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The F1 races are coming thick and fast in July now as we have the 2022 Austrian GP this weekend. The race will be the 11th race of the season as the championship hits the halfway mark.
The first season with the new regulations has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. While there have been some drivers with standout races, some have been unable to make the kind of impact that they would have expected to.
As we head to the Red Bull Ring for the next race, multiple drivers are at a crucial stage of the season where they need to deliver and will be desperate for a strong result. With this feature for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, let's take a look at the drivers desperate for a strong result this weekend.
#3 Esteban Ocon (Alpine F1)
Esteban Ocon's 2022 F1 season is starting to mirror his 2021 F1 season. A fast start where he asserts his speed over his teammate only for the latter to take things up a gear and start catching up in later races. The French driver started the season well but after a few strong results, things have stopped going his way. It's hard to deny that his teammate Fernando Alonso is a generational F1 talent who is coming into his own in Alpine. It's also hard to deny, however, that Ocon needs to do better.
Alpine has been grabbing some headlines in the last few races, but all of them have been due to Ocon's teammate. As a driver hoping to have a bright future in the sport and challenge for the title someday, the Frenchman needs to cut short the momentum his teammate has and start beating him. At the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, Esteban Ocon needs to beat Fernando Alonso to make a comeback in this year's championship.
#2 Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
The 2022 F1 British GP was the return of the ghost of Daniel Ricciardo. After a couple of competitive race weekends for the Australian, the same phenomenon was back where Ricciardo was almost a second slower than his teammate. While his teammate Lando Norris spent the race fighting with Fernando Alonso for a top 5 result, Ricciardo could not even fight for a single point.
The Australian did not like the comments made by Zak Brown about his performance at McLaren (and he rightly should not have). There, however, comes a time when a driver needs to understand that a certain threshold of performance is necessary for him to still be part of a team. Especially so if you are/want to be the lead driver. Looking at the points gap between Ricciardo and Norris in this year's championship (58 to 15), one can't help but gasp.
Daniel Ricciardo is not a bad driver. He's been a certified top performer who is just not comfortable with the car McLaren gives him to drive. After more than 18 months with the team, it's about time the 33-year-old started figuring things out. At the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, Ricciardo will be hoping to secure a strong result to keep the speculations off his back for a while.
#1 Charles Leclerc(Ferrari)
Charles Leclerc has not had a straightforward race since the 2022 F1 Miami GP. If we are fair to the driver, it's not his fault. Barcelona was a win that turned into a DNF. Monaco was a win that turned into a P4 finish with the team's strategy. Baku was a podium that turned to DNF. Canada was damage limitation following the power unit penalty. Finally, Silverstone was a race where Leclerc was dealt questionable strategies one after the other.
It's fair to say that if the young Ferrari driver had the support of his team and the unfortunate DNFs were kept at bay, he would be leading the championship right now. While being a Ferrari driver has its perks, however, it also has its drawbacks. The Italian squad has a propensity for imploding during a title fight. Multiple world champions like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel suffered due to this during their respective stints with the Italian outfit.
Regardless, this is still the 11th race of the season and a lot can happen in the next 12 races. For Leclerc, however, the focus will be on having one straightforward weekend because if he does, he could be challenging for a win at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP. After a string of far too many dramatic races, the Ferrari driver will be hoping for a less dramatic straightforward race this weekend.
