The state of dropouts in 2022

Formula 1 is sometimes a cruel sport, and retirements are frequent, with an average of 3 retirements per race this season. The first races were the most challenging, and reliability continues to play tricks on the drivers. Let’s take stock of the retirements of this 2022 season after 9 races.

3 DNF – Carlos Sainz/Guanyu Zhou

3 Did Not Finish – Carlos Sainz/Guanyu Zhou

Sainz is perhaps the driver who suffers the most from retirements in this early part of the season, often causing his team to lose very important points. His first retirement in Australia occurred after a piloting mistake on his part, and his Grand Prix ended up in the gravel. In the following Grand Prix at Imola, he was forced to retire again due to contact that once again ended in the gravel, though he was not at fault this time. The reliability of his F1-75 also cost him points in Baku, after only 9 laps where he fell victim to a hydraulic issue.

Regarding Guanyu Zhou, the only rookie on this 2022 grid, he is quickly learning the various aspects of F1 and has already been rewarded with some points this year. Unfortunately, he has not been spared by bad luck and has had to retire in three races due to three different technical issues.

2 DNFs among the leaders – Max Verstappen/Sergio Perez/Charles Leclerc

Despite their position at the top of the standings, the three leaders have not been spared from reliability issues. Each of their six retirements was caused by mechanical problems, such as the double retirement of Red Bull in Bahrain at the start of the season, or the one of Ferrari in Baku.

Note that the retirements of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Bahrain are not counted as such. Indeed, both drivers completed over 90% of the race distance, so they were not classified as DNF (Did Not Finish), but rather classified outside the points.

The most reliable team: Mercedes: 0 DNF in 9 races.

Whether it’s a matter of reliability or a collision, Mercedes hasn’t experienced either so far in 2022. The German team brings the most reliable car to the track, allowing them to lurk in the constructors’ championship against Ferrari and Red Bull.

The least reliable teams – Red Bull/Alfa Romeo – 4 DNFs in 9 races.

Quite a paradoxical situation for the leader of the constructors’ championship, as the least reliable team is also the most victorious this year. The beginning of the season did not spare the Austrian team, with a double retirement at the first Grand Prix, and later retirements for Verstappen in Australia and Perez in Canada. However, this does not prevent the Austrian firm from dominating the season, with 6 wins in the last 6 Grand Prix.

A little further back, Alfa Romeo is nevertheless in a much better position than in previous years. Valtteri Bottas continues to deliver strong performances, finishing in the points in 7 out of 9 races. The same cannot be said for his teammate and rookie Guanyu Zhou, who seems to be afflicted with a lot of bad luck in his first year in Formula 1, despite scoring a few points here and there. The Chinese driver has already suffered 3 retirements in a row due to reliability issues with his C42.

The team with the most retirements – 5 DNF: Ferrari.

Indeed, if we take into account not only the reliability of the car, but also the overall retirements, it is Ferrari that becomes the most unlucky team as previously mentioned with Carlos Sainz. The double retirement in Baku and the turbo failure of Leclerc in Barcelona, combined with Sainz’s two retirements, result in a quite bitter outcome for the Scuderia, which is already lagging behind Red Bull. The points lost for these various reasons do not help the Italian firm in any way.