F1 notebook: Verstappen reflects on record-breaking championship season

Max Verstappen was asked at Friday's FIA Prize Giving Ceremony at what point during the 2022 season did he realize he had the championship in the bag. The Red Bull Racing driver paused for a second then replied, "I think after Bahrain," — referring to the season opener where he retired due to a fuel system issue — but Verstappen couldn't maintain the thin veil of sarcasm for long and let out a laugh.

What a difference a year makes. Verstappen not only successfully defended his world championship in dominant fashion but also set records for most wins (15) and most points (454) in a single season. Bahrain is far away in his rearview mirror.

Jokes aside, it wasn't until Imola, the fourth race of the season, that Verstappen started to believe it would all come together.

"The weekend we had was just incredible," said Verstappen, who won from pole position and also claimed the fastest lap bonus point. "I knew there was a lot of potential, but I also knew at that point, of course, we had a lot of ground to catch up on. The car since then has been continuously developed in the right way and slowly the car was getting skinnier as well, so that was good.

"We’ve had a lot of incredible weekends as a team since then. It’s difficult to say which exact moment but I think after Imola I was confident we had a good opportunity."

It was also at that point Verstappen realized he couldn't afford any more critical errors on his end in order to achieve his goal.

"You know that when you have to fight for a title, you have to score points basically every single race as much as you can," Verstappen said. "... You always try to be as clean as you can be and try to be as perfect as you can every single weekend. It’s what I try to demand from myself every time I jump into the car."

Verstappen's first world championship was a dramatic down-to-the-wire fight with Lewis Hamilton during the last lap of the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Although Charles Leclerc posed as an early challenger this year, the Ferrari driver faded from contention during the middle of the season and Verstappen cruised away. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez also finished third overall as Red Bull claimed its first constructors' championship since 2013.

"The emotions are very different, but I think they should be different because your whole life, you aim for one particular goal and that’s to become world champion, for me in Formula 1," Verstappen said. "So the first one is obviously very emotional once you achieve it.

"This year has been very different. I do think we were more competitive this year and also I think (it was) more enjoyable with the way we were performing as a whole team. We won the drivers’ and the constructors’, we had a lot of victories as a team. I would say this one is better and more rewarding but the first one will always be more emotional."

Leclerc doesn't take much satisfaction from finishing second in the drivers' championship. Although it was a new career high and a giant leap from seventh the previous year, there were also plenty of missed opportunities.

Leclerc won two of the first three races and led the championship until Spain, the sixth race of the season. Leclerc started on pole in Spain but went home empty-handed as he was forced to retire due to engine problems while Verstappen took the checkered flag. That allowed Verstappen to surpass Leclerc in the drivers' championship standings, and he never looked back.

That tough weekend became a reoccurring theme for Leclerc and Ferrari as they could put together the fastest car for Saturday's qualifying, claiming pole position nine times, but Sunday's race was a different challenge altogether.

"I think it’s been a good season, especially looking at 2020 and 2021, that have been two very difficult years for the team," Leclerc said. "It wasn’t a given that we would do such a step forward and finish second in the drivers’ championship and also second in the constructors’ championship, so that, I’m happy.

"But then, obviously, looking a bit more into the season closely, there was the middle of the season where we didn’t really put everything together coming the Sunday and that was frustrating. So, mixed feelings about the season but second place is quite good. I just hope it is a step forward and then for next year we can do another step forward."

The frustration didn't seem to affect Leclerc during the season as he was able to focus on one race at a time. It wasn't until the year was over, when there wasn't another race on the horizon, that it really sunk in.

"I think in the heat of the moment and in the heat of the season, races are coming quite quickly so I think it’s OK," Leclerc said. "It’s just at the end of the season then you look back at the season, you feel it a little bit more. But during the season it wasn’t that difficult."

Ferrari now says farewell to Mattia Binotto, who stepped down as team principal last month. Fred Vasseur, formerly with the Alfa Romeo team, was announced as Binotto's successor Tuesday. Despite what could be a rebuilding period under a new boss, Leclerc is feeling confident based on the work they've already put in preparing for the season ahead.

"It will probably require a little bit of time for the team principal to get at ease with the system and with Ferrari because it’s obviously a huge team," Leclerc said. "But I believe that if it’s done the right way I don’t think we will suffer on the track, so I think it will be a smooth transition."

Stoffel Vandoorne capped the end of an era in Formula E as this season marked the final year for the "Gen2" electric car as well as the last for the Mercedes EQ team.

Although Vandoorne only scored one victory during the 2021-22 campaign, in Monaco no less, his overall consistency allowed him to capture the world championship with a 33-point margin over Jaguar's Mitch Evans.

Vandoorne now shifts to the DS Penske team with the introduction of the "Gen3" car for next season.

"It’s going to be a big change not only for myself personally, just because of the change in teams, but for everyone with the new generation of cars," Vandoorne said. "I think at the moment after testing they feel quite tricky and difficult to drive. They’ve got a lot of power but not so much grip, so it’s definitely going to be challenging out there, especially on the street tracks.

"So at the moment, it’s really a little bit of an unknown where we’re going to be exactly, but I think that’s the beauty of Formula E. You never really know what it’s like and we’ll find out in the first race."

Vandoorne, who drove for two full seasons in F1 with McLaren, will also serve as a reserve driver for F1's Aston Martin team where he will reunite with former teammate Fernando Alonso.

"A new journey for me as well, changing from Mercedes, but very excited for it," Vandoorne said. "It’s a team that’s kind of on the rise strongly developing their car."

The 30-year-old Belgian driver said it's hard to judge whether or not he will be able to parlay his Formula E success into a return to F1. His Mercedes EQ teammate Nyck de Vries landed a full-time F1 ride with AlphaTauri while Nico Hülkenberg will be making a comeback with Haas.

"Obviously, I’ve had a good season and then suddenly people start to talk about you again," Vandoorne said. "I’ve had my opportunity obviously in Formula 1, and I think not only myself but a lot of people in the Formula E paddock and some other championships deserve to have a chance in Formula 1. It’s not always up to us, let’s say. A lot of it comes down to the teams, what they want, what they’re looking for.

"From my side, the only thing I can do is to keep performing on the track and that’s the best tool."