As the F1 grid winds its way around turn 3 (week 3), we arrive at turn 4 (week 4) and the first Miami Grand Prix, which is slated to be a star-studded affair. This years grid is a lot closer, and a lot different, than last years. Some drivers are climbing, some are falling, some are winning in dramatic fashion, some losing in dramatic fashion. We are seeing new faces fight for wins and world championships. But how do the drivers stack up against each other?
1. Charles LeClerc
Call it bias, call it form, but whatever you call it it’s difficult to not rank LeClerc at the top of this list. We did however go back and fourth between LeClerc and Verstappen, but if it wasn’t for a heat of moment mistake last week at Imola LeClerc would have been on the podium for 4 out of 4 races, can’t argue with that.
1A. Max Verstappen
The reason Verstappen is 1A and not 2 is because it is so difficult to differentiate between these top 2 drivers at the moment. As we did for LeClerc you could make the same argument for Verstappen, if it wasn’t for reliability issues he too could have been 4/4 on podiums so far. This weekend will be majorly important for both drivers and we are all for it!
3. George Russell
We know it sounds strange to say a driver in a Mercedes is underrated but that’s where Russell is. He has been excelling in his new seat. Consistently scoring top 5 finishes and beating out his 7-time world champion teammate along the way. What makes Russell’s performances so much more compelling is how much Hamilton is struggling. Russell is getting everything out of the car he possibly can.
4. Sergio Perez
Checo is everything you want in a driver, consistent, poised, aggressive when he needs to be, smart when he needs to be, and ultimately probably the least selfish driver on the grid. He will do whatever it takes to win even it means sacrificing his own race to benefit his team. Wherever Verstappen is, Perez is not far behind.
5. Carlos Sainz
This pick feels like it might be more bias based than performance based, even for us. Sainz has had some rotten luck as of late. He is the only driver to not finish the last 2 races. We know Sainz still has the ability, the car and the pace to be fighting for podiums but something needs to give. Perhaps it’s the pressure of driving for a team with the history of Ferrari, or perhaps it’s being teammates with LeClerc, either way Miami is a huge race for Sainz and Ferrari.
6. Lando Norris
We love Lando, everyone does, and even though the season didn’t start the way he might have wanted, both he and McLaren have seemingly righted the ship. Coming off their best performance of the season in Imola, a track that has been kind to Lando in recent years, where he snatched a podium after the LeClerc spin.
7. Valterri Bottas
Has anyone told Bottas he isn’t in a Mercedes anymore? The shift he has put in to start the season is remarkable, he has finished top 10 in 3 of the 4 races in a car that last year, looked like an F2 car in disguise. Can he keep up this pace though? Only time will tell.
8. Kevin Magnussen
K-Mag has returned, Magnussen has surprised everyone, and probably team principal Guenther Steiner the most. Since his return Magnussen has 3 top 10 finishes. 3! This, in a car that scored a total of 0 points last year, and he himself scored 1 the year before. Yes we know we can’t say the ‘same’ car but it’s still extremely impressive to see what he has done so far.
9. Lewis Hamilton
This feels wrong. There is no way Lewis Hamilton should be so low down on this list, yet here we are. Hamilton has really struggled in the Mercedes this year. He does not have the pace of his teammate and found himself battling Pierre Gasly for 12th last week. Lewis has nothing to prove to anyone though, he is already the most decorated F1 driver ever, alongside fellow legend Michael Schumacher (both have 7 world championships to their names), but you know he has a lot to prove to himself, he is going to keep pushing and fighting and hopefully we see him higher up the list again.
10. Estaban Ocon
Ocon has been sneakily good this year, finishing 7th, 6th, 7th and 14th in the first four races respectively. You could make the argument he should be higher than the 2 drivers above him but when you take into consideration the car Magnussen is in and the driver of the Mercedes, it is difficult to justify. He has been extremely consistent and could be set for a great year in Alpine alongside Alonso.
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