F1 2021 Driver Power Rankings Round 3
The time has come to update the rankings!
Three races into the 2021 Formula One season, and in-between a double header of Portugal and Spain, makes this as good a time as any to revisit and update the pre-season Unofficial Definitive Driver Power Rankings of F1 Drivers 2021 (UDDPR F1 2021).
Results and performances from Bahrain through to Portugal will be taken into account when factoring in where drivers rank inside the top 10.
The previous rankings from before the season began can be found here.
The top 10 has changed over the last three races, but not dramatically so. Only one driver has fallen out. George Russell’s incident with Valterri Bottas in Imola was enough to knock him out of the UDDPR F1 2021.
There is also a new leader of the rankings, so without further adieu let’s look at the UDDPR F1 2021 after Round Three.
10. Fernando Alonso (New!)
The Spaniard has had an interesting start to his return to the sport. He “retired” after the 2018 season, but after two years away the allure of racing in F1 caught up to him. Since returning, he has managed one q3 appearance, in Bahrain, and two points finishes from Imola and Portimao.
He failed to finish his first race back, but a brake failure meant he didn’t even finish the Grand Prix. He was fighting in the points before the first round of pit stops which saw him gradually fall down the order before retiring prematurely.
Alonso’s qualifying pace hasn’t been to the level of his teammate since Bahrain, but he has made up for it with two steady points finishes. It was his performance in Portugal that tipped him into the top 10.
Perhaps he was unlucky not to win driver of the day for his tyre management. The two time world champion stayed out far longer than his competitors, with only Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez lasting longer on the Medium tyres.
The pace advantage on the fresher tyres saw a great fight through the field. It must have been satisfying, too, for him to pass both a McLaren and a Ferrari on his way to an impressive eighth place finish.
These three races made it clear there is still plenty of fight left in the 39-year old.
9. Pierre Gasly (+1)
The Alpha Tauri has taken a step forward from where it was in 2020, but in Gasly’s hands it looks like a car that can compete with the McLarens and Ferraris, and could maybe even secure a podium at some point in the season.
Bahrain was a disappointment. Despite an impressive qualifying performance, a first lap incident left the Frenchman far behind and the damage prevented him from ever recovering.
Imola was a similar story, with yet another fifth place finish on Saturday. Sunday started off poorly again, too. But this time the pace was there for an impressive recovery drive after the race restart. He came back to finish seventh to secure his first points of the season.
Portugal was more difficult. The pace wasn’t quite there at Portimao, but Gasly still maintained a points scoring finish. There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders with the introduction of the exciting Yuki Tsunoda to the team, but in these opening races he has shown the advantage of his far greater experience to become an obvious team leader.
That Red Bull seat will likely remain an impossibility, but these performances have shown that he more than merits a seat at one of F1’s top midfield teams.
8. Esteban Ocon (+1)
For whatever pressure Gasly was under from his new teammate, that was increased tenfold for Ocon as Bahrain drew its curtains. Competing alongside Alonso has ended F1 careers. Stoffel Vandoorne, while an impressive driver, was routed by the Spaniard during their partnership with McLaren from 2017–2018.
So, when Ocon was knocked out in q1 at Bahrain it looked like it could be the start of a very difficult season for the Frenchman. However, two q3 appearances and two points finishes in Italy and Portugal has turned Ocon’s fortunes around immensely.
Ocon has beaten Alonso at every race where both cars have finished and has now out-qualified the Spaniard 2–1 so far. The Alpine looked to be well off the pace of the battle for third in the constructors championship at Bahrain, but both drivers have now shown impressive pace and the team now looks to be in a better place after only a couple races.
The highlight for Ocon was undoubtedly his Saturday performance at Portimao. Sixth place was an impressive result. Finishing the race in seventh, falling behind Charles Leclerc who had the tyre advantage, was about as good a result as could be expected from the Alpine when everyone finishes.
7. Daniel Ricciardo (-2)
The Australian has been very open about struggling with the switch to McLaren — similarly to how the change from Red Bull to Renault took him half a season to become comfortable in the new car. However, three points finishes and two q3 appearances are impressive from someone not secure with the car.
Ricciardo ended last season as one of the top drivers, so to see him below the pace is disappointing but it was also the expectation of him pre-season so it is unsurprising that this is the case.
Being knocked out in q1 in Portugal was, however, quite a surprise. Despite starting from 16th on the grid, he still managed a fightback to finish in ninth place. This is encouraging that he is finding some rhythm in the car and hopefully by Monaco these issues will be ironed out and we can start to see the real Ricciardo again.
6. Carlos Sainz (+/-)
Sainz has adapted to his new car better than any of the drivers who have joined new teams. He’s secured 14 points for Ferrari so far and managed two q3 appearances. Most impressively, he out qualified Leclerc in Portugal for a fifth place start.
His race at Portimao was more disappointing. However, the Spaniard was let down by the car’s struggles with the Medium tyre. A poor strategy cost him the chance to score points.
Sainz recovered well from a disappointing 11th place race start at Imola for a solid fifth place finish. Solid is truly the word to describe the former McLaren driver. He has made mistakes, most notably in the opening few laps at Imola, but the potential is visible and to be so close to Leclerc over one lap already is very impressive.
5. Sergio Perez (-3)
The second Red Bull seat has been the most problematic on the grid since the departure of Ricciardo — and frankly, even Ricciardo suffered in his final year with constant reliability issues — after 2018.
Gasly and Alexander Albon both struggled for pace and were left a lap down to Max Verstappen in most races. So, when Perez failed to make it into q3 at Bahrain, it looked like the curse could live on.
The Mexican ended 2020 on the highest of highs, picking up his first ever F1 win at the Sakhir Grand Prix. He was in the form of his life so if he couldn’t get that second Red Bull up to speed then the team was in serious trouble.
However, a recovery drive to fifth place after having to start from the pit lane was as good a first race as he could’ve asked for after a technical issue caused him to stop on the track during the formation lap.
Perez out-qualified Verstappen at Imola. This was the first time the Dutchman lost a qualifying battle since Ricciardo left the team. This was a significant stride forward after only the second qualifying session. He struggled in the race, but before the red flag he looked set to finish in the top four.
Imola also showed us that timing is everything. Perez made his biggest mistake at the worst moment and it cost him a points finish, whereas Lewis Hamilton’s biggest mistake was made at the “best” time, which allowed him to recover, impressively, to second place.
A solid fourth place in Portugal was just what Perez needed. He had a clean weekend which should have helped massively in getting up to speed in the car. The potential is there, plus the talent, and it will surely only be a matter of time before his first podium finish with the team.
4. Charles Leclerc (+4)
Leclerc has had the quietest season of any of these drivers, so far. The Ferrari is much quicker than it was in 2020 and now Leclerc is able to consistently fight for decent points finishes.
He was unlucky not to score a podium on home soil at Imola, with the red flag moving him back to within grasp of Lando Norris. He was otherwise well ahead and comfortable in second before the race stoppage.
His qualifying pace has been superb as usual. Portugal was a slight disappointment, but it was a difficult session for everyone due to the weather conditions.
Leclerc has taken over the mantle as the driver not being shown on TV very much but still performing solidly anyway. The Ferrari has the potential to fight for podiums and the battle with Norris in the McLaren will be a fun subplot to a promising looking season.
3. Lando Norris (+1)
The Briton has had the upper hand over Leclerc so far. Norris did benefit from the red flag at Imola, but he also finished ahead of Leclerc in Bahrain and Portugal. Norris has been incredibly consistent from the opening three rounds and consistently quick at that.
McLaren look to have the edge over Ferrari in the battle for third, but it’s Norris’ performances which have given the team that edge. The season is still long and performing this well over 23 races is the true test, but Norris has displayed the determination required so far.
The next immediate battle for the 21-year old will be how he adapts once Ricciardo gets up to speed in the car. He has taken full advantage of the Australian’s struggles to assert himself as the team leader, but Ricciardo has the experience of winning seven races and scoring many more podiums behind him. It won’t be easy to stay ahead once they are both so comfortable in the car.
2. Max Verstappen (-1)
Red Bull had the pace advantage in Bahrain, but Hamilton took the victory in a tight race that was decided by only seven tenths. Verstappen was excellent at Imola where he led from start to finish, but a scrappy q3 left him starting from third in that race.
He immediately redeemed himself by assertively taking the lead into Turn One and he never looked like letting up from there.
However, track limits have been the Dutchman’s biggest stumbling block in the championship battle. He overtook Hamilton off track in Bahrain which cost him the victory and then in Portugal the white lines once again cost him pole position and the point for the fastest lap.
These are the kind of mistakes that Verstappen will need to iron out quickly, otherwise he’s in danger of letting Hamilton get too far ahead to catch up to.
These three races have been a crash course in what it will take to compete with the seven time world champion. This will be like no fight he has experienced before and he’s quickly learning that anything less than perfection will be punished.
1. Lewis Hamilton (+1)
The Briton has been superb so far. His victory in Bahrain was credited to poor strategy from Red Bull, but that is a disservice to Hamilton’s defensive driving on extremely worn tyres. He managed to keep Verstappen behind on much fresher rubber with the pressure intensity ramped up to the max.
Hamilton made an uncharacteristic mistake in Imola, the first sign that even the best can succumb to pressure. There was a massive element of good fortune to the timing of the mistake that left him in the gravel on Lap 32, but he capitalised on it to fight back to second place, minimising the damage in the title fight as he best could.
His performance in Portugal was assured. Despite falling down to third, there was never any doubt as to who was set to come out on top in Portimao.
Any doubts as to the greatness of Hamilton should quickly be put to bed regardless of how this title fight plays out. He doesn’t need an eighth title to prove people wrong, he is one of the greats anyway, but these three races have shown the desire and hunger is still alive and kicking despite all those achievements.
The fight is on and Hamilton is prepared to be at his best to ensure he comes out on top, and Verstappen’s challenge will be to make sure Hamilton needs to be at his best to win.
