Power Rankings: How does it work?
After each Grand Prix, our five-judge panel evaluates each driver and assigns a score out of ten based on their overall performance over the weekend, excluding the impact of the machinery. The scores of our experts are then averaged to give a race score, which is subsequently totaled across the season on our Power Rankings Leaderboard.
Power Rankings: Driver standings
Max Verstappen: Power Rankings 1
Max Verstappen secured Red Bull’s 75th Formula One pole position in a tense qualifying session that saw five red lights, then went on to win the Grand Prix and set the fastest lap. That pretty much sums it up — another perfect ten for the defending champion, who has clawed his way back into the title race.
Also Read: Max Verstappen takes pole position at F1 Imola
Lando Norris: Power Rankings 2
Lando Norris certainly like Italy, as evidenced by his second podium at Imola and third overall in the country on Sunday. He qualified third on Friday, dropped to a respectable P5 in the Sprint, and then clawed his way back to third in the wet-dry Grand Prix when others faltered.
George Russel: Power Rankings 3
This weekend, George Russell wrung every ounce of performance from his Mercedes W13. On Friday, he was 11th and finished there in the Sprint on Saturday, but on Sunday, he jumped to sixth at the start of the Grand Prix and finished fourth. The fact that Mercedes didn’t alter his front wing to account for the dry conditions in the pits, forcing Russell to wrestle his vehicle on medium tyres, adds to the impressiveness of the result.
Valtteri Bottas: Power Rankings 3
Valtteri Bottas left Imola with a proper Power Rankings score and a smile on his face, a technical issue prohibiting him from qualifying better than P8 on Friday. The Finnish star fought with the likes of Fernando Alonso for P7 on Saturday and then shrugged off early damage (from the Carlos Sainz-Daniel Ricciardo tangle) and a slow pit stop to finish in the fifth position – just 0.6s off Mercedes’ George Russell – on Sunday.
Sergio Perez: Power Rankings 5
Sergio Perez added to his tally of podiums by qualifying seventh and finishing third in the Sprint. On Sunday, he averted disaster by shooting to second place at the start and then holding off Charles Leclerc – who finally spun in pursuit of the Mexican – to complete a Red Bull one-two.
Yuki Tsunoda: Power Rankings 5
Yuki Tsunoda has another points finish, this time on a very difficult home weekend for AlphaTauri. Tsunoda qualified 16th, ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly, and gained five spots in the Sprint and another five on Sunday, resulting in a final position of P7.
Alex Albon: Power Rankings 7
Alex Albon qualified last on Friday due to a fiery brake issue, but he moved up two places in the Sprint and then put on a show on Sunday, fighting off Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly for P11 (promoted a place by Esteban Ocon’s penalty), despite being caught in Ocon’s dirty air for much of the slick-tyred stint.
Kevin Magnussen: Power Rankings 8
Kevin Magnussen put in another strong performance for Haas on Friday, qualifying fourth, but he had little chance in the Sprint against Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Lando Norris. Despite this, the Dane took P8 on Saturday (one point more) and started Sunday’s Grand Prix in P5, moving up to P5 after Lap 1. When the track dried out, he couldn’t keep up with the leaders and finished ninth.
Sebastian Vettel: Power Rankings 9
Sebastian Vettel qualified his Aston Martin in Q3 after only two races, but graining tyres dropped him to P13 in the Sprint. Unfazed, he jumped to P9 at the start of the Grand Prix and stayed there for the majority of the race, before falling to P8 at the finish to give the team its first points of the season.
Lance Stroll: Power Rankings 10
Apart from Red Bull, Aston Martin was the only team to gain points with both drivers at Imola, with Lance Stroll taking P10 in support of his teammate. Stroll jumped from P15 to P11 at the start and quickly moved into the top ten, finishing far ahead of Albon on the road, which was precisely what his team wanted.
Missing out of Power Rankings
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the only driver to finish outside the top ten, despite putting up strong performances in qualifying and the Sprint – and then losing out late in the Grand Prix to finish P6.
