F1 Power Rankings: Lando launches up, new face at No. 2

Welcome to the third edition of our Formula 1 driver rankings for the 2023 season. Here’s how each driver stacks up after 12 races, with Nyck de Vries falling off of the list after being replaced at AlphaTauri by Daniel Ricciardo.

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Previous Rank: 1

Verstappen’s record-breaking pace continued into the summer break. The two-time reigning champ ripped off eight straight wins and is just one away from tying Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine in a row. It’s been a near-flawless campaign for the Dutchman so far. He’s now collected 314 of a possible 336 available points and has led 78.3% of all racing laps, which would also go down as an F1 record if it holds.

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Previous Rank: 4

Hamilton hasn’t stood atop the podium since December 2021, but there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s getting the most out of his machinery. The 38-year-old has finished fourth or better in six of the last seven races, claiming three podiums over that time. Compare that to his teammate, George Russell, who has just three top-four finishes in 12 races. Other than a disappointing eighth-place finish in Austria, Hamilton has banked double-digit points in six of the last seven events. He’s also one of only three drivers to finish every race inside the top 10 this season.

3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

Previous Rank: 2

It’s now been five races since Alonso finished seventh in Barcelona and said Aston Martin would never miss out on a podium again. Since then, he’s collected just one podium amid a surprising slump from the Silverstone team. After a strong start to the season, Alonso has now finished fifth, seventh, ninth, and fifth, respectively, in his last four races. With his grasp on second in the driver’s standing slipping, Alonso needs to hope Aston Martin can rediscover its form.

4. Lando Norris, McLaren

Previous Rank: 11

Norris’ patience with McLaren paid off in a big way. After finishing 13th or worse in six of the first eight races – including four 17th-place finishes – Norris has collected two second-place finishes and a fourth over his last four races. He crossed the line in second in back-to-back races in Great Britain and Hungary. After securing just 12 points over his first eight races, he’s picked up 57 over the last four and now sits eighth in the drivers’ standings. With three career second-place finishes on his resume, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Norris collects his first win.

5. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

Previous Rank: 3

Perez has still had his share of struggles Saturday, but he’s regained his typical Sunday pace as of late. Standing on the podium in three of his last four races, the veteran driver is doing what’s expected of him, which is to finish behind Verstappen as a legitimate wingman. After all, comparing him to his teammate has proven to be an unrealistic benchmark time and time again.

6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Previous Rank: 7

After a dismal start to his season, which included a pair of retirements through three races, Leclerc is finally getting some results; he’s finished third in Belgium and second in Austria for a pair of podiums in his last four. It’s not necessarily where Ferrari wants to be, but a streak of five straight in the points is also a victory at this point. Currently fourth in the constructors thanks to Leclerc’s recent contributions, the Prancing Horses are breathing down the necks of Aston Martin. If the car can be reliable, Leclerc will continue getting the most out of it.

7. George Russell, Mercedes

Previous Rank: 6

Russell’s lack of podiums this season remains a surprise. After eight top-three finishes in 2022 – including his first win – the 25-year-old has just one podium result this year. His form of late has been disappointing, only cracking the top five once – a fifth-place finish at Silverstone – in his last five races. Russell finds himself 49 points behind his teammate after finishing 35 points ahead of Hamilton last season.

8. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Previous Rank: 5

Sainz is another driver who’s drastically failed to live up to expectations this year. While Ferrari deserves its share of the blame, Sainz himself hasn’t lived up to his potential and has yet to land on the podium this year after doing so nine times in 2022. He’s been incredibly inconsistent, picking up just 10 points over his last three races despite qualifying fifth in two of those and finishing fourth in the sprint in Belgium.

9. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Previous Rank: 17

Very clearly the most impressive rookie this year, Piastri is finding his form of late and exceeding expectations. Finishing just off the podium in Britain, the Aussie followed that up by finishing fifth in Hungary before an unfortunate DNF at Spa before the break. Most importantly, though, he’s pushing his teammate, Norris, as he outperformed him in both Spain and Canada right before McLaren’s resurgence.

10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

Previous Rank: 8

When it rains, it pours. At least that’s what it’s felt like for Ocon and his Alpine team over the last handful of races. After finishing 14th in Austria, Ocon retired in Silverstone and Hungary – this one caused by a coming together with his teammate – before finally scoring eighth in Spa. Alpine has lost major ground to an emerging McLaren side and Ocon – its supposed lead driver – has been unable to do much to limit the damage.

11. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Previous Rank: 9

After starting the season with some promising results, Stroll has really regressed. It’s hard to tell how much of that is Aston Martin losing pace and how much of it is attributable to the Canadian. Whatever the reason, Stroll hasn’t gotten an acceptable result since Australia’s fourth-place finish, placing ninth three times, 10th once, and 14th one other time. Aston wants to hang at the top of the constructors, but Stroll isn’t holding up his side of the bargain.

12. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Previous Rank: 10

It’s been a rough year for Gasly. However, Gasly showed some promise heading into the break, finishing third in the Belgian sprint race, all while Alpine underwent some tumultuous times with Otmar Szafnauer’s ouster. Sunday’s grand prix saw Gasly finish 11th, prolonging a streak of 10th or lower to six races. The Frenchman must treat the remainder of the season as a platform to prove himself, or he could be without a seat in the near future.

13. Alex Albon, Williams

Previous Rank: 12

Albon continues to drag his Williams places it doesn’t belong, even if the results don’t show it. The 27-year-old finished just outside the points in Hungary and Austria but did sandwich in a points finish in Silverstone. Rumors of a Red Bull return floated around Albon earlier in the season during Perez’s struggles, but it’s clear that Williams has found a franchise piece in the Thai driver.

14. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

Previous Rank: 13

Hulkenberg has represented the highs and lows for Haas this season. He finished sixth in the sprint in Austria, running as high as second at one point. On that Sunday, though, he recorded his first DNF of the season, spoiling any reason for optimism. Since then, it’s been a mixed bag. Hulkenberg advanced to Q3 in Hungary, didn’t get out of Q2 in Silverstone, and started at the back of the grid in Belgium due to penalties. He failed to finish higher than 13th in any of those races.

15. Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri

Previous Rank: N/R

Ricciardo burst back onto the scene after replacing Nyck de Vries by immediately outperforming his teammate in Race 1, finishing 13th in Hungary and two spots up on Yuki Tsunoda. But the feeling-out process is over now, and Tsunoda already bested him in the follow-up at Spa. Now, the Aussie veteran will be seeking results in the form of reliably finishing in the points. Anything less than that and beating Tsunoda the majority of the time should be treated as a disappointment.

16. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

Previous Rank: 14

The Alfas looked exceptional in preseason testing and this is a great example of why those performances can be a mirage. After an eighth-place finish to start the year, Bottas has finished outside the points in 10 of 11 races. The Finn has been just outside recently, finishing 12th in three straight, but that still represents a disappointingly large step back for Alfa Romeo.

17. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

Previous Rank: 15

Tsunoda secured a point in Belgium for the first time in eight races, but that likely isn’t enough to stop the questions surrounding his future in F1. AlphaTauri has already made one change this season, and Tsunoda’s inconsistency could lead to the team going in a different direction. Not only are the 23-year-old’s race results poor, but he’s only managed to get out of Q1 once in the last five events. Ricciardo finishing above him in Hungary in his first race with his new team further compounds the issue.

18. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo

Previous Rank: 16

The Chinese sophomore has struggled to make any headway on last year’s decent rookie performance. Thankfully for him, it seems related to the car and not his performance, as Bottas has also taken a massive step back. Still, for a 24-year-old driver looking to justify his presence in F1, it’s been a trying year.

19. Kevin Magnussen, Haas

Previous Rank: 18

The good news is that Magnussen is coming off his best finish in eight races. The bad news is the result was a 15th-place finish and an eight-race streak of finishing outside the points.

20. Logan Sargeant, Williams

Previous Rank: 19

The season is now past the midway point, and Sargeant is still searching for his first point. It feels rather cruel to dump on the rookie considering the difficult acclimation in making the jump to F1 and the rather competitive midfield this season. Though his last two races have been poor, Sargeant did sprinkle in a personal best 11th-place finish at Silverstone last month.