Formula 1: Only dad saves Vettel teammates at half-time balance

Formula 1 in half-time balance
Only dad saves Vettel’s teammates

by Christian Schengel
07/16/2022, 9:17 pm

Halftime in Formula 1! After 11 out of 22 races, it is time for an interim conclusion. Which driver was entitled to which grade? How do Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel perform after half a year with their ups and downs? Today with Part One.

Nicholas Latifi (Williams/0 points) – Grade 6.0: What do you get when you field the worst car with the worst driver? Correct: Zero points. The FW44/Latifi combination has a subscription to Red Lantern. The Canadian is not competitive in almost any race. Even when things turn bad and a window opens for him, he bangs his head against the frame. Small consolation: run eleven more, then his F1 career is over.

Lance Stroll (Aston Martin / 3 points) – Grade 5.5: Even after five and a half years, Stroll is unable to get more out of an F1 car than it has. That’s exactly what would be needed to achieve more than just tenth place with Aston Martin. The Canadian came in the points three times. In contrast, there are eight races without a score. If Papa and team boss Lawrence hadn’t protected him, he might have lost his cockpit a long time ago.

Alex Albon (Williams/3 Marks) – Grade 2.0: After a great start and two stunning Top 10 results in the first five races, Albon has calmed down a bit lately. But appearances are deceptive. He scored points in Baku (12th), Montreal (13th) and Spielberg (12th) despite a poor car. The 26-year-old is a true expert in every race when it comes to implementing strategy perfectly.

Guanyue Zhou (Alfa Romeo/5 points) – Grade 4.0: Zhou’s results are in contrast to that of teammate Valtteri Bottas. However, the Chinese are also a bit unlucky. Four retirements in the last seven races have cost him a few kilometres – which is especially bitter for a rookie. At the busy Canadian GP, ​​he showed what he was capable of with eighth place. It needs to do more in the second half of the season.

Yuki Tsunoda (Alphatauri/11 Marks) – Grade 5.0: Tsunada has grown into a little problem kid at Red Bull Camp—and not just because he regularly curses like a sparrow on the radio. The AT03 lacks speed compared to its predecessor, so the Japanese have an equally difficult time in traffic and at the end of the dreaded “DRS trains”. The 22-year-old looks increasingly depressed and needs immediate rescue.

Mick Schumacher (Haas/12 points) – Grade 4.0: Crazy what two races can change! After Canada, Mick’s future in Formula 1 was still in doubt. Then he had suddenly become so strong at Silverstone (P8) and Spielberg (P6) that calls for a change to a top team were heard. But he has to hide. For them now it is finally like bringing consistency in their performance. Only then should he think of the next step.

Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin/15 points) – Grade 4.0: Recent upgrades have improved the Aston Martin, but the AMR22 isn’t good enough. Vettel feels that he never knows when he is going for 14th or 8th place till the race. This stinks to Seb. He wants to fight for points and victory. He can. But time is running out for that. The Heppenheim man has lost killer instincts from his World Championship years, but he can still do a lot in a competitive car.

Pierre Gasly (Alfatauri/16 points) – Grade 4.5: Gasly’s magic is gone since last year. The French suffer from the fact that he can rarely attack as well as he has difficulty defending himself. Like his partner, 26-year-old Blunt fights with weapons. The AT03 does not have the desired speed in either qualifying or racing. For the ambitious Gasly, it’s hard to admit that he didn’t score points in eight out of eleven races.

Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren/17 points) – Grade 6.0: Consolation places eight and nine in Baku and Spielberg are only good for Ricciardo on paper. The Australian is not hot for McLaren. You should be able to expect a driver in your class to adapt to your style and drive at least on an equal footing with your partner. But Ricciardo has not managed to do this to date – and this is a huge disappointment!

Kevin Magnussen (Haas/22 Marks) – Grade 3.5: It breaks down on Haas! Since Mick Schumacher flipped the switch, the team has had to deal not only with competition, but also with an internal competition. Magnussen has lost his lead over Mick. This has already been indicated in Barcelona. While Schumacher is getting better and better, the Dane is stagnating.