F1 Power Rankings: How do drivers stack up early in the season?

Welcome to the first edition of our Formula 1 driver rankings for the 2023 season. Here’s how each driver stacks up after three races.

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

A year after setting the new single-season wins record with 15, Verstappen appears poised to shatter his own record in 2023. In three races, the Dutch pilot has cruised to two victories while collecting two poles. A driveshaft issue in qualifying during the Saudi Arabian GP was arguably the only obstacle keeping him from going three-for-three in wins and poles. Even then, he blitzed the field, going from 15th to second. Barring any issues, each race weekend seems like an inevitable victory for Verstappen, who has now won 11 of the last 14 races dating back to last season.

2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

After being criticized for being an unworthy challenger to Verstappen in the past, Perez is off to his best start yet after collecting two podiums and a win. He’s now only 15 points behind his Red Bull teammate in the drivers’ championship. A mishap in Australia’s qualifying session is likely the only reason that gap isn’t closer. Even with a generational talent like Verstappen as his benchmark, Perez is rewriting the narrative on his ability this season. Look no look further than when he was able to match his teammate lap after lap in his thrilling Saudi Arabian GP triumph.

3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

El Plan has finally come to fruition for Alonso. The 41-year-old pilot has been rejuvenated ever since his wise decision to ditch Alpine for Aston Martin in 2023. So far, it’s been three races and three podiums for the Spaniard. That’s already more podiums than he accumulated over his previous seven seasons. Next up on his revenge tour is ending the winning drought that has plagued him since 2013. It won’t be easy considering Red Bull’s advantage, but if there’s anyone who can capitalize on the Milton Keynes side having a rough weekend, it’s the battle-tested Alonso.

4. George Russell, Mercedes

Russell has proven to be a worthy replacement of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes. The 25-year-old sits seventh in the drivers’ standings through three races, though his on-track performance would indicate he’s raced better than that. Russell has shown impressive pace in the last two qualifying sessions and started on the front row in Australia. He’s out-qualified Lewis Hamilton in all three races, too. Russell was running fourth in Melbourne before an engine failure forced him to retire, costing him significant points. Just like last season, it looks like Russell is Mercedes’ best chance at a win in 2023.

5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Hamilton continues to bank points despite constant complaints about the relationship with his car. Coming off a disappointing season in which he finished sixth in the drivers’ standings, Hamilton sits fourth early on thanks to three top-five finishes, including a podium in Australia. The seven-time champion hasn’t won a race since Dec. 5, 2021, but he does have seven second-place finishes since that win. Even though Hamilton hasn’t shown the pace to win races, he remains a lock to compete for a podium spot every weekend, especially now with Mercedes continuing to show improvement.

6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Sainz rattled off an impressive stretch last season from late May to early July where he finished second, second, and first over the course of four races – there was a DNF in between in Azerbaijan where he suffered a hydraulic issue. Once Sainz broke through with that first career win in Silverstone, it felt like he finally turned the corner. But rather than build off that success, he’s only finished on the podium three times over his next 15 races, and none over his last four dating back to last year. It seems like Sainz is going to have to fight a mental battle while also dealing with Ferrari’s reliability or strategy issues. The talent is unquestionable, but the Prancing Horse is a mess right now.

7. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Every motorsports fan’s favorite nepobaby is showing that he actually deserves his seat in F1 after all. After missing all of preseason testing with fractures in both wrists due to a cycling accident, Stroll was able to return just in time for the opening grand prix in Bahrain and place sixth, tying his best result from the previous two years. It certainly helps that Aston is now a frontrunner in the midfield but the machinery can only get you so far. It’s pretty clear that the Red Bull is far and away the best car on the grid, but Stroll still managed to outperform Perez in Australia. The 24-year-old is swaying interestingly into underrated territory.

8. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Perhaps the most disappointing placement of any driver in our power rankings, Leclerc – the top driver on a top team – is supposed to be fighting for podiums. Instead, he’s barely in the points. It isn’t all Leclerc’s fault, though, and stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Ferraris are really struggling with reliability. The upshot for Leclerc has been a seventh-place finish in Saudi Arabia but it’s bookended by a pair of retirements. Running third at season-opening Bahrain, Leclerc suffered mechanical problems on lap 40 that saw the Monagasque driver DNF. It got even worse in Australia, as Leclerc blamed his own poor driving for a disappointing performance in qualifying and then failed to complete a single lap in the race. It can all turn around for Leclerc quickly – he’s shown strong pace when on track – but it needs to happen soon.

9. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Gasly is acclimating reasonably well to his new environs in the all-French Alpine. Without a brutal crash with his teammate in the absolute mayhem of the late restart in Australia, Gasly might be one of five drivers to finish all three races in the points, alongside Verstappen, Perez, Alonso, and Hamilton. For a driver who is finally getting a real shot and is facing a lot of pressure to perform on a team looking to move up the midfield, that’s a strong start.

10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Ocon. His lows have been painfully bad, with his compilation of penalties in Bahrain almost comedic in nature while his retirement in Australia after colliding with Gasly felt cruel. The Melbourne incident cost the French driver his second top-10 finish of the season, but ultimately, Ocon has continued his consistency of running in the upper echelons of the midfield. And in Formula 1, where every point makes a difference, there’s nothing wrong with that.

11. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

After a great first season at Alfa Romeo, Bottas has struggled mightily in 2023. His one-lap pace – thought to be his strong suit – has declined massively, with the veteran failing to make Q3 so far. That’s a stark difference from eight Q3 appearances last year. Even worse, his advantage over his teammate Zhou has seemingly vanished as the Chinese pilot has finished ahead of him in two of three races this season. An eighth-place showing in Bahrain has been his only saving grace.

12. Alex Albon, Williams

Albon has continued to maximize the potential of the usually difficult and sluggish Williams FW45. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have much to show for it. He collected a single point in Bahrain and looked to be on pace for a brilliant weekend in Australia after qualifying eighth. But those hopes were dashed after he sent it into the barrier on lap 7, marking his second straight retirement following a brake issue in Saudi Arabia. There’s no doubting Albon’s talent, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if he starts putting together complete weekends in the near future.

13. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

Tsunoda’s now three years into his F1 career and we’re still waiting to see him reach his potential. The 22-year-old secured his first points finish following Sainz’s questionable penalty in Australia, snapping a run of what would have been three straight 11th-place finishes. It was just his second top-10 finish in 19 races dating back to last season. It’s obvious the AlphaTauri has taken a step back this season, but at least Tsunoda has out-qualified and finished ahead of his teammate in each race, though he’s yet to make it to Q3. What has been most encouraging is Tsunoda’s ability to finish each race after suffering five DNF’s in 2022.

14. Lando Norris, McLaren

It’s a shock to see Norris so low. The McLaren has not been competitive at all, and Norris only secured a sixth-place finish in Melbourne because of eight retirements. Prior to that, Norris placed 17th in back-to-back races – marking his worst finishing position on the grid in a race he didn’t DNF since April of 2019. Norris is clearly being held back by a poor car that’s equally as bad on Saturday as it is on Sunday. He’s qualified 11th, 19th, and 13th this season, failing to advance to Q3. Despite all this, he would likely admit that even he’s surprised to have eight points heading into Azerbaijan.

15. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

Hulkenberg’s return as a regular on the F1 grid after serving as a fill-in during the last two seasons has been a mixed bag. Though he’s yet to sniff the podium in 187 career races, he was at least able to crack the points with a seventh-place finish in Australia. Hulkenberg has out qualified his teammate in all three races, though his performances on race days have seen him slip a bit. He finished below his qualifying position in two of his three races, falling seven positions in each of those.

16. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

The rookie’s saving grace so far is finding a way to finish in the points in his home race in Australia. There will be some who point out that his result is at least partly a product of all the chaotic restarts that race featured, but it takes a lot for a young driver to stay out of those frays and he deserves a lot of credit. The McLaren he’s driving seems like it will be at the back of the grid more often than not, so Piastri’s results maybe shouldn’t be the focus. If he’s able to show progress while routinely beating fellow rookies Sargeant and de Vries, that’s a step in the right direction.

17. Kevin Magnussen, Haas

There’s a lot of pride to fight over at Haas, with Magnussen getting outperformed by old rival Hulkenberg by points in the early going. However, Magnussen has gotten the better result in two out of three so far. It’s a downgrid battle that should be captivating throughout the year, and it’s still a long way from being decided. Magnussen is going to have to show more pace in qualifying, though.

18. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo

Guanyu looked to be showing a lot of promise heading into his sophomore season with very impressive pacing in preseason testing. Unfortunately, that has not shown up on track, qualifying 12th at best so far and even failing to make it out of Q1 in Australia. In Guanyu’s favor, at least his teammate, who is much more seasoned, is running into the same issues.

19. Logan Sargeant, Williams

It’s been a rough stretch for the 22-year-old Sargeant since he finished 12th in his rookie debut in Bahrain. His qualifying performances have been mired by spins in Saudi Arabia and Australia – leaving him to start 20th and 18th on the grid, respectively – while a clumsy collision with de Vries at the end of the Australian GP highlighted his inexperience. There’s undoubtedly pace to unlock, though Sargeant has yet to get up to speed.

20. Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri

The list opens with a Dutch driver on Red Bull and closes with a Dutch driver on Red Bull’s farm team. It’s been a tough go for the rookie de Vries as one of two drivers to not yet finish in the points. De Vries does have the saving grace over Sargeant that he has successfully made it out of Q1 once, but that’s barely even a Pyrrhic victory as he wound up qualifying 15th in Australia. While teammate Tsunoda is outperforming both Williams drivers, de Vries is having a lot more trouble. And Helmut Marko is not known for being especially forgiving.