Where do the drivers stand after the Netherlands Grand Prix? Welcome to the second installation of the LWOS Motorsports F1 Power Rankings.
The race on Sunday was another exciting one, with two consequential retirements and Max Verstappen winning his home Grand Prix for the second year in a row. Hamilton and Mercedes looked like they might be able to challenge Red Bull on Sunday, but ultimately the pace of Verstappen on fresh tires was just too much. Verstappen continued his dominance and is now running away with the Driver’s Championship. There is a fight for second in both championships though between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari and Mercedes. On to this week’s F1 Power Rankings.
How are the Rankings calculated?
If you missed the first edition, here is a quick reminder on how the rankings are compiled:
- We started the series off with every driver’s points entering ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. In the first edition, half of the initial score was calibrated with the Drivers’ Championship standings, since we are jumping in mid-season.
- This week we calculated each driver’s weekend performance based on:
- Qualifying results compared to their starting position in the standings.
- Places gained or lost during the race.
- Any change of position in the Championship standings.
- The points scored in the current Grand Prix
- With any ties determined by the race result
As the season progresses weekly results will hold a bigger factor compared to the initial positioning based on the point standings.
LWOS Power Rankings
1. Max Verstappen (No Change)
Max continued his dominance on Sunday and was simply too fast for the competition. Much of the race seemed out of the 2021 season, with Verstappen and Red Bull chasing down Hamilton and Mercedes. After the Safety Car restart, it was all Verstappen to the checkered flag where he won his 4th consecutive race of the season.
2. Charles Leclerc (+1)
Sunday was a decent race for Leclerc but by no means enough to win a Championship. Starting the race from the front row, Charles struggled with his tires and pitted earlier than expected. Though he finished third on the podium, the Ferrari just didn’t have the pace to keep up with the leaders.
3. Sergio Perez (-1)
Perez looked like he might have been in a different car altogether than his teammate on Sunday. He had the pace to keep up with the rest of the field but was not able to secure the Red Bull Double Podium. Perez finished P5, almost 20 seconds off the lead, and nearly passed by Fernando Alonso.
4. George Russell (+1)
Russell raced extremely well on Sunday. Starting from the P6 position, and finishing on the podium in the second. This perhaps is due to pitting under the Safety Car for the soft tire. This allowed him to pass his teammate, Hamilton after the restart.
5. Carlos Sainz (-1)
Poor Carlos. His day started off strong and was the first Ferrari to pit, but that’s about all that went well for him. His pit stop lasted far too long and was “a mess” according to Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. The mechanics didn’t bring the rear left around in time and he was stuck there costing him valuable track position. Later he pitted again during the Safety Car, had an unsafe release, and was given a 5-second time penalty that dropped him from P5 to P8. Sainz for sure will be hoping for a much better race at Monza next week.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗢 🧡#DutchGP pic.twitter.com/AIgNWMeLrf
— Dutch Grand Prix (@f1dutchgp) September 4, 2022
6. Lewis Hamilton (No Change)
Hamilton looked like the 7 times World Champion on Sunday. Starting P4 and leading for a good portion of the race. It was said on the SkySports broadcast it was the longest he has led a race since Abu Dhabi last season. Unfortunately for Hamilton, this race had a similar result, getting passed by Verstappen coming out of a Safety Car, after being stranded on older tires. All in all, it was a good race for Hamilton, but it was clear from his radio messages, he knew it was a missed opportunity.
7. Esteban Ocon (No Change)
Ocon didn’t seem to have the pace as his teammate on Sunday. He managed to finish in the points, at P9 but will be looking to get back ahead of Alonso and Norris at Monza.
8. Lando Norris (No Change)
Lando raced well and is continuing to show why he deserves the McLaren first seat. It will be exciting to see what he can do if he gets a car that can challenge the top three teams.
9. Fernando Alonso (No Change)
Alonso had a great race again and gained seven places over the course of the race. He is now just seven points behind his teammate Ocon in the Driver’s Championship and helped get Alpine to the “Best of the Rest”, P4 in the Constructor’s Championship.
10. Alex Albon (+1)
After coming off one of his best races with Williams, Albon was unable to continue the hot streak. He finished P12 just outside of the points.
Stroll drops into the bottom half, but is very close to Alex Albon, both of whom are outperforming their cars currently. A bad day for Yuki Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel, and Valtteri Bottas sees them slip down the order.
11. Lance Stroll (-1)
12. Pierre Gasly (+2)
13. Zhou Guanyu (-1)
14. Sebastian Vettel (-4)
15. Mick Schumacher (No Change)
16. Yuki Tsunoda (-3)
17. Daniel Ricciardo (+1)
18. Nicholas Latifi (+2)
19. Valtteri Bottas (-3)
20. Kevin Magnussen (-1)
Let us know your thoughts! Join the community below and tell us your F1 Power Rankings!
READ NEXT: F1 TV Ratings: Belgian Grand Prix sets new US Record
