Formula 1: Way-too-early 2022 driver power rankings

#20 – Nikita Mazepin, Haas

Following a season in which his acclimation could not be accurately judged due to the poor machinery underneath him, Nikita Mazepin enters the 2022 season with it all to prove. This was only compounded by the consistently superior performance of teammate and Ferrari Academy driver Mick Schumacher.

Schumacher outqualified Mazepin in all 19 completed qualifying sessions and was ahead on approximately three quarters of all laps completed.

Haas could very well find themselves with the car to compete consistently in the midfield, but the performance of Mazepin will be crucial to upholding that potential. Now piloting equipment that will (hopefully) have a predictable handling profile and competent power unit, can he show us the talent that landed him a Formula 1 seat?

#19 – Alex Albon, Williams

Returning to Formula 1 after a stint in DTM (German touring cars), Alex Albon returns to the grid not only with a new power unit behind him but an entirely new car concept. This fresh-eyed approach to the season is a double-edged sword that will either drop him back into the seat of a touring car or potentially place him back into the ranks of Red Bull Racing.

With the car projected to have a twitchier handling profile and redistribution of aerodynamic pressure to the center of the vehicle, Albon will need to forget what he learned during his years in downforce-laden ocean liners and adapt rapidly to the shorter-wheelbase 2022 equipment.

Having been driving a Ferrari 488 GT3, the time in the cockpit of a mid-engine car with a loose rear end could offer a direct translation to Formula 1 in 2022. This leaves Albon as the most unpredictable driver on the 2022 grid and a potential surprise if Williams have been able to develop a competitive machine within their new organizational environment.