10 Haas
Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin
It was almost impossible to judge Schumacher or Mazepin fairly against the rest of the field, considering how far the challenger was from Haas in 2021, despite the fact that they found themselves in some spirited fights with rivals on occasion.
Due to their performance and the fair share of both rookie mistakes and unnecessary accidents during the year, as well as their lack of experience compared to the rest of the team, the Haas duo came in last.
9 Williams
Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon
Albon will certainly have to prove a point when he returns to F1 after a bruise at Red Bull at Max Verstappen’s side, but the Anglo-Thai racer may need some time to adjust and get up on the sidelines after a year Tours to come.
Albon built a strong relationship with Latifi when they were teammates in Formula 2 and Williams hopes this carries over to Formula 1. With two full seasons, Williams will look to Latifi to rise after the departure of George Russell, whose absence is felt.
There’s no doubt that Williams will miss Russell’s leading man, but Latifi’s improvement and Albon’s promise give them reason to be optimistic about 2022. Whether the combination is enough to pull the Grove roster higher remains to be seen.
8 Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou
The arrest of Bottas is a huge coup for Alfa Romeo. After fighting for victories and podiums with Mercedes for five years, the Finn will bring invaluable experience to Alfa Romeo in improving the pecking order of F1.
Formula 2 front runner Zhou is an unknown as the only rookie on the grid, and F1’s first Chinese racing driver faces a potentially difficult introduction when he competes against a driver who overtook and defeated Lewis Hamilton on his day.
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Regardless of how Zhou handles promotion, Bottas’ arrival should guarantee that the points will get more frequent for the only team that opts for a completely revamped line-up.
7 Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll
Aston Martin is pitching the same line-up in the second year of his new era, heading into a season he hopes will prove to be much more fruitful after the bouts of 2021.
Vettel felt at home at Aston Martin last season after a few early settling-in problems after moving from Ferrari in winter, and the four-time world champion is expected to take the lead again in 2022.
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Lance Stroll has the occasional highlights and has proven himself to be a capable Grand Prix driver but failed to reach Vettel’s heights last year. Moving forward in 2022 would help prevent the Canadian from being seen as the weakest link on the team.
6 AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri offers a very promising line-up.
Gasly was one of the great drivers last season thanks to an extremely consistent campaign. He made the most of AlphaTauri’s ultra-fast AT02 machine while continuing to impressively build his reputation after his Red Bull demotion.
At AlphaTauri, Gasly has developed into a strong team leader, while the Frenchman has repeatedly delivered such performances that deserve him another shot in a front car.
Teammate Tsunoda had a difficult year of study in a rookie season overshadowed by several awkward falls, but the Japanese youngster also showed brilliance and raw speed.
Tsunoda made fewer mistakes as he got back on his feet and got into a promising rhythm towards the end of the season. If he can reach his potential and iron out the rough edges, he could be a real star in 2022.
5 McLaren
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo
Norris has made a significant step forward in his third F1 campaign with some outstanding performances in the 2021 season. He was only on the verge of becoming a Grand Prix winner, but it only seems a matter of time before he gets that breakthrough.
The 22-year-old Brit was a pioneer for McLaren and overshadowed new team-mate Ricciardo, whose adjustment difficulties came as a surprise at Woking. As is his often considerable deficit on Norris, especially over a lap. However, the Australian proved his class with a brilliant victory in Monza in a much more convincing second half of the year.
If Ricciardo can get to the level we expect him to do in 2022 and Norris continues on his current path, McLaren will be a strong force.
4 alpine
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon
Alpine had one of the most evenly balanced driver line-ups in 2021, which promises a good start to the new season.
After a slow start to his own high standards, Alonso made his F1 comeback with a strong campaign crowned by his first visit to the podium since 2014. There were several magical moments, including his brilliant defense against Hamilton in Hungary, which proved crucial in helping team-mate Ocon to his first win.
Alonso and Ocon worked brilliantly together and formed a fantastic partnership to help Alpine finish fifth in the constructors’ championship. Teamwork, strategy and some tenacious performances from both drivers were key to beating a faster opponent in AlphaTauri.
The Alonso-Ocon combination will have to be watched to see whether Alpine can achieve the hoped-for profits in 2022.
3 Red Bull
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
In Perez, Red Bull seems to have finally found the teammate it needs as a partner to Verstappen, whose arrival strengthened the team on two fronts in the battle for the 2021 F1 World Championship.
Despite struggling to get to Verstappen on a Saturday, Perez proved to be a much stronger ally on Sundays on his way to fourth in the championship with 190 points, including one win and five podiums. It was the best performance by any Red Bull driver other than Verstappen since Ricciardo’s departure.
Several decisive defenses against Hamilton at key moments of the season have also fueled Verstappen’s successful title offer, proving that Perez is a team player. While Red Bull ultimately fell short of the constructors’ crown, Perez played a key role in helping the team deliver their best campaign since 2013.
In addition to Verstappen’s brilliance, Perez brings invaluable experience, excellent racing skills, and a consistent pair of hands to form a very strong pairing.
2 Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
The Hamilton-Russell combo is a delicious partnership of multiple world championship experience and precocious talent and speed could turn out to be very special if Hamilton and Russell can coexist at Mercedes and avoid previous tensions that arose at Hamilton in the days of Nico Rosberg were fellow players.
Hamilton formed a hugely successful five-year pairing with Bottas, but the anticipation for Russell’s graduation is high. Many tipped the 22-year-old Briton to present seven-time world champion Hamilton with a much tougher challenge than his previous teammates.
In sheer tension, this line-up is arguably at the top, with the most successful driver on the grid paired with one of the greatest new talents in F1.
However, there is also uncertainty about how Hamilton and Russell will work together, something that remains a great unknown and will ultimately be key to the success of the Mercedes 2022 season. Russell delivered on his only previous assignment for Mercedes. But how will he fare against the best in the business in a 23-race season in the spotlight when there is no hiding place?
1 Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes his squad has the strongest driver line-up in Formula 1 and I am inclined to agree, given the performances of Leclerc and Sainz in 2021.
Sainz was one of the stars of the season thanks to a quick adaptation to Ferrari as he fitted into his new team with impressive speed. The Spaniard kept Leclerc honest and the two were close for most of the season, with Sainz eventually leading the way when he took his career-best P5 in the championship with his fourth podium of the year in Abu Dhabi.
The combination of speed and consistency was a key factor that ensured that Ferrari McLaren beat third place in the constructors’ championship. A couple of awkward falls were the only blemishes of an otherwise brilliantly executed campaign by both riders.
What is critical is that Leclerc and Sainz are willing to work together for the overall benefit of the team. It remains to be seen if that would be the case if they battled it out for the big prizes, but the underlying trust and solid team harmony is already in place.
With more competitive, race-winning machines at their disposal, there is no doubt that Leclerc and Sainz would pose a formidable threat – one that has the potential to fight for and win world titles.
