The 2022 Formula 1 season didn’t end up having the fireworks that 2021 did in the driver championship, but it was still an exciting year for the series.
There was plenty of drama, action — and, thanks to Ferrari, comedy.
Here’s some of the happenings most worth calling out.
Michael Schumacher Award for Most Outstanding Driver: Max Verstappen
Despite not having the fastest one- or two-lap car through the balance of the season, Max Verstappen was able to put together a record-breaking 15-win season thanks to his massive amount of talent.
Case in point: despite Verstappen’s domination, he actually scored less poles and less fastest laps in his second championship season than he did in his first in 2021, and didn’t lead the field in either category in 2022. But that didn’t matter; Verstappen’s excellent tire management combined with the Red Bull’s superior tire management and stupid-fast straightaway speed went together like peanut butter and jelly.
And no, this isn’t a case of Ferrari giving Verstappen the win thanks to clown-car strategy. Verstappen and Red Bull very clearly found another gear midway through the season and won nine of the last 11 races largely on pace alone, with their only blemishes being an off-weekend at Singapore and a Brazil race where he had damage from contact with Lewis Hamilton on the first lap.
When Verstappen was plugged in, which was very often this season, he was all but unstoppable.
Alain Prost Award for Most Valuable Driver: Lando Norris
This may be a weird selection considering the last entry on this list, but Lando Norris gets this award because, well, no driver was more individually valuable to their team than he was.
McLaren scored 159 points this season, and Norris alone accounted for 122 of them. Without Norris, teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s 37 points would have dropped the team to eighth in constructor standings, instead of the fifth it finished. Norris also defeated Ricciardo in every head-to-head stat.
With Carlos Sainz and George Russell both scoring wins this season, Norris is now undisputedly the best driver in the field without a career win. But the lack of wins, Sochi last year aside, has nothing to do with Norris and is more indicative of McLaren struggling to break out from the midfield in recent years.
Next year may well be his breakout season.
Ayrton Senna Award for Best Qualifier: Charles Leclerc
Leclerc proved this season that he could be a viable…
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