Figures | Verstappen again proves best driver of 2022 in Japan

Verstappen: 10

Max Verstappen added lustre to his second world title with a dominant win in Japan. In 28 laps, Verstappen drove almost 30 seconds away from his rivals. There should no longer be any doubt about who is the best driver in Formula 1 this year.

Perez: 8

Sergio Perez had to leave a sizeable gap to Verstappen again on Saturday, but on Sunday the Mexican is back at it. He had a good start where he immediately passed Carlos Sainz and then managed to keep his tyres in one piece to put pressure on Leclerc in the closing stages. That pressure and Leclerc's eventual mistake ultimately helped Verstappen to the world title.

Leclerc: 7

Not for the first time in 2022, Charles Leclerc could be caught wrong. He was again the fastest Ferrari driver on Saturday and for some time he was able to stay close to Verstappen on Sunday, but soon Leclerc smoked up his tyres and got Perez to visit. Then it all went wrong in the final corner of the race, of all places, is painful.

Ocon: 9

Esteban Ocon drove an excellent weekend in Japan where he managed to keep Lewis Hamilton behind him for a race in the rain. In a weekend where all the attention was on his new teammate for 2023, Ocon showed that he should also be taken into account.

Hamilton: 8

The W13's lack of top speed kept Hamilton from getting past Ocon at Suzuka, and so the Briton experienced another frustrating race. His car is not fast enough over one lap and on Sunday he lacks the top speed to make up for it.

Vettel: 9

Sebastian Vettel expressed that Suzuka is his favourite circuit, but showed it in his performance. The German qualified great but was forced to start again from the back after a touch in the first corner. That Vettel was the first to opt for intermediates is to be commended and earned him a handsome sixth place.

Alonso: 7

Fernando Alonso had a colourless weekend at Suzuka in which he lost out to his teammate.

Russell: 6

George Russell complained to his team about the "worst choice of the weekend" when, like everyone else, he was given intermediates at the pit stop. As it turned out, that choice was not that bad at all, but it showed just how bad Russell was at this weekend. Once again he was trounced by Hamilton on Saturday and in the rain he is proving to be no hero either.

Latifi: 9

Credit where credit is due. Nicholas Latifi is leaving Formula 1 at the end of 2022, but with a ninth-place finish at a wet Suzuka, he still delivers a piece of art. He too gambled early for a switch to intermediates and it earned him a great result.

Norris: 8

Lando Norris had a colourless weekend with McLaren. One point is the result, and that is not enough to keep Alpine behind in the constructors' championship.

Ricciardo: 7

Daniel Ricciardo was more competitive in Japan than we have seen him times. Still, it was just not enough for a point.

Stroll: 5

Lance Stroll did not come close to the unleashed Vettel for a second this weekend. That Vettel still finished well ahead of his teammate despite a spin on the first lap actually says it all.

Tsunoda: 6

Yuki Tsunoda had an okay weekend, but AlphaTauri's car simply had too many brake problems this weekend. That's exactly what you can't use at Suzuka.

Magnussen: 5

Kevin Magnussen finishes outside the points again with Haas, after he did outpace his teammate on Sunday.

Bottas: 4

Valtteri Bottas has never been a hero in the rain and it showed again when he thundered down the rankings like a brick in the race. That he was the one who kept complaining about poor visibility was also surprising.

Zhou: 5

Guanyu Zhou may have been at Suzuka for the first time, but he too failed to make a good impression in the wet conditions.

Schumacher: 5

Mick Schumacher clearly does not have his father's talent in the rain. On Saturday he was still faster than his teammate, but on Sunday he lost ground on a wet track, not for the first time.

Gasly: 4

Pierre Gasly had a poor weekend in Japan. He did not qualify for Q2 due to brake problems, and on Sunday he was off for a good result after a Pirelli sign got stuck on his car. That Gasly could not work miracles after the red flag is perhaps not very surprising, after he had the scare of his life with the tractor on the track and his thoughts were mostly with good friend Jules Bianchi.

Sainz: 3

Carlos Sainz went wrong at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Spaniard went to his gas too early in a puddle of water and ended up in the wall.

Albon: 6

Alexander Albon's race was soon over after he had a technical problem with his car and had to park it at the side of the track.