By Joe Murphy
I’m going to attempt the near impossible feat. Ranking all the current drivers on the grid. I will attempt to rank based on current performance, overall achievements, comparisons against teammates past and present in F1 specifically and overall racecraft consistency. Comment below with your thoughts!
#21 – Liam Lawson
It would be a bit unfair to not include Lawson at all. A single F1 race to his name and he performed well in a struggling Alpha Tauri. One for the future that’s for sure.
#20 – Logan Sergeant
When you see how Alex Albon is getting performance out of his Williams, it’s hard to say that the American shouldn’t be getting slightly more out of his car. His rookie season has been underwhelming, even if he did make Q3 for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix.
#19 – Guanyu Zhou
A talented driver and perhaps a surprise to see him so low in these rankings. However, he has yet to fully establish himself as an F1 driver, albeit if the tool he has been given is a poor one.
#18 – Lance Stroll
Again, perhaps harshly so low, the Canadian has a pole position to his name and multiple podiums. However, the gap to veteran teammates has shown a weakness. The standings don’t lie and Stroll should be quicker in his Aston Martin than he is currently.
#17 – Oscar Piastri
One driver who I believe could be a future world champion. He’s had an impressive rookie season and, if you take Bahrain out of the equation, he’s only a tenth behind his teammate in qualifying averages. He will be higher in this list in a few years, no doubt.
#16 – Kevin Magnussen
The Dane has achieved many things over his long F1 career, but has failed to reach any dizzying heights. His aggressive driving style has its critics, but I for one am glad he will be remaining on the grid for 2024.
#15 – Yuki Tsunoda
It was close between K-Mag and Yuki, I believe Yuki is having the better season currently. In arguably the worst car on the grid, he has demonstrated some brilliant driving and overtaking. Those points finishes, in that car, are incredible achievements.
#14 – Nico Hulkenberg
Controversial, Hulk above his teammate despite no podiums. However, I feel that Nico came into this current Haas and hasn’t felt like a number two driver at all. His consistency is key in his placing here.
#13 – Alex Albon
Another name who is sure to rise up these rankings in a year or two, Alex is having a great season this year. In fact, he has been mightily impressive for Williams and will, before too long, be a driver for a top, competitive team, again.
#12 – Estaban Ocon
The only reason he’s above Alex, is the race win. Ocon has incredible consistency and will be on the F1 grid for a long while yet. Whilst he may never reach World Champion status, his position is safe enough to land him twelfth in these standings.
#11 – Daniel Ricciardo
Danny Ricc would have been higher a few years ago, but his tail off at McLaren undoubtedly reduced his stock somewhat. Eight race wins to his name, he could do a job for any team on the grid. However, Yuki has outperformed him on race days since the Aussie’s return, meaning he misses out on the top 10. If he regains his form, he easily moves a few places higher.
Part 2 is available here…….
https://wheel2wheelreports.com/2023/08/30/f1-drivers-ranked-the-top-10/
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