Max Verstappen used to walk into the paddock knowing the victory was his before the anthem. This season, when you talk about the top 9 drivers right now, you start with a different name.
McLarens car is the reference, but that is only part of the story. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have turned raw pace into ruthless execution, while Verstappen has spent too many Sundays fighting from the wrong end of the grid. Mercedes, with George Russell and teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli, have climbed back into the conversation. Ferrari are still fast on their good days, but often look lost from one session to the next.
After the Qatar sprint at Lusail, Norris sits on 396 points, Piastri on 374 and Verstappen on 371, with the title still within one bad weekend for any of them. This list lives in that reality, not in legacy trophies. It asks a simple question. If you had to pick a driver to win you a race tomorrow, in the car they have now, who are you taking.
Context
The shape of this season flipped in stages, not in one dramatic moment. McLaren did not just find pace. They arrived at round one with a car that could live on the limit in every condition. They then kept both drivers in the fight through clean strategy and rare operational mistakes.
Red Bulls world looked different the moment Verstappen had to fight in traffic again. Small reliability issues and messy qualifying sessions hit him. One pit lane start in Brazil forced him to lean on racecraft more than car advantage. He proved the fight is still there. He just no longer controls the script by default.
Behind that three way title race, Mercedes have climbed into clear second best team territory. They are helped by the calm aggression of Russell and the raw speed of Antonelli. Ferrari chose in April to shift development focus toward the 2026 project. Since then they have slid into a strange limbo. The car can still occasionally fight near the front. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton now talk openly about unpredictability and missing performance rather than small setup tweaks.
In the pack behind, drivers like Isack Hadjar and Alex Albon have turned midfield machines into regular points threats. You watch their onboards and you see something simple. They are not waiting for a better car. They are forcing results with the one they have.
These rankings draw on official timing data, recent form over the last five race weekends and teammate comparison. Any close calls are settled by how drivers performed under pressure in mixed conditions.
Defining Shifts At The Sharp End
9. Isack Hadjar And The Broken Trophy
Defining moment
Late August at Zandvoort is when the sport felt the ground move. In a race that chewed up big names, Isack Hadjar kept his head and qualified on the second row. He then brought a Racing Bulls car home in third behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. In the chaos of the podium photos, he set the ceramic trophy down and picked it up at the wrong angle. He watched it split in two. The image of a rookie grinning with half a cup in each hand spread fast across the sport.
Why it matters
On paper, Hadjar is ninth in the standings with 51 points and one podium. He is still learning how to tidy up whole weekends. But look at how he has scored. He had a run of points from Monaco through Spain. At Zandvoort he held off Leclerc and Russell in faster cars. That says he is already driving at a level that outstrips his machinery. He became the youngest French driver ever to stand on a Formula 1 podium. That is no small feat in a field that is not exactly short on talent.
How it felt
More than the finishing position, it was his reaction that stuck. Afterward he joked, I do not even know where my trophy is, my broken trophy. He admitted he wanted that damaged cup back more than any pristine replacement. He later said the team had been flooded with offers of glue. He shrugged that he now had enough to stick the whole paddock together. The broken ceramic turned into an instant paddock in joke and a badge of honour.
What it means now
I have watched the replay of those final laps more than I want to admit. He covered the inside lines without weaving. He managed traction off the final corner while far more experienced drivers filled his mirrors. It felt like a preview of a very serious career. A fan said, I did not even know who this kid was in March. Now I am pricing his merch. That is how fast a season like this can change a reputation.
8. Alex Albon The Quiet Enforcer
Defining moment
Some drivers grab attention with speeches. Alex Albon just keeps turning rough weekends into decent points and lets the timing sheets speak for him. Think about Williams in Brazil and Mexico, when he admitted the team had been lost on setup and said they had flipped the car upside down in pretty much every session. The laps still came when it mattered.
Why it matters
As of the Qatar sprint weekend, Albon sits eighth in the standings with 73 points. That is more than some factory drivers. Williams have 122 points in total, which means he has scored close to 60 percent of their haul. On days when the car works he runs well inside the top eight. On days when it does not, he still hovers near the back of the big team pack, often the first car from the midfield you see in the top ten.
How it felt
That frustration is clear when he talks about balance and grip. You also see his control. Watch his onboards and the picture is always the same. Small mid corner corrections. Tiny lifts to save the rear tyres. The driving of someone who knows that one mistake sends him back into a pack he may never escape. Behind the scenes, he is known for long debriefs and very detailed feedback. Engineers lean on him more than the results column alone would suggest.
What it means now
From a distance, Albon has become one of those drivers you respect almost on instinct. There are plenty of jokes online about what he would do in a McLaren or Mercedes. The serious point is simple. Right now, inside a fragile Williams, he is still delivering at a level that belongs in this top 9 list.
7. Lewis Hamilton Still Fighting In Red
Defining moment
Qatar qualifying told you a lot about Lewis Hamiltons season. A Ferrari that looked fine on Friday turned into a handful on Saturday. After one of those long, flat interviews, Hamilton said something is holding us back at the moment and admitted the team had lost performance since China. Later in the year, after Las Vegas, he called 2025 the worst season ever and said he felt terrible, even after a charge from last to the points.
Why it matters
On the numbers, this is his weakest Formula 1 campaign. He has not stood on a Grand Prix podium all year, for the first time since his rookie season. He still sits in the upper half of the top ten in the standings, but Leclerc is clearly ahead on points. Ferrari are only clinging to the back of the front three in the team table. The car has flashes of speed. It just refuses to stay in a useful window for long.
How it felt
Here is the thing though. When the car behaves, Hamilton can still squeeze results out of it. His sprint win in China showed his race craft. His late pace in Canada almost pulled him onto the podium. In mixed conditions at Singapore he looked like the same driver who built 103 wins. Inside the garage, you hear stories about him pushing through long debriefs, insisting on understanding every tiny change rather than blaming vague bad luck.
What it means now
From a fans point of view, this run is painful and impressive at the same time. You are watching a legend wrestle a car that does not deserve his name on the side. This season proves he is still good enough to win a title if Ferrari ever gives him a stable platform. Until that happens, he remains a reference point in a broken project.
6. Charles Leclerc Carrying A Heavy Car
Defining moment
Early in the European stretch, Charles Leclerc stood in front of the cameras and said Ferrari were P nowhere. Before Qatar, he went further and said there was zero performance in the SF twenty five. It was blunt and, honestly, hard to argue with after some of those qualifying sessions.
Why it matters
Leclerc still has a strong points tally. He sits solidly in the top five of the standings. Many Sundays he has been the first driver outside the McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull group. Ferrari chose to stop aero work on the current car and move resources toward 2026. That call shows in the results column. The car can still occasionally fight near the front, but not with any real consistency.
How it felt
Inside the team, you can feel the strain. Team boss Fred Vasseur has said they might have underestimated the psychological hit of that development pause. Leclerc has talked about weekends where the car feels fine in practice, then turns snappy and unpredictable when the grip ramps up. From the outside, it looks like he spends most Sundays firefighting balance issues, then trying to manufacture a race with strategy or tyre life.
What it means now
From a fans view, it is strangely compelling. You know the car is not good enough. You also know Leclerc will push it right up to the wall anyway. I have watched onboards from Singapore and Imola where he wrestles an unstable rear through tight corners and still finds time. It is messy. It is brave. And it is exactly why he belongs in this ranking of the top 9 drivers right now.
5. Kimi Antonelli Youngest Nerves Of Steel
Defining moment
Spring at Suzuka was Antonellis announcement. He started near the front and jumped into the lead in the early phases. For several laps he made one of the hardest tracks on the calendar look like a private test. No wild corrections. No panicked messages. Just a teenager managing tyres in clean air with champions behind him. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, born on 25 August 2006, was 18 years old for that run at Suzuka.
Why it matters
The standings tell their own story. Antonelli has 140 points as of the Qatar sprint weekend. That puts him seventh overall, not far behind Hamilton. In his first full Formula 1 season, he has multiple podiums and regular top five finishes. Among the rookies, he is the only one fighting inside the top seven in the table. He is doing that in a car that is quick but still a little temperamental over a race distance.
How it felt
His own words are almost disarmingly calm. Before his debut he said he had to stay calm and not think about it too much because he knew there would be butterflies. Mercedes staff talk about how quickly he absorbs debrief information. He often sits in on engineering meetings that once were reserved for veterans. That is the kind of detail that sticks with you. He is still a teenager, yet he drives like a seasoned pro.
What it means now
From the grandstands, Antonelli already feels like the future. The crowd reaction when he took the lead in Japan had that extra pitch, the sound you hear when people realise they may be watching the start of a new era. If this list is about current level, not just potential, he is already high on it.
4. George Russell Ready For The Burden
Defining moment
If Antonelli is the future of Mercedes, George Russell is the present. His Montreal victory, earned from pole on genuine pace, did not feel like a surprise. It felt like proof that Mercedes have a driver who can carry a title fight when the car is ready. That day he controlled the race, judged the changing conditions and kept Verstappen behind without drama on the radio.
Why it matters
Russell sits fourth in the standings on 301 points. He has multiple wins and a stack of podiums as Mercedes have hauled themselves back into relevance. He is usually the first Mercedes on the timing screens when the track grips up. He has outscored Hamilton by a clear margin this year. In a season where small swings in performance can move you from second to fifth on the grid, his consistency matters a lot.
How it felt
After one win he said he was driving better than ever and ready to fight for a championship. It did not sound like empty talk. Inside the garage he has taken on more of the development burden. He pushes for specific changes on ride height and suspension rather than asking for vague downforce. Engineers speak about him in the same tone they once used for peak Hamilton. Always on. Always processing.
What it means now
The dynamic with Antonelli makes his job even tougher. He knows that if the rookie snaps at his heels in qualifying, every small error will be magnified. So far he has handled that pressure. He has kept number one status on merit and given Mercedes a clear reference point. From the outside, that looks like leadership from someone who expects to fight Norris and Piastri for titles soon.
3. Max Verstappen Fighting From The Pit Lane
Defining moment
Brazil gave you the clearest picture of Max Verstappens season. He started from the pit lane after Red Bull changed the car under parc ferme. Within a few laps he was overtaking cars that had no business seeing a Red Bull in those parts of the circuit. By the flag, he was on the podium in third from the very back. After the race he said that to be on the podium from the pit lane was something he did not expect at all, then finished by reminding everyone that the team never gives up.
Why it matters
The numbers still show a giant. Verstappen sits third in the standings on 371 points, only a handful behind Piastri and within one race of Norris. He has several wins and a pile of podiums. There have been mistakes, yes. A few scruffy qualifying laps. Some track limit issues. One or two ragged recovery drives when the balance was nowhere. Even so, in pure racecraft, he remains terrifying.
How it felt
What has changed is the margin. There are more weekends now when he starts on the second or third row and cannot simply drive clear of trouble. The Red Bull is no longer the free pass it once was. You watch him lean on the car through long corners and you can see how tight the window is. One gust of wind and the rear steps out. He saves most of those slides. He cannot save them all.
What it means now
This season has also shifted how people talk about him. Some still see this as a small dip and expect him to snap back to complete control once Red Bull sort the car. Others hear the sharper tone on the radio and wonder if the constant fight is wearing on him. For me, it is simpler. In a neutral car, he might still be the best. Inside the reality of this year, judged in their current machinery, he sits third.
2. Oscar Piastri Relentless Title Pressure
Defining moment
Oscar Piastri changed the mood of the title race twice in one month. First came Zandvoort, where he survived a chaotic race, kept his head on restarts and delivered the win while his teammate retired with smoke in the cockpit. Then came Qatar, where he took sprint pole and controlled the short race to cut Norriss lead down to 22 points. After that sprint he said it was nice to be back at the front again. Classic low key Piastri.
Why it matters
On the numbers, his case is strong. He has seven wins this year and nine in his Formula 1 career, already matching Mark Webber. As of the Qatar sprint weekend he sits on 374 points, 22 behind Norris and three ahead of Verstappen. In several races he has beaten Norris on pure pace, especially on tighter tracks where his precision on corner entry really shows. With this field and this pressure, that record is serious.
How it felt
His personality makes the whole thing feel even more intense. He rarely raises his voice on the radio. He gives very dry quotes in interviews. The interesting stuff comes from inside McLaren. People talk about his obsession with detail, about him watching race starts from past seasons just to see how rivals move their cars into Turn One. People sometimes forget his junior record. He stacked up titles in Formula Renault, Formula Three and Formula Two in rapid succession. Very few drivers have ever done that.
What it means now
I keep going back to the way he handled the final restart in Holland. He covered the inside against Verstappen without weaving and rolled the throttle so smoothly that there was never a real chance for a lunge. A fan said, If his name was Verstappen, people would be calling this the season of a generation. Maybe that is a stretch. It still tells you how high his level is right now.
1. Lando Norris On Top Right Now
Defining moment
Mexico and Brazil told you why Lando Norris sits at the top of this ranking. In Mexico he took pole and handled the long drag to Turn One under huge pressure. He soaked up every attack and pulled away enough to grab the championship lead from Piastri by a single point. In Sao Paulo he had to beat Antonelli and Verstappen in a straight fight. He did exactly that and walked away with control of the title again.
Why it matters
The standings after the Qatar sprint are clear. Norris sits on 396 points. Piastri has 374. Verstappen has 371. Since the summer break he has been the most complete driver in the field. He has taken poles and finished the job on Sundays. On the rare weekends when the car did not behave, or strategy went sideways, he limited the damage. The double disqualification in Las Vegas, when both McLarens were thrown out over plank wear after finishing on the road, cut his advantage down to one races worth of points. He responded by winning again. That says plenty.
How it felt
You can feel the growth in how he talks. Asked about comments from Verstappen, he brushed them off and said the champion could keep talking nonsense while he tried to win the title. Inside McLaren, people talk about how much he has changed his tyre work. He is now happy to back off for a few laps to gain twenty strong ones later. It is not just speed now. It is judgement and control.
What it means now
From the outside, the emotional shift is obvious. This is not the talented kid who kept finding strange ways to lose races. This is a driver who can absorb a nightmare like that Las Vegas disqualification and still arrive sharper the next weekend. I remember watching his cool down lap in Brazil. One long yell on the radio, then silence. It felt like someone who understands exactly how small the margin is now. If this ranking is about current form, the sheer ability to win when it matters, then Lando Norris has earned his spot at the absolute top.
What Comes Next
The part that makes this season feel different is how fragile every advantage looks. McLaren have the best overall package, yet one bad pit stop or a gust of wind in qualifying can flip the order between Norris and Piastri. Red Bull sit close enough that a clean run, or a small upgrade, could still give Verstappen a straight shot at title number five. Mercedes, with Russell and Antonelli, are not in the fight on points. Every time they steal a win, though, they tilt the chess board for everyone else.
Further back, drivers like Leclerc, Hamilton, Albon and Hadjar will keep shaping the title even if they never touch the trophy. One well judged defensive drive from Leclerc, one inspired strategy call for Hamilton, one bold move from Hadjar into Turn One, and the whole points picture can swing. That is what makes ranking the top 9 drivers right now feel less like a simple list and more like a snapshot of a moving target.
Another fan commented, This feels like the first season in years where every lap actually matters. The real question is simple now. When the lights go out in Abu Dhabi, and everything this year has thrown at these nine drivers finally lands, whose nerve holds.
Also read: https://sportsorca.com/f1/richest-f1-teams-historical-budget-spending-trends/
I’m a sports and pop culture junkie who loves the buzz of a big match and the comfort of a great story on screen. When I’m not chasing highlights and hot takes, I’m planning the next trip, hunting for underrated films or debating the best clutch moments with anyone who will listen.
