We predicted the entire 2022 Formula 1 World Championship

Pre-season testing is done and dusted, and the season opener at the Bahrain Grand Prix is now right around the corner. We’ve already made some bold predictions and listed some potential dark horses for the 2022 season, but here are our 2022 Drivers’ Championship predictions.

Before we delve into the entire list, it’s worth noting how tough this was. The second pre-season test in Bahrain provided almost no help whatsoever, except that Mercedes were still struggling with porpoising, Red Bull and Ferrari look quick, while McLaren could have reliability issues.

However, it’s a long season, so developments and upgrades can happen throughout the year. The midfield is especially tight, as was predicting who will bring up the rear as everyone seems to have their positives. But, we’ve tried our best to filter through the potential outcomes and come up with a definitive list.

So, without further ado, here’s our predictions.

Haas

We start right at that back with Haas. The American team spent the entirety of 2021 focusing on this year’s car, but we’re not sure if it’s been worth it. Mick Schumacher may have put in a good shift on the final day of testing, and Kevin Magnussen may have led the second day’s timing sheets, but we think that could simply be due to the engine being turned right up.

They’ll certainly be closer than last year, and I can easily foresee a situation where the midfield and backmarkers blur into one, and the only gap between teams can be seen right at the front of the field.

With that in mind, Haas’ driver line up will see them finish bottom of the pile in the Constructors’. But, we don’t think they’ll be P20 in the Drivers’ Championship. Schumacher will be 19th, while returning Magnussen will show his experience in pipping the young German driver to P18.

Alfa Romeo

Now, they had a very encouraging pre-season test in Bahrain, and have been tipped by some for impressive things this year, but Alfa Romeo will still be near the back in 2022.

As a rookie, Guanyu Zhou could struggle and despite Valtteri Bottas being an experienced head alongside him, the Chinese driver may find it tough. Bottas, on the other hand, will do great things with the car and could pull out some amazing results on occasions. But, it might just not be quick enough to consistently score points. Like I said earlier though, they could basically be a midfield team with how close the margins are set to be.

We predict Zhou will be last, while Bottas will impress in P15.

Williams

They made great strides last year closing the gap to the midfield, but we can’t see Williams advancing much more. Alex Albon is a very sensible replacement for George Russell, and while we aren’t Nicholas Latifi’s biggest fans, he’s still adapted to the team and the sport well.

They’ll be in the mix for points fairly often, but the gap between their drivers will stop them advancing any further up the grid. As for the positions, Latifi we have down as 17th, while Albon is as high as 14th.

Aston Martin

Lawrence Stroll arrived with a wad of cash and big ideas, but last year that resulted in a decline rather than an improvement. And while it’s a new year, the team doesn't seem to have made too many strides forward. Testing was fairly positive, and they look pretty decent, but with competition so fierce, we can’t see them competing any higher than for the lesser points.

Lance Stroll is a fairly underrated driver in my mind, but he was off the pace last season, and I can’t see it improving much this time around. We have him down in 16th due to the miniscule differences between the midfield teams, while the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel could fare a lot better. We predict the German will finish 11th, but the points gap between the two may not be too big.

Alpine

The French team had an average test at best, but with a solid driver line-up, and some upgrades throughout the year we can see a decent finish for them. Nothing spectacular, nothing too disappointing. Ocon in 13th, and Alonso in 10th is how we see it, but those positions could easily be swapped around given how close they were in 2021.

AlphaTauri

It was almost a one-man band at AlphaTauri last season, with Pierre Gasly carrying the team in regards to points. We believe the Frenchman will have a similarly impressive campaign, finishing ninth.

But, the major difference will be the fact that Yuki Tsunoda will step up this year. The Japanese driver arrived with a lot of hype last season, and he failed to deliver. However, that will change this year. He won’t match the supreme Gasly, but 12th would be a respectable finish.

McLaren

Now this could go horribly wrong. McLaren looked fourth best at Barcelona, maybe even pushing third, but in Bahrain testing, they had issues with reliability and pace.

Lando Norris wasn’t able to challenge near the front, and spent a lot of time in the garage as alterations happened on his car. Not an ideal start, but after finishing third and fourth in the past two seasons, we’re banking on improvements throughout the year. They’ll be a way off the leaders, but a seventh place for Norris and an eighth place for Ricciardo is what we reckon is in store for the Woking-based team.

Ferrari

The wildcard, the team that could surprise. Ferrari look primed and ready for a title charge, but naturally there are still some question marks surrounding them.

While they look to have the package to challenge, and have arguably the best driver line-up on the grid, do they have what it takes to truly beat Mercedes and Red Bull? Maybe. Maybe not. Over a season we back Red Bull and Mercedes to find speed, and so Ferrari will stay third in our books, but they’ll be so close.

A three-way Constructors’ fight is likely to commence, and we think it could be as close as 2010 when just 16 points separated the top four. In regards to Ferrari we think Charles Leclerc will just edge out his teammate, finishing fourth, while Carlos Sainz is fifth.

Red Bull

The reigning champion Max Verstappen will be in and amongst it once again, but his teammate Sergio Perez may be a little off the pace. Think Button against Hamilton at McLaren in the aforementioned 2010 season. There or thereabouts, but not quite in the title fight.

Perez will finish sixth, behind both Ferrari drivers, while Verstappen will narrowly, and we mean narrowly miss out on the title. 

Mercedes

The eight-time Constructors’ Champions could well do it again, but they have plenty of work to do. Porpoising affected them more than any other team in pre-season testing, and if they can’t work it out, then they’ll slip behind Ferrari, we’re sure.

However, Mercedes’ prowess at finding solutions after a tricky start is what swung it their way in the title fight. We think Lewis Hamilton will finally win his eight world title to move clear of Michael Schumacher for Drivers’ Championships’. As for his new teammate George Russell, he’ll be a little way down in third, fighting with the Ferrari drivers, and just winning that battle.

So, that’s it. Our predictions for the 2022 F1 season. Hamilton, Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc make up the top four. Then Sainz, Perez, Norris, Ricciardo, Gasly and Alonso round off the top 10. Vettel, Tsunoda and Ocon to be fighting for the lower points positions, along with Albon, Bottas and Stroll. While Latifi, Magnussen, Schumacher and Zhou finish off the list. Do you agree with our predictions? I’m sure a lot of you won’t, so please let us know your 1-20 order in the comments section down below