Tag: Hamilton

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – Mexico City Edition

Welcome to the eighteenth edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the USA Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here.

Max Verstappen took control of the Mexican Grand Prix at Turn 1 and took control of the 2021 Drivers Championship by the flag. He boasts a nineteen point lead with four races to go and one hundred and four points up for grabs. This might not seem a big advantage but in a season where Max and Lewis have basically finished first and second constantly, we are getting dangerously close to Max not having to win anymore races and still end up champion. For Hamilton to have any chance of winning an unprecedented eighth title, Bottas is going to have to interfere, which does not fill me with hope. After taking a surprising front row lockout on Saturday, it was imperative for Mercedes that they completed Lap 1 with the lead of the race. However, Bottas decided to give Verstappen his slipstream and then leave the racing line wide open down the kilometer run to the first corner for Max to break late around the outside and take the lead. Granted, it was a brave and well executed move from Verstappen, who then disappeared into the distance. This passiveness in battling has been Valtteri’s biggest weakness in a Mercedes and another reason why he didn’t retain his seat for next year. I’m doing my best to keep calm but it was just a complete waste of the advantage they worked for on Saturday and ruined the race for the neutral (or slightly bias Hamilton fans). Look at Perez’s firm defense of Hamilton in Turkey, tell me the last time Bottas did anything close to that to Verstappen – it will be hard to find because it doesn’t exist. Behind the championship battle, nothing really happened after the first lap incidents. With thin air, cooling issues and reduced effectiveness of the DRS it meant it was a mainly processional race. To compound issues, the field spread was crazy. After five laps of full speed racing, George Russell in tenth was twenty two seconds behind the leader and was nearing forty by ten laps.

In the other championship battles, Ferrari took third place in the Constructors from McLaren with a strong weekend’s work while the Woking team had a shocker. Alpine and Alpha Tauri are level on points in the battle for fifth place and bragging rights to a couple more millions of prize dollars. Finally, a couple shout outs before the rankings start: Gasly can’t seem to get any airtime, even when he is in a class of one for fourth place and Vettel for a great seventh place, which was really needed for Aston Martin.

After Mexican Grand Prix (18 of 22)

1. Max Verstappen (-+)

That was a champions drive from Max and it wasn’t the first one he has driven this season. This performance was imperious and as soon as he took the lead at Turn 1, it felt like the fight was over. Max and Red Bull have been very quick in Mexico over the last couple of years and practice showed their advantage hadn’t disappeared. They somehow messed up Q3 to lose pole position but if anything, that helped them get the slipstream into Turn 1 they needed. Otherwise, they would have been vulnerable to the Mercedes. The race proved practice form right and Max took full advantage. His move around the outside was beautiful and decisive, typical of Max Verstappen and something we have become used to. He moved nineteen points clear and his hands are now inching towards that championship trophy.

2. Lewis Hamilton (-+)

Hamilton gave it his best shot but the Red Bull’s were too quick in Mexico. If anything, he got too good a start to pull alongside Bottas, and not behind him into the slipstream. He was pinched to the inside which cost him the lead and a potential chance to win. From there it was a lonely and frustrating race as he watched his championship rival disappear down the road. He was able to stay in second in front of Perez to minimise the damage done. Lewis needs to win in Brazil or it could be over very quickly.

3. Charles Leclerc (-+)

Another good weekend for Ferrari in their battle with McLaren and another pretty quiet race for Charles. He started eighth and was up to fifth by the end of the first lap. He would stay a couple of seconds ahead of his teammate in the first stint but couldn’t keep up with Gasly in front. Leclerc really struggled on his hard tyres so the team let his teammate go to hunt down Gasly but he was unsuccessful. They switched them around before the flag for Charles to finish fifth.

4. Lando Norris (-+)

Tenth place would indicate another problematic weekend for Norris and McLaren. However, he started in eighteenth and did well to progress into the points on a track where it is actually quite hard to overtake, despite the kilometer and a half main straight. The pace just hasn’t quite been there since Russia with the McLaren not suiting the tracks as well as their rivals but his teammate is starting to become the quicker driver.

5. Carlos Sainz (-+)

More points for Sainz in Mexico. He went long in the first stint to try and create at tyre advantage to attack Gasly but unfortunately he wasn’t able to close enough to challenge. He dutifully let Leclerc take back his fifth spot in what was a pretty quiet race.

6. Pierre Gasly (+2)

Pierre Gasly must get another opportunity in a big team at some point. I just doubt it will be in a Red Bull, which is a shame. Gasly has shown speed, maturity, consistency and race craft this year but only needed the speed and consistency in Mexico. He started a fantastic fifth and took advantage of Bottas’ spin to take fourth and ran away with it. He was in a class of one and was barely seen on TV because of it.

7. Sergio Perez (-+)

Sergio is inserting himself into this title fight and really helping Red Bull take control of both championships. He threatened pole position until an errant Tsunoda distracted him and he had to settle for fourth. He pressurized Hamilton all race and become the first Mexican to stand on their home podium. Not a bad weekend.

8. George Russell (-2)

Not much George can do at the moment as it seems that the car’s mid-year renaissance has simmered. He started and finished sixteenth and that is all I know about his Mexican Grand Prix. He stays here because of the reasons I mentioned previously, I am sure he can’t wait to get going with Mercedes.

9. Daniel Ricciardo (-+)

A misjudgment by Daniel going into Turn 1 ruined both his and Valtteri Bottas’ races. He locked up on the inside line, spun Bottas around and lost his front wing. This put him at the back and with damage to the underside of the car, he was losing a second a lap in aero performance. He came home in twelfth but he should have got points.

10. Fernando Alonso (-+)

A disappointing qualifying session for Fernando as he didn’t get out of Q1 but was helped by engine penalties to move up to twelfth on the grid. He went long in the first stint and made up spots to come home in ninth and get some key points for Alpine in the race for fifth in the championship. They are currently level on 106. He also pulled off a great move around the outside of Russell on the way to points.

11. Valtteri Bottas (+1)

Valtteri produced a great lap to take pole but that was the best his weekend would go. He let Max have a clean run down into Turn 1 and then was clipped by Ricciardo. One was his fault and the other wasn’t. He did make pretty good progress once he had clear air but Mercedes pitted him twice late on to help take away Max’s fastest lap point.

12. Sebastian Vettel (+1)

A really solid weekend for Seb while his teammate faltered. He made Q3, qualifying ninth and then had a quiet but quick race to finish seventh. It probably wasn’t the race Seb falls back in love with F1 but a good result for the team.

13. Lance Stroll (-2)

Not a good weekend for Stroll, he crashed early in Q1 as he got too wide at the final corner, got onto the marbles and went straight to the scene of the accident. He started at the back and had a couple of silly offs, one with Ricciardo trying to overtake into the high speed section in the middle sector. A scrappy weekend but as we all know this will be water off a ducks back for Lance, he will get another chance to make amends.

14. Esteban Ocon (-+)

I forget about Ocon quite a lot when thinking back on the races and this one was another where he didn’t really show. His main TV exposure was being used to show the chaos of the first corners but the contact he sustained may have caused him damage. He was another driver taking engine penalties so started nineteenth and made it up to thirteenth by the flag. His fastest lap was six tenths slower than his teammates which probably best illustrates Ocon’s struggles in the race.

15. Yuki Tsunoda (-+)

Yuki made it a hattrick of Q3 appearances in Mexico. This is confidence boosting progress as his one lap pace has really lacked recently. He wasn’t able to show off this new found pace as he was one side of an Ocon sandwich, was pitched onto the curb and bollard at the apex of Turn 2, which shut the engine off and ended his race. A shame for him but it looks like his performance is going in the right direction, just a bit slowly.

16. Nicolas Latifi (-+)

Nicolas was not able to get out of Q1 but did start thirteenth with the engine penalties. However, he was not able to move any further up the field and finished seventeenth. There really isn’t much else to say.

17. Mick Schumacher (-+)

Mick was caught up in the first lap contact as he was the other side of the Ocon sandwich, which caused rear suspension failure and ended his race as well. Weirdly, only the filling of the Ocon sandwich didn’t sustain damage while the bread was broken. That’s enough sandwich based analogies for one day.

18. Kimi Raikkonen (-+)

There is the old Kimi Raikkonen that we know and love. He started tenth with the engine penalties and moved up to eighth by the end of the race. He kept good pace with Vettel throughout to collect some much needed points after Alfa Romeo have just missed out recently.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi (-+)

Despite a quick meeting with the barriers in Q2, Antonio was able to separate but missed out on Q3 anyway. He took advantage of the lap 1 chaos to move up to sixth but was screwed by Alpha’s suspect strategy that pitted him really early and he had to nurse his tyres to the end, losing touch and championship points, finishing eleventh.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

Another weekend, another last place for Nikita Mazipin. He was the only one to end up three laps down but his fastest lap was quicker than Latifi’s. I am really trying to find positives and interesting to say about him but keep failing.

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – USA Edition

Welcome to the seventeenth edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the Turkish Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here.

We may look back on the USA Grand Prix of 2021 as a defining moment in this year’s title race. The win was always going to be between Max and Lewis, excluding any crazy scenarios playing out. The win for either would have significant consequences – for Max, it would give him a double digit lead going into Mexico and Brazil, two races where the Red Bull has been the quickest car the last couple of years, without being that during those said years (While Mercedes have particularly struggled in Mexico due to its altitude’s effect on their cooling). This would put him in a very strong position going into the final three races of the year. For Lewis, a win would give him back the lead in the championship and help build some momentum going into a potentially tricky fortnight. As it would go, the two cars were separated by 1.3 seconds at the flag, with the Dutchman taking it in first place and the twenty five points. The reason this could be seen as a defining moment is that it felt like Red Bull have become the strongest overall team, with their bold strategy, and were helped by their driver’s brilliant drive, at just the right time. Meanwhile, Mercedes are having to take more grid penalties and relying more on the talent of Hamilton to make up for their passive decision making. Red Bull took the initiative with their early stop to gain track position and it always felt like they weren’t going to let it go. In the meantime, they were able to turn around a one second deficit from Practice 1 to take pole by two tenths and the race win, hurting Mercedes’ momentum and left them looking a bit flat on Sunday evening. Not to mention, Verstappen extended his lead in the championship in fine fashion to hold the largest lead since the season restarted. If Max gets the better of Lewis over the next two races, the title race could be over. However, as I write this, Murray Walker’s voice is shouting at me “anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does”. One retirement or issue for Max in a race and Lewis is right back in it, if not on top. I hope this championship goes down to the final race, it’s what it deserves.

The race behind the leading battle had some good battles, especially between two former World Champions in Alonso and Raikkonen which did spark a track limits debate. It’s an annoying subject as it seems to change at every track. I think we should just stick to the white lines as the edge of the track and be done with it. You just have to have a tyre on that white line to be classed as on-track. We just need consistency there so all drives know the score.

The McLaren-Ferrari battle seems to have swung towards Ferrari in the last couple of races with Leclerc stretching away from the pack this time but McLaren still lead the battle for third by three and a half points.

A few quick shout outs before I get into the rankings. A much needed result for Yuki Tsunoda and a stronger weekend all round. Great effort from Sergio Perez, whose drinks bottle failed on the way to the grid and had to pass under the Heineken sign fifty six times reminding him that he ‘shouldn’t drink and drive’ – that’s just rubbing it in. It is hard to imagine the heat of a sunny Texas day with three layers of fire proof overalls, a balaclava and a helmet on, while driving a fighter jet for a hundred minutes. The fitness of these modern F1 drivers is truly elite.

After USA Grand Prix (17 of 22)

1. Max Verstappen (-+)

The USA Grand Prix was a prime example of the development of Max Verstappen into arguably the best driver in the world. He didn’t panic when he lost the lead at the start but shadowed Hamilton in the first stint, staying within undercut range so that Red Bull could pull off their new strategy. Once Red Bull pulled the trigger on the early two stop strategy, Max used his tyres up perfectly, especially in the third stint when he could have come out, pushed the tyres to gain an advantage but he would have run out at the end. However, he eeked them out, being two to three tenths a lap quicker than Hamilton so when the Brit pitted, he closed quickly but Max had enough tyre life to keep him at arms length and he wasn’t able to overtake. This could be the most important win of his career so far.

2. Lewis Hamilton (-+)

Hamilton gave it his best shot on Sunday in Austin but it wasn’t quite enough. I think Mercedes should have pitted him a couple laps earlier for his second stop as they let the gap to Max get a bit too big. That isn’t just hindsight, I thought so at the time – they needed to keep Max within seven seconds, but let it get above eight. This just gave him a bit too much to do, but without Mick Schumacher giving Max DRS on the penultimate lap, he may have pulled it off. He needs a win in Mexico to close that gap before it’s too late.

3. Charles Leclerc (+1)

Charles deserves this boost in ranking for the form he has been in during the last month of F1 racing. He tailed the leaders in Turkey, flirting with winning and then was in a race/class of his own for fourth in Austin. He finished over twenty seconds ahead of his closest rivals. While Norris has had some off weeks, Charles has taken up the challenge to snatch the last step on this particular podium.

4. Lando Norris (-1)

Lando has been quiet since his near-win in Russia. I don’t know if its a bit of a hangover, which is understandable, but McLaren need him at his best to hold on to third in the Constructors Championship. He was always in between battles after the first lap scrap between the McLaren and Ferrari drivers. He nearly took them all out at the hairpin of Turn 12 but was able to get on the brakes enough to keep out of trouble. From there he didn’t really have the pace to trouble those in front and he came home in eighth.

5. Carlos Sainz (-+)

Carlos qualified right behind his teammate and had a great battle with Ricciardo that started on the first lap and lasted the whole race. Carlos pulled off a great move to stay ahead of Ricciardo through the twisty first sector on Lap 1 but he would have to let him through again as he was deemed to have overtaken off the track at Turn 12. This cost him a lot of time as he was stuck behind the McLaren for the rest of the race. He was also overtaken by Bottas at the death to come home in seventh in a frustrating race for the Spaniard as he watched his car’s potential disappear down the road.

6. George Russell (-+)

A weekend more reminiscent of George Russell’s first two years in F1 in Austin. He started at the back after more engine penalties, finished ahead of people he would expect to beat while not really being quick enough to join the midfield fight. His main action was battling faster cars on fresher tyres after they had pitted and he finished in fourteenth thanks to some retirees. He keeps his place on this list due to his upcoming career move and the fact that he has shown without doubt he deserves to be at this end of the grid, despite the car he drives.

7. Sergio Perez (+1)

Sergio is really finding some form and consistency with this Red Bull. Christian Horner has put it down to the team & Sergio finding a set up that he is comfortable with and it could not have come at a better time for them. He was a thirteen hundredth of a second from securing an All-Red Bull front row but just missed out to Hamilton to start third. His water bottle broke on the way to the grid which is no laughing matter on a hot Autumn day in Texas while driving a Formula 1 car. The cockpit can get up to 50 degrees and without hydration, you can lose consciousness. Perez talked of losing strength in his hands and arms at the end of the race but luckily for him, his pace was strong enough that he didn’t have to get into direct combat with others. A second podium in a row for the Mexican as he goes into his home race in the best form of his Red Bull career. Would Red Bull let him win his home race if he puts himself in position to do so but Max is directly behind him…? Probably not.

8. Pierre Gasly (-1)

Another Q3 appearance for Pierre Gasly, this time accompanied by his teammate, for ninth on the grid. This was as good as his weekend was going to get as a sensor issue had to be fixed on the grid and he lost a couple positions at the start. To make things worse, his car developed a suspension failure early on that got progressively worse until he had to retire on Lap 16. After a really good result last weekend, Gasly was not able to build on that with reliability hitting once again.

9. Daniel Ricciardo (-+)

Daniel’s inconsistency continues, but luckily it was the good weekend’s turn for Ricciardo in Austin. He outqualified his teammate for sixth on the grid and was the main McLaren interfering with Ferrari’s attempt to snatch away third in the Constructors Championship in the race. He side-by-side display with Sainz on the first lap through the twisty first sector was a thing of beauty – even if he did come out behind. He got the position back and set out to annoy the Spaniard behind for the rest of the race, showing some great defensive driving to keep the faster car behind. He was even able to keep the fast approaching Bottas behind to secure fifth place for the Woking based team.

10. Fernando Alonso (-+)

Fernando gave us our money’s worth with aggression on-track and over the radio. His and the team’s annoyance at Raikkonen’s overtake around the outside of Turn 1 , which they deemed to be out of bounds, directly led to some more juicy action with Raikkonen’s teammate as he attempted the mother of all divebombs at the hairpin which he rightfully had to give immediately back, ironically for track limits. He gave it another good go a couple laps later but was also unsuccessful. All of this was for non points scoring positions and Alonso would retire late on, alongside his teammate. It feels like Alonso is giving much more to F1 than it is giving back at the moment.

11. Lance Stroll (-+)

Lance was spun at the first corner by Nicolas Latifi who was being sandwiched into an ever closing hole himself, and that basically ruined his race. He battled back up to twelfth, surpassing his starting position of thirteenth but he probably thought points were on the cards as his teammate got them from eighteenth.

12. Valtteri Bottas (-+)

Bottas had to take a second engine penalty in three races which put him in the pack, starting ninth. It took him twenty laps to get past Tsunoda for eighth and by that time he had fallen quite back from the cars in front. He was, however, able to reel them in and got ahead of a McLaren and Ferrari to finish sixth.

13. Sebastian Vettel (+1)

A spirited drive from Vettel from eighteenth on the grid to get a point. He made some places up at the start and then had good pace to get ahead of the lower midfield. His moment of the day was overtaking Russell around the outside at the multi-left hander 16-17-18 complex, which was a confident move that was well worked to position his car and Russell’s to create the opportunity.

14. Esteban Ocon (-1)

Ocon had to change his front wing on the first lap after contact with an Alfa Romeo that pretty much settled his fate. It put him way behind the pack and out of sequence. He tried making the hard tyre go long again but the team decided to retire the car late one while he was running in seventeenth.

15. Yuki Tsunoda (+2)

For the second weekend in a row, Tsunoda made it into Q3 and held up a Mercedes in the race. This time he held up the Mercedes for much longer and was able to hold on to his points scoring spot. He was the last person lapped by the leading two to cross the line in ninth and take two points back to Italy.

16. Nicolas Latifi (-1)

Seemed to be a quiet race for Latifi, who was in a race of his own by the looks of it. He started fourteenth but got quickly overtaken by his teammate and then drove by himself to finish fifteenth. He was the last non-Haas finisher.

17. Mick Schumacher (-1)

Another weekend of dominance from Schumacher over his teammate but his teammate did have headrest issues. His fastest lap was 1.5 seconds quicker than his Russian counterpart. I bet he can’t wait for 2022 and to see if all this pain has been worth it.

18. Kimi Raikkonen (-+)

Some bullish driving from Kimi to keep at it around the outside of Alonso at Turn 1 paid off and set him up nicely around the points. However, he couldn’t keep his tyres together as well as others and he dropped to thirteenth at the flag after a spin in the first sector.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi (-+)

Antonio just missed out on points, finishing eleventh on what was a better performance by himself and the team. He got ahead of his teammate because of a mistake but you got to keep it on the track. It looks increasingly likely that we are counting down the races of Gio’s F1 career.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

His headrest became lose at Turn 2, which would have restricted his vision and ability to look into the mirrors but hopefully would have been fixed at his first stop. He did his usual concrete bollard impression to get in the way of lapping cars but apart from that, it was a lonely drive at the back once again.

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – Turkey Edition

Welcome to the sixteenth edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the Russian Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here. A quick admin note as well, I have just realised that I have been putting the wrong total of races on all my posts – it’s not 23, but actually 22. My bad. Call myself an F1 fan.

For the second year in a row the weather played a major part in the outcome of the weekend at Istanbul Park. The changeable and windy conditions caused the drivers problems all weekend with the rain only threatening qualifying but came for the race. We knew before the weekend that Lewis Hamilton had a 10-place grid penalty for taking his fourth internal combustion engine for the year, so would start highest eleventh and do his best to limit the damage done by Verstappen in the championship fight. Hamilton duly took pole but was demoted to eleventh but his teammate Bottas was able to at least keep Verstappen behind. The race didn’t quite live up to expectations but there was some good action and brave driving. It felt like a constant wait for the conditions to improve enough for dry tyres but never really came, which Vettel found out and Hamilton and Leclerc really hoped for. The main talking point post race was Mercedes and Hamilton’s back and forth about whether they could go to the end without pitting. Hamilton questioned the team’s call to pit but was eventually overruled, losing two positions in the process with only eight laps to go. He lost five points to Verstappen in the championship and in such a close run-in, all the points changes are going to be heavily scrutinized as the finale draws close. Well done to Valtteri Bottas who drove a commanding and calm race to win for the first time in over a year and to exorcise the demons of Turkey 2020.

After Turkish Grand Prix (16 of 22)

1. Max Verstappen (-+)

The Red Bull didn’t have the speed of the Mercedes all weekend so Max perfectly played the long game and picked up seventeen points and probably the max he was expecting from the Grand Prix. Of course, he wants to win every race but Bottas drove well enough to win. He extended his lead in the championship to six points after getting all his spins out of the way when it didn’t matter. A double podium finish for the team as well helped close the gap to Mercedes in the other championship. Max will now try and defend his lead in Austin.

2. Lewis Hamilton (-+)

Annoyingly for Hamilton, without the engine penalty, it looks like he would have won the Turkish Grand Prix from pole and extended his lead in the championship. However, Mercedes found irregular noises coming from the engine so decided it best to be safe rather than risk a DNF. He made decent progress from his eleventh place grid slot to find himself fifth after fifteen laps but was a fair way off the leaders. He caught Perez but couldn’t get past so when the others started pitted for their second set of inters, Hamilton decided to stay out. It really was a knife edge decision and a year after Lewis won the race because he stayed out, I think it was the wrong decision this year and may have cost him a chance at getting past Perez and Leclerc in front for a podium. If he had stayed out, I think he would have been powerless to defend if they caught him while risking a tyre blowout and no points at all. He came home fifth and lives to fight another day because this title fight is far from over.

3. Lando Norris (-+)

A quieter weekend in Turkey for Norris after the rollercoaster that was the Russian Grand Prix. The McLaren is very track sensitive and the long, medium speed corners of Istanbul Park don’t really suit the papaya-mobile. However, he qualified and finished seventh which isn’t bad for a so-called quiet weekend for the young Brit. It shows the ways this team has come since Norris first drove for them in 2019.

4. Charles Leclerc (-+)

A classically gutsy and fast drive from Charles Leclerc that started at third on the grid, shadowed the leaders for the majority of the race, tried to brave it out on inters but was forced to pit and came home in fourth, four seconds off a podium. At one point I thought he genuinely had a chance of winning the race while staying out but his rear tyres failed him. While Carlos is getting the plaudits for getting up to speed quickly in his new car, Leclerc is consistently performing to a high standard and isn’t wilting under the pressure of leading the Scuderia.

5. Carlos Sainz (+1)

Carlos won his first driver of the day award in Turkey and it was a great drive from the back of the grid. He was the main form of entertainment as he came through the field and seemingly overtook a car a lap into the final sector and only his overtake on Vettel had a small love tap which didn’t cause any issues. He did get stuck behind Stroll and Gasly which slightly dented his progress but eighth is a good result from the back.

6. George Russell (-1)

A quieter weekend on paper for George Russell but I am sure he will look back at a missed opportunity. He hit the loud pedal a bit too early at the exit of the last corner on his final run in Q2, had to correct the slide and lost all of his good work. His good work looked good enough to be in Q3 but instead he started thirteenth, lost two positions early and never recovered his losses. He apparently had a good scrap with Alonso and Ricciardo but the TV cameras did not pick that up.

7. Pierre Gasly (-+)

A much needed weekend for Pierre Gasly and Alpha Tauri as he was quick in both dry and wet conditions to start fourth on the grid. He only lost positions to the quickest cars on the grid and I thought he was hard done by with his five second time penalty at the first corner. Perez came late onto his inside and he did not have much room to maneuver with Alonso on his outside which resulted in him making contact with the Spaniard. From there, he was quick enough that the penalty didn’t effect his race and he came home relatively unchallenged in sixth ahead of Lando Norris.

8. Sergio Perez (+2)

This was a big result for Perez to re-introduce himself to the title fight. He isn’t going to win the fight but Turkey felt like the first instance in a while where he actively helped Red Bull in said fight. He started sixth but his aggression at the start, to the detriment of Gasly and Alonso, got him into the leading bunch. He also held his own when called upon to keep Hamilton behind as he quickly caught on Lap thirty-seven, with some great car positioning and bravery on the brakes. He completed the hat-trick as his pace on new inters forced Mercedes to pit Hamilton from third and cost him six valuable points in the championship.

9. Daniel Ricciardo (-+)

Unfortunately for Ricciardo, this weekend was more in line with how his season has gone. He was knocked out in Q1 so the team decided to take a new engine and he dropped to the back of the grid. He made some progress up to thirteenth at the flag but never got anywhere near to the points that his team need him to consistently score in their battle with Ferrari in the Constructors.

10. Fernando Alonso (-+)

Alonso was the innocent victim of the Turn 1 clash after qualifying a quality sixth place. He would have been a good bet for some great points and maybe even that podium in those tricky conditions but instead was stuck in traffic after dropping to the back. He also got a five second penalty, but rightly so, for clumsily spinning Mick Schumacher at Turn 4 trying to recover his race. He finished in sixteenth place which was definitely not what he hoped for from his Sunday.

11. Lance Stroll (+1)

Lance was once again the fastest Aston Martin in Turkey. A year after he lead for most of the race in the last edition of the Turkish Grand Prix, he showed consistant pace to bring home some points for his team – two in fact. This Aston Martin seems to be the fifth or sixth fastest car so back end of the points are probably the best you can expect at the moment.

12. Valtteri Bottas (+2)

It was a commanding performance from Bottas once he inherited pole position due to his teammate’s engine penalty. He was able to create a gap to Verstappen in the first stint and never felt opposed until he had to overtake Leclerc trying to go to the end without pitting, but even that was straightforward and calmly done by the Finn. Once Leclerc was dispatched, he coasted to victory. This could be due to the security and ease a multi-year contract gives you, and it seems to be suiting him. He has scored the most amount of points since he signed that contract, helping to prove my point.

13. Esteban Ocon (-1)

Ocon didn’t have the pace of his teammate in Turkey but was able to finish ahead of him and collect the final championship point. He was able to do that because he did not make a pit stop, becoming the first driver since Olivier Panis in 1997 to do so. In wet conditions the drivers aren’t obliged to use two compounds of tyre, like in the dry, so it was worth someone trying it and luckily for Ocon it paid off this time.

14. Sebastian Vettel (-1)

Sebastian was in contention for some points in Turkey before he made the wrong decision to put medium slick tyres on Lap 38 when the track was not ready for it. This cost him dearly as his lap took about three minutes and dropped him to nineteenth. He was only able to recover past Mick Schumacher to finish eighteenth. He gambled and this time he lost.

15. Nicolas Latifi (-+)

A quiet weekend for the second Williams as well. He was able to get through into Q2, like his teammate but that was the highlight of his weekend as he went backwards in the race to finish seventeenth.

16. Mick Schumacher (+1)

Mick made it out of Q1 for the first time in his career and showed that he possesses some of that Schumacher wet weather magic. He outqualified his teammate by a whopping 2.9 seconds, which is unheard of in modern F1, even in wet conditions. Its the first time proper that we have seen the gulf in the two Haas drivers and I’m not going to use this to bash Mazipin, well not in this paragraph anyway, but if you ever needed proof which driver deserves to be in F1, you now have it. This is the difference the driver can make. Mick was unlucky to be spun by Alonso early on, who was penalized, but may have struggled to keep up. His best lap was a second off the midfield pace.

17. Yuki Tsunoda (-1)

The weekend was looking up for Yuki, as he got into Q3 and qualified ninth but he just didn’t have any pace in the race to trouble the points. He held up Hamilton for about six laps at the start but that was the notable action for him. Everyone was expecting more from the Japanese driver in his rookie season so lets hope for his sake that his second season is better.

18. Kimi Raikkonen (-+)

The two Alfa Romeo’s started next to each other on the grid and they finished the race together. This time it was Kimi behind Giovinazzi in eleventh and twelfth after starting in sixteenth and seventeenth. I don’t think we saw the Alfa’s on screen at all on Sunday so there isn’t much else to analyse. Unfortunately for the Ice Man, his career is just fizzling out in a slow vehicle.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi (-+)

More rumours swirl of potential replacements for Giovinazzi’s drive and it is looking increasingly likely that he wont be in F1 next year but he isn’t really doing enough to prove otherwise. A decent result in Turkey but nothing to prove he deserves to stay in the sport.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

Here we go: getting outqualified by your teammate by 2.9 seconds is a disgrace, and at the very least highly embarrassing for the Russian pay driver. At least Stroll can drive a car fast even if his Dad did buy the team. His teammate was spun around, lost a whole load of time, but still finished ahead in Turkey. To be honest, Mazipin could win the next race in Austin and that wouldn’t change my mind about him. That is probably bad of me but his presence is an indication of a major flaw in the sport’s infrastructure. Much better drivers aren’t getting opportunities because people like Mazipin can buy their way in. The car better be good next year or what was the point of all this!?

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – Sochi Edition

Welcome to the fifteenth edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the Italian Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here. I am sorry that this has come out after the next race. It’s poor from me but sometimes life gets in the way. Better late than never.

What a second half to the season we have been treated to. Since the restart of the season, only Zandvoort has been without major incident or talking point. Russia did not let the side down in that respect, however, for British fans it probably wasn’t the talking point they were seeking. McLaren’s resurgence has been well documented over the last three years and it was looking like Norris was about to rubber stamp their return with back-to-back wins for the team, the first since Hamilton and Button drove for them, but heartbreakingly he missed out by three laps. Norris did everything right all weekend, took a fantastic pole in the wet and drove a really mature race to be in prime position with six laps to go. Then the rain came. I love rain in F1 but I was doing my anti-rain dance like nobody’s business on Sunday, but obviously the F1 Gods had different plans. The Russian Grand Prix showed just how much of a team effort it takes to win in Formula 1. Mercedes had the information, guts, decisiveness, whatever you want to call it to bring Hamilton in for intermediate tyres and that won them the race, the 100th career victory for Sir Lewis Hamilton. I have had the pleasure of watching every single one of those victories and I still can’t quite believe he has made it. When Schumacher retired, I was convinced his records would stand the test of time, but as he left, his equal showed up right away and announced himself from the very first corner of his career. Hamilton isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but what he has achieved is truly unique, quite like himself. When the dust settles on humankind, he will be seen as the King of F1, I am convinced of it. All he needs to do now is get that eighth title, but against a formidable Max Verstappen, it will be no easy feat. At least people won’t be able to say it’s just the car. It never has been that way with Lewis; he has just been good enough to find himself in those cars. As Martin Brundle says “The best drivers find their way into the best cars”.

Now, on to the rest of the race. Rain once again caused chaos on Saturday with lots of the sessions cancelled. A gap in the weather was found for Qualifying to go ahead and it once again caused an entertaining and interesting grid. Verstappen was always going to start at the back with his engine penalty taken, but he was suddenly joined there by Leclerc and Bottas, who took penalties themselves. We got a glimpse into the future at the front with Norris, Sainz and Russell occupying the first three slots on the grid and the start did not disappoint, with slipstreaming and maneuvering going on all down the grid at the run down to Turn 2, the first real corner of the lap. Sainz and Norris were able to move ahead with Russell creating a DRS train behind him for the first stint. This did split the pack into groups, but the action didn’t stop. It does, again, spark thoughts in my head about the pros of a reserve grid, as a mixed-up grid almost guarantees action, see Hungary, Italy and Russia for that. Once the dust had settled after the first round of stops, Hamilton and Verstappen still had some work to do to get through the field, which they did do to differing extents but the threat of rain always loomed. It started coming down with about eight laps to go, in the Turn 4/5 area but the rest of the track was dry, probably the hardest conditions to call in F1. This is where the driver and team must both be on form and make the correct decisions. It was clear that the rain was causing issues but enough to risk pitting for inters? Some thought yes and some thought no. Hell, Lance Stroll spun into the barriers two seconds after telling his team it wasn’t ready for inters yet. Fortunately for Hamilton and Verstappen, they and their teams made the right call and McLaren did not. The radio communication did sound more panicked than that of Mercedes, but this will be a learning moment for the team and I am sure they wont make the same mistake twice. With the top two title protagonists finishing in those spots, the fight for the crown is now right back on with only two points separating them with seven races to go. It will go down to Abu Dhabi, I can feel it. What a season this has been. Now, enough rambling from me, onto the power rankings.

After Russian Grand Prix (15 of 23)

1. Max Verstappen (-+)

I think if you had offered Max a second place before the race, he would have bitten your hand off. This was the perfect damage limitation weekend as they expected Hamilton to win the race and they minimized the points lose to him. Max was making solid if not spectacular progress by the time the rain came down. He was sitting in the 6/7/8th range for quite a while. However, he and the team made the right call and, in the end, he came home a comfortable second place. There really isn’t a flaw in Max Verstappen’s performance anymore, (apart from his lack of ability to know when to give up a corner but we have been over that) so that means that mistakes or retirements can not be counted on by his opponents. He is only two points behind Hamilton in the championship with more ‘Red Bull’ circuits coming up so it is still all to play for and you probably have to say he is the favourite, ever so slightly.

2. Lewis Hamilton (-+)

Hamilton achieved something this weekend that no other human in history has, to win 100 Formula 1 races, and he went back to the top of the championship table. If Max hadn’t had such a strong result, he would be on top of this list. He and Mercedes had a messy qualifying session so he lined up fourth, which probably cost him an easy run to victory, such was the pace advantage he seemingly had over the rest of the field. When Hamilton was in clear air during the race, he was a second a lap quicker than everyone else. He fought his way back up to second and then the team helped him complete the comeback to win his fifth Russian Grand Prix. I never want to wish away time, but I wish I could watch the run in to this season on back-to-back days, a full week of mayhem. It is going to be that good as the two best drivers of their generations go head-to-head. Lewis isn’t ready to give up his crown just yet, who knows if he ever will be.

3. Lando Norris (-+)

It’s been a week since that Sunday in Sochi and it still pains me that I am not writing that Lando momentously won his first Grand Prix in Russia. He did everything right but win. He showed off his wet weather skills once again, to take a convincing pole over Sainz and Russell as he was up the sharp end for all of qualifying, it wasn’t just a fabulous individual lap. Even though he got a good start from pole, the slipstream was so strong that he was passed by Sainz into Turn 2 but he did not panic or take to re-overtake him in the braking zone. No, he sat behind, biding his time, and got past before the first round of pitstops using the back straight DRS zone. He went long and then pitted into lots of space once he had got away from Sainz but still had the fast-incoming Hamilton to deal with. Once Hamilton had caught him, Norris showed that mental steel to not make any mistakes (on track anyway) and was looking very likely to win the race. Then the race came. This will be a learning moment for both Norris and McLaren, most of the team were not around during McLaren’s last stretch in the winning column. The slightly panicked and emotional radio messages were contrasted with Hamilton and Mercedes’ calm, been-there-done-that messages, showing the benefits of experience in this high intensity fights. What I would have wanted to see from McLaren’s pit wall was more conviction, there was too many questions about the weather, rather than telling Norris. They had lots more information than he did, but Norris’ explanation that their forecast showed the rain would not get heavier does help explain their conceding of the decision to the driver on track. They will heavily review and improve because of this which I am sure will lead to the right decision next time.

4. Charles Leclerc (-+)

Charles started at the back in Sochi after an engine change penalty which skews his result slightly against his teammate’ podium finish. Like Norris, he tried to stay out in the rain and it backfired. His race started promisingly after a fantastic first lap, rising to twelfth from nineteenth and was driving in the points until, like Norris, decided to stick it out in the rain and it backfired. He crossed the line in fifteenth to get nothing from his hard work.

5. George Russell (+1)

After two and half years of no points, George Russell is now making it a habit. Another weekend where George showed how brightly his star is shining at the moment. He qualified third on the grid in wet conditions, with his teammate unable to get out of Q2. He was able to hold on to his position on the first lap and kept the pack behind him until the first round of stops as the team decided to go long and he lost out to the undercut. With the chaos that the rain caused, George was able to bring the car home in tenth and fulfilled the team’s pre-race expectations of points. Even though the team is definitely on the up and the car is improving, George is outperforming it for sure. The decision made by Mercedes just keeps looking better and better for them.

6. Carlos Sainz (+1)

If Carlos hadn’t already won ‘newcomer of the year’ as a driver who moved team over the winter, this performance put his name on that trophy. He has been so impressive for Ferrari this year and stretches his lead in the intra-team podium battle to 3:1 over Leclerc. He qualified on the front row in tricky conditions and used the two to take the lead on the first lap. He lost the lead to Norris but had a good gap behind with a podium looking likely. He lost second to Verstappen in the switch to inters stage but got his well deserved podium. That’s already more than he had during his two years at McLaren.

7. Pierre Gasly (-2)

Pierre’s light has dimmed slightly over the last couple of races. He wasn’t able to get into the top 10 in qualifying and his pace in the race wasn’t great. He tried going long but the rain took away any tyre advantage he would have been able to utilise and he finished thirteenth.

8. Daniel Ricciardo (-+)

He didn’t quite get to the levels of his teammate in Sochi but it was a great result for Ricciardo. He qualified in fifth and was in the fight for the podium push until a slow pitstop cost him valuable time. He held off Hamilton for a long time which boded well for his teammate later on in the race, but unlike his teammate, pitted early enough onto inters, and took the advantage to finish in fourth. With his teammate’s woes, Daniel brought home some great points for the team.

9. Fernando Alonso (+1)

Alonso became one of the few people that have overtaken Max Verstappen in a race this year when he passed him on Lap thirty eight. He could have got on the podium if they had pitted a few laps before but, nonetheless, a performance to be proud of to finish sixth. He had a great battle with Perez and Leclerc on dries in intermediate conditions that showed how tricky it was but also the brilliant car control of the gladiators behind the wheels.

10. Sergio Perez (-+)

A weekend where Perez was once again off his teammate’s pace but he did trouble the top places in the race. However, he only collected two points for the team after running as high as fourth when also gambling on dries. He probably deserved a better finish but the pace was at least there.

11. Esteban Ocon (-+)

Esteban’s weekend peaked on Saturday where he qualified ninth but didn’t hit the heights of his teammate. He was slower all weekend and wasn’t threatening the points before the rain and the rain didn’t improve his situation.

12. Lance Stroll (-+)

Lance went for it at Turn 2 after starting seventh and got himself up to fourth with some brave car positioning. He pitted early which probably cost him as he dropped into traffic. He slowed when the race came and had a couple spins, getting a penalty for his one with Gasly and nearly took out his teammate. His emotions seem quite high in the car and I think that might disadvantage him sometimes as he gets trigger happy on the throttle. He ended up not getting any points as Aston Martin washed out in Sochi.

13. Sebastian Vettel (-+)

Sebastian had a quiet weekend in Sochi and was really only threatening the last points scoring positions, running in tenth for quite a while but was caught out by the rain as he stayed out one lap too long and missed out on points, coming home in twelfth.

14. Valtteri Bottas (-+)

Bottas was forced to start at the back after taking engine penalties, some thinking to help keep Max behind during the race. However, when Bottas was required to defend against Max, he just left the door open and the Dutchman waltzed through on the back straight. This lack of fight sums up Bottas’ slow decline out of that Mercedes seat, he just hasn’t shown the fight needed to stay in the battle. He came home fifth in the end which was good points but could have finished in front of Verstappen really.

15. Nicolas Latifi (-+)

Latifi also had an engine penalty in Sochi and that compromised his race compared to his teammate. He wasn’t able to finish the race after spinning in the slippery conditions while on slicks. He was barely shown on the coverage but his recent performances keep him here.

16. Yuki Tsunoda (-+)

Another really tricky weekend for Yuki who wasn’t on the pace again during the race after qualifying in twelfth. He finished seventeenth and only in front of the Haas’s. It is looking a bit desperate for him.

17. Mick Schumacher (-+)

An off weekend for Mick who still qualified in front of his teammate but dropped behind him in the race and eventually had to retire due to technical issues. These things are going to happen from time to time.

18. Kimi Raikkonen (-+)

Kimi comes back to the team and instantly puts Giovinazzi back in his place. He was running in and around the points for the whole race and then gets the tyre decision right to move up to eighth at the finish and some valuable points for the team. I’m going to miss him when he’s gone.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi (-+)

Not good for Gio that Kimi shows what can be done in that car. He was nowhere near the points all race and finished sixteenth. Not much to write home about.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

Mazipin drove around and probably gone in people’s way, not much else I want to say about this. He was having his home race by himself once Mick retired.

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – Hungary Edition

Welcome to the eleventh edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the British Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here. 

Just when I thought I had seen everything in F1 after 20 odd years of watching, the F1 gods chuck Hungary 2021 at me. The first time I have ever seen only one car take the lights and it really should have been none, as much as Toto Wolff wants to defend it, it was the wrong decision to send Hamilton to pole position. This weekend just reinforced Murray Walker’s famous quote “Anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does” and reinforced my view that any race is livened up by wet weather. A wet morning meant intermediates were the tyre to start on and that was a big factor in the chaos that would ensue once Bottas missed his braking point and went straight to the scene of the accident. He took quite a few people with him as well. With lots of the front runners either out or heavily damaged, it gave the midfield a golden chance for glory, which Esteban Ocon grabbed with both hands. He got a helping hand from his teammate who admirably defended from Lewis Hamilton for ten laps which proved vital to keep the other Alpine in the lead. There were lots of good drives all down the field in Hungary, with some notable performances from both Williams, a great Carlos Sainz comeback and a mature Sebastian Vettel drive which couldn’t quite take the win from Ocon. There was even drama after the chequered flag as Vettel was disqualified for not having enough fuel in his car at the end, an unfortunate slam dunk of a penalty. We now have a month break to regroup, review and come back stronger at Spa in September. Now let’s get into the rankings.

After Hungarian Grand Prix (11 of 23)

1. Lewis Hamilton (+1)

Hamilton takes the lead on this list again after quite a few weeks in Max Verstappen’s shadow. His pole position kept him out of the carnage behind to take an easy lead into the second corner. It should have been an easy win but neither driver or team thought it best to pit at the restart and it dropped them to the back on Lap 4. However, what we saw after was a classically relentless drive with some great overtaking to haul himself back into the podium places using the two stop strategy well. Hamilton’s battle with Alonso was the highlight of the day, both drivers showing skill, respect and toughness to battle it out for ten laps before Lewis finally prevailed. Hamilton goes into the summer break in the lead of the championship, which he knows how to defend but he could be facing his toughest title run-in yet in the form of an uber-motivated Verstappen and Red Bull.

2. Max Verstappen (-1)

It’s been a tough stretch for Max Verstappen with him only scoring one point in two races while his championship rival has scored over forty. This could mean the end of his chances in another seasons but Max is still right in it and only eight points back. He was an innocent victim at Turn 1 when the right side of his car was ripped off by the equally innocent Lando Norris. He was able to battle his car back into the points to claim that singular notch, which may turn into two if Vettel’s disqualification is confirmed. That could prove crucial come the end of the season. I bet Max can’t wait to get back in the car in Spa and release some pent up frustration on that legendary circuit.

3. Lando Norris (-+)

Speaking of Lando Norris, he was cruelly punished by the F1 gods for a brilliant start on Sunday. He nailed the revs and wheel spin to climb to third from sixth by the braking zone at Turn 1. This is where it would all go wrong, as Bottas out broke himself and crashed into the back of the McLaren which then caused it to crash into Verstappen’s Red Bull which ended Norris’ race and his scoring streak. The steak came to an end at fifteen which became a new McLaren record. He will move on from this, with the summer break probably coming at a good time, so that by the time we get to Spa, this will be a distant memory.

4. Charles Leclerc (-+)

Charles was another driver who was punished for their great start to the race. He was driving into second place when Lance Stroll decided to use Leclerc’ car as his personal braking apparatus and ended his race way too prematurely. If Charles had got through the first corner he may well have won the race. Leclerc, however was keeping up his great form before that notorious moment so doesn’t deserve to be displaced from his spot on this list.

5. Sergio Perez (-+)

Sergio was not on the pace of his teammate all weekend, at some points a second off the pace. He recovered to fourth on the grid and started well, getting past the slow starting Bottas, but I bet Perez wished he hadn’t. Once Bottas had hit Norris, we wasn’t done there. He disengaged from the Brit and went straight into the Mexican who was calmly minding his own business on the outside. This would also end Perez’s race before it had really begun and Red Bulls streak of bad luck continues.

6. Carlos Sainz (-+)

Sainz is probably annoyed he didn’t win in Hungary. He got stuck behind the slower Latifi and Tsunoda in the early stages of the race and lost too much time to the leaders. To compound the issue, he then missed out on the podium celebrations by two laps after getting passed by Hamilton, but he would eventually get the position back once Vettel had been disqualified. Sainz has driven beautiful for Ferrari in his first half season and he should take great confidence into the second half to try and grab even more podiums.

7. Fernando Alonso (+1)

Fernando produced some of the best defending of a position that I have seen in a long time to keep Lewis Hamilton behind for ten laps on newer, softer tyres. Fernando was aggressive but not unreasonable in his positioning of his car into Turns 1, 2 and 4 that helped win his teammate the race. Once Hamilton got past, he was three seconds quicker, showing us the job Fernando was doing. He is looking really comfortable in this Alpine now so we should expect more of the same in F1 2021 part 2 when we return at Spa.

8. Pierre Gasly (-1)

Gasly was obstructed by the crash ahead of him on Lap 1 but did massively out-brake himself on his own so the crash may have just spared his blushes. He had a good recovery drive to beat his teammate to the flag, who was right at the front of the restart queue while Gasly was near the back. The Alpha Tauri does seem to have lost a step compared to their rivals in front but Gasly keeps getting it into the points. He only drops because of Alonso’s eye catching drive.

9. George Russell (-+)

It has finally happened!!! I predicted it would be a great chance for George to get his first Williams points in Hungary and I’m overjoyed I was correct, for his sake. One small downside is that his teammate did beat him to it but as George showed on the radio mid race, he is very much playing the team game, asking the team to prioritise Latifi who was in a much stronger position. If George isn’t announced as a Mercedes driver by Spa, I’ll be surprised.

10. Esteban Ocon (+3)

The biggest jump of this week goes to Ocon, and how can it not after his first F1 victory and one done in style as well. It wasn’t on true merit but once he got the opportunity, Ocon didn’t make any mistakes and kept the seemingly faster Vettel behind him for sixty odd laps. Ocon was bold enough to tell the team to pit him at the restart despite a front row start and with it all to lose by choosing the wrong decision. He made the right one however and it won him the race, that and a quick in-lap while Vettel tried to undercut him at the pit stops. He is the 111th winner of an F1 race which is how many years old Bilbo Baggins was celebrating in the first Lord of the Rings. It’s not relevant or useful but I find it interesting.

11. Sebastian Vettel (-+)

Another podium drive from Sebastian, even though he won’t be credited for it. He will be frustrated as he felt he should have won the Hungarian Grand Prix but couldn’t quite find his way past Ocon. The Aston did look the quicker car. However, it’s another confidence inducing drive from the 4 time World Champion who is really finding his feet in his new team. He kept out of trouble at the start which is what Aston Martin need him to do as his teammate is still susceptible to an accident or two; cough cough, wink, wink.

12. Daniel Ricciardo (-2)

Unfortunate for Daniel in Hungary as he was taken out just when it looked like the seas had parted and he was staring at second place on the road which could have become first when Hamilton and Mercedes messed up the restart. However, he was hit by Stroll and Leclerc which damaged his floor and scuppered his pace. The stat sheet will point to another poor performance by the Aussie but this was just a case of wrong place at the wrong time.

13. Yuki Tsunoda (+1)

Tsunoda benefitted from the carnage on Lap 1 and the restart to get up to fourth for the majority of the race. However, he didn’t quite have the pace to hold onto the bigger places but did get back ahead of Latifi to come home a great sixth place for Alpha Tauri. He is still making too many unnecessary mistakes in practice and Quali but this will give him a nice confidence boost going into the summer break. He needs to get himself up the grid so that he can get in the fight with his teammate and not be stuck in traffic or crashes.

14. Lance Stroll (-1)

Minus one is probably generous for Lance as a rookie error created a clumsy looking crash to take out Leclerc and ruin Ricciardo’s race in Hungary. He got a great start from twelfth but out-broke himself and as a result gets a five place grid penalty in Spa, which is fully deserved. It did help his teammate so I’m sure the team will be fine with that.

15. Kimi Raikkonen (+1)

Kimi made it into the points in Hungary to double his score for the year when he caught and passed Ricciardo towards the end, despite having a penalty for an unsafe release against his name. Very little of him was shown on TV so that’s all I’ve really got for the Iceman. He does seem to be the Alfa Romeo to score points when they are on offer.

16. Valtteri Bottas (-1)

Bottas was the instigator of the carnage on Lap 1 and must take the blame. He simply out broke himself and slid into others. He also gets a five place grid penalty for Spa which could and maybe should have been ten. Not what he needs when his bosses are deciding to hire him or not for next year. Unfortunately for Bottas I think he will be driving in different overalls next year.

17. Nicolas Latifi (+2)

What a result for Latifi and one that may keep him in F1 next year. He was sitting as high as third for a long time on Sunday but the Williams just doesn’t have the pace to keep it. He was able to come home in seventh to collect the most points Williams have scored in a race since 2018. He had a fantastic first lap which won him those points. Fair play Nicolas, fair play.

18. Mick Schumacher (-1)

Mick showed some good race craft and fight in his battle with Verstappen in Hungary but the Haas just didn’t let him properly have a go at it. What we learnt was that there is no way the younger Schumacher is going to get bullied out of positions. His Dad can be proud.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi (-1)

A tough weekend for Gio. His teammate was once again able to pick up points and these crazy races are where Antonio needs to show his metal. It’s about grabbing points and showing yourself, neither of which Giovinazzi did. After two years, I’m still not sure if he’s good enough for F1 and I believe Ferrari don’t know either.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

For the first time this year I actually feel sorry for Mazipin. He was taken out in the pit lane when Alfa Romeo let Kimi Raikonnen go into his path, snapping his front suspension. He did beat his teammate in qualifying for the second time in three races which shows promise and progress. Let’s see if Haas can give the boys a car to show themselves in the second half of the season.

F1 Driver POWER Rankings – Austria Edition

Welcome to the ninth edition of my F1 driver POWER rankings list. I hope you enjoyed my previous edition after the Styrian Grand Prix but if you didn’t get around to reading it and don’t want any spoilers, you can find it here. 

The race around the Red Bull Ring in Austria was better the second time around but the outcome was the same, if not an even more emphatic win for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Behind him there was action all the way down the field to the very last lap which was a pleasant surprise after a rather mundane first attempt. Max was able to stretch his championship lead over Hamilton after Lewis didn’t even make the podium due to floor damage which lost him up to half a tenth a lap with Lando Norris being the happy recipient of that place after a phenomenal drive, a drive good enough for Driver of the Day honours and Hamilton’s praise. The fight for the midfield was as tight as always but spare a thought for George Russell who just missed out on his first points in a Williams after an equally phenomenal effort all weekend from the other young Brit in F1. The future is rather bright for British motorsport I think with those two at the wheel. Austria’s three DRS zones and short lap means drivers can’t really escape their chasers which is what the fans want to see. Maybe more tracks should put an extra DRS zone in, not necessarily in overtaking spots but I think it would help keep drivers together. I can hear the purist in my head objecting but I am going to back the other side of my brain this time.

After Austrian Grand Prix (9 of 23)

1. Max Verstappen (-+)

Just when we thought an Austrian Grand Prix weekend couldn’t go any better for Verstappen, he goes ahead and records Red Bull’s first Grand Slam of the Turbo Hybrid Era – pole, fastest lap, win and leading every lap. He got a good start to fend off fellow front row-er Lando Norris and got away a second time at the safety car restart which effectively ended the action for Max. He won at a canter but I think Austria is truly the Red Bull ring, they have been the dominate team there for four years now. Even better for Max was that Hamilton dropped points, coming home fourth after floor damage, and forfeiting more points in the championship.

2. Lewis Hamilton (-+)

Hamilton and Mercedes looked out of ideas trying to beat Red Bull for the second weekend in succession. He was beaten by a McLaren in qualifying but did get himself back ahead and up to second until floor damage caused him to slow and lose places once again. Another fourteen points dropped in the championship. Mercedes need to bring some improvements or this championship is going to get away from them.

3. Lando Norris (-+)

What Norris did in Austria last weekend was nothing short of outstanding. He qualified on the front row and only missed out on pole at the final corner of his qualifying run. This was McLaren’s first front row start since Hamilton drove for the team and Norris’ performance does bring a young Hamilton to mind. These older-than-their years, consistent, mistake free performances and obvious blistering speed make me so excited for the future and I can’t wait to see what he does next. His driving on Sunday was exemplary, being able to keep up with both Mercedes and capitalising on Hamilton’s damage to take the podium. A really harsh penalty for ‘forcing another driver off the track’ forfeited five seconds and arguably cost him second as Bottas was only really able to get by in the pits because of the penalty. It felt like Norris had him covered. Bring on Silverstone and hopefully another chance at a podium.

4. Sergio Perez (-+)

Sergio was his own worst enemy on Sunday. He stuck his car into a closing wedge around the outside of Norris at Turn 4, went wide onto the gravel and lost six spots. He subsequently complained about it on the radio so Norris got a penalty but then he, Perez, pushed Leclerc twice off the track and received two 5-second penalties of his own. Ironically, Christian Horner didn’t see much wrong with Norris’ move and admitted that mid-race. However, as the stewards gave the first penalty, they were resigned to giving the next two. Happily for Perez, he was quick enough over the last ten laps after getting past Ricciardo to only lose one spot to the fast-ending Sainz and finish sixth, but a bit of a messy Sunday after being up in third after Qualifying.

5. Charles Leclerc (+1)

It is so close between Leclerc and the gentlemen below him on this list, I go back and forth in my head but I think Leclerc takes it this time. Neither Ferrari got into Q3 on Saturday trying to get through on the mediums but it gave them tyre choice which paid off on Sunday. Charles was able to get up to eighth from twelfth but was frustrated by Perez and then Ricciardo as it felt he could have got as high as his teammate, there was some pace left on the road for the Monegasque.

6. Pierre Gasly (-1)

Gasly qualified fantastically, once again, for sixth on the grid, but didn’t have the pace on Sunday and fell back to ninth by the flag. Both Alpha Tauri’s looked hard on their tyres in Austria which must have contributed to a tough afternoon. Still more points for Gasly though, he is a scoring machine at the moment.

7. Carlos Sainz (-+)

Sainz benefitted most from the Ferrari strategy of forfeiting Q3 for Sunday’s benefit. He started on the hard tyre and went really long, pitting on Lap 48 and capitalising on his tyre advantage to rise to fifth by the flag. His pace on the hards got better and better which was the key for his large overcut as he was able to stay in touch with the front running midfield cars and pick them off towards the end.

8. Fernando Alonso (+1)

Alonso should have been in Q3 and potentially could have rivalled Gasly’s best-of-the-rest slot but was massively blocked by Vettel at the final corner with the unfortunate German being last in a long F1 snake preparing their tyres for one last lap. Alonso showed his pace to move up in the race and snatch the final championship point from poor George Russell.

9. George Russell (+2)

I don’t know if I should rejoice or cry for George Russell after his two week stint in Austria. The second time round was better but even crueler than the first. Russell got that Williams into Q3 on the mediums to set himself up beautifully to score his first points for Williams. However, he was caught and passed by Alonso with two laps to go after running in the points for most of the race. It must be coming for Russell, he is driving so well but it feels like he is the horse trying to catch the carrot at the end of the stick, so close, yet so far.

10. Sebastian Vettel (-2)

Vettel was given a 3-place penalty for said blocking (see above) in Q2 and lined up eleventh without a free choice of tyre as he did get through to the final part of qualifying. Pitting early meant he got stuck in some traffic which cost him time and just as he was catching the back end of the points, he was driven into my Raikkonen on the last lap in a very strange incident. The pace is showing in this Aston Martin but it was a clumsy weekend all round for the team.

11. Daniel Ricciardo (+1)

His qualifying pace still leaves lots to be desired but Ricciardo looked more racy on Sunday for the third race in a row. It is small increments but the arrow is pointing up at the moment. He could have finished as high as fifth but had to settle for seventh, which is great progress from thirteenth. He needs to keep that arrow trending upwards and the Aussie is even resorting to sim racing in between races to help his progression, following the footsteps of his younger teammate.

12. Lance Stroll (-2)

Lance got his Aston into Q3, qualified ninth but fell back in the race and ended up thirteenth. A bit of a quiet afternoon for Stroll after a points scoring finish the first time around and mainly drops because of good progress from those around him.

13. Esteban Ocon (-+)

Ocon was sandwiched up at Turn 3 between an Alfa Romeo and a Haas and broke his front right suspension to end his race. His bad qualifying performance, starting seventeenth, put him at the back where drivers are always at risk of tangling. It was a tough triple header for Ocon with no points scored so he is hoping for better fortune at Silverstone, a track he has never failed to score points at.

14. Valtteri Bottas (+1)

History will show that Valtteri beat his teammate to finish second in Austria but he got a bit lucky to even get on the podium. He was behind Norris and Hamilton before they got penalties or issues that helped Bottas get ahead. He wont mind though as his pace was close to his teammate all weekend and it must be nice to have a good result for once.

15. Yuki Tsunoda (-+)

This was a much better weekend for Yuki, even though he faded in the race. He got into Q3, qualifying a great seventh but like his teammate, he did not have the pace to stay there and eventually dropped out of the points. He clearly has the pace but its all about consistency and that is what is stopping him get higher on this list. Like Ricciardo a couple of weeks ago, I need to see a couple of good races in a row for Yuki to move up and threaten the top ten.

16. Kimi Raikkonen (-+)

A bizarre incident with Sebastian Vettel was the most we saw of Kimi in Austria part two but he had a solid race to make up for a poor qualifying. It seems a theme this year of Kimi recovering from a poor grid slot.

17. Antonio Giovinazzi (-+)

I am ashamed to say I did not really notice Antonio in Austria. He started fifteenth and finished fourteenth which is all I have got to say. He needs to get himself noticed.

18. Mick Schumacher (-+)

Another weekend for Mick took care of his teammate but the Haas is still quite a way off any other car so its really hard to say anything else than that. Mick will have to be patient for his time to come in F1.

19. Nicolas Latifi (-+)

A better race for Latifi who was actually in the mix and came home fifteenth but was still really last apart from the Haas’ and the last lap crashees.

20. Nikita Mazipin (-+)

Was announced this week that both Haas drivers are more than likely going to keep their drives for next year which isn’t wholly surprising with the amount of money they are bringing. Gives Mazipin more time to show himself. Got nothing really to say about his on track performance at the moment.