Where do the drivers stack up after an exciting Italian Grand Prix in Monza? This is the third edition of LWOS Motorsports F1 Power Rankings.
Sunday’s race was both exciting and dramatic. Max Verstappen is now one step closer to taking home the Drivers’ Championship for 2022. After winning again in Monza, he has a chance to take claim the title in Singapore. And his fellow Dutchman, Nyck de Vries made his Formula 1 debut filling in for Williams‘ driver Alex Albon, who had to have an emergency appendicitis surgery just before the Qualifying on Saturday.
Ferrari also had a lot of pace this weekend and finished with a solid 2nd & 4th in front of their home crowd. The Italian team celebrated their 75th anniversary over the weekend and had a special livery and suits to mark the occasion. While the top of the championship is all but wrapped up, the rest of the order is still up for grabs, and will likely be an exciting end to the season. Now on to the F1 Power Rankings and how Monza impacted each driver’s position.
How are the F1 Power Rankings decided?
If you missed the first two editions, 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 more significant factor compared to the initial positioning based on the point standings.
The Rankings
1. Max Verstappen (No Change)
Max continued his dominance despite taking a grid penalty after qualifying and had ground to cover to win this race. Remarkably, or perhaps unremarkable at this point, he did it once again. He truly is the best driver in the best car this year and continues to prove that week after week. The Red Bull looked slower than Ferrari all weekend in a single lap but continues to distance itself during the race. The question no longer is whether will Max wins the championship, it is how much will he win it by.
2. Charles Leclerc (No Change)
Charles got his 8th pole position of the season, in front of the home crowd. Leclerc is the first Ferrari driver to do that since Michael Schumacher. Anytime a driver is mentioned in the same breath as Michael, it is always a great compliment. The Ferrari had a lot of pace this weekend, and Charles took full advantage of it, but the decision to pit under an early Virtual Safety Car allowed Max to take the lead and he never gave it back. It was a weekend without tremendous error from the team, a chance for Leclerc to remind everyone how talented he is.
3. Sergio Perez (+1)
Perez was not as quick as his teammate and also took a grid penalty, but fought his way through the field and ended up finishing P6. Perez allowed Leclerc to pull away slightly for second place in the Drivers’ Championship. Though it is still a close fight and is something to watch for the rest of the season.
4. Carlos Sainz (Tied)
Carlos also took a grid penalty, starting from P18 though he qualified P3. Over the course of the race, he moved up 14 places and finished P4. And with that many places gained, he was able to move up a spot in our Power Rankings. Ferrari and Carlos will certainly be looking to continue this improvement as they move forward to Singapore in a couple of weeks.
4. George Russell (Tied)
George Russell continues to perform like Mercedes wanted him to. Finishing the race on the Podium in P3. This has helped keep Mercedes in the fight with Ferrari for second place in the Constructor Championship. Russell’s drop here has more to do with Sainz’s strong day at Monza and less about any negatives on his side.
This podium! 😍🇮🇹
Thank you #Tifosi!#essereFerrari 🟡 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/3n7LzCIYeU
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 11, 2022
6. Lewis Hamilton (No Change)
Hamilton like so many others took an engine penalty and had to start 19th. He finished Free Practice 3 in 10th place, 1.315 seconds off the pace that Verstappen set in practice, leaving doubt how well that car could make its way through the pack. After a slow start, he worked his way through the order finishing P5.
7. Lando Norris (+2)
Norris and McLaren were racing well this weekend and looked like they were set up perfectly for double points finish until Riccardo had to retire late in the race. Lando’s points finish was enough to propel him above Ocon in the Power Rankings.
8. Esteban Ocon (-1)
Esteban Ocon also took a penalty and started in 14th place in Sunday’s race. He finished just out of the points in P11, dropping him one spot in this week’s Power Rankings.
9. Fernando Alonso (-1)
Fernando Alonso had a weekend to forget in Monza. He struggled with pace most of the weekend and was one of four cars to retire in Sunday’s race. He sits adrift of Ocon but still has a decent gap ahead of 10th in our rankings.
10. Pierre Gasly (+1)
Pierre Gasly was looking for a strong weekend at the track where he won his only career race win. Whether it was his qualifying result of P9, or something else. He had one of his best weekends of the season in Monza. He ended up finishing P8 and managed to score 4 points and moving into the top ten in the Power Rankings.
11. Alex Albon (+1)
12. Yuki Tsunoda (+4)
13. Zhou Guanyu (+2)
14. Valtteri Bottas (+6)
14. Mick Schumacher (-1)
16. Lance Stroll (-6)
17. Kevin Magnussen (+1)
18. Nicolas Latifi (+1)
18. Daniel Ricciardo (-1)
20. Sebastian Vettel (-6)
Leave us your thoughts on the F1 Power Rankings in the comments below.
