How are the cars in the midfield doing halfway through? | NOW

4. McLaren: 81 points

That the team of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo is still fourth in the World Championship standings for constructors is a small miracle. McLaren has made a reasonable free fall. Compared to last year after eleven races, the team has 82 points less, which is the biggest negative difference in the entire pit lane.

McLaren already started the season badly with major braking problems during the test days in Bahrain and the first Grand Prix at the same track. Long before it was finally resolved and even in Austria, Norris complained that he didn’t trust the brake pedal. That’s a pretty crucial pedal for a Formula 1 driver.

The new rules package for 2022 could have been the last push back to the absolute top for Zak Brown’s team, but the car by designer James Key appears to be a step back for the time being. In addition, Ricciardo still can’t match Norris and that the young Briton rakes in most of the points. For Norris himself, it is further proof that he is a huge talent, which is actually due for his first win. The MCL36 probably won’t help him with that. That means waiting another year.

Lando Norris took McLaren’s only podium in 2022 at Imola.

5. Alpine: 81 points

With the home race in France just around the corner, Alpine has improved ‘slightly’ since 2021. Four points more than last year at this point in the championship is progress. But there is no question of the release of El Plan, which was still fully flirted with last year.

Still, Alpine is having a good season, because there is definitely progress throughout the year. The Enstone factory is developing and the car is really making strides. And even though the team is now called differently, Renault still deserves a compliment for how they use the engine we leave have received from the competition. Reliability remains a weak point, but the car is certainly not limited by a shortage of horsepower.

With Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, the team also has a strong and stable driver duo. Alpine is therefore on the verge of taking fourth place in the championship from McLaren. That sounds great, but the ambitions of the team are bigger. Winning is the goal and that may only be possible at the moment with a lot of luck.

Fernando Alonso qualified second in Canada.

6. Alfa Romeo: 51 points

With no less than 48 points more than last season after eleven races, Alfa Romeo is doing very well. The new rules gave the team a chance to break away from the rear – and they succeeded. Still, there could have been more, as both cars scored points in just two races.

Usually it is the experience of Valtteri Bottas that earns the World Cup points. Zhou Guanyu is performing better and better, but it is his teammate who came over from Mercedes who is leading the charge. Bottas himself is also not always flawless. He went wrong in Miami, among other things.

In any case, Alfa Romeo struggles to perform well on weekends. The execution of races often leaves something to be desired, as if the team has become rusty from dangling at the back of the field for a few seasons. What doesn’t help is that the Ferrari engine gives up the ghost with some regularity. That already cost Alfa Romeo a lot of points. So nicely climbed up from the valley, but it could be even better.

Valtteri Bottas was fifth at Imola, his best result of the season.

7. Hare: 34 points

What applies to Alfa Romeo also applies to Haas. For the American team, the new rules were also used to make a leap forward. Haas succeeded, even though the team of American billionaire Gene Haas had more in it.

After a messy preparation and the (ongoing) divorce battle with Nikita Mazepin, Haas actually got off to a flying start. That was thanks to the returned Kevin Magnussen. The Dane was the right driver at the right time, already knew the team and knows how to send a car into the points. That worked well at the start of the season, but then it dried up (also due to the brittle Ferrari engine).

It took Mick Schumacher a while to get used to the new cars and the much higher level of his new teammate. Crashes caught my eye, but the lack of speed was actually worse. Since Canada, the German has taken the right course. Coincidence or not, Magnussen has since taken points again. So while Haas continues to boast that the team is still running without updates, the car is on an upward trend again. 34 points from 0 in 2021 is already very good, but now is the time to really harvest.

Mick Schumacher fought well in Austria with Lewis Hamilton and again took points.