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Every F1 season starts with a set of expectations from pundits and fans for a particular driver. What are these expectations based on?
Mostly gut-feeling and previous data on how these drivers have performed. Add to that, how much maturity can be expected from them in terms of their career and growth curve. Based on that, a pre-season set of expectations are set for every driver on the grid.
Every season, there are a few drivers who tend to exceed these expectations. The 2022 season was no different, as multiple drivers jumped off our TV screens. They exceeded expectations of many pundits and fans alike and ended the season in a position not many expected them to.
Who were these drivers who exceeded expectations in the 2022 season? Let's find out the top three:
#3 Alex Albon (Williams F1)
The 2022 season was an opportunity for Alex Albon to make a return to public consciousness.
The former Red Bull driver had lost his place in F1 after an 18-month stint with the team and spent the 2021 season on the sidelines. Fortunately for him, Mercedes decided that it was time for George Russell's promotion, which left a seat vacant in Williams.
Albon joined Williams hoping to fill a massive hole created by the absence of Russell. He was expected to be a solid driver and to beat his teammate Nicholas Latifi.
Was he a solid contributor? He was better, as he produced some sensational drives, and unfortunately, a few of them did not yield points. Did he beat Nicholas Latifi? Not only did he beat the Canadian, but Albon also dominated his teammate that it raised urgency at Williams to find a replacement for Latifi.
Alex Albon was perceived as a decent driver after an underwhelming stint in Red Bull. After the end of the 2022 season, he is being looked at as someone who could be an able midfield team leader.
#2 Esteban Ocon (Alpine F1)
Esteban Ocon picked up his first race win last season in Hungary but a lot of the praise went in the direction of his teammate Fernando Alonso.
The French driver was a solid contributor last season but when it came to spectacular results and drives, Fernando Alonso was the man the team and pundits looked at.
The 2022 season was supposed to be the second of Alonso's return to the sport. This season was supposed to see Ocon play second fiddle to his teammate just like every other Alonso teammate has over his career. Was that really the case?
Overall, it might be safe to say that Alonso was probably the better driver of the two, but not many will argue that it was as close and intense a battle the Spaniard has had with any of his teammates in a career spanning two decades.
The final tally saw Ocon outscore his teammate and become the first driver since Jenson Button to beat Alonso as a teammate.
#1 George Russell (Mercedes)
George Russell has shown that he belongs to the top tier of the sport. When he received his graduation to Mercedes to team up alongside Lewis Hamilton, Russell was expected to have the typical brash nature of driving you expect from a young driver.
What we saw instead was a driver who was not only fast, but he was consistent. Russell had the wheel-to-wheel skill to battle against some of the best on the grid and most importantly keep his nose clean.
What makes Russell's 2022 season impressive is not his ability to be a fast driver and produce 'flash in the pan' performances. It was his ability to stay consistent, which exposed his seven-time world-champion teammate Lewis Hamilton in terms of consistency.
Overall, if we look at outright pace, it's safe to say that Hamilton was the quicker of the two Mercedes drivers. However, if we look at the standout performances, it was George Russell who secured the team's only F1 pole position in Hungary and then winning the team's only race of the season in Brazil.
In what was the icing on the cake for Russell, he ended up outscoring Hamilton as a teammate, becoming only the third driver do so, after Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. Considering what those two drivers ended up achieving in their careers (winning F1 world championship), it's safe to say that Russell is destined for big things.
