Palmer heaps praise on Verstappen: 'Some fantastic drives all season'

Analyst and former Formula One driver Jolyon Palmer has identified Verstappen as the best driver of the season. At Formula1.com Palmer held his own mock-award ceremony, with Verstappen and Red Bull Racing both taking awards.

That Verstappen wins the best driver award from Palmer is not a huge surprise. With a record number of wins in this season and a total points tally which is more than most teams have achieved, Verstappen was absolutely dominant in 2022. The same goes for Red Bull, which managed to win the constructors' title again for the first time since 2013. Red Bull therefore fully deservedly gets the award for best team from Palmer.

"Verstappen held his nerve against early adversity and as the year went on, the Red Bull car got better and Max got more out of it as well. The result was one of the most dominant seasons on record. The results on paper will make it look easy, but under the surface were some fantastic drives in all scenarios."

"And Red Bull was unrivalled across the board this year," the analyst continued. "The top speed of their car allowed them to be a constant threat in the races, their pit stops were the best in the field, their strategies were mostly nailed on, and both drivers won races en route to domination of both championships. This was an almost perfect team season."

Special award for De Vries

Verstappen is not the only Dutchman praised by Palmer: Nyck de Vries also gets special mention. For his fill-in at Monza, De Vries gets the award for 'Best Individual Performance'. De Vries unexpectedly had to take Alexander Albon's place at Williams and managed to score a handsome ninth place.

"We often heap praise on drivers scoring on their debut," Palmer explained. "But nobody manages to do it in what was overall the slowest car in the field though. De Vries’s maturity and experience showed as much as his pace, as he soaked up late pressure. It’ll be interesting to see how he grasps his next opportunity at AlphaTauri in 2023."