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Max Verstappen pipped both Ferrari cars to take victory in the 2022 F1 Miami GP. The Red Bull driver started in P3, but was able to overtake both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, bringing down the latter's lead in the championship.
So, with another Grand Prix weekend behind us, let's take a look at the 2022 Driver Standings.
Verstappen's gap to Leclerc is now down to only 19 points, which is especially mighty considering the Dutchman's two DNFs in Bahrain and Australia. The Monegasque driver held a 40-point lead over the reigning world champion at one point in the championship, but that gap is slowly vanishing, thanks to the Red Bull driver's impeccable form.
Max Verstappen reducing his points deficit to Charles Leclerc also provides other drivers with the opportunity to make their way to the top of the table. This stops any one particular driver from 'running away' with the championship prematurely this season.
Sergio Perez is currently third in the Driver Standings after showing impressive consistency throughout the season so far. The Mexican, however, is only seven points clear of Mercedes driver George Russell and thirteen points ahead of Carlos Sainz, who has been Perez's direct point of comparison this season. Sainz lost out on many points after his DNFs in Australia and Imola, thus, reducing his chances of making it to the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Mercedes driver George Russell is showing impressive form, considering the otherwise dismal state of his W13. The Briton is currently in fourth place with 59 points in the F1 Driver Standings, and has finished in the top five in every race so far. His teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is still struggling to find good pace in his car, but managed an overall decent finish of P6 in Miami, putting him in sixth place in the standings behind Carlos Sainz.
Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas finished in P7 in Miami, behind his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, and currently stands two places behind him in the 2022 Driver Standings in eighth place. The Finnish F1 driver was unable to hold off both the Mercedes cars towards the end of the race.
Haas driver Mick Schumacher was en route to scoring his first points in F1 but missed out after a late collision with Sebastian Vettel, which dropped him down to 15th place. Meanwhile, his teammate Kevin Magnussen too had a bad weekend, finishing P16 on the grid after penalties.
Here are the 2022 F1 Driver Standings after the Miami GP
