Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have to share the first place in the Formula 1 ‘Power Rankings’. According to the jury, it was a weekend full of milestones for the Dutchman who always strives for excellence, but Hamilton also did very well in Mexico. Daniel Ricciardo, who was strong all weekend in Mexico, was in third place in the Formula 1.com ranking.
The three-time world champion won his 51st victory in Mexico on Sunday and is on par with F1 legend Alain Prost. This victory was also his sixteenth of the 2023 season, meaning he broke his own record from 2022. The Dutchman also broke that record in 2022, before that the record for the most victories in one season was held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Verstappen now has to break his own records. “It was another weekend full of milestones for Verstappen, who despite having already won the title, continues to strive for excellence by taking another dominant victory as he looks to end the season in style,” the jury said.
The Limburger has therefore moved up one spot, as he was given P2 by the jury after the United States Grand Prix. However, he has to share that first place with the seven-time world champion, who finished in P2 after a short catch-up race. ‘Hamilton only qualified in sixth place, so to finish second is a decent result for him and Mercedes, especially as they struggled for most of the weekend to match the speed they showed in Austin.’ The Brit treated the crowd to several overtakes, including one on Charles Leclerc, where he almost went through the grass with four wheels. He doubted whether he would survive the long stint on the medium tires, but in the end those 37 laps turned out to be no problem.
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Ricciardo and Norris were rewarded with P3 and P4 after some great work
Ricciardo was back behind the wheel for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix and immediately felt good in the AlphaTauri car. During qualifying he received some help from teammate Yuki Tsunoda, but he did a large part of that lap for P4 himself. ‘He performed excellently in qualifying, beating Sergio Pérez, both Mercedes and both McLaren drivers to finish fourth. “He didn’t have the speed to hold the position for the entire race, but if you had offered him P7 when he got off the plane, he would have taken it.” Ricciardo was no match for the Mercedes and a McLaren in the race, but was still happy with the points.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was put in P4 because of his podium, but has to share that place with Lando Norris, because Norris drove a very good catch-up race from P17. ‘Unfortunately it was his mistake that saw him eliminated in Q1 when it looked like he had the pace to compete at the front. But Norris’ recovery race on Sunday was worth watching.” Norris had to get to the front from P14 after the restart, and did so while treating the crowd to several overtakes. The Brit thought his action on Ricciardo was the best, but the one on George Russell was also worth mentioning.
Despite P13, Hülkenberg still takes P8 in the Power Rankings
Nico Hülkenberg may be a surprise in the Power Rankings, but the jury has actually put the German in P8. The Haas driver was the only one of the American racing duo to cross the line, as teammate Kevin Magnussen crashed. ‘As he approaches the end of his comeback season with Haas, it is fair to say that Hulkenberg has driven very well this year. Unfortunately, the speed of the VF-23 has not always been able to translate its performance into points,” the jury concluded. ‘He was incredibly good in Mexico, with an excellent start that took him from twelfth to eighth place. After the restart he held on to tenth place in the closing stages, but despite his great effort he simply did not have the tires to keep both Alpines behind him.’
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Verstappen is head and shoulders above the general classification
Even though the jury may not give Verstappen first place in the Power Rankings every week, he still holds that place in the general rankings. The Dutchman has an average score of 9.2. Hamilton is in P2 with a 7.9. Due to the disappointing performance of Aston Martin and the failure of Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard has dropped somewhat in the rankings, he is now in a shared fourth place with Alexander Albon. Williams’ British Thai seems to be impressing almost weekend after weekend. After his catch-up race in Mexico, Norris has risen to P3. Leclerc also achieved a small success, the Monegasque is in a shared eighth place with Oscar Piastri. Below the Power Rankings of the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.
