Max Verstappen reigned again (F1.com)
The Formula 1 season is still alive and kicking, as evidenced by the monumental power shift caused by the results of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's victory coupled with a devastating engine failure for Ferrari driver thrust Verstappen into the lead of the World Driver's Championship for the first time this year. Just a couple of weeks ago, the gap between Verstappen and Leclerc was over 40 points. But F1 can be cruel at times and now it's being cruel to the Monegasque.
Either way, it was a surprisingly action-packed Spanish Grand Prix this year, which means there is a lot to talk about in the power rankings. Verstappen stood atop the podium; does he warrant first place in the power rankings though?
As usual, I added all the drivers' scores together to find the top 10 drivers for this particular race and on a season-long basis.
If you've forgotten, we take machinery entirely out of the equation and simply judge the drivers based on how well they did with the equipment they possessed.
Let's begin!
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Race Position: DNF
Score: 9.4
This could have been perfection for the Monegasque driver. Alas, it wasn't meant to be for Leclerc, as an engine failure forced Leclerc back into his garage. However, that shouldn't take away from Leclerc's weekend as a whole.
His qualifying lap was absolutely superb. Nobody was anywhere near his level and his final Q3 lap was a whopping 2.5 tenths clear of his rival, Max Verstappen.
The race was looking to be just as perfect. Verstappen simply couldn't challenge or get within the DRS range and after the Red Bull ace made a mistake into Turn 4, it looked like a certain victory for Leclerc. Unfortunately for him, his splendid weekend was ruined and he is now 6 points behind Verstappen in the championship fight.
2. George Russell, Mercedes
Race Position: 3rd
Score: 9.0
Though Mercedes haven't been their typically titanic selves in 2022, George Russell continues to do a stellar job. He picked up his second career podium in F1 (if you count Spa-Francorchamps in 2021, that is).
His P4 in qualifying was impressive, but Mercedes' one-lap pace was evident. All eyes were on whether Russell could keep it up on Sunday.
The British driver did all that and more. Leclerc's retirement gave Russell a chance to lead a Grand Prix. Under intense pressure from the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, Russell put up a staunch defense that frustrated Verstappen. Though Russell wound up losing the lead to the Dutchman, he'll nevertheless be pleased with his second podium with Mercedes.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Hamilton had a wonderful Sunday (F1.com)
Race Position: 5th
Score: 8.9
I'm far from a longtime fan of F1. But though I haven't seen peak Hamilton, it has still seemed odd to see the usually flawless Hamilton struggling with his car. His mentality and racing ability seem to have fallen off a cliff. It looked like Hamilton was set for yet another nightmare in the race after early contact with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
The man who is known for never giving up wanted to retire the car to "save the engine" after a collision with Dane left Hamilton in P19. But in a performance that was very reminiscent of the Hamilton we constantly saw in 2021, the 7-time world champion battled back and looked set for a P4 finish. Unfortunately, a cooling problem forced him behind Carlos Sainz at the flag, but fifth place will be celebrated by Hamilton.
T4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Race Position: 1st
Score: 8.4
Max Verstappen's maturity has been quite impressive this season. Typically known as a childish and overly aggressive figure by many people on the paddock, the Verstappen of 2022 seems to be a new man.
Despite dealing with a nagging issue with his DRS and a strange gust of wind that caught him out at Turn 4, Verstappen got his head down and came home in first place.
Sure, he may have been a bit lucky to take home P1, especially considering Leclerc's early dominance. But Verstappen has now won every race that he has finished and that can't be a coincidence. He now looks to be in the mix for a second consecutive driver's championship.
T4. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
Race Position: 6th
Score: 8.4
Valtteri Bottas continues to extract maximum performance out of his Alfa Romeo. The Finn was expected to drop off after a stunning start to the season, but this seems to be his true level. The C42 is undoubtedly a good car, but it has no business being anywhere near the top 5. Bottas was fighting George Russell at times in the Grand Prix, but Alfa Romeo's strategy doomed him to P6.
Nevertheless, the midfield looks like it's Bottas' to command. His one-lap pace gives him a chance to fight against the fastest drivers on the grid, which seems to spur him on. Bottas has an argument for driver of the season so far.
6. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Race Position: 2nd
Score: 8.1
I'm in the camp that Max Verstappen would have won the Grand Prix, even if Red Bull didn't enact team orders to switch the cars around. Nevertheless, it's possible that Perez could have won the race. "Checo" was obviously a bit peeved about the arrangement, but it's a testament to his improvement this year that Perez is disappointed with second place. Sneakily, he's on the outskirts of the championship battle.
If "Checo" can find some form over the next couple of races, he can prove to Christian Horner and Red Bull that maybe he should have a bit more say in these types of situations.
7. Lando Norris, McLaren
Norris picked up P8, despite a tonsillitis diagnosis (F1.com)
Race Position: 8th
Score: 8.0
It may seem odd that Lando Norris has a significantly higher grade than the next man on this list, Esteban Ocon. After all, they both executed the same strategy to hang onto the points finishes. But it's worth noting that Norris was quite ill. In his position, I would have been lying in bed with a warm bowl of chicken soup, not driving an impressive race in a Formula 1 car.
Lando got a bit unlucky with track limits in Q2, leading to him being outqualified by Daniel Ricciardo for the first time this season. Nevertheless, Norris' pace was significantly better than his teammate's on Sunday.
8. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Race Position: 7th
Score: 7.6
Esteban Ocon is quickly building a reputation as somebody who just gets the job done. Ocon made it into Q2, unlike his teammate, Alonso. The race also went very well for the Frenchman. He took advantage of errors from some of the drivers ahead and he used his superior pace to rocket into P6. Lewis Hamilton forced Ocon back into P7, but he still led the Alpine team to a double points finish.
Ocon's consistency has been remarkable this year. He finds himself in P9 in the championship, which I can't exactly say I was expecting at the start of the year.
9. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Race Position: 9th
Score: 7.5
Alonso said that his P9 finish "felt like a victory." That sounds sad, since the 2-time world champion's standards should be significantly higher than that. Nevertheless, a disappointing qualifying gave Alpine a chance to fit a new power unit in Alonso's car. This forced him into P20 at the grid from the start. In front of his adoring home crowd, points seemed unlikely.
But in a typically swashbuckling performance, the Spaniard executed a three-stop strategy really well. It helped him pick up two points to double his 2022 points total.
10. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
Yuki continues to outperform his experienced teammate, Gasly (F1.com)
Race Position: 10th
Score: 7.0
Yuki Tsunoda is having an impressive season, holding off former race winner Pierre Gasly in the standings. Yet again, the Japanese youngster looked to be the quicker AlphaTauri during the race and in qualifying.
Points seemed to be in Tsunoda's grasp and he used his fresher tires to his advantage. The performance only rewarded Tsunoda with 1 point, but in a close fight with Haas for 7th in the championship, the Faenza squad will take anything they can get.
JUST MISSED OUT
This could have been a much better weekend for Carlos Sainz. On paper, fourth place is a decent day at the office for the Ferrari driver, especially considering his difficulties at getting up to pace with the new 2022 cars. But the Spaniard once again made it difficult upon himself. He had some issues with anti-stall off the line that caused him to lose a couple positions. He lost the rear yet again and ended up in the gravel. This mishap likely cost Sainz a home podium at the very least, as he had enough pace towards the end to challenge the leading Red Bull duo.
Aston Martin brought a much-upgraded AMR22 to the Circuit de Catalunya, but it proved fruitless for Sebastian Vettel. Though Aston Martin's strategy had Vettel running as high as sixth, his car didn't have enough pace for a points finish. But Vettel acknowledged that P11 was a respectable result, considering the lacklustre race pace of his vehicle.
THE OVERALL STANDINGS
The Spanish GP didn't disappoint (F1. com)
Ironically, during the weekend in which Max Verstappen stole the lead of the Drivers' Championship, Leclerc took back the top spot of the Sincere Sports power rankings. You decide which achievement is more prolific.
Further down the order of the overall standings, George Russell and Sergio Perez swapped places. Lewis Hamilton had the biggest jump of anybody after his best race of the season, going from 10th in the overall power rankings to 7th, directly behind fellow Briton Lando Norris. There's a three-way tie for 9th, as Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso are each locked on 7.1 scores for the seasonal average.
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Season Average: 9.0
Last GP: 2nd
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Season Average: 8.9
Last GP: 1st
3. George Russell, Mercedes
Season Average: 8.2
Last GP: 4th
4. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Season Average: 8.1
Last GP: 3rd
5. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
Season Average: 7.9
Last GP: 5th
6. Lando Norris, McLaren
Season Average: 7.6
Last GP: 6th
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: 10th
8. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Season Average: 7.2
Last GP: NR
T9. Alex Albon, Williams
Season Average: 7.1
Last GP: 6th
T9. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Season Average: 7.1
Last GP: 9th
T9. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Season Average: 7.1
Last GP: NR
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