F1 team principals' top 10 driver rankings revealed
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have topped the annual Autosport Team Principals' Top 10 drivers ranking for the fourth straight year.
In what has now become an annual tradition after an original idea that began in 2008, Autosport asks each of the team bosses to pick their top 10 drivers of the year.
The individual results are kept secret – so the team principals can answer honestly – and the tally totted up using F1's point structure that runs from 25 points for first down to 1 point for 10th. Autosport magazine then publishes the final overall results.
In the end, it was Hamilton's charge to his sixth world championship that impressed the bosses enough to give him the nod over Verstappen – although the gap between them was just 23 points.
The pair have finished as the top two drivers every campaign since 2016.
Behind this duo, Charles Leclerc's impressive first season for Ferrari earned him third spot as he was the only other driver to get more than 100 points. His teammate Sebastian Vettel dropped from third in 2018 to fifth this year.
The Top 10 list featured three new entries on the back of impressive campaigns from a host of rookies – with Alex Albon, George Russell and Lando Norris making it on to the list for the first time.
McLaren's Carlos Sainz also returned to the top 10 after his great season for McLaren put him back in the F1 spotlight.
The nine team principals who took part were Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, Cyril Abiteboul, Gunther Steiner, Andreas Seidl, Otmar Szafnauer, Fred Vasseur, Franz Tost and Claire Williams.
Here is the final list:
| Position | Driver | Points | Previous year |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 169 | No change |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | 146 | No change |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 124 | Up 3 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | 68 | Up 4 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | 58 | Down 2 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | 57 | New entry |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | 55 | Re-entry |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | 49 | Down 3 |
| 9 | George Russell | 41 | New entry |
| 10 | Lando Norris | 38 | New entry |
Ferrari plans F1 engine design overhaul for 2020
From Formula 1 exiles to part of the family
The danger for Red Bull in its Barcelona F1 team orders choice
OPINION: Red Bull walked into a team orders saga on its way to taking a Spanish Grand Prix 1-2 last weekend, where it took the lead of the 2022 Formula 1 world championships for the first time. But its decisions have added an element of risk to later races.
Why Mercedes' Spanish GP gains aren't as grand as they seemed
Mercedes' strong showing in last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix prompted team boss Toto Wolff to say it had halved its deficit to the leaders and its Formula 1 title chances were back on after a rocky start to the 2022 campaign. But a closer inspection of the team's performance suggests its gains aren't as grand as they first appeared
What's next for the Green Red Bull controversy?
From the 'pink Mercedes' to the 'Green Red Bull', the Silverstone-based team has received suspicious glares from up and down the Formula 1 paddock over its car design exploits. But after being cleared by the FIA over its Spanish Grand Prix updates amid a backdrop of cries of foul play, what's next in this saga?
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
In an unusually hectic Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was denied a dominant performance by his Ferrari engine letting go which allowed Max Verstappen to pick up the pieces. But numerous flashpoints kept the race twisting and turning throughout, with one perfect score from an emerging contender
How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to win in Spain
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine disaster offered an open goal for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to strike, but the reigning Formula 1 world champion still had to solve multiple errors and profit from a begrudged assist from team-mate Sergio Perez, which created an unexpectedly eventful Spanish Grand Prix
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start...
The key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work
How Vegas went from byword for F1 indifference to grand Liberty coup
Holding a race in Las Vegas – party central, a city of dreams and decadence and, yes, more than a smattering of tackiness – has been on Liberty Media’s most-wanted list since it acquired Formula 1’s commercial rights. But, as LUKE SMITH explains, F1 has been here before and the relationship didn’t work out