After every race, we rank all 20 drivers and now that we well into the season, it is time to look back at who is performing best so far.
With a score handed out from 0 to 10, our rankings are a popular regular feature on the site but it also allows us to see the patterns across the season as a whole. Here, then, are the power rankings based on each driver’s average rating across the races so far.
Power rankings for the F1 2025 season
1. Oscar Piastri – 8.8
A perfect race in Bahrain saw Piastri rise to the top of these rankings, the first time this season he has held the number one spot.
The only man with more than one win this year, the small blemish on his record came at his home race when a touch on a wet surface sent him spilling out of the top order.
Away from that, Piastri has been in excellent form and his victory in Bahrain was the most dominant of his career so far. He then followed it up with another victory, this time in Saudi Arabia.
2. Max Verstappen – 8.6
Certainly not the start he made last year but Max Verstappen’s troubles are mostly to do with the car rather than anything he’s done.
To his credit, he has pulled the RB21 up the order, securing a podium in Melbourne and then a first win in Japan, sending him to the top of these rankings but a troubling race in Bahrain sees him slip behind Piastri.
=3. George Russell – 8.2
One of the surprises of the season so far is George Russell’s consistently high placing, scoring podiums and Bahrain was arguably the best of the lot.
A real test of keeping tyres alive, Russell’s ability to not cook his softs allowed him to fend off Norris late on and secure a deserved P2.
=3. (+1) Lando Norris – 8.2
Having led the championship, momentum has swung away from Lando Norris who has suffered a couple of difficult races.
In Bahrain, he qualified low and then overshot his pit box before a crash in Jeddah saw him start ninth. All the while, team-mate Piastri was winning races.
Still, winner in Melbourne and then second in China and Japan, the McLaren man has made a promising start to the year and the pace of the car suggests that will long continue.
5. (+2) Charles Leclerc – 8.1
Charles Leclerc produced his performance of the season to reach the podium in Saudi Arabia, the first time a Ferrari can has done all year.
It is clear the Ferrari is a step off the other top three but Leclerc at least can drag it higher than it perhaps deserve to be.
6. (-1) Kimi Antonelli – 7.9
The young Italian has been the best rookie on the grid so far with an impressive debut in the wet of Melbourne and then another solid drive in China and Japan.
He remains a step behind Russell but given his age and the experience difference, that is to be expected at this point.
7 (+1). Alex Albon – 7.70
A trio of great races for Alex Albon so far where he has scored 18 points but then his form hit a road bump in Bahrain.
A Q1 exit in quali, which as it later turned out was not fair, made life hard and he could not crack the top 10 in the race itself. Still, he bounced back with more points in Saudi Arabia.
Many thought Sainz would have had the beating of his new team-mate but Albon is showing that is not the case so far.
8. (-1) Oliver Bearman – 7.6
It’s been a great start to life in F1 for Oliver Bearman who is continuing the performances of his sub appearances last year.
His highlight came in China where he adopted his own catchphrase of ‘ciao’ as he passed a number of his rivals. Bahrain was a tougher race with him qualifying last but he recovered to end the Sunday in the points.
9. Pierre Gasly – 7
Pierre Gasly’s best race of the year so far came in Bahrain with a P4 in quali followed by a P7 in the race, scoring the Frenchman his first points of the season.
The 29-year-old then suffered a lap one crash in Saudi but he was not to blame.
10. (+1) Isack Hadjar – 6.8
After a spin before his first race, Hadjar bounced back with an impressive performance in China, in particular in quali.
He followed that up with another great drive in Japan, earning the first points of his Formula 1 career but Bahrain was an all the more difficult affair. The Frenchman returned to the points in Jeddah.
11. (-1) Esteban Ocon – 6.6
A difficult first race for Haas became a great second one with Esteban Ocon finishing fifth in China following the DQs.
He then suffered a crash in Bahrain quali but an excellent recovery drive got him to eighth in the race.
=12. Yuki Tsunoda – 6.4
Yuki Tsunoda had a great couple of opening races but his personal performance slipped down once he was in the Red Bull.
It was not as bad Lawson’s attempt but Tsunoda’s Japanese Grand Prix again proves the RB21 has a steep learning curve.
He did manage his first points for the team in Bahrain, coming home ninth under the lights before a lap one crash in Jeddah.
=12. Lewis Hamilton – 6.4
A brief sign of life for Lewis Hamilton who had his best race of the year so far in Bahrain.
His best stint came just after the first round of tyre changes as he picked off members of the top 10 and perhaps this is the spark he needed to kick on.
Saudi Arabia though was another disappointing one.
14. (-2) Nico Hulkenberg – 6.38
Nico Hulkenberg’s P7 in Melbourne proved a lot of pessimistic pre-season predictions wrong and although the Sauber will struggle to consistently challenge for points, as seen in China and Japan, the skill of the German means that when it is quick, he will make the most of it.
Unfortunately for him, those days seem few and far between at the moment and a disqualification for excessive plank wear in Bahrain is not what he would have wanted.
15. Fernando Alonso – 6.1
After a slow start, Alonso recorded his joint-best result of the season in Saudi Arabia but has still not been able to crack the top 10.
16. (+2) Carlos Sainz – 5.9
Having struggled to hit the ground running at his new team, Carlos Sainz put in a good showing in Saudi Arabia.
His pace, and team work, allowed Williams to score double points in Jeddah.
17. Liam Lawson – 5.7
Not quite the catastrophic start that it has been made out to be but still a rough one for Liam Lawson.
He was unable to get the Red Bull car in the right window, a skill that only Verstappen seems to possess, but looked a little more at it back at Racing Bulls.
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18. (-3) Lance Stroll – 5.5
Lance Stroll had two good opening races but produced one of the poorest drives of the year so far in Japan.
He qualified last, blaming a gust of wind, but should have done more in the race.
In Bahrain, he qualified 19th and could only rise to 17th while in Saudi Arabia, he again exited in Q1.
=19. Gabriel Bortoleto – 5
Gabriel Bortoleto is being given a lot of leeway given the Sauber’s underwhelming performance but he has done little so far this campaign.
A best finish of 14th shows how slow his start in F1 has been.
=19. Jack Doohan – 5
Jack Doohan is driving like a man whose seat is under pressure, simply because it is.
In Australia, that translated to a crash while in China he picked up a 10-second penalty for pushing Isack Hadjar off course.
In Japan, he suffered a heavy FP2 crash before finishing 15th in the race.
Bahrain at least saw some improvement with P11 in quali but he slipped to 14th in the race.