F1 driver power rankings: Vettel soars up table, but Hamilton still not top

ByEurosport

Updated 25/07/2016 at 20:37 GMT

Keith Collantine rates the F1 field after Lewis Hamilton took the championship lead in Hungary.

Lewis Hamilton

Image credit: AFP

The championship lead changed hands for the first time this year in the Hungarian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton took his fifth victory of the year.

But which other drivers impressed last weekend? F1 Fanatic's Keith Collantine judges who did the best job at the Hungaroring...

1. Daniel Ricciardo (up 2)

Bahrain Grand Prix

Hamilton describes shock Ferrari move as 'hardest decision I've ever had to make'

23/02/2024 at 15:35

Stood out most in a weekend which saw few really terrific drives. However, he came close to splitting the Mercedes in qualifying - he was compromised by the yellow flags which appeared when Alonso spun - and tried to fight them in the race. He even briefly got ahead of Rosberg at the start, and gambled on a very aggressive strategy in an ultimately doomed attempt to jump one of them.

2. Lewis Hamilton (non-mover)

His Friday practice crash was the only blot on his weekend, and the subsequent loss of testing time may explain his lapses in pace during the race. Equally, he may have been trying to make life difficult for Rosberg by backing him into the Red Bulls. Either way this victory gave him the championship lead.

3. Sebastian Vettel (up 14)

The Ferrari couldn't match the Red Bulls on one-lap pace, and while Vettel was able to jump Verstappen in the pits, Ricciardo's bold strategy forced him to settle for second. At least the Ferrari didn't let him down this time.

Sebastian Vettel

Image credit: AFP

4. Fernando Alonso (up 2)

Spun in Q3 as he tried to wring the last iota out of the McLaren on a track which suited it. The fact he finished seventh in all three practice sessions plus qualifying and the race shows he was consistently at the limit of what it could do.

5. Max Verstappen (down 4)

Couldn't keep up with Ricciardo but humiliated Raikkonen in the final laps with a brilliantly judged piece of defensive driving.

6. Carlos Sainz Jnr (up 2)

Produced a superb effort in qualifying to nab sixth on the grid, but Alonso pinched it off him at the start and as a result he finished one place lower than was possible.

7. Nico Rosberg (up 7)

Hamilton was the quicker of the two here but circumstances fell in Rosberg's favour in qualifying and he claimed pole position. Race victory was therefore a possibility, but his start let him down.

Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)- GP of Hungary 2016

Image credit: AFP

8. Valtteri Bottas (up 12)

The Williams doesn't like slow corners or the rain so Bottas did well to reach Q3 and score points.

9. Jolyon Palmer (up 7)

Came close to reaching Q2 but was scuppered by the red flags. He was on course for his first point of the season when he spun at turn four.

10. Nico Hulkenberg (down 6)

Two slow pit stops - one of which was his fault for letting the clutch slip - saw him slip to the bottom of the top 10.

The rest of the grid

11. Pascal Wehrlein (up 10)
12. Felipe Nasr (down 1)
13. Jenson Button (down 4)
14. Kevin Magnussen (down 2)
15. Sergio Perez (down 5)
16. Kimi Raikkonen (down 11)
17. Romain Grosjean (down 2)
18. Daniil Kvyat (down 5)
19. Esteban Gutierrez (down 1)
20. Felipe Massa (down 13)
21. Rio Haryanto (down 2)
22. Marcus Ericsson (non-mover)

Keith Collantine is the editor of Formula One blog F1 Fanatic

Formula 1

Verstappen says Hamilton could face 'awkward, weird' last season with Mercedes

15/02/2024 at 23:54

Formula 1

'It is very surreal' - Hamilton reflects on Mercedes career ahead of Ferrari switch

00:00:54

14/02/2024 at 17:31

Season 2024

'Emotional' Hamilton determined for success ahead of Ferrari move as Mercedes launch new car

14/02/2024 at 17:32

Join 3M+ users on app

Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports

Download

Scan me