Max Verstappen is 2022 F1 world champion but sports add another layer of difficulty

13 races in, the Formula 1 season takes a summer break for four weeks, resuming at the end of August in Spa. Highlights from the season follow

Max Verstappen will be the world champion in December. It is all but impossible that the young Dutch driver will not end up on the top step, having won eight races so far and sitting on top of the standings at 258 points and the competition seemingly far behind.

Ferrari, once the closest competitor to RedBull, looks like a ghost of the team it was at the start of the season. Plagued by unforced errors and component failures, the Italian team are in a faraway second place, 97 point adrift, while Verstappen’s closest rival - Charles Leclerc - is 80 points away from the top.

Mercedes started the season off slow, looking nothing like the dominant eight-time champions of last year. But with upgrades and phenomenal consistency from drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the Silver Arrows are third-best, 30 points away from Ferrari and equal on podiums.

Alpine and McLaren are in contention for the fourth spot, with Alpine currently four points ahead of the British team. But the summer break holds new upgrades and the order could change after the season restarts.

Four time world champion Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement just before the break, telling the media that it was time for him to focus on his family and other pursuits at the end of this season. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will replace him for the next season.

Vettel’s retirement announcement and Alonso’s switch to Aston have thrown the driver market into chaos, with Alpine prematurely announcing academy driver Oscar Piastri and having to backtrack with the driver not having signed a contract yet.

Going into the summer break, multiple drivers find themselves at risk, with Piastri’s indecision likely to affect Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren seat as both Zak Brown and Otmar Szafnauer vie for the young Aussie’s signature for 2023. The fallout from Alonso’s move could see Latifi, Schumacher and Tsunoda all at risk.

Haas looks to have slowed down but are still steady in seventh, while Alfa Romeo’s star driver Bottas has suffered through component issues. Williams and Aston remain at the bottom of the pile with both cars largely lacking pace. AlphaTauri continues to chug along but remains largely unimpressive.