Verstappen found F1 points gap in 2022 "a bit surprising"
Max Verstappen found his margin of victory over Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in 2022 "a bit surprising" after comfortably wrapping up the world championship.
Verstappen clinched his second F1 title with four races to spare, and went on to score a record 454 points in single season with 15 victories to his name.
It meant Verstappen ended the year 146 points clear of Leclerc in the final standings despite the Ferrari driver initially looking like his most likely rival for the championship.
Leclerc won two of the first three races to pull a 46-point advantage over Verstappen, only for his season to stutter in the second half as Ferrari paid the price for poor reliability and some strategic errors.
Asked if he would have liked Ferrari and Leclerc to have stayed in the title fight longer, particularly given the respect in their early-season fights, Verstappen replied: “On the one hand, yes.
“But if you look at how close the cars were, it's a bit surprising to have such a big gap anyway. There weren't many weekends in which we were really dominant.
“But I mean, at the end, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out, especially after the season I had last year [2021]. It's not always good to have that kind of fight every single year.
“And I do think next year, everything will be closer anyway.”
Photo by: Erik Junius
Verstappen won his first title in 2021 after a tense, season-long fight against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes that ended in controversy over the final-lap restart in Abu Dhabi.
2022 offered a very different state of affairs as Mercedes struggled to get to grips with the new technical regulations, causing it to fall well behind Red Bull and Ferrari in the early part of the season.
Although Mercedes was able to remedy its issues in time to win the penultimate race of the year in Brazil, Hamilton endured his first season without a victory in F1.
The trajectory shown by Mercedes has fuelled belief it will be back in contention from the outset in 2023, with Helmut Marko predicting the team will pose the biggest threat to Red Bull’s title defence.
Verstappen shared Marko’s confidence that Mercedes would be in the fight at the front from the start of this season, saying: “Yes, for sure. They will be in it.”
Related video
Why F1 and teams are still not impressed by Andretti’s entry plans
F3 race winner Colapinto joins Williams F1 academy
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds
Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds
Verstappen explains "tight" McLaren battle into F1 Japanese GP first corner
Verstappen explains "tight" McLaren battle into F1 Japanese GP first corner Verstappen explains "tight" McLaren battle into F1 Japanese GP first corner
Why Singapore’s 2023 F1 track changes should hurt Red Bull
Why Singapore’s 2023 F1 track changes should hurt Red Bull Why Singapore’s 2023 F1 track changes should hurt Red Bull
Vergne hopeful Formula E and WEC "can find a solution" to 2024 calendar clashes
Vergne hopeful Formula E and WEC "can find a solution" to 2024 calendar clashes Vergne hopeful Formula E and WEC "can find a solution" to 2024 calendar clashes
BTCC stars Sutton and Hill climb Autosport National Driver Rankings
BTCC stars Sutton and Hill climb Autosport National Driver Rankings BTCC stars Sutton and Hill climb Autosport National Driver Rankings
Williams: We want Sargeant in F1 car next year
Williams: We want Sargeant in F1 car next year Williams: We want Sargeant in F1 car next year
Quartararo calls record 2024 MotoGP calendar length "the limit"
Quartararo calls record 2024 MotoGP calendar length "the limit" Quartararo calls record 2024 MotoGP calendar length "the limit"
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
How football has posed difficult questions for F1
How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.