022 – his lowest tally at this stage of a season since his closing yr at Williams in 2018.

Regardless of being the primary group to formally unveil their new challenger for 2022, Aston Martin’s AMR22 was disappointing out of the blocks. Stroll didn’t have his four-time champion group mate Sebastian Vettel alongside him the primary two rounds of the yr, with Nico Hulkenberg getting into a really unknown automobile in Bahrain and Jeddah and solely beating Stroll in Jeddah after he clashed with Alexander Albon within the closing laps.

The third spherical in Melbourne was a messy weekend for Stroll. He was investigated twice for impeding in observe, crashed earlier than qualifying, hit Nicholas Latifi in Q1 after his group repaired his automobile, was penalised for weaving within the race and fortunate to flee and not using a second penalty for pushing Valtteri Bottas off the observe. He rebounded together with his first level in Imola and completed tenth once more in Miami after ranging from the pitlane.

A number of tags with the wall in the identical qualifying session in Baku didn’t flatter him, however his kind picked up from his house race in Montreal. He robustly held off Vettel within the closing laps of Paul Ricard to cling onto the ultimate level, earlier than Budapest was in all probability his strongest weekend of the season. He out certified Vettel and drove effectively within the race earlier than being spun by Daniel Ricciardo, then obeyed group orders to let Vettel via for the ultimate level however was denied the flexibility to reclaim the place earlier than the chequered flag.

Stroll’s distinctive privileged place means there isn’t a query over his future in Aston Martin, but when he and his group are critical about finally difficult for wins and championships within the years forward, he might want to present extra performances like Budapest and fewer like Melbourne.

16 – Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda endured a difficult first season in Formulation 1, displaying flashes of pace and expertise at instances however making a litany of errors out on observe alongside the best way. Given his younger age, it was little shock that Purple Bull opted to offer Tsunoda a second season to work on creating his expertise, given his obvious potential.

Half means via his second season and it’s a related story in 2022 for Tsunoda. Simply as there have been moments of brilliance, he has additionally made a few of the greatest blunders of the season up to now.

A powerful begin to the yr in Bahrain noticed him take eighth earlier than mechanical issues compelled him to overlook the second spherical in Jeddah. His Imola weekend was arguably the strongest of his fledgling Formulation 1 profession. He was sooner than group mate Pierre Gasly in each session and regardless of qualifying solely sixteenth, he made up 4 locations within the dash race then 5 extra by the tip of the grand prix to say seventh on the chequered flag.

His Barcelona weekend was additionally stable, beating Gasly as soon as once more and changing a 3 cease technique to say the ultimate level, however then instantly adopted that up with an error-filled weekend in Monaco the place he inadvertently compromised his group mate in qualifying by hitting the limitations and dropped to final place within the race after working off at Sainte Dedicate. A very good weekend in Baku was then once more adopted by embarrassing errors, crashing out of the Montreal pitlane within the race after which ruining each his and his group mate’s race in Silverstone with a poorly judged overtaking transfer.

With so many Purple Bull juniors ready within the wings, Tsunoda can’t afford any extra calamities within the second part of the season if he’s going to make a profitable case for Purple Bull to proceed investing in his growth.

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