Max Verstappen: Top 3 performances of the 2022 F1 season

Max Verstappen had a spectacular 2022 F1 season. The driver broke records, overcame difficult hurdles, stayed consistent, and comfortably won his second consecutive title this year.

After an exhilarating maiden championship campaign with a nail-biting finish, Verstappen pulled off an even more impressive repeat this season. Especially if we consider that the Red Bull driver suffered two DNFs in his first three races.

Bouncing back exceptionally well from that setback, Verstappen broke the record for most wins in a single season and the most points scored in a season in the history of the sport. This was dominance personified as Verstappen stamped his authority over the rest of the grid.

Let's take a look at which races stood out in this historic season as we rank Max Verstappen's top 3 performances this season.

Max Verstappen: Top 3 performances of the season

#3 F1 Imola GP

On paper, the win in Imola does not look as impressive as some of the other races during the season from the Dutch driver. However, the context is crucial as Verstappen was 46 points behind Charles Leclerc in the championship heading into the race in Imola.

Out of the first 3 races, Verstappen was able to win in Jeddah but suffered a DNF in both Bahrain and Australia. At that early stage of the season, the writing appeared to be on the wall because while Red Bull seemed dominant in the fast-speed sections of the track, Ferrari was competitive in all parts of the track and looked almost unbeatable in Australia.

Heading to Imola, Max Verstappen had declared he wasn't really looking at the title picture and was only focusing on winning the next race.

Imola was the first sprint weekend and qualifying was held in the rain. Under pressure, Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc to secure pole position. Then in the sprint, Charles got the jump on Verstappen, but we saw the Red Bull driver fight back and pull off a spectacular overtake to win the sprint.

During the race, Verstappen kept things clean while it was his competitor that messed up and could not even secure a podium.

#2 F1 Japanese GP

You know you're driving on a different level to anyone else on the F1 grid when you end up opening a second per lap gap from the driver in P2. This is what the 25-year-old achieved on a treacherous evening in Suzuka this season.

The race was cut short due to inclement weather, but when it did finally begin, it was Max Verstappen pulling away from Charles Leclerc in P2 at close to a second per lap.

The fact that Verstappen did that to a driver of Leclerc's caliber is what makes this drive extra special. This race truly highlighted his superior skills, rather than just his car; it was a drive where a supreme talent hit the "sweet spot" and became unbeatable.

One can only imagine the kind of lead Verstappen would have managed had the race not been cut short. An added sweetener to the win in Japan was the fact that with it, he secured his second consecutive title.

#1 F1 Belgian GP

The race in Belgium this season was just dominance from start to finish. It's not often that you see a race weekend where a driver just looks far better than anyone else on the entire grid.

Verstappen was scheduled to pick up a significant penalty for changing the power unit components, because of which, he started the race closer to the back of the grid than the front.

Despite the lowly starting position, Verstappen's win was never truly in doubt. There were question marks over how he would navigate the start, as first lap incidents are common, but once he made his way through it without any trouble, it was just too easy for him.