F1 Driver Standings: Predicting Order of Finish
Over halfway through the 2022 Formula One season and the standings are beginning to widen. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his seventh race while second-place Charles Leclerc had to retire again. Verstappen extended his lead in the standings to 63 points and the F1 racing odds have him as a runaway favorite to win it all. How will the rest of the driver standings shake out?
Final F1 Standings as We See Them
Verstappen, Red Bull Win The Championship and Set Records
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 2022 Formula One World Champion
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Not only will Verstappen clinch the championship but he will tie and break an F1 record: most wins in a season. To do so, Verstappen needs to win seven of the next 10 races. And why not? Ferrari has constant problems whether it’s their engines or their pit strategy while Mercedes has yet to win a race.
Second place was tough to pick between the reliable Perez or Leclerc. While the latter will probably win a few more races, he’s also more likely to retire or finish out of the podium. Perez has six top-three finishes, which is tied with Carlos Sainz for the second-most. Perez is just seven points behind Leclerc. He may just edge him down the line.
Mercedes Pair Make Run but Fall Short of Top 3
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Leclerc is not the only Ferrari driver who will tumble down the standings. His teammate, Sainz, is just one point ahead of George Russell for fourth place. While Sainz has shown flashes, including winning his maiden Grand Prix in Britain, he’s also failed to finish four times – which is the most of any driver thus far.
Your podium stars in France 💫
🥇 Max Verstappen
🥈 Lewis Hamilton
🥉 George Russell #FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/yHYy7CA9mQ— Formula 1 (@F1) July 24, 2022
Meanwhile, Mercedes is making a run. Russell has been a safe bet online to finish in the top-five and Britain, ironically, was the only track where he failed to. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has started to catch up but is still 16 points away from Russell. He’ll need to win a Grand Prix or two to leapfrog him.
Norris Leads McLaren In Battle of Mid-Tier Drivers
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
- Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Lando Norris is easily the best driver outside of the top six. The Briton finished third at the Emilia Romagna and has finished in the top 10 nine times. He’s got a next-to-no chance of catching up to the top-six but he’s got the seventh spot locked up. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon has a decent chance of switching spots with him as another driver that frequently gets points.
Vettel Leads The Best of the Rest
- Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
- Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Mick Schumacher (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
- Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
- Alexander Albon (Williams)
- Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
And bringing up the rear are the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly. Vettel, who is retiring at this season’s conclusion, has had some inspired performances. He’s had four top-10 finishes but has been eclipsed by this teammate, Lance Stroll recently. Still, he’s got plenty left as a driver and should gain enough points to catch up and overtake Kevin Magnussen. Just don’t bet on him to win any races on the sportsbook.
