Top 10 International racing drivers of 2022
Another year of wheel-to-wheel action in international racing series from Austin to Azerbaijan has seen the cream rise to the top once again. So who has excelled and who has underperformed in 2022?
10. Joey Logano — Nascar Cup Series Champion
Another year of ultra competitive racing in the Nascar Cup Series has seen Logano make the cut. A superb season finale saw him take the crown in a bumper-to-bumper showdown.
9. Will Power — IndyCar Champion
It has been a tough few years for Power but he finally has his hands back on the championship trophy. A tough season battling with Newgarden and Dixon is no mean feat.
8. Lando Norris — 7th in Formula 1
It was job done for Lando in 2022 by claiming best of the rest and he was the only driver outside the top three to claim a podium all season. He will be hoping McLaren can take a step forward in 2023 to battle with his old pal George Russell.
7. Kalle Rovanpera — World Rally Champion
A super impressive season from the young Finnish superstar who creamed to a first world title, beating his more experienced rivals of Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville. It was a season of raw speed which made up for a few slight blips toward the end of the year.
6. Stoffel Vandoorne — Formula E World Champion
A consistent season from the Mercedes driver who won the title despite only picking up the single victory in Monaco. It saw the silver arrows end their FE journey flying high but the Belgian lacked some of the panach of his competitors throughout the season.
5. Mitch Evans — 2nd in Formula E
Despite missing out on the title, Evans is my top FE driver of 2022 after his four wins in superb style including a memorable double victory in Rome to kick start his season and an outrageous start in Seoul to keep it alive. A poor start to his campaign ultimately cost him the ultimate prize but a best result of second in the standings is a good step forward for the Jaguar team.
4. Johan Kristofferson — World Rallycross Champion and 2nd in Extreme E
This was yet another step in cementing Kristofferson’s legendary status in World Rallycross. By establishing his own team, the Swedish Racer has added yet another string to his bow of talents by claiming his fifth WRX crown in the first year running his new team.
3. George Russell — 4th in Formula 1
Russell has become only the third team mate to beat Hamilton over the course of a season joining fellow Brit Jenson Button and 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg in that exclusive club. It was an impressive season from the youngster as he found a way to extract the maximum from the W13 where the seven time world champion failed to do so.
2. Charles Leclerc — 2nd in Formula 1
It was overall a fine year from the Monegasque with nine poles and three wins and second in the world championship, a personal best for the 24 year old. But there were many regrets by the end of the year with missed victories in the first half of the year at Spain, Monaco, Baku, Silverstone, France and Budapest. The dominance of the Red Bull in the second half of the season has probably made the mistakes easier for Leclerc to deal with and it will be a season where much has been gained.
- Max Verstappen — Formula 1 World Champion
It was a complete contrast to 2021 with a dominant season for the Dutchman after a flaky start with two retirements in the first three races. By the end of the year however, he was operating in a different postcode to the rest of the field and posted 15 race wins to wrap up the title in short order. He will be tough to stop in 2023.
