Ratings | Leclerc and Verstappen stand out, Magnussen the surprise

After a long wait, it was finally time for the start of the 2022 Formula One season. The Bahrain Grand Prix was won by an impressive Charles Leclerc. Who else stood out at the Bahrain International Circuit and who disappointed? Here are the GPblog figures for the drivers.

Leclerc: 10

Charles Leclerc could not have started the season better than with a pole, a win and the fastest lap. The Monegasque peaked at the right time in Bahrain and fought out a spectacular duel with Max Verstappen. If Leclerc can maintain this form for a whole year, he will be hard to beat in this Ferrari.

Sainz: 8.5

A second-place for Carlos Sainz who performed well throughout the weekend. He didn't manage to beat his teammate, but he did get within one-tenth in qualifiyng and within 0.006 seconds of P2. He couldn't keep up with the leaders in the race, but had Perez under control. He made an easy move on Verstappen to complete the one-two. 

Hamilton: 8

Mercedes are well behind Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, but Lewis Hamilton is squeezing everything out of the car. He was lucky with the dropouts of the competition, but you have to be there to take advantage.

Russell: 7

George Russell's debut did not go as he had hoped. The car is still difficult to drive and we can see that in the difference between Hamilton and Russell. The seven times world champion has a better understanding of what this car needs, where Russell in qualifying took a little too much (unnecessary) risk. In the race, he made up for that with five places gained. 

Magnussen: 9.5

Despite a late call, it was Kevin Magnussen and not Mick Schumacher who managed to get the most out of Haas' new car. It was a fairytale comeback for the Dane who couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Bottas: 8

Valtteri Bottas showed what value he can have on Saturday and a sixth-place for Alfa Romeo is a top result, although he did fall very far back at the start. We also saw that at Mercedes and is really something the Finn needs to work on.

Ocon: 7

In qualifying, Ocon was outsmarted by his teammate, but in the race, he finished ahead of Fernando Alonso. A fine seventh place, but with a penalty for his collision with Mick Schumacher, it was not a flawless race for the Frenchman.

Tsunoda: 7

Yuki Tsunoda took full advantage of the dropouts and late safety car. He quickly dived in and climbed a few places at the expense of drivers who had gone in just before. On Saturday and also on Sunday, he came up well short of Pierre Gasly, so there is still a lot of work to do.

Alonso: 6.5

On Saturday, Fernando Alonso made it to Q3, but on Sunday the Spaniard's race pace was somewhat disappointing. He struggled with tyre wear and quickly fell back. However, through the three dropouts, he still managed to score two points.

Zhou: 7

Guanyu Zhou had a neat debut for Alfa Romeo. It was no surprise that he had to lose out to Bottas on Saturday and Sunday, but the difference was not too bad. It was a strong start for the Chinese driver who should build on this.

Schumacher: 5.5

Mick Schumacher has had a year to mould Haas to his liking but suddenly saw in Bahrain what a really good driver can do with the VF-22. The German will have to improve, because in Bahrain the difference with Magnussen was far too big, especially when you consider that Magnussen has barely had any preparation for this season.

Stroll: 5.5

When a regular driver is beaten by a replacement who hasn't been in an F1 car for a year and a half, you have to take a critical look in the mirror. Aston Martin's AMR22 is a bad car, but you can also wonder if Lance Stroll is the one who will get the most out of the package.

Albon: 7

Alexander Albon had a strong debut for Williams. After a year away, it is still handsome that he beat Nicholas Latifi, who is in action for Williams for the third year in a row, by a difference of nine-tenths in qualifying. The FW44 is not yet a top car, but Albon is showing himself to be a strong driver for the team.

Ricciardo: 3.5

McLaren's MCL36 is not a strong car, but going out in Q1 while your teammate advances to Q2 is not a good sign for Daniel Ricciardo. He finished ahead of Lando Norris in the race with some luck, but will really need to find some extra pace.

Norris: 3

Lando Norris did well during qualifiyng to get P13, but dropped backwards two places despite all the retirements. He even finished behind Ricciardo who had a terrible qualifying result and missed half of his test running. 

Latifi: 3

Nicholas Latifi was underestimated, Williams claimed, after being beaten by George Russell for two years. However, Alexander Albon showed in his first race weekend that the Canadian is really not a great driver. When you have been on the team for so long and your new teammate has not raced for a year, you can never be beaten like that.

Hulkenberg: 5

Nico Hulkenberg did what you might expect from a reserve driver who has not raced for a year and a half. The German had no preparation to really replace Sebastian Vettel properly, and in the race you could see that he lacks the strength to perform consistently. A faster qualifying lap on Saturday, however, was the best tap The Hulk could deliver to regular driver Stroll.

Perez: 6

Sergio Perez drove a solid weekend for Red Bull Racing. He was there, but nothing more. He was never able to mount a real attack on Carlos Sainz, also because he was already trailing at the start after losing two spots.

Verstappen: 7.5

Max Verstappen did little wrong during the Bahrain Grand Prix. He qualified among the faster Ferraris and passed Leclerc several times on Sunday. The Monegasque came back each time, however, so the Dutchman seemed to have to settle for second place. That podium did not come for Verstappen, however, due to problems with the fuel supply. He could've been smarter in his attack with Leclerc, and perhaps less sharp on the team radio. 

Gasly: 6

Pierre Gasly was the first dropout and he had to deal with a real engine problem. The Red Bull engine was on fire and Gasly saw a good points finish go up in smoke. The Frenchman had a strong weekend and seemed to be on his way to good points, but he had no luck.