The exciting 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix kicked off the season and now it’s time to take stock and see who will top our leaderboard heading to Saudi Arabia.
HOW IT WORKS
Our panel of five judges evaluate each rider after each Grand Prix and give them 10 points according to their performance over the weekend, excluding technique from the equation.
Our Experts’ scores are then averaged to get a race result, and those scores are then tallied up over the course of the season on our Overall Strength Ranking leaderboard (bottom of the page).
Ferrari race winner Charles Leclerc took pole position on Saturday, led 55 of 57 laps and received a bonus point for the fastest lap. So it’s no surprise that he ranks first in the power rankings behind Bahrain with an excellent record. The Monaco rider made no mistake as he battled defending champion Max Verstappen over three exciting laps on his way to the top of the standings.
PALMER: Why Leclerc-Verstappen battle in Bahrain heralded a new era of 4×4 racing
“It was some fucking Viking comeback,” team principal Günther Steiner said over the radio as Kevin Magnussen crossed the fifth-place line on his return to Haas. The Dane’s all-important strike saw Haas score his first points since round 11 of the 2020 season. There is no doubt that Magnussen deserves this rating after only getting into the car in the middle of official pre-season testing and then delivering a stunning performance at Sakhir.
WHAT? Verstappen, Gasly and Magnussen are featured on the best team radio from Bahrain.
Sunday was a terrible day for Red Bull, but it should not have overshadowed defending champion Verstappen’s brilliant performance which would have likely led to second place. He kept Leclerc under pressure the entire time, only crouching when his RB18 had an engine problem. Of course, there is still a lot to be done from the Flying Dutchman.
READ MORE: Why Bahrain’s unique layout always made it difficult for Verstappen to overthrow Leclerc
Third under the checkered flag, Lewis Hamilton is fourth in the power rankings after Bahrain got the most out of his Mercedes W13 – a car not yet considered a championship contender – and snatched the podium when the Red Bulls suffered. reliability issues.
READ MORE: Wolf admits Mercedes ‘off the rails’ in Bahrain as he calls 2022 title chances ‘unlikely’
Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu became the 66th F1 driver to score a point in his debut, finishing 10th after the stall protection system went off and he was at the bottom of the group on the first lap. Brilliant recovery and a good weekend from a rookie who definitely proved some doubters wrong in Bahrain.
READ MORE: Zhou says opening points scoring is ‘something I could only dream of’
Valtteri Bottas overtook Zhou on the track but ended up a couple of tenths behind in our power rankings despite finishing sixth in his first foray for Alfa Romeo. After the Finn flipped to sixth in qualifying, the Finn’s start was less than perfect, but he kept his cool and capitalized on the late retirements with some impressive points.
READ MORE: Bottas delighted as Alfa Romeo scores double point after ‘disastrous’ start in Bahrain
Another driver who impressed in his first race for his new team, Williams’ Alex Albon was expected to languish at the back of the pack – his teammate Nicholas Latifi finished 16th – but ended up finishing in 13th under flag and outstripped the McLarens. boot.
READ MORE: 6 winners and 5 losers of the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix – who shone under the lights at Sakhir?
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz couldn’t keep up with the leaders – his teammate Leclerc and rival Verstappen – but still managed to support one or two Ferraris, their first result since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. However, the Spaniard was unhappy and said that he still had a lot of work to do to adequately fight for the title.
READ MORE: Sainz calls Bahrain his ‘toughest weekend as a Ferrari driver’ despite podium finish
Despite qualifying an average ninth in qualifying on his full Mercedes debut, George Russell saved a brilliant (albeit slightly lucky) fourth position and limited the damage to a Silver Arrows team that falls far short of their high standards. The former Williams driver lowered his head and showed a decent result on Sunday.
READ MORE: Mercedes performance in Bahrain ‘outstanding’ says Russell, but team still ‘far from rivals’
Esteban Ocon took 7th with strong pace and some solid passes, beating his Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso (P9) plus AlphaTauri Yuki Tsunoda (P8) to stay at the top of midfield.
READ MORE: Ocon happy to ignore penalty to lead Alpine finish with double point
missing
This time Frenchman Pierre Gasly (DNF) narrowly missed the top 10.
The AlphaTauri driver overtook his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in our first strength ranking this season.
Leaderboard
