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The 2022 F1 season will have a lot of interesting storylines attached to it as the season unravels. At the moment, without even a single lap completed by the new generation of cars (other than the shakedowns of course), it's hard to have any sort of clear idea of where the teams will stand in the coming season.
When we talk about the drivers, however, they will have certain goals in mind before the season begins. And for some, the 2022 season is one where they cannot underperform or take their foot off the pedal in any way. In this piece, we take a look at the three drivers that need a good 2022 season.
3 Drivers that can't afford a bad F1 2022 season
#3 Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel has had quite some achievements in his career. A four-time world champion with top-tier records, the German driver has already attained a lot more than what most drivers set out to do in their careers. Yet in 2022 he finds himself in a precarious situation.
The 2021 F1 season was a good rebound for him from the disaster that was the 2020 season, having been outclassed by young Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. His performances last year, however, were inconsistent, with multiple errors and off-weekends.
In the final year of his contract with Aston Martin, Vettel will be under pressure with the likes of Pierre Gasly looming in the shadows. The Frenchman, possibly being a good long-term option, will be on the radar of Aston Martin for sure.
Vettel will need to get his act together this season because another one where he underperforms could force Aston Martin to look elsewhere.
#2 Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez was the darling of Red Bull after his impressive defensive driving skills helped Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yet even he admitted after the season that there were areas where he needed to improve for 2022.
His qualifying deficit against Verstappen especially takes center stage. Throughout the 2021 F1 season, Perez was able to outqualify Verstappen on pure performance only once, at the Imola Grand Prix.
It should be pointed out that Bottas, who was let go by Mercedes last season, did eventually outscore Sergio. This, in turn, contributed to Red Bull losing out to Mercedes for the constructors' title.
With drivers like Gasly that are waiting at Alpha Tauri for a Red Bull call, Perez will need to justify his seat at the team if he is looking for an extension beyond the 2022 F1 season.
#1 Daniel Ricciardo
For Daniel Ricciardo, the news of Lando Norris signing a further extension with McLaren until the end of the 2025 season should be alarming. The Australian joined the team hoping to be the face of the team. As it turned out, he was outclassed to an extent by the Briton in their first season together. While Ricciardo did have a win to boast of in 2021, Norris outscored the Australian by 160-115 on points.
With McLaren signing a record deal, it is a clear show of intent to keep the services of the young driver. For the Australian, the team putting its faith in his team-mate is apparent.
For the 2022 F1 season, McLaren should have a good car. For Ricciardo, however, the most important thing would be to beat Norris. Should he be unable to do so, the long-term prospect in Norris looks much more enticing than the Australian who is already in his 30s.
