Last year, the difference was abundantly clear: Max Verstappen drove 651 laps in the lead, while Lewis Hamilton drove only 246 laps in front over the entire season. Yet in the end, the difference in the World Cup was only eight points. This year it is a little closer together when we look at who all drove at the front in 2022.
It is not Verstappen who lingered the most laps from P1. That honour is reserved for Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver crossed the start-finish line first a total of 194 times in the seven races. Verstappen did that 142 times. The Dutchman has a large gap to Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez. The difference is 73 laps. Otherwise, only Carlos Sainz and George Russell drove a pair in the lead this season.
Last year, Verstappen was a long time behind Lewis Hamilton in the world championship, while he had driven many more laps in the lead. We see that pattern now with Leclerc as well. The Monegasque should have been ahead of Verstappen based on this statistic, but nothing is further from the truth. Heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen is defending a nine-point lead.