F1 2022 race reports: the action as it happened
A summary of each grand prix of 2022, as the season unfolded
The 2022 F1 season has concluded and it saw Max Verstappen claiming his second drivers’ title (in much less controversial circumstances than his first).
It proved to be a dominant year for the Dutchman and his Red Bull Racing team, though early indications suggested it could have gone Ferrari’s way, as the Scuderia seemed to have the best car as the season got underway.
Meanwhile Mercedes was having all kinds of trouble early on in the season, battling with bouncing issues along the straights and scrapping for mid-pack points. It was a different story by the end of the year, and the team even managed a 1-2 finish at the penultimate race in Brazil. That bodes well for 2023.
The 2022 season also saw fierce competition between teams further down the order, with Aston Martin and Alf Romeo battling it out for sixth place at the final round, and a season-long fight between McLaren and Alpine.
For the final F1 2022 points standings, click here, but to read how the season went down race by race, read our reports from each round below.
N.b. We wrote each report immediately after the related race and haven’t edited them post-season, so they’re a reflection of our musings as the season played out rather than being tinged with hindsight.
F1 2022 calendar
The 2022 F1 season began on March 20 in Bahrain and finished on November 20 in Abu Dhabi.
It saw the inclusion of one new track — Miami — marking the first time since the US Grand Prix at Sebring in 1959 that F1 has gone to Florida.
China was not on the calendar in 2022 due to coronavirus restrictions, though it will be restored once the situation allows, according to the organisers.
The Russian Grand Prix was scrapped due to the host country’s invasion of Ukraine.
First pre-season testing for the 2022 F1 season took place on February 23-25 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and was followed by another at Bahrain on March 10-12.
Here’s the full schedule of races in the 2022 F1 championship. Click the links for reports from each round.
| Date | Grand Prix | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Bahrain (read race report) | Sakhir |
| March 27 | Saudi Arabia (read race report) | Jeddah |
| April 10 | Australia (read race report) | Melbourne |
| April 24 | Emilia Romagna* (read race report) | Imola |
| May 8 | Miami (read race report) | Miami |
| May 22 | Spain (read race report) | Barcelona |
| May 29 | Monaco (read race report) | Monaco |
| June 12 | Azerbaijan (read race report) | Baku |
| June 19 | Canada (read race report) | Montreal |
| July 3 | United Kingdom (read race report) | Silverstone |
| July 10 | Austria* (read race report) | Spielberg |
| July 24 | France (read race report) | Le Castellet |
| July 31 | Hungary (read race report) | Budapest |
| August 28 | Belgium (read race report) | Spa |
| September 4 | Netherlands (read race report) | Zandvoort |
| September 11 | Italy (read race report) | Monza |
| September 25 | ||
| October 2 | Singapore (read race report) | Singapore |
| October 9 | Japan (read race report) | Suzuka |
| October 23 | USA (read race report) | Austin |
| October 30 | Mexico (read race report) | Mexico City |
| November 13 | Brazil* (read race report) | Sao Paulo |
| November 20 | Abu Dhabi (read race report) | Abu Dhabi |
2022 F1 race reports
Bahrain GP report, March 20
Ferrari and Red Bull proved the fastest over the race weekend in Bahrain, with Charles Leclerc taking pole position, Max Verstappen lining up second, and their team-mates starting third and fourth.
The start was clean, and Leclerc led most of the race, though he and Verstappen swapped places a few times at about a third race distance. In the end it was Ferrari’s day, though, as first Max and then Sergio Perez retired towards the end of the race. Verstappen seemed to have electrical issues while Perez’s engine seized on the final lap.
That proved a boon for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the Mercedes W13s, who managed to claim third and fourth despite being very much on the backfoot. Fifth went to Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, which was a stunning achievement for the man drafted in to replace Russian Nikita Mazepin at the 11th hour. If they were the teams on top, those with real issues appear to be McLaren and Williams, both of which are lacking in pace. Bahrain also so a fiery end for the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, which brought out a safety car on lap 46 or 57, bunching the cars back together for the exciting conclusion.
Watch the Bahrain GP highlights here
Saudi Arabia GP report, March 27
After a brilliant pole position, Sergio Perez wasn’t able to capitalise and Saudi Arabia became another Leclerc-Verstappen sparring match out front. The Ferrari driver was again canny with the DRS zones, allowing Verstappen to pass just before the activation line after the final corner so that he could benefit from having his rear wing open down the long main straight.
But Verstappen got wise to this and did the same to overtake, then a final safety car put paid to Leclerc’s hopes of re-passing on the penultimate lap. In the end, the Dutch reigning world champion won by just half a second.
Sainz completed the race in third so secure another double podium for Ferrari, while Perez brought his car home fourth. George Russell had a steady race for Mercedes, finishing fifth, and it’s fair to say he out-performed his team-mate Lewis Hamilton all weekend.
Hamilton had a shocker of a Qualifying and didn’t even make it into Q2; it was the first time he’s not done so since 2017. His race was better, and by switching onto hard tyres early he managed to progress through the pack, though he wasn’t able to pit at the crucial safety car moment to benefit from fresh rubber at the end, and picked up just a single point in 10th,
The mid-pack is proving to be a terrific battle this year, with cars from Renault, McLaren, AlphaTauri and Haas (Kevin Magnussen once again proving to be an excellent last-minute signing) all joining Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes in the top 10 at Saudi.
Watch the Saudi Arabia GP highlights here
Australian GP report, April 10
With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in pole and second position respectively, it looked like it was going to be another round of the two fastest drivers this season duking it out. Leclerc proved untouchable, though, keeping Verstappen behind the whole way in a crushingly dominant performance until Verstappen retired on Lap 39 of 58 with an engine fire, once again underlining Red Bull’s Achilles’ heel this year — reliability.
Nothing went right all weekend for Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, who spun out from a dismal P14 on Lap 2. It was a weekend to forget too for Sebastian Vettel and the Aston Martin team, both Vettel and Lance Stroll having crashed in practice sustaining extensive damage and Vettel crashing out on Lap 23 on race day.
After a solid performance, Sergio Perez took second in the race with third going to the Mercedes driver, George Russell who managed to pit during the safety car period following Vettel’s crash. Safety cars once again proving to be the bane of his career, Lewis Hamilton pitted shortly before the safety car came out for Vettel’s crash and, unlike Russell, was unable to avail of the seven seconds or so saved by pitting under a safety car versus in the normal course of racing. Hamilton was unable to really challenge Russell for the last of the podium positions due to an overheating car forcing him to back off, the frustrated seven-time world champion having to settle for fourth.
Third and fourth positions, coupled with Red Bull’s misfortune meant that even though the Silver Arrows haven’t really had the pace this year, Mercedes is still second among the constructors.
It was a solid race for McLaren with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the latter in front of a home crowd, finishing in fifth and sixth.
One of the most interesting performances of the day was from the Williams driver Alex Albon, starting on hard tyres and only pitting on the final lap for a tyre change to avoid a penalty. It was a clever strategy as, though dropping back from seventh position, he was able to finish in tenth, securing one point each for both himself and the Williams team — their only ones so far this year.
Watch the Australian GP highlights here
Emilia Romagna GP report, April 24
This year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola threw up few surprises and was far from a vintage event. The weekend saw the first sprint race of the season, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finishing first, putting him on pole position for Sunday ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
In damp conditions, Verstappen led the race into the first corner and his lead never looked threatened. Considering the team was racing on home turf, it was a poor race for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo colliding at Tamburello leaving Sainz stranded in the gravel and Ricciardo dead last. There were few overtaking opportunities throughout, especially given that the race director did not deploy DRS until relatively late.
In the final ten laps of the race, Charles Leclerc, who had been running fourth, spun into a wall, damaging his front wing. He recovered, but the crash and his subsequent pit stop left him finishing ninth.
Towards the end of the race, all eyes were on Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas running in fifth position behind the Mercedes driver George Russell. Would the Finn overtake the underperforming Mercedes driven by his replacement at Mercedes? Despite a close-run battle, Bottas failed to make the move, but at least had the comfort of knowing he finished eight places ahead of his former teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who ended the race in a dismal fourteenth position, only being bumped up to thirteenth following Esteban Ocon’s time penalty for an unsafe pit release. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff later apologised to Hamilton for the car’s performance, describing it as “undriveable”.
It was a lonely race for Verstappen who took victory, followed by Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris in a creditable third place.
Watch the Emilia Romagna GP highlights here
Miami GP report, May 8
Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid at the inaugural Miami GP, after Max Verstappen made a mistake on his final fast lap in Qualifying. The Dutchman lined up third, though, and on the grippier side of the track managed to pass Carlos Sainz into the first corner to claim second place.
He then drove the wheels off his Red Bull, managing to catch and then pass Leclerc on lap 9, with a little help from the drag-reduction system, and stayed dominant thereafter. When Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly came together on lap 41 it brought out a virtual safety car, then a real safety car, but Verstappen managed to keep Leclerc behind him at the restart.
Sainz managed to bounce back from two crashes on the trot to ensure Ferrari had two cars on the podium in Miami, finishing behind Leclerc. Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull came fourth, following a desperate lunge on Sainz
Lewis Hamilton was sixth on the grid after a lacklustre Qualifying and lost a couple of places at the start, but regained ground during the race and passed Bottas to finish where he started.
Hamilton’s teammate George Russell started well down the pack in 12th and opted for hard tyres, while most others started on mediums. That meant he struggled with pace early on but it proved a brilliant move as the laps ticked over and his race pace improved, allowing the Brit to claim places during the first round of pitstops before the virtual safety car was instigated with 15 laps to go. That allowed Russell to put medium tyres on his car and he leapfrogged Hamilton to finish fifth.
Mick Schumacher drove a good race and was on for his first ever points until a clumsy crash into Vettel’s Aston Martin with a few laps to go ended his Miami GP.
Watch the Miami GP highlights here
Spanish GP report, May 22
A steadily improving Mercedes saw George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualify in 4th and 6th places, but it was Charles Leclerc who scored his fourth pole position of the season, edging his main championship rival, Max Verstappen, into second.
The Ferrari driver kept the Dutchman behind him as they entered the first corner. A slow start for Hamilton due to opting for the medium tyres saw him drop back before clashing with Kevin Magnussen, resulting in both cars having to pit, with the Mercedes driver picking up a puncture. Emerging back into the race in 19th place, a despondent Hamilton suggested the team should retire the car to “save this engine”.
Back at the front, Russell was fending off a hard-charging Perez with Sainz just behind, but on lap 7 the Ferrari driver spun at Turn 4, sending him back down to 11th place. A spin for Verstappen mirroring Sainz’s trip to the gravel two laps later gave Leclerc more breathing space at the front.
Russell was holding his own in 3rd place with a recovering Verstappen closing the gap, but an intermittent fault with the Red Bull’s DRS meant it couldn’t gain enough advantage to pass the Mercedes at the end of the pit straight. Verstappen’s frustration was clear over the team radio as the Red Bull engineers scrambled to find a solution. With Perez having pitted from second place, he was fast approaching the duel ahead, radioing to the team to “Get Max out of the way so I [can] overtake quickly.”
Then on lap 27 the lead Ferrari suddenly lost power. Leclerc made it to the pits where the team retired the car. This change prompted Red Bull to pit Verstappen for fresh tyres leaving Perez to hunt down Russell, the new leader.
Another round of pit stops saw Perez get the jump on Russell, with Verstappen slotting into 2nd place. A call over team radio asked the Mexican driver to allow his teammate to pass him, which he allowed on lap 49, but he made his feelings clear, saying it was “unfair” and that he would discuss the decision after the race.
The switch gave Verstappen an unhindered drive to the chequered flag to take his fourth victory of the season and extend his lead in the drivers’ championship by six points to Leclerc. A solid drive from Russell earned him third place, but the driver of the day was Lewis Hamilton, who steeled himself and recovered to fifth place, earning valuable points for the team. Bottas again put in a solid performance to take sixth with Ocon just behind. Local driver Alonso took ninth with Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in tenth.
McLaren’s poor form matched a very unwell Lando Norris who completed the race to finish in eighth, despite suffering from tonsillitis. Meanwhile, his teammate could only manage P12, finishing out of the points.
It was another pointless finish for Aston Martin, despite a raft of controversial updates to the car (the team was accused of plagiarising the Red Bull design), while the Williams pairing of Latifi and Albon came home in 16th and 18th, respectively. Mick Schumacher again narrowly missed out on achieving his first points finish in F1 despite running in 10th place for a period.
Watch the Spanish GP highlights here
Monaco GP report, May 29
On Saturday, a dominating performance saw local driver Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position for the Monaco GP, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz and the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and championship leader Max Verstappen.
The start of the race was thrown into chaos when a sudden downpour minutes before the start sent teams scrambling for new tyres as the race director issued a delayed start message. After an initial formation lap, the red flag was shown, and the cars returned to the pits to shelter. As the weather began to show signs of abating, the race began with a rolling start, following two laps behind the Safety Car.
Leclerc led with Sainz chasing until the Red Bulls pitted for intermediates, double stacking in the pits to maximise the advantage of the “overcut”. The Ferraris reacted two laps later, with Sainz stopping first; however, confusion over the team radio saw Leclerc follow the Spanish driver in, losing precious time due to the pit stop congestion and eventually re-emerging down in fourth place.
The race was again red-flagged on lap 30 after Mick Schumacher had a massive accident at the Swimming Pool section. Thankfully, the German walked away unscathed. Once the necessary barrier repairs were completed, the race resumed with a rolling start.
With the race now running to a set time rather than the full number of laps, Sainz and Verstappen began piling on the pressure, but it was like water off a duck’s back for the experienced Perez who held back the competition on rapidly deteriorating tyres to clinch his first victory in the Principality. The fact that overtaking is almost impossible at Monaco helped enormously, of course.
British driver George Russell once again drove a solid race to come home in 5th, just ahead of Lando Norris, who gained an extra point for the fastest lap. A slowing Fernando Alonso frustrated Lewis Hamilton, who was unable to pass his former teammate and finished 8th, with Valtteri Bottas in 9th and Sebastian Vettel clinching the last points position due to Ocon receiving a five-second penalty for causing an earlier collision with Hamilton.
Watch the Monaco GP highlights here
Azerbaijan GP report, June 12
A combination of a hot track, limited run-off areas and notably high speeds (around 215mph on the long start-finish straight) means that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix around the streets of Baku has often been as tough a race for the equipment involved as much as for the driver — remember last year’s tyre blow-outs? This year’s race was no different with a full five retirements due to mechanical trouble, including from the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
After starting on pole, Leclerc immediately lost his position to a hard-charging Sergio Perez though regained the lead after the first pit stops. Carlos Sainz’s retirement after nine laps due to hydraulic failure was an ill omen for Leclerc, however, who, on Lap 20 was forced to limp back to the pits and bow out due to another issue with the Ferrari engine.
In the end, it was a dismal day for the Scuderia, with retirements for the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu and Haas of Kevin Magnussen. Lance Stroll in the Mercedes-powered Aston Martin was also forced to stop with mechanical gremlins three laps from the end.
Ferrari’s misfortune was a boon to Red Bull with the Austrian team cruising to a comfortable one-two for Verstappen and Perez.
The Scuderia’s loss was beneficial to Mercedes, too, with George Russell once again finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton to claim a podium position. Hamilton’s fourth place may not be headline-grabbing, but it was a quietly brilliant drive all the same, starting in seventh, rising and falling through the field and pipping Pierre Gasly in the closing laps to fall in behind Russell.
The remarkable part about Hamilton’s performance was that due to the “porpoising” effect, i.e., the car bottoming out along the straights sending jolts through the entire structure, Hamilton was in extreme pain throughout, and later reported that he was “praying for the race to end”.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, apologised to the seven-time world champion over the team radio towards the end of the race. “Lewis we all know this is a bit of a sh**box to drive and sorry for the back,” Wolff said. “We will sort ourselves out.”
Watch the Azerbaijan GP highlights here
Canadian GP report, June 19
A thrilling wet-dry Qualifying session resulted in an interesting grid, not least Fernando Alonso lining up on the front row next to Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen starting fifth. Alonso started third but the other Ferrari of Leclerc was forced to start at the back of the grid after an engine change.
Of course, that made for a fascinating race. Alonso didn’t have the pace to keep up with the front runners on a dry track and slipped back to finish ninth. Leclerc drove a quiet but brilliant race to rise up to fifth.
Sergio Perez was the first retiree on lap eight, so a few drivers dived into the pits for an early tyre stop under the virtual safety car, including Verstappen.
Mick Schumacher also had a failure, which was a shame as he was having a competitive weekend.
Verstappen stopped again on lap 44 and that allowed Sainz to take the lead and Lewis Hamilton to get past, too, but the Red Bull driver overtook the Mercedes driver on the same lap to regain second place.
Then a full safety car on lap 50, after Tsunoda crashed on cold tyres, allowed Sainz to put on fresh rubber. In doing so he sacrificed the lead but in the hope he’d be able to push harder than the Red Bull driver in the closing stages.
The race restarted with 15 laps to go and Sainz pushed back up to Verstappen but was unable to overtake before the chequered flag. Hamilton finished third and George Russel, in the other Mercedes, finished fourth.
Watch the Canadian GP highlights here
British GP, July 3
The 2022 British GP will be remembered mainly for Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu’s heart-stopping crash at the first corner but it was also significant in that it marked Carlos Sainz’s first victory in F1. And well-deserved it was, too.
Sainz had surprised everyone — even himself — by claiming pole in a thrilling wet Qualifying session on Saturday, but after the lights went green on Sunday he was beaten to the first corner by fellow front row-starter Max Verstappen, while Hamilton got a blinder to move up to third, with Leclerc, Perez, Alonso, Norris and the Williams of Latifi all getting away well.
Behind them, though, was carnage as Russell and Zhou pincered Gasly, sending Russell spinning. His car then clipped a wheel on Zhou, whose Alfa was launched into the air and slid off the track upside down. It dug into the gravel and was launched spinning over the tyre barrier, coming to rest between the tyres and the fence. Zhou was okay, it later transpired — another driver whose life was saved by the Halo safety device.
Sadly for Russell, because he had got out of his car and run over to check on Zhou and then couldn’t restart the Mercedes, it was recovered onto a flatbed truck which means instant removal from the race. Also out was Albon, whose Williams became a pinball in an incident behind the Zhou crash.
There was a lot of damage to other cars but mechanics were able to work on them during the red flag period, which meant 17 drivers took part after the race was restarted in original grid order. Sainz made the most to being returned to the top of the order, leading Verstappen through turn one this time, and the Dutchman it transpired had underfloor bodywork damage, which meant a lack of rear downforce throughout the race and a nasty balance as a result. He ended up finishing seventh.
Perez made contact with Leclerc at the restart and needed a new front wing, dropping him down the order but a very solid race meant he made it back up to second by the chequered flag. Leclerc could have won but a late safety car while he was in the lead resulted in everyone diving into the pits for soft tyres, but his Ferrari team was caught out and he ended up staying on hard rubber for the final 10 laps, which meant he dropped down to fourth by the end.
Hamilton delighted fans with the final podium spot, after a fine and determined drive, his Mercedes clearly benefitting from some technical upgrades after Canada and he even managed fastest lap at Silverstone. Another strong performance for Alonso saw him claim fifth in the Alpine, with Brit Lando Norris managing sixth.
But it was Sainz who claimed victory — his first in F1 — after a faultless drive and some stern words over the radio with the Ferrari team, which was planning to use the Spaniard as a barrier to Leclerc after the safety car. In the end it was Leclerc who held back the team’s rivals and helped Sainz scamper off to victory in what was a truly classic F1 grand prix.
Watch the British GP highlights here
Austrian GP, July 10
The Austrian GP weekend involved a Sprint race on Saturday, for which Max Verstappen started on pole position with the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz behind him. George Russell started fourth followed by an Alpine and then, in amazing form, both Haas cars; clearly the Ferrari-powered machines favoured the Red Bull Ring’s layout.
The Sprint finished almost in that order, though the Haases dropped back to 7th and 9th by the chequered flag, while Sergio Perez managed to climb back up from 13th to 5th after he received a penalty in Qualifying for exceeding track limits.
The Grand Prix itself was much less exciting than the one at Silverstone the week before, though Perez was forced off and retired on lap one, while Ferrari seemed to have the edge over Red Bull in speed, with Verstappen complaining of inconsistent balance.
Sadly for Carlos Sainz, he suffered a major engine failure while looking to regain second place towards the end, which meant Leclerc won (despite an issue with his throttle pedal) ahead of the Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton driving superbly to climb from 8th to the final podium spot.
George Russell drove consistently to finish fourth, with a strong run from Esteban Ocon in the Alpine seeing him come home in fifth. Perhaps the happiest man may have been Mick Schumacher, who has finally found his groove and took advantage of the Haas’s strong pace to finish in sixth — the German’s best result in F1 to date, following a confidence boost at the British GP.
Watch the Austrian GP highlights here
French GP, July 25
Charles Leclerc started with his Ferrari on pole in France thanks to a tow during Qualifying from teammate Carlos Sainz, who was to start the race from the back of the grid due to a penalty for changing the engine.
Title rival Verstappen, lining up alongside in the Red Bull, wasn’t able to leap ahead into the first turn and, after a few early challenges remained behind Leclerc, settled down behind and seemed to be looking after his medium compound tyres in the blistering heat.
But the Dutchman was the first of the frontrunners to pit for hard tyres, on lap 16, clearly looking for the undercut to take the lead. He needn’t have been concerned about tactics as two laps later Leclerc was in the tyre barriers, having lost the rear end around a right-hander. The Monegasque complained on team radio that the throttle wouldn’t close but later confessed it was his mistake.
The crash brought out a safety car which meant most cars took the opportunity to pit for their hard tyres at this time and then ran to the end on them, the long pit entrance and exit meaning a lot of lost time if you have to come in. At least Sainz was working his way through the field, and the safety car helped his efforts, but an unsafe release meant he received a five-second penalty.
He took the penalty during a stop for another set of mediums on lap 42, but that was too late to give him an advantage and he missed a possible podium to finish fifth in a nightmare day for the Scuderia.
Already on new rubber, Verstappen cruised round to take the lead during the pitstops and stayed there to the end, allowing him to extend his championship lead. Teammate Perez had been beaten off the line by Hamilton, who settled into third and then took advantage of Leclerc’s mistake to finish second.
The Mexican was overtaken by George Russell in the last few laps, too, following a virtual safety car to recover Guanyu’s retired Alfa, making it a double podium and a good day for Mercedes.
It was another good race for Fernando Alonso in the Alpine, who finished sixth behind Sainz, with his teammate Esteban Ocon also picking up points in eighth, behind Lando Norris.
Watch the French GP highlights here
Hungarian GP, July 31
George Russell shocked everyone by taking pole position in qualifying, ahead of both Ferraris. His team-mat Hamilton could only manage seventh on the grid, and the two Red Bulls started 10th and 11th after Verstappen suffered a loss of power in Q3, giving the pole-sitter a golden opportunity to capitalise on his stunning Saturday pace.
Russell got away well on his soft tyres, fending off the scarlet cars, which were fitted with medium compounds, though the Brit didn’t have the outright speed advantage he might have hoped for. He also seemed to have been sold a dummy by Ferrari when the sent a radio message to Sainz to come into the pits on lap 16, and the Mercedes dived into the pits while Sainz cruised around for another lap.
Meanwhile Hamilton had made a great start to move up to fifth and Verstappen was picking off Alpines to reach seventh by lap seven. Both drivers passed Norris on lap 12 ahead of the first pitstops.
When all the stops had shaken out, Russell found himself back in the lead but Leclerc overtook the Mercedes into the first turn on lap 31 to take the lead. But when both drivers stopped again on lap 40, Leclerc was put onto hard tyres despite other drivers really struggling for grip on them.
Russell came out on mediums, sensibly, but Verstappen and Perez managed to sail by to take his position, and the Dutchman then took advantage of Leclerc’s poor tyre choice to move up to third on lap 41. The Monegasque was passed by Russell shortly after, and that forced Ferrari to pit him again for the much better medium tyres on lap 55. Another poor strategy call from the Scuderia that ruined the chances of a win.
Despite a 360 spin on lap 42, Verstappen was the fastest man on track and he went on to win – a stunning effort from his starting position. Hamilton overtook Russell on track with five laps to go, proving that the seven-times world champion still has his racing chops. And despite Russell only managing t convert pole into third in the race, a double podium for Mercedes proved that the team has come on leaps and bounds this season — it goes into the summer break just 30 points behind Ferrari.
View the Hungarian GP race highlights here
Belgian GP, August 28
Sitting on pole was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in second place, while those drivers’ team-mates, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, started from well down the grid due to technical penalties incurred during qualifying.
That scarcely mattered to Verstappen, though, who pulled out one of the most remarkable drives of his career, from 14th on the grid to claim victory. Leclerc wasn’t so lucky.
The opening two laps were tumultuous, the first incident seeing Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton failing to yield enough room to his old rival Fernando Alonso at Les Combes resulting in a relatively minor crash that damaged the British driver’s car, knocking him out of the race and prompting more than a few choice words over the radio from the hard-charging Spaniard who continued unbowed.
It was the turn of Hamilton’s ex-Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, to exit the race on the second lap when, trying to avoid a collision following a spin by the ever-unpredictable Williams driver Nicholas Latifi, he spun out himself, undamaged, but beached in a gravel trap.
With the dramatics of the opening stint past, the spotlight swung back to Verstappen who, by the eighth lap had already attained third position; by lap 12, he was leading. After a pit-stop for a tyre change on lap 15, he briefly lost the lead to Carlos Sainz, though reclaimed it by lap 18, after which he was out on his own for the rest of the race.
This season has seen the Ferrari team making a seemingly endless series of inexplicable tactical blunders, usually to the detriment of top Monegasque driver, Charles Leclerc. The Belgian GP was no different.
In an attempt to take fastest lap (and a bonus point) close to the end, Leclerc, running in fifth, pitted on team orders. The pit-stop, though quick, was a disaster, Leclerc only barely getting out ahead of Alpine’s Alonso to whom he lost fifth place for a time. Despite Leclerc reclaiming the position on track, the battle with Alonso slowed him down to the extent that he didn’t manage to claim fastest lap and, to make matters worse, he was slapped with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit-lane, meaning that he lost fifth place to Alonso anyway.
View the Belgian GP race highlights here
Dutch GP, September 4
For a while during the Dutch GP, it looked as if Lewis Hamilton’s first victory of the season was in sight, with the seven-times world champion and Mercedes’ almost returning to race-winning form by denying Max Verstappen a win in front of his home crowd. However, strategy and plain bad luck at Zandvoort saw fit to intervene.
With Verstappen and Leclerc on the front row, it was clear from the outset that Hamilton wanted the win when a risky pass and brushing contact almost put him and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz out of the race.
A pit-stop for Sainz on lap 15 appeared to have caught Ferrari’s mechanics by surprise; confusion reigned, the stop lasted 12.7 seconds and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ran over a tyre gun misplaced by a Ferrari mechanic on his exit, though thankfully with no damage for the Mexican’s car. The same couldn’t be said for the gun.
The stop all but ended Sainz’s hope of a podium, but all the while, Hamilton stayed out on track carefully managing his long-lasting harder tyres while others, including the race leader, Verstappen, pitted. With both Mercedes cars leading as the 30-lap mark approached it was clear for what the Silver Arrows were aiming: a one-stop strategy.
Things then took a turn for a bizarre. On Lap 44, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda ground to a halt at the side of the track, claiming that he believed his tyres weren’t fitted properly. His engineers could detect nothing wrong, and he set off again, crawling back to the pits where, after fitting new tyres and re-tightening his seatbelt, he re-emerged dead last, barely lasting a lap before being ordered to stop with what was later claimed to be a broken differential.
The ensuing Virtual Safety Car handed an advantage to Red Bull, but Mercedes pitted both its drivers for a change to medium tyres too.
When racing resumed, Verstappen, on hard tyres, was in the lead with the two Mercedes cars in second and third places. It still looked as though a win was possible for Hamilton, thougj.
But in a situation sickeningly reminiscent of Abu Dhabi in 2021, a full safety car deployed after Hamilton’s old team-mate Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt in his Alfa Romeo gave Verstappen and Hamilton’s current team-mate George Russell the opportunity to pit for gripper soft tyres.
Hamilton stayed out, but, in the lead and on medium tyres was unable to fend off either Verstappen or Russell when racing recommenced, the former passing him on the straight almost as soon as the light turned green — something that prompted an expletive-filled tirade from Hamilton along the lines that his seemingly-guaranteed victory had been snatched away by a poor strategy call.
In the end, Hamilton didn’t even make the podium, being passed by Charles Leclerc leaving him outside the top three in fourth place. The victory for Verstappen further cemented his and Red Bull’s lead in the championship with the Dutchman holding a 109-point lead over Leclerc who, following a fifth-place finish for Sergio Perez at the storied North Sea circuit, was tied for second in the driver’s standings.
View the Dutch GP race highlights here
Italian GP, September 12
The grid order was mixed, to say the least, after a number of drivers chose to replace power units. Leclerc qualified first and started on pole, to the delight but Verstappen dropped five places to seventh on the grid after qualifying second, while teammate Perez dropped from fourth to 13th. Sainz and Hamilton started from the back despite being third and fifth quickest on Saturday.
That put George Russell alongside Leclerc at the start, with the McLarens of Norris and Ricciardo filling the second row, and Gasly and Alonso on row three.
It also meant the Nick de Vries, making his F1 debut at Williams as stand-in for Albon, who was suffering from appendicitis, joined Verstappen for an all-Dutch row four after an excellent effort in Qualifying. He may have been quicker, too, if he’d not accidentally hit a brake bias button and locked up going into the chicane on his final flying lap.
It made for a slightly more interesting race than we often get at high-speed Monza. Russell got away well but the Ferrari made the ground back before the first right-left corners. Norris had bogged down and lost places but minimised damaged under braking while de Vries stayed out of trouble and held onto eighth valiantly.
The big winner on lap one was Verstappen, gaining three places before overtaking Ricciardo for second at the start of lap two, while Perez and particularly Sainz started working their way through the field. Hamilton failed to make much of an impression in the first few laps.
On lap five, Verstappen was up to second, passing Russell into turn one after going extremely late on the brakes. Sainz was the other star, making it up to sixth by lap 10.
When Vettel retired on lap 12, a short virtual safety car period meant a few drivers chose to pit early, including Leclerc and Perez. But while Perez came out on hard tyres designed to reach the chequered flag, the Ferrari was shod with mediums meaning he’d have to nurse his tyres for much of the race.
Verstappen was now leading the race with Russell behind, but both were still on soft tyres. The latter managed to keep going until lap 23, whereupon he put on hards, which ultimately while Verstappen kept his rubber going until lap 26, allowing him to opt for mediums.
Meanwhile Hamilton had picked up his pace and reached sixth on lap 27 before stopping for soft tyres on lap 33, which helped him pass Gasly and Norris while they duked it out, and then Ricciardo later on lap 37.
Leclerc’s medium tyres needed replacing, unsurprisingly, and he threw on some softs on lap 48, but sadly wasn’t able to capitalise as Ricciardo then retired with suspected engine trouble, which brought out a safety car.
And that’s how the race ended, behind the safety car, as Ricciardo’s stricken McLaren was too had to move to safety. A damp squib for fans but good news for Verstappen in first, and Leclerc still managed second placed with Russell third.
Strong drives from Sainz and Perez saw them cross the line fourth and fifth, but driver of the day was De Vries, who had shown Latifi how to drive a Williams successfully and picked up two points for eighth (two more than Latifi has managed all season).
View the Italian GP race highlights here
Singapore GP report, October 2
There were two primary factors affecting the outcome of the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, both of which occurred before the race. The first was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, on course for outright victory in the drivers’ championship, being forced to abort his final qualifying run due to low fuel, something that left him starting from eighth on the grid. The other was the torrential rain leading up to lights out, that delayed the start and left a treacherous combination of a mostly dry racing line and hazardous wet patches all around the circuit.
Starting at the front of the grid were Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, both of whom made a good start, but it was Perez who came out on top after the first corner. Though Leclerc stayed close on his tail for the duration of the race, it was the Mexican’s race from start to finish — despite a hard charge from the Ferrari driver following a few safety car sessions.
Verstappen’s start wasn’t so smooth though and, due to interference from his car’s anti-stall system, he immediately dropped back to 12th position — amid the blinding spray from the sodden track. Verstappen has won races from further down the grid, but despite a solid performance, the combination of tight track and tricky conditions meant that, in the end, he finished just one place above where he started.
It truly was a race of attrition, and by merely finishing, drivers stood a good chance of claiming points. Blue cars came in for a particular streak of bad luck: the Alpines of Fernando Alonso (racing in his 350th Grand Prix) and Esteban Ocon both succumbed to engine trouble, while both Williams drivers, Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon, crashed out. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was a victim to the same collision that ended Latifi’s race, with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda locking up into a corner and ploughing straight into the barrier.
Lewis Hamilton’s race very nearly ended in the same way as Tsunoda’s after a similar lock-up into a corner, but the seven-time world champion didn’t come out nearly quite so badly and was able to continue his race, finishing ninth — but could have claimed seventh.
Hamilton, sitting in eighth behind Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, just wasn’t able to make the move on the German, and yet another lock-up in the difficult conditions allowed Verstappen to pass Hamilton. The Dutchman went on to pip Vettel for seventh himself.
Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, had a race to forget as he struggled and experimented with tyres in the tough conditions, but, though he wasn’t in the points himself, he still managed to deny any other driver the point for the fastest lap as the track continued to dry and he began to find his groove.
The six retirements throughout the course of the race brought out myriad yellow flags and safety cars both real and virtual, and it was behind the last safety car — the one brought out after Tsunoda’s crash — that the leader, Perez, ran afoul of the stewards by dropping more than ten car lengths behind the safety car. Race control announced that Perez’s misdeed would be investigated and the decision on any penalty announced after the race.
Perez and Red Bull decided to take a gamble: a five-second penalty seemed the most likely outcome and, unless Perez put more than five seconds between himself and Charles Leclerc, he wasn’t going to win. The Mexican knuckled down and put in a fine drive, opening up the gap that meant that, even when the expected five-second penalty was indeed announced, he remained the victor. Many, including Perez himself, suggested that it was his best performance to date.
Undeniably a difficult race and not one that plenty of drivers will care to remember, it was nonetheless a happier one for the Aston Martin and McLaren drivers. The soon-to-retire Vettel’s eighth was one of his best results this year; Lance Stroll’s sixth was his highest so far in 2022; and the same can be said for McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who finished fifth. Lando Norris’s fourth was his second best result this year after his third-place finish at Imola.
The final results in Singapore put Perez just two points behind second-placed Charles Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship standings and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz just a single-point behind third-place George Russell. Both second and third positions are still all to race for.
While, as before, the constructors’ championship still looks set for a 1-2-3 finish from Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, respectively, after Singapore McLaren has leapfrogged Alpine by four points meaning that both have a battle on their hands to decide which of them takes fourth place.
View the Singapore GP race highlights here
Japanese GP report, October 9
Qualifying was extremely close, with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz separated by less than six hundredths of a second. Verstappen was nearly handed a penalty for a mistake while warming his tyres, which resulted in Lando Norris having to take evading action, though the stewards wrapped his knuckles rather than slapping the Dutchman with a grid penalty.
Come race day, being at the front of the grid proved critical as heavy rain resulted in a delayed start and then, when things did get going, spray so bad that the first lap was chaos. Vettel, who’d had a cracking Qualifying to start ninth in his Aston Martin, bounced off Alonso on the otuside before turn one and spun off, but managed to keep going in last place.
Sainz dropped his Ferrari while aquaplaning and went backwards into a barrier — game over for him — which caused an advertising hoarding to bounce onto the circuit, which was collected by Pierre Gasly. Zhou spun his Alfa Romeo but got going again, while Albon retired in his Williams, though due to a powertrain failure rather than an accident. All of which brought out a safety car, then a red flag on lap two.
Gasly was furious just before this happened because he spotted a tractor on track recovering Sainz’s car. Everyone else in the paddock was just as enraged, recalling Jules Bianchi’s tragic death after crashing into a recovery crane on track in 2014.
The race resumed at 4.15pm (two and a quarter hours after the scheduled start time) behind a safety car, which meant everyone was required to use full wet tyres, with Verstappen still in the lead, Leclerc second and Perez third, followed by Ocon, Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Schumacher, after an impressive Qualifying and start, rounding out the top 10.
This meant a race that latest just over 40 minutes, but there was plenty of entertainment all the same. When the safety car pulled in for the rolling start, Latifi and Vettel pulled straight into the pits for intermediate tyres, which soon proved to be much quicker than the wets and most cars dived in for inters on lap eight. The exception was Schumacher, with the Haas team hoping for a crash and another safety car before they brought their driver in, and that bumped up to the lead for a short time, but the safety car never came and he was picked off by the entire field over the following laps, the gamble having not paid off.
For the remainder of the race, George Russell pulled off a few outstanding overtakes while battles between Hamilton and Ocon, and Leclerc and Perez were brilliant to watch. But it was all over too soon for the fans, with the final order Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez.
However, the Ferrari driver had outbraked himself into the final chicane on the final lap, then pulled across onto Perez to block his pass on the final righthander, which the stewards deemed unsafe. The resulting five second penalty promoted Perez to make it a Red Bull one-two, and the dropped points for Leclerc handed Verstappen his second drivers’ world championship title. I was entirely deserved, as he was supreme at the wet, tricky Suzuka — nobody could come close on race day.
View the Japanese GP race highlights here
United States GP report, October 9
A strong performance from Ferrari saw Carlos Sainz nab pole position ahead of his teammate, but a ten-place grid penalty would see Leclerc start back in 12th, with newly-crowned world champion Max Verstappen moving up to start in second.
On the fast and steep climb towards turn one it was the Dutchman who edged ahead and an overly ambitious George Russell speared into the side of the lead Ferrari, sending Sainz into a spin. Despite recovering and limping back to the pits, the Spanish driver’s race was effectively over within the first 500 metres.
As the race settled down it was Hamilton in a resurgent Mercedes that was chasing down Verstappen in the Red Bull before the first round of pit stops approached, but Verstappen was able to stretch out a healthy buffer before his first visit to the garage.
On lap 18 Bottas lost the rear end of his car and beached the Alfa Romeo in the gravel prompting the deployment of the safety car and triggering some strategic pit stops to take advantage of the situation.
As the race went green again Verstappen got the jump on Hamilton, though the racing was short-lived as further down the field the Alpine of Fernando Alonso was launched into the air as he attempted to overtake Lance Stroll on the main straight and clipped the Aston Martin’s rear wheel when Stroll made a late jink to the left. The Aston came off worse, amazingly, as it spun and deposited debris across the track prompting the immediate redeployment of the safety car, while the hardy Alpine was able to keep going despite a heavy impact on the ground and then bouncing off a tyre barrier.
The Red Bull of Verstappen was once again quick on the restart and crept away from Hamilton. Behind them a battle between Leclerc and Perez was heating up, with second place in the drivers’ championship on the line.
During the second round of pit stops a delay in getting one of Verstappen’s wheels on made him sit in the box for 11 seconds, allowing Hamilton to cruise into the lead of the race.
A fired-up Verstappen immediately began charging down the Silver Arrow, which, despite a round of updates to the car, still could not match the Red Bull on outright pace. As Max homed in on Lewis there were some entertaining mid-corner tussles as the pair swapped places. With help for the drag-reduction system, Verstappen was able to reclaim the lead, with Hamilton working furiously to stick to his rear.
A track limits warning was issued to Verstappen who potentially faced a post-race time penalty, while Hamilton was getting increasingly vocal on the radio in an attempt to have the stewards keep a close eye on his competitor. Hamilton, though, received the same warning and the pair settled down.
As the final laps ticked by it was clear that there wasn’t enough in the Mercedes (or its rear tyres) to stay with the Red Bull, leaving Verstappen to cruise to victory — one that would be dedicated to the memory of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz who passed away on Saturday — and secure the constructors’ championship for Red Bull.
Further down the pack, Leclerc was able to stave off Perez to claim the third step on the podium after a great drive from so far back, while George Russell’s late pit stop for fresh tyres proved fruitful as he gained an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race.
Alonso put in a stellar recovery drive to finish seventh, but a post-race 30-second penalty for having loose bodywork following his earlier collision saw him demoted to 15th. Sebastian Vettel drove like a man possessed to claim net seventh, behind Lando Norris, while Kevin Magnussen claimed eighth place in the Haas.
View the US GP race highlights here
Mexico City GP race report, October 30
A very close Qualifying sesssion saw 2022 world champion Max Verstappen pip pole position, with chief rivalry not from Ferrari but Mercedes — George Russell and Lewis Hamilton started second and third respectively.
The Red Bull driver got a clean start and stayed in the lead, though a clever move through the first sequence of corners saw Hamilton get the better of his teammate, with Perez capitalising and overtaking for third on the next straight. The Ferraris were best of the rest on lap one.
It was a race in which tyre strategy was key. Along with about half the field, had started on soft tyres and managed to make them last amazingly well to lap 26, while Hamilton did his best to keep up on mediums then took the lead during the Dutchman’s pit stop. Hamilton found he need fresh rubber just a few laps later.
But while Verstappen had been given new medium tyres, Mercedes went for a different stragey, bnaking on hard compounds which they believed would last better to the end of the race. What they hadn’t reckoned on was the medium tyres performing well enough for Verstappen to cruise round without needing a further stop, and so he took another win — his 14th of the season, which is a new record for a driver in F1.
Behind the lead cars were plenty of battles as the mid-field teams desperately try to gain as many points as possible from the final few races. Alpine and McLaren are particularly close in the championship and it looked like the French team would come off better in Mexico, especially after Ricciardo took out Tsunoda from 12th place and received a 10 second penalty for the move.
But then it all changed: Ricciardo, who was now on soft tyres, showed why people call him the Honey Badger, pushing his way through the field and past the Alpines up into seventh. Then, as Norris in the second McLaren hunted down the Alfa Romeo of Bottas and Alpine of Alonso, running in ninth and eighth, on lap 65 of 71 the Spaniard suffered an engine failure — another in a catalogue of failures this year. Norris passed the Alfa at the same time, moving him from 11th to ninth in a single corner.
That means McLaren is just seven points behind Alpine with two races to go, while the gap from Alfa Romeo to Aston Martin is just four points. F1 fans will also have the excitement of Mercedes looking to leapfrog Ferrari for second in the Constructors’ Championship as the Brackley-based outfit is now 40 points behind the Scuderia.
View the Mexican GP race highlights here
Brazilian GP report, November 13
Max Verstappen and Red Bull have long since sewn up their championship victories, but the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos proved that there’s still some interest left in the 2022 season and that maybe, just maybe, Mercedes has found the turn of speed it has been lacking all year — newfound pace that could make 2023 all the more interesting and see Lewis Hamilton and George Russell once again going toe-to-toe with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.
With his strong form all season, it was only a matter of time before George Russell’s first Grand Prix victory, and his drive in the pre-race Qualifying Sprint on Saturday was a signal of intent for Sunday’s race. It wasn’t Russell that started on pole for the sprint though; nor was it Max Verstappen or one of the Ferrari drivers, as, after a blistering qualifying session in the wet, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was the pole-sitter, though by the time it was all over, Magnussen had fallen back to eighth and the main race saw Russell at the front of the grid, Carlos Sainz in second and Lewis Hamilton starting third, defending against Verstappen a place behind.
And defend he did. A collision between Daniel Ricciardo (who doesn’t yet have a drive for next year) and Kevin Magnussen saw both drivers knocked out of the race and the safety car deployed. As racing resumed, Hamilton and Verstappen collided pushing Hamilton back into eighth place, though with a five-second penalty, Verstappen arguably came out the worse. Another crash between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris saw Norris slapped with another five-second penalty and, though neither retired as a result of the incident, technical trouble on Lap 52 later saw Norris forced to call it a day.
As the race wore on, Hamilton was keen to underscore why he should never be counted out as he worked his way back up through the field in a solid and workmanlike show of strategy from Mercedes, taking advantage of others’ stops and tyre choices.
As the race drew to a close, Hamilton wasn’t about to sit back and simply let his teammate walk away with a victory. Believing he could easily finish the race with just one pit stop, he was furious when his team ordered him in for a tyre change to head off a push by Sergio Perez. His pace remained strong though and, by the time an overjoyed and tearful Russell passed the chequered flag in first, Hamilton was just 1.5 seconds behind.
A one-two for Mercedes is the team’s best performance all season, while a three-four for Ferrari also marked a decent result. Finishing in fifth was the veteran Spanish Alpine driver Fernando Alonso, while the championship leaders, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished in sixth and seventh respectively.
If there’s one thing that can be taken away from Russell’s victory in Interlagos and from Hamilton’s recent string of strong results, it’s that the team does have a much more competitive car on its hands than it did at the start of the season; depending on the development work the team undertakes over the winter, by the time next year’s season-opener rolls around, it may truly have something to consistently take on Red Bull and Ferrari. How the relationship between Mercedes’ star, Hamilton, and its relatively new and very quick George Russell plays out in 2023 will be fascinating to watch too.
View the Brazilian race GP highlights here
Abu Dhabi GP report, November 13
While Verstappen and Red Bull were already champions, the final race of the F1 2022 season was a showdown for Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, battling for second in the drivers’ championship, as well as Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, gunning for fifth. It was also the decider for the likes of Ricciardo and Vettel (11th); Magnussen, Gasly and Stroll (13th); and Schumacher and Tsunoda (16th).
Meanwhile, in the constructors’ table, while technically possible Mercedes had a mountain to climb to overcome Ferrari for second, and McLaren needed a lot of good fortune to beat Alpine, but it could have easily gone either way for Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin, as well as Haas and AlphaTauri.
The front row of the grid was locked out by Red Bull, with Perez starting second, but Leclerc managed to qualify his Ferrari in third and after the first corner this remained the order. Sainz managed to squeeze past Hamilton on the first lap, forcing the Mercedes drive onto a kerb that bounced him in the air and may have damaged the floor of the car, but the Brit managed to rejoin in front of the Ferrari – a position he was told to concede on lap 4, after the stewards deemed it a fair overtake.
The pair duked it out for the next few laps with Sainz bettering Hamilton on lap 8, before Russell used DRS to pass his teammate, too, on lap nine — bad news for Hamilton’s title hopes but Russell had a much faster car at that point in the race.
Sadly for Russell, his pitstop on lap 16 was slow and then he received a five second penalty for an unsafe release into the path of Lando Norris.
Alpine’s weekend wasn’t the best as Alonso, in his final race for the team before moving to Aston Martin i 2023, was forced to retire on lap 28 with a failure. Abu Dhabi hadn’t been the team’s strongest track but the Spaniard would have been hoping for one last solid points finish, no doubt. His was the first of three retirements during the race.
Meanwhile Vettel, in his final F1 race, had been running well inside the top 10 but, with his Aston Martin team attempting a leftfield one-stop strategy, had begun to lose places before his late first stop. He made up positions again once finally put on the hard tyres but that meant a very long run on hard tyres and that compromised him again in the latter stages.
He crossed the line 10th and that meant he finished the season behind Daniel Ricciardo, though on the same points, because the Australian — who moves back to Red Bull as a reserve drive for 2023 — picked up two points for ninth in the race. The Aston strategy meant it was not the sweetest of ends to Vettel’s formidable F1 career, despite a truly world-class drive. He deserved better.
Nearer the front, Hamilton and Perez battled on laps 45 and 46, after the first round of stops, though eventually the Mercedes was overcome by the superior pace of the Red Bull on fresher tyres. Hamilton then had a hydraulic issue on lap 55, bringing his hopes of fifth place in the championship to an end.
Perez then had it all to do to pass Leclerc, and was catching the Ferrari but not fast enough, and the Monegasque crossed the line ahead of the Mexican for second in the race and second in the drivers’ championship.
Ahead, though, Verstappen had driven an impeccable race, cruising around looking after his tyres by going only as fast as he needed to to maintain the gap to Leclerc. It was a fittingly effortless win for a driver who dominated in 2022. With Red Bull facing 10% less aerodynamic testing in 2023, though, he could find next season much tougher.
View the Abu Dhabi race GP highlights here
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