Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 Driver Ratings

The 2022 Formula 1 season ignited with fierce competition, and the second race in Saudi Arabia delivered another thrilling chapter in the burgeoning rivalry between Red Bull and Ferrari. As the fastest cars on the grid, their drivers engaged in a relentless, wheel-to-wheel battle for supremacy, setting the stage for a captivating championship.

However, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was more than just a direct showdown between reigning champion Max Verstappen and the prodigious Charles Leclerc. Sergio Perez, in the sister Red Bull, elevated his performance significantly from the season opener in Bahrain, becoming a major protagonist throughout the weekend. His pole position and early race lead highlighted Red Bull’s potential, though an ill-timed Safety Car unfortunately thwarted his victory aspirations, shuffling him down the order.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with its high-speed corners and unforgiving walls, presented a unique challenge to all 20 drivers. This high-stakes environment demanded precision, courage, and strategic acumen, testing the limits of both man and machine. In this comprehensive review, we delve into the individual performances of every driver across Friday practice, Saturday qualifying, and Sunday’s dramatic race in Saudi Arabia, providing detailed insights and our exclusive RaceFans driver ratings.

Our driver ratings, presented on a scale of zero to ten, meticulously assess each competitor’s weekend. This evaluation considers numerous factors: the inherent performance capabilities of their machinery, their ability to conquer adversity and capitalize on opportunities, the number and severity of any mistakes committed, and their overall conduct and sportsmanship on the track. Beyond direct comparisons to their peers, drivers are also judged against the illustrious 70-year history of Formula 1. Only truly exceptional and outstanding feats of driving excellence, moments that transcend the ordinary, will command the highest possible scores.

Let’s examine how each driver fared under the scorching lights of Jeddah.

Lewis Hamilton – 4

Qualified: 16th (-10 below team mate)
Finished: 10th (-5 below team mate)

• Despite the Mercedes W13’s struggles, Hamilton demonstrated superior pace to his teammate George Russell in every practice session, suggesting he was initially more comfortable with the car’s challenging characteristics and the demands of the Jeddah circuit.
• A bold, experimental setup gamble in qualifying proved to be a catastrophic miscalculation. This aggressive approach spectacularly backfired, leading to a shocking Q1 elimination on merit – a truly rare and humbling experience for the seven-time world champion. It marked his worst qualifying performance in years and significantly compromised his starting position for the race.
• Commencing the race from P16, Hamilton embarked on a determined recovery drive, making steady progress through the field during the opening stint on durable hard tyres. He skillfully navigated traffic, eventually climbing to sixth position, directly behind his teammate Russell, showcasing his ability to manage a difficult car.
• A crucial strategic error occurred when he missed an opportunity to pit just before the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, despite being explicitly called to box by his team before the final corner. This oversight cost him valuable track position and a prime chance to gain significantly under the VSC rules.
• Following his delayed pit stop, Hamilton had to fight his way back into the points, successfully passing Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll in the closing stages to secure the final point in tenth position. A challenging and frustrating weekend for the usually dominant Briton.

George Russell – 6

Qualified: 6th (+10 above team mate)
Finished: 5th (+5 above team mate)

• Russell’s practice sessions were characterized by inconsistent pace as he actively experimented with different car setups, trying to find a sweet spot for the unpredictable Mercedes W13 on the demanding Jeddah circuit, ultimately looking for stability.
• Despite the car’s inherent difficulties, Russell skillfully squeezed into Q3, demonstrating his talent to extract the maximum from the package. He then secured an impressive sixth position on the grid, positioning his Mercedes behind Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, marking a strong qualifying effort.
• In a decisive move on lap three of the Grand Prix, Russell executed a clean overtake on Esteban Ocon to move up into fifth place, showcasing his sharp race craft and ability to seize opportunities early on in the race.
• He diligently maintained fifth position for the remainder of the race, holding off any challenges from behind with a consistent pace. However, the sheer pace deficit of the Mercedes meant he was ultimately unable to keep up with the faster Red Bulls and Ferraris ahead, consolidating a solid, if unspectacular, points finish for the team.

Max Verstappen – 7

Qualified: 4th (-3 below team mate)
Finished: Winner (+3 above team mate)

• Verstappen consistently placed second in all three practice sessions, trailing only Charles Leclerc. This set the stage for an intense battle, indicating the fine margins and fierce rivalry between the top two contenders from the outset of the weekend.
• During his initial Q3 run, he struggled significantly with a notable lack of tyre grip, which compromised his lap time and stability. However, he regrouped and, on his second decisive attempt, managed to secure fourth place on the grid, a respectable but not ideal starting position, especially compared to his pole-sitting teammate.
• At the very start of the race, Verstappen demonstrated his characteristic aggression and skill, executing a brilliant and brave overtake around the outside of turn two to snatch third position from Carlos Sainz, immediately putting pressure on the leaders.
• A perfectly timed pit stop under the Safety Car allowed him to gain crucial track position, moving up to second place. This strategic advantage perfectly set him up for a direct charge at the lead held by Leclerc.
• What followed was an intense and thrilling multi-lap duel with Charles Leclerc for the victory. Verstappen meticulously stalked and eventually overtook his Ferrari rival with a combination of strategic DRS use and raw speed, ultimately clinching a hard-fought and exhilarating win in a clean, yet fiercely contested battle, proving his championship mettle.

Sergio Perez – 8

Qualified: Pole (+3 above team mate)
Finished: 4th (-3 below team mate)

• Perez steadily gained confidence and rhythm with his Red Bull car over the course of the three practice sessions, gradually improving his pace and control on the challenging street circuit, building up to a strong Saturday.
• In a monumental qualifying performance, he delivered what he described as the “best lap of my life” to snatch his maiden Formula 1 pole position, denying the formidable Ferraris by a razor-thin margin. This was a standout, career-defining moment.
• Starting from pole, Perez displayed excellent composure and skill, brilliantly fending off the charging Ferraris at the start and establishing a comfortable lead in the early laps of the race. He looked utterly poised for a potential victory, commanding the front.
• His team opted for an early pit stop, a strategic move intended to cover Charles Leclerc’s potential undercut attempt. However, this decision proved incredibly unlucky when a Safety Car was deployed moments later, effectively neutralizing his hard-earned lead and dropping him dramatically to fourth place. This unfortunate turn of events completely reshaped his race and cost him dearly.
• For the remainder of the Grand Prix, Perez was left in a frustrating and futile pursuit of Carlos Sainz, unable to regain the ground he had lost due to the Safety Car intervention, ultimately finishing in a disappointing fourth after such a promising start. His ultimate pace showed he was a true contender for victory.

Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6

Qualified: 3rd (-1 below team mate)
Finished: 3rd (-1 below team mate)

• Sainz consistently found himself trailing his teammate Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in every practice session, indicating a slight struggle to match their ultimate pace and comfort with the car on the demanding Jeddah circuit, searching for peak performance.
• His second practice session was hampered by lost track time after a minor brush with the barrier, which disrupted his rhythm and setup work, limiting his preparation for qualifying.
• He secured a respectable third position on the grid in qualifying, though he was almost two-tenths of a second slower than his teammate Leclerc, highlighting a consistent performance gap within the Ferrari camp throughout the weekend.
• At the race start, Sainz unfortunately lost third place to Max Verstappen, who executed a decisive overtake. He then found himself unable to quite match the searing pace of the leading Red Bulls and his teammate, consolidating his position but not challenging for higher honours.
• A stroke of fortune under the Safety Car allowed Sainz to regain third position when Sergio Perez was unlucky. He then skillfully managed his pace and defended his track position, holding onto the final podium spot until the chequered flag, securing valuable points for Ferrari in a race where he couldn’t quite match the leaders’ ultimate speed.

Charles Leclerc – 7

Qualified: 2nd (+1 above team mate)
Finished: 2nd (+1 above team mate)

• Leclerc showcased his inherent speed by being fastest across all three practice sessions, demonstrating his exceptional understanding of the Jeddah circuit and the F1-75’s potential. However, his Friday was not entirely smooth, as he lost some track time after making light contact with the wall.
• In a thrilling qualifying session, he was narrowly pipped to pole position by Sergio Perez by an incredibly slim margin of just 0.025 seconds, underscoring the fierce competition at the front of the grid and the razor-thin differences in performance.
• During the early laps of the race, Leclerc maintained close contact with leader Sergio Perez, applying consistent pressure and ensuring he remained within striking distance. Simultaneously, he expertly pulled away from his teammate Carlos Sainz behind, solidifying his strong second position.
• Fortune favored Leclerc when a perfectly timed Safety Car allowed him to make his pit stop and rejoin the race in first place, inheriting the lead due to Perez’s earlier, ill-fated stop, giving him a golden opportunity for victory.
• He then engaged in an intense and captivating multi-lap battle with Max Verstappen for the race win. Despite his tenacious defense, clever use of DRS, and strategic driving, Leclerc ultimately could not hold off the relentless Red Bull driver, eventually conceding the lead and finishing a strong second in a truly memorable showdown.

Lando Norris – 6

Qualified: 11th (+1 above team mate)
Finished: 7th

• Norris displayed inconsistent pace relative to his teammate Daniel Ricciardo throughout practice, only proving quicker in the second session, indicating some struggles to dial in the McLaren MCL36 and find optimum balance on the challenging street circuit.
• He narrowly missed out on advancing to Q3 by a mere 0.033 seconds, a frustrating outcome that he attributed to a “small mistake” on his final flying lap, which had significant implications for his starting position and race prospects.
• In the early stages of the race, Norris engaged in a spirited battle with Pierre Gasly. However, his race strategy was compromised after pitting under the Safety Car, which caused him to lose several crucial positions to rivals who timed their stops better.
• He patiently benefited from the misfortunes of others, gaining three crucial positions after the retirements of Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, and Valtteri Bottas, combined with Lewis Hamilton’s late pit stop, allowing him to climb the order.
• In the closing laps, Norris fought fiercely with Esteban Ocon for sixth place, demonstrating strong race craft and determination. He ultimately missed out by a slender tenth of a second in a thrilling finish, settling for a commendable seventh-place finish and valuable points.

Daniel Ricciardo – 5

Qualified: 12th (-1 below team mate)
Finished: Retired (Power unit L35)

• Ricciardo generally showed better pace than his teammate Lando Norris in practice, suggesting a growing comfort with the car and circuit, a promising sign after a difficult start to the season in Bahrain.
• His qualifying session was marred by a three-place grid drop, and his team was fined, for impeding Esteban Ocon during Q2, an incident that complicated his starting position and added unnecessary pressure.
• He was one of the earliest drivers to switch from medium to hard tyres after just eight laps, a strategic gamble that initially paid off. After the Safety Car period, this early stop allowed him to move ahead of his teammate, showing good track position.
• Ricciardo was running in a solid eleventh position, ahead of Norris and seemingly set for points, until his McLaren suddenly shuddered to a halt on lap 35 due to a power unit failure, bringing a frustrating and premature end to his race, denying him a strong result.

Fernando Alonso – 7

Qualified: 7th (-2 below team mate)
Finished: Retired (Overheating L35)

• Alonso consistently positioned himself in the middle of the field throughout the practice sessions, showing good, steady pace but not pushing the absolute limits, carefully managing his car.
• In qualifying, he was less than a tenth of a second off his teammate Esteban Ocon’s impressive pace, lining up seventh on the grid, demonstrating the tight internal battle and competitiveness at Alpine.
• After an initial dicey and somewhat aggressive battle with his teammate in the early laps, Alonso eventually managed to pass Ocon, showcasing his experience and determination, though their battle cost both valuable time against rivals.
• Following his pit stop under the Safety Car, he engaged in a spirited fight with Kevin Magnussen for seventh position, displaying his customary race craft and unwavering commitment to gain positions.
• Tragically, Alonso was forced to back off and ultimately retire from the race on lap 35 after receiving a critical “cool the car” warning on his dashboard, indicating severe overheating issues that prematurely ended a strong performance and denied him a well-deserved points finish.

Esteban Ocon – 6

Qualified: 5th (+2 above team mate)
Finished: 6th

• Ocon consistently performed in the top eight through all practice sessions, indicating strong underlying pace and confidence with his Alpine on the challenging Jeddah circuit, laying the groundwork for a solid weekend.
• He delivered a superb qualifying performance, securing the “best of the rest” honours with a powerful fifth place on the grid, demonstrating his ability to extract maximum performance when it truly counted in the demanding Q3 session.
• In the opening laps, Ocon engaged in a highly aggressive, bordering on rude, defensive battle against his teammate Fernando Alonso’s attempts to pass. This prolonged dicing ultimately cost both Alpine drivers valuable time and positions to their rivals around them, a contentious team moment.
• He benefited significantly from the misfortunes and retirements of both Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, gaining two crucial places just before the Virtual Safety Car period, which helped his final standing.
• In the latter stages of the race, Ocon prevailed in a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle with Lando Norris, holding his nerve and demonstrating excellent defensive driving to claim a hard-fought sixth-place finish, adding valuable points to Alpine’s tally after an eventful race.

Pierre Gasly – 7

Qualified: 9th
Finished: 8th

• Gasly’s second practice session was compromised by floor damage, which inevitably impacted his car’s performance and limited his potential throughout the remainder of the weekend, making an already tough circuit even harder.
• Despite picking up further floor damage during Q1, he commendably pushed through to Q3, showcasing his resilience and speed even with a compromised car, a testament to his driving skill.
• He experienced a tough start to the race, dropping two places, and then found himself embroiled in a spirited battle with Lando Norris, trying to regain lost ground and make progress through the midfield.
• A stroke of bad luck saw Gasly pit moments before Nicholas Latifi’s crash brought out the Safety Car, meaning he lost out heavily on track position to those who opportunistically pitted under the yellow flag, a significant strategic setback.
• Displaying immense determination, Gasly gradually clawed his way back into the points-paying positions. He bravely held onto eighth place despite suffering from severe abdominal pain over the final four laps, a testament to his fighting spirit and endurance under challenging physical conditions.

Yuki Tsunoda – No rating

Qualified: No Time Set (Water system)
Finished: Did Not Start (Driveline)

• Tsunoda showed promising pace in the practice sessions, consistently running within the top ten and demonstrating a speed close to that of his teammate Pierre Gasly, indicating good potential for a strong weekend performance.
• Unfortunately, his qualifying session ended prematurely as he was unable to set a competitive time due to a suspected water system problem, preventing him from participating in the crucial fight for grid positions and starting near the back.
• His challenging weekend culminated in a complete non-start for the race, as he suffered a critical driveline problem on the reconnaissance lap to the grid, rendering his car unable to compete. This mechanical failure meant he did not complete a single competitive lap throughout the entire Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, hence the “No rating” due to circumstances beyond his control.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5

Qualified: 18th (-3 below team mate)
Finished: 12th (+1 above team mate)

• Deputizing for Sebastian Vettel for the second consecutive race, Hulkenberg remarkably managed to run at a similar pace to his teammate Lance Stroll in practice, despite having never driven the demanding Jeddah Corniche Circuit before, showcasing his adaptability.
• He was unfortunately eliminated from Q1, qualifying in 17th position. Hulkenberg openly admitted to making crucial mistakes on his best flying lap, which ultimately cost him a chance to progress further in qualifying.
• Starting on the more durable hard tyres, he made some initial gains in the early laps by extending his stint. However, the subsequent early Safety Car deployment heavily compromised his race strategy, as others gained a significant advantage by pitting under yellow flags.
• After the Safety Car, he found himself running in 14th position and briefly last, struggling to recover track position. He later gained two places following an incident between Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll, showing persistence.
• Hulkenberg ultimately finished 12th, a commendable effort considering his lack of prior track experience and the strategic misfortune, outperforming his teammate in the race and providing valuable feedback to Aston Martin.

Lance Stroll – 5

Qualified: 15th (+3 below team mate)
Finished: 13th (-1 below team mate)

• Stroll’s pace hovered around the middle of the bottom ten cars throughout all practice sessions, indicating a consistent struggle to find significant performance in the Aston Martin AMR22 on the high-speed circuit.
• He managed to make it through to Q2 during the final frantic effort of Q1, impressively eliminating Lewis Hamilton in the process with a strong final lap. He ultimately qualified 15th, a decent result given the car’s performance.
• During the first stint of the race, Stroll, on hard tyres, was passed by several competitors including Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu, and even his temporary teammate Nico Hulkenberg, struggling for outright pace and tyre management.
• He was running in 11th position, on the cusp of the points, before he was unfortunately hit and spun by Alexander Albon during an overtaking attempt. This incident severely damaged his car and derailed his race, leading to a significant loss of performance.
• Stroll’s race was compromised by the contact, and he subsequently struggled to maintain pace, finishing 13th, one position behind his teammate, marking a frustrating end to his Grand Prix.

Nicholas Latifi – 2

Qualified: 19th (-2 below team mate)
Finished: Retired (Crashed L14)

• Latifi consistently found himself at the very bottom of the timesheets in all practice sessions, struggling significantly with the Williams FW44 and the demanding Jeddah circuit’s unforgiving nature.
• His qualifying session was abruptly cut short when he crashed out of Q1 following an unforced error at turn 13, highlighting a pervasive lack of confidence and precision on the high-speed track. This marked his second significant crash in as many days, raising serious concerns.
• In the early laps of the race, he was largely running at the back of the field, struggling to keep pace with his rivals and only gaining a few places when Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon made early pit stops.
• His race tragically ended prematurely on lap 14 when he suffered another unforced error, crashing out at the final corner without external pressure. This consistent pattern of costly mistakes defined a truly disastrous weekend for the Canadian driver, leading to his very low rating and questions about his future.

Alexander Albon – 4

Qualified: 17th (+2 above team mate)
Finished: Classified 14th

• Albon received a reprimand for impeding Mick Schumacher during the first practice session, an early hiccup in his weekend that cost him some focus.
• He expressed disappointment with his qualifying performance, finishing 17th, as he struggled significantly to bring his tyres into their optimal operating window, preventing him from extracting the full potential of his Williams on a single lap.
• As one of the earliest medium-tyre starters to switch to hards, his strategic gamble was unfortunately undone by the Safety Car. Drivers who pitted under the yellow flag gained a significant advantage, leaving Albon at a substantial disadvantage.
• After his teammate’s retirement, Albon found himself running towards the back of the field, trying to make the most of a difficult situation with a compromised strategy.
• His race concluded prematurely when he was forced to pull off track after a poorly judged overtaking attempt on Lance Stroll at turn one resulted in contact, damaging his car beyond immediate repair. This incident also earned him a three-place grid drop for the subsequent Australian Grand Prix, further compounding a tough and error-prone weekend.

Valtteri Bottas – 7

Qualified: 8th (+5 above team mate)
Finished: Retired (Overheating L36)

• Bottas consistently demonstrated superior pace to his teammate Zhou Guanyu across all practice sessions, clearly establishing himself as the leading driver at Alfa Romeo and a strong contender for points.
• He showcased excellent qualifying performance, improving in every session to secure a highly respectable eighth position on the grid, once again proving his ability to deliver strong one-lap pace and maximize the Alfa Romeo’s potential.
• In the race, Bottas made a decisive move to pass Esteban Ocon, climbing as high as seventh place before making his scheduled pit stop, consolidating his strong position in the points.
• He was running in a solid ninth position, poised for a points finish, when he was suddenly instructed by his team to retire the car immediately. This was due to severe overheating problems, a precautionary measure to prevent irreversible damage to the power unit, bringing a frustrating and premature end to an otherwise promising race.

Zhou Guanyu – 4

Qualified: 13th (-5 below team mate)
Finished: 11th

• Zhou consistently lagged well off the pace of his experienced teammate Valtteri Bottas in all three practice sessions, indicating a significant learning curve still in progress on the challenging circuit and adapting to F1 demands.
• His Q2 performance saw him four-tenths slower than Bottas, resulting in his elimination in 13th position, clearly highlighting the performance gap to his teammate in qualifying.
• For the second consecutive race start, Zhou experienced an anti-stall moment at turn one, a costly rookie error that saw him lose significant positions immediately and forced him to fight back from the very rear.
• Despite the poor start, he demonstrated good fighting spirit, making commendable progress through the field in the early laps, recovering some of the lost ground with determined overtakes.
• However, his race was further complicated by a five-second time penalty for running off track at turn one after passing Alexander Albon and failing to return the position, a rookie mistake in judgement.
• Compounding matters, Zhou was then forced to serve a drive-through penalty due to a team error in the execution of his initial five-second time penalty, severely hampering his chances of a points finish. He ultimately crossed the line in 11th, just outside the points.

Mick Schumacher – 3

Qualified: 14th (-4 below team mate)
Finished: Withdrawn prior to race

• Schumacher never managed to break into the top ten across any of the three practice sessions, indicating a consistent struggle to find optimal pace with the Haas on the demanding Jeddah circuit, lagging behind his teammate.
• He reached Q2 but qualified 14th, three-tenths slower than his impressive teammate Kevin Magnussen, highlighting a significant performance gap and his continued adaptation to the new car.
• His weekend took a terrifying turn with a horrifying high-speed crash in Q2. The severity of the incident saw him taken to hospital for precautionary checks, fortunately revealing no major injuries, a huge relief given the impact.
• Despite feeling physically ready to race, the Haas team made the pragmatic decision to withdraw his car from the Grand Prix. This was primarily to prioritize the preservation of parts and resources for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix, bringing an abrupt and challenging end to his Saudi Arabian weekend, through no fault of his own on race day.

Kevin Magnussen – 7

Qualified: 10th (+4 above team mate)
Finished: 9th

• Magnussen’s first practice session was significantly curtailed, allowing him only two laps due to an unfortunate hydraulic leak, severely limiting his initial track time and preparation.
• His second practice session was also cut short midway through, again due to further hydraulic problems, hindering his ability to prepare adequately for qualifying and the race, a frustrating start to the weekend.
• Despite the severely compromised practice schedule, Magnussen displayed remarkable resilience and skill, comfortably reaching Q3 for the second successive weekend, a testament to his innate speed and the improved Haas VF-22.
• Starting on the durable hard tyres, he executed a long and effective first stint. He then pitted for medium tyres from an impressive seventh place just before the final Virtual Safety Car, a strategy that initially seemed promising and well-executed.
• Rejoining the race in 12th position, Magnussen mounted a strong comeback, expertly passing Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll on his way to securing a valuable ninth-place finish, adding more crucial points to Haas’s unexpected strong start to the season and continuing his impressive return to F1.

Over to you: Have Your Say on the Saudi Arabian GP Driver Performances!

The 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix delivered a spectacle of high-speed drama, fierce rivalries, and moments of both triumph and despair for the drivers. From Max Verstappen’s relentless pursuit of victory to Sergio Perez’s pole position misfortune, and Lewis Hamilton’s challenging recovery drive, there were countless talking points that captivated fans worldwide.

Now, it’s your turn to weigh in. We invite you, our passionate RaceFans community, to cast your vote for the driver who truly impressed you most last weekend. Whether it was a stellar qualifying effort, a masterful race performance, or an outstanding display of resilience against adversity, every driver’s contribution shapes the narrative of this thrilling season. Find out if your top pick aligns with the consensus of other Formula 1 enthusiasts by participating in our poll and sharing your perspectives. Your voice helps crown the Driver of the Weekend!

• Vote for your 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

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