The 2022 world championship, the 73rd in the history of Formula 1, was dominated by Max Verstappen, the regrets of Ferrari and the misstep of Mercedes, for the first time since 2014 excluded from the roll of honor of the drivers’ and constructors’ championship. A season that saw the break of the record positive streak belonging to Lewis Hamilton, for the first time after 15 years without a win in a seasonjust as the primacy of Verstappen in the most hits of the season ever obtained by a pilot, with 15 statements. Yet, 2022 has also reserved other statistics, primates or curiosities of all kinds that have almost taken a back seat.
While it is true that Verstappen has achieved such a high number of victories, the percentage of victories in a year however is not the highest ever. Reigning in this special classification is once again Alberto Ascari, who with 75% of the highest steps on the podium achieved in 1952 has a lead of 7 points, thanks to 6 victories out of the 8 scheduled that year. In any case, Dutch can console himself with the highest number of points ever achieved in a year: 454, surpassing Hamilton’s previous record, which in 2019 stopped at 413. All this despite the curious figure of Verstappen’s completed laps in 2022, lower than those completed in 2021 but with higher mileage than that same season . For 2023, Verstappen will try to meet or exceed the 5th place by Ayrton Senna in all-time ranking of winners in F1, with the Brazilian author of 41 victories against the 35 of the Dutchman.
Among the records of greatest interest, there is also that of Fernando Alonsowhich reached an altitude at the end of the season 356 races playedsurpassing the previous record set by Kimi Raikkonen in highest number of GPs raced by a rideri.e. 350. In 2022, a curse for Sergio Perez, who took his first career pole position in Saudi Arabia after 216 attempts. In this way, the Mexican thus established the primacy of most qualifying before his fastest lap. A nightmare that will try to make Nico Hülkenberg vanish in 2023, who after replacing Vettel in the first two races of the year ‘strengthened’ the record for the most GPs without any podiums: 181.
Still on the subject of qualifications, 2022 was then synonymous with another record that hadn’t occurred since 1979: that of the greatest number of pilots capable of conquering theirs first pole position in the same year, no less than four. Along with the already mentioned result of Perez, the goals of Carlos Sainz and George Russell were added (respectively at Silverstone and at the Hungaroring), before the surprising pole of Kevin Magnussen in Brazil. Before them, it was Gilles Villeneuve, René Arnoux, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Alan Jones who all managed this particular feat together in one season. Moreover, in 2022, Sainz and Russell they even managed to get theirs first career success in F1. As regards the nationalities of the pilots, Guanyu Zhou he further stated himself as first Chinese pilot in history to take part in a GP, as well as having obtained championship points (already already at his debut, exactly like the surprising Nyck de Vries at Monza) and a quick lap at Suzuka. Speaking of the Dutchman, future AlphaTauri driver, he took part in at least one session of the world championship with three different cars, getting into the cockpit of two different teams in just one weekendonce again a Monza (with Aston Martin in PL1 and with Williams replacing the unavailable Albon). A similar event had not occurred once again since 1979, and once again in Monza, in that case with Harald Ertl. Finally, the number of teams brought to the podium by their respective drivers should be underlined: Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. Only four, with this figure equaling the fewer capable teams to close at least one tender on the podium of 2018.
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