Formula One Panic Button: Who Should Hit It and Who Shouldn’t?

We're only four races into the 2022 F1 campaign, but there's already some serious concerns that bad things thus far for some teams are only going to get worse

After just four races so far into the 2022 Formula One season, there have been a few drivers and teams who have exceeded expectations and a few who haven’t. Although there are still 18 races left on the schedule, some drivers should be panicked about either their job security, championship aspirations, or both.

For this column, the panic levels of all drivers will be assessed on a scale of one to ten. A score of one means the driver is having an amazing season and is exceeding expectations with no job security issues.

A score of ten means the driver should be having night terrors over whether he will be sitting in his car next year or on their couch and unemployed, as their season to date has been a massive disappointment already. Let’s begin!

Alexander Albon -- Williams

Albon had a rollercoaster start to his Formula One career. He began the 2019 season at Torro Rosso and was promoted to Red Bull during the season. He struggled in 2020 with Red Bull, scoring 105 points, which was only 13 more than he had in a half-season with Red Bull in 2019. After his seventh place finish in 2020, Albon was left without a ride until this season. He is back on the grid, this time with Williams. Albon has done well, scoring a point for Williams at Melbourne. This was the team’s first point in 11 races. Albon is in no danger; he has been far better than his teammate and has had some great drives so far.

Panic Score: 3

Fernando Alonso. Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Fernando Alonso -- Alpine

The oldest driver on the grid (he turns 41 in July), Alonso is one of the all-time greats. The double world champion has 32 wins in his 20-year career. He has driven for Minardi, Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and now Alpine. Alonso returned to Formula One last year with Alpine, finishing tenth in the standings, highlighted by a podium finish in Qatar. The Spanish legend seat is not at risk, as he can still battle in the midfield and his experience is unmatched and needed at Alpine. Alonso so far is underperforming. He is currently in 15th position in the championship with two points, earned in the first race of the year at Bahrain. If he wants to fight in the midfield, he should start to panic.

Panic Score: 5

Valtteri Bottas -- Alfa Romeo

Bottas has a wealth of experience, most notably with Mercedes, earning 10 wins in five years for the German automaker. Bottas has gotten off to a great start with Alfa Romeo, currently in eighth place in the championship. This is far better than either Alfa Romeo driver did last year, as they combined for 13 points. Bottas currently has 24. The Fin is getting the most out of his car and should be happy with how his season has started. He is in no danger of losing his seat right now with his results and the experience he gives his team and his rookie teammate.

Panic Score: 2

Pierre Gasly -- Alpha Tauri

Gasly has gotten off to a rough start this year. He performed well in 2021, finishing ninth in the standings along with one podium. He is currently in 13th place with six points. He is also behind his teammate in the standings. Gasly should be panicked as his results so far aren’t as good as last year. He needs to beat his teammate as he has more experience and a better resume with his other stops at Red Bull and Toro Rosso. Gasly needs to step it up quickly.

Panic Score: 6

Lewis Hamilton. Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Lewis Hamilton -- Mercedes

Hamilton is arguably the best Formula One driver of all time. The seven-time world champion has the most wins of all-time and has dominated at Mercedes. But he's not driving like it this year. Hamilton is on pace for his worst finish in the championship in his career. He is currently in seventh place, with one podium and no wins so far. Hamilton and Mercedes are pounding the panic button. His job isn’t at stake with all the success he has had at Mercedes. But his championship fight is. Hamilton hasn’t shown the pace of the front runners and is behind his teammate in the standings. He needs to find pace immediately or his championship fight and Mercedes’ constructors championship fight is done.

Panic Score: 9

Nicholas Latifi -- Williams

Latifi has seven points since his career began in 2020. He hasn’t shown the pace before and certainly hasn’t this season. He has been last in almost every session and race. What once helped Latifi’s case for sticking around was his father’s funding in the team. However, with new ownership and funding at Williams, Latifi’s father’s money isn’t needed as much. Latifi isn’t needed in Formula One after this season.

Panic Score: 10

Charles Leclerc. Photo: Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports

Charles Leclerc -- Ferrari

The leader in the championship has put Ferrari back at the top of the field and in position for their first Drivers Championship since 2007. With two wins and three podiums, Leclerc has a 27-point lead on Max Verstappen and has been lightning quick so far. Leclerc looks to have himself and Ferrari in the title fight for the entire season.

Panic Score: 1

Kevin Magnussen -- Haas

Magnussen has been a revelation this year. He was picked up by Haas with only a few weeks before the season. The team and driver weren’t strangers, as Magnussen raced for Haas for four seasons. Magnussen has exceeded expectations with 15 points so far this season. This is more than Haas has had in the last two years combined. Magnussen has been faster than his teammate and should have no job security issues with Haas, as he has brought them back into the midfield.

Panic Score: 1

Lando Norris -- McLaren

Norris has been thought of as one of Formula One’s rising stars ever since he entered the series with McLaren in 2018. The young English driver had a solid season last year, finishing sixth in the championship. After a disastrous start to this year, Norris has righted the ship and is in sixth place in the championship after a podium at Imola. Norris’ job is not at risk, as he is still outperforming his teammate. However, he needs to improve to show he can win races and compete for a title in the future.

Panic Score: 4

Esteban Ocon -- Alpine

Ocon has been very consistent to start the year. He scored in three out of the first four races and is in ninth place, ahead of his teammate. Ocon has consistently finished in the middle of the standings over the past four seasons. A win last year brought some joy to his team. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if Alpine wanted to see if another driver had a higher potential to pair with the veteran Alonso.

Panic Score: 5

Sergio Perez. Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Sergio Perez -- Red Bull

Perez is the perfect sidekick to Max Verstappen. He isn’t good enough to threaten Verstappen for the championship, but he is good enough to score podiums and the occasional win for Red Bull. The Mexican veteran has two Formula One race wins from his time at Racing Point and last year with Red Bull. Perez sits third in the standings behind Verstappen. Perez is in the perfect place for himself and the team.

Panic Score: 2

Daniel Ricciardo -- McLaren

Ricciardo is known for his Aussie charm more these days than his racing talent. Ricciardo has eight career wins, with only one coming since 2018. The one win was last year at Monza for McLaren. The win was the highlight of a decent but not great season. He finished eighth last year in the championship. He is doing worse this year. Ricciardo hasn’t had the pace Norris has had and is in 11th place currently in the championship. Ricciardo isn’t a kid anymore, he’s 32. He should be concerned for his job if McLaren is committed to taking the steps toward consistently competing for wins.

Panic Score: 7

George Russell -- Mercedes

Russell is another one of the sport’s young rising stars. For the past three years, he drove a Williams car to better results than it should have been. Now at Mercedes, Russell has surprised people with his consistency. He has finished no higher than third and no lower than fifth through four races. Russell is outperforming Hamilton to the shock of many. But Russell still has some work to do to achieve his goals at Mercedes: Race wins and world championships.

Panic Score: 4

Carlos Sainz -- Ferrari

The second Ferrari driver started this season well, finishing on the podium in the first two races, only to crash out of the last two races. Sainz is similar to Perez, a nice second driver who can score podiums and maybe a race win. Over the last three years, Sainz has either finished fifth or sixth in the championship. However, his aspirations should be higher this year as he is driving one of the two best cars. Sainz needs to stay on the podium and out of the gravel to help Ferrari win a Constructors Championship.

Panic Score: 4

Mick Schumacher -- Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Mick Schumacher -- Haas

The legend’s son. Unfortunately for the Haas driver, his father might not see him in Formula One for too much longer. Schumacher is in his second season with Haas and hasn’t scored a point yet for the team. He is being outdriven by Magnussen, who was out of Formula One last year. Schumacher needs to start competing with Magnussen and earning points. Fortunately, the Schumacher name still holds a huge place in the sport as his father Michael only retired ten years ago. His name may keep him around for an extra year or two, but not forever.

Panic Score: 8

Lance Stroll -- Aston Martin

Stroll has a similar situation as Latifi. His father has financed a large part of the team’s operations for the past few years. As long as his father’s finances are needed, Stroll’s seat should be safe -- but he is still underperforming. Stroll is 18th in the championship, scoring his first point last weekend at Imola. He is slower than his teammate and hasn’t shown the potential at Aston Martin yet. Stroll must do better to be a more respected driver.

Panic Score: 5

Yuki Tsunoda -- Alpha Tauri

Tsunoda is the youngest driver in the field at 21 years old. In his first season in 2021, he scored 32 points which was good for 14th in the championship. Tsunoda is currently 12th in the standings with 10 points. He is on track to score more points and beat his teammate Gasly, something he didn’t do last year. Tsunoda needs to keep pace with Gasly throughout the season as well as improve. If he doesn’t, he could be gone as Red Bull and their subsidiaries have not been kind to young drivers.

Panic Score: 6

As M.C. Hammer might say, "You can't touch this" -- namely, Max Verstappen. Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Max Verstappen -- Red Bull

Verstappen and Red Bull have been inconsistent to start the year. Verstappen has been fast, but his car has broken down in two of the four races. The other two races he won. Verstappen is second in the championship. He clearly has the pace to defend his world title. Verstappen is 27 points behind Leclerc but there are plenty of races to go. Will his car hold up? If it does, Verstappen has a chance of repeating as champion.

Panic Score: 4

Sebastain Vettel -- Aston Martin

The four time world champion has endured some setbacks this season. He had COVID-19 to start the season, missing the first two races as a result. He earned his first points at Imola, finishing eighth. Currently 14th in the championship, Vettel isn’t the race-winning machine he once was. But he earned a podium last year. Vettel is 34 and has a lot of experience. The big question is whether the experience he has is valued over the youth or results of another driver? He should be concerned but not panicked.

Panic Score: 6

Zhou Guanyu -- Alfa Romeo

The lone rookie this year, the Chinese driver has gotten off to a decent start, scoring his lone point in the first race at Bahrain. Zhou isn’t under much pressure as it is his first year and his teammate is more experienced and quicker at the moment. Zhou needs to improve and avoid accidents to set up his second season.

Panic Score: 3