Biggest talking points from the 2022 Formula 1 season
The Austrian outfit ended the year on 759 points - 205 clear of their next closest challengers in the form of Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Sergio Perez in the final standings but was not able to keep up with the runaway Verstappen, who tallied a record-breaking 15 wins on the calendar.
But there were plenty of other storylines further down the grid including that of Sebastian Vettel, with the German icon stepping away from the paddock after a stellar 15-year career.
With another F1 season in the books, here is a look at the biggest talking points from the 2022 campaign.
Verstappen's record-setting moment
It came as little surprise to see Verstappen set the win record at 15 with his string of dominant performances across the season.
The Dutchman beat the previous benchmark of 13 set by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Vettel (2013) and also tallied a new points record of 454 by the end of a truly commanding campaign.
Sainz claims first F1 win
Carlos Sainz was made to wait a long time for his first win, but he achieved that in his 150th race at the British Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old became just the second Spaniard to win in F1 after the great Fernando Alonso.
Sainz leapfrogged Ferrari teammate Leclerc at Silverstone to secure his place on the top step of the podium for the first time.
Vettel bids emotional goodbye
The four-time F1 champion Vettel said his goodbyes to the sport after an illustrious career which spanned 15 years.
Vettel’s highlight years were spent with Red Bull, where he won all four titles in consecutive fashion between 2010 and 2013.
The German also enjoyed stints with BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Ferrari and most recently Aston Martin.
Alpine and McLaren's Piastri dispute
Arguably the most bizarre off-track moment came in the chase for sought-after Formula 2 prospect Oscar Piastri, which became a tug of war.
McLaren and Alpine both felt they had valid contracts to sign the 21-year-old for next season, with the latter even announcing he would be replacing the Aston Martin-bound Alonso.
Piastri denied the any sort of agreement had been reached and after a dispute with the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board, it was determined he would be joining with McLaren in place of Daniel Ricciardo.
The dispute was later taken to the FIA’s Driver Contract Recognition Board, with its outcome ruling in favour of McLaren.
Hamilton held winless
It was a difficult season all-round for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who struggled to extract any kind of performance from his Mercedes.
Such was highlighted by the Brit not being able to earn a single victory - something which has not happened in his career.
Hamilton reached the podium nine times, though, with Mercedes’ sole win coming in Brazil courtesy of George Russell.
Russell earns maiden victory
Speaking of Russell, the 24-year-old talent enjoyed a solid season after moving to Mercedes from Williams.
Russell’s step-up was consolidated when he claimed victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix - dominating in São Paulo from the start.
He eventually set a career-best 275 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen’s scuffle with Perez
While it appeared plain sailing for Red Bull, there were some jittery moments and things became spiky with Verstappen and teammate Perez.
The race in Brazil had been nearing its climax with Verstappen leading Perez after a safety car.
Red Bull ordered Verstappen - who had already won the title - to allow Perez back through with the Mexican still fighting for second place, but he refused.
Perez eventually finished in seventh position behind Verstappen, which led to a fiery post-race interview in response.
Ricciardo’s McLaren departure
To say Ricciardo had a difficult time at McLaren would be an understatement.
He ended 2022 with just 37 points and was largely outperformed by his young teammate Lando Norris.
Ricciardo announced before the end of term that he would be leaving McLaren and would return to his former team Red Bull to become their reserve driver for the next campaign.
