Welcome to the first edition of our Formula 1 driver rankings for the 2026 season. Here's how theScore's lead F1 writer Daniel Valente sees the grid's pecking order after the season's first month.
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
While most of the paddock has been focusing on Mercedes' dominant start and Max Verstappen's weekly commentary on the new cars, Leclerc has been quietly putting in uber-consistent performances. Two third-place results and a fourth-place finish don't jump off the page, but Leclerc has essentially been operating at this level for a while. His approach isn't volatile with extreme highs or lows; instead, he's threading the needle like no one else.
2. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
You don't need to do a double-take - Gasly is undeniably one of this season's best performers. Of the five drivers who have scored points in all three grand prix races so far (sprints excluded), Gasly is the only one not driving for Mercedes or Ferrari. From fending off Verstappen in Suzuka to finishing in the top six in Shanghai, the Frenchman has been a force this year. With Alpine using a Mercedes power unit in 2026, Gasly is making the most of his opportunity to showcase his talent in front of F1's entire audience.
3. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
The 19-year-old sensation has taken the paddock by storm. In just weeks, Antonelli has become the youngest pole-sitter and the youngest driver ever to lead the F1 championship. Though he desperately needs to clean up his starts, Antonelli has shown moments of sheer brilliance, such as his performance in China, and remarkable resilience, as seen in Japan. What Antonelli is doing is unprecedented, earning him a spot in the top three.
4. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
If there's one silver lining to the new cars, it's that they've allowed the seven-time world champion to find his groove again. It took only two races for Hamilton to accomplish what he couldn't do all of last season: stand on the podium as a Ferrari driver. He's looked like his old self in two of the three races this season, with Japan the only outlier. If Ferrari can keep up in the development war, the 41-year-old looks poised for his best year in half a decade.
5. George Russell, Mercedes
Mercedes winning three races from pole hasn't been all that surprising since the German team was considered the favorite in the preseason. The real shock is that Russell isn't leading Mercedes' charge, as he's won only one race and been out-qualified by his teenage teammate in both Japan and China. Though Lando Norris overcame Oscar Piastri's early onslaught during last year's championship run, proving early results aren't always decisive, it's still disappointing that Russell hasn't stretched his legs yet.
6. Ollie Bearman, Haas
Bearman, the master of the midfield, picked up right where he left off after a strong end to the 2025 campaign. The 20-year-old has firmly cemented himself as the best of the rest, picking up 17 points - the most of any driver outside the top three teams. Bearman is also shouldering the bulk of Haas' success, contributing 17 of the outfit's 18 points and putting clear distance between himself and teammate Esteban Ocon.
7. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Lindblad is only 18 years old, but the teenager already carries the composure of a seasoned veteran and has looked fearless in his opening F1 races. In his debut, the Racing Bulls rookie overtook Hamilton and Norris - a combined eight championships between them - on Lap 1. He's also held his own against four-time champ Verstappen. While Red Bull has produced notable youngsters in recent years - like Gasly, Isack Hadjar, and Alex Albon - it's been a while since one as promising as Lindblad has emerged so quickly.
8. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
Red Bull has four Q3 appearances, with Hadjar responsible for three and Verstappen contributing one. Who would've thought that would be the case? Although Hadjar hasn't had much luck converting those to points with a DNF in Australia and a non-points finish in Suzuka, at least the pace is there. The most telling stat of the 21-year-old's early Red Bull career: he has already out-qualified Verstappen twice, surpassing the combined total of all the Dutchman's teammates in 2024 and 2025. Hadjar might be the answer to ending the curse of Red Bull's second seat, and perhaps he can keep Verstappen on his toes, too.
9. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Piastri has been terrific when he has raced this season. Unfortunately, he's only done that once. A clumsy crash during the reconnaissance laps left him out of the Australian Grand Prix, and a power unit problem ended his Chinese GP before it started. However, his first race of the season in Suzuka went as well as he could've hoped. Piastri had a terrific start, taking the lead on Lap 1, and then went on to finish second behind only Antonelli. Notably, he has out-qualified his teammate and reigning world champion, Norris, in all three races.
10. Lando Norris, McLaren
Persistent issues affecting Norris' ability to run properly on the track have hampered him this season. Whether it be in practice, qualifying, or the race, the reigning world champion, through mostly no fault of his own, has yet to have a clean weekend from start to finish. However, the British driver has done a tremendous job at limiting damage when he has featured on the track, securing two fifth-place finishes in his two race starts. Hopefully, McLaren has tidied up its concerns by the time F1 returns for the Miami GP, giving Norris ample time to unleash the lightning pace we all know he possesses.
11. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
It's become clear that Verstappen dreads stepping into his new Red Bull car, and that displeasure is showing in his results. He crashed out in Q1 in Australia and was then eliminated in Q2 in Japan, while his teammate made Q3 on both occasions. The four-time world champion recovered to score points each time, but no driver's talent has been more neutralized by the new generation of cars than Verstappen's. His gripes are compounded by the RB22's nightmare handling, which is proving a challenge even for the remarkably adaptable Verstappen.
12. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Almost all of the Red Bull-controlled drivers have made waves for either good reasons (Lindblad and Hadjar) or not-so-good reasons (Verstappen). Then there's Lawson. The Kiwi driver has scored 10 points, which is only two behind Verstappen and more than Lindblad and Hadjar's combined total of eight. Lawson also impressively notched back-to-back points finishes in China and Japan. It's been quite a pleasant turnaround for a driver who just a year ago was demoted by Red Bull after a disastrous start to the season.
13. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Bortoleto has been Audi's showman so far. Over three races, the Brazilian has been responsible for the team's two total points and both of its Q3 appearances. He's also bested teammate Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying in two of the three events so far. Still only 21 years old, Audi seems to have inherited a long-term asset in Bortoleto.
14. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi
"Close but no cigar" could be the slogan for Hulkenberg's year. He hasn't scored points or made Q3, but no one has been closer to breaking through. In his two race starts, the German veteran finished just outside the points in 11th. He's also qualified 11th twice, narrowly missing out on Q3. While Hulkenberg might not have any results to show for himself, that doesn't mean the 38-year-old is slouching around in the midfield.
15. Carlos Sainz, Williams
The Williams FW48 has been a dreadful car to drive due to its excessive weight. So far, Sainz has been the only driver to drag it across the line in a points-scoring position. His ninth-place result in China was nothing short of miraculous.
16. Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Colapinto's 2026 season has already been miles better than his first year with Alpine. The Argentine needed just two races to score points, the first time he's done so for the French team. That's a good base to build off. Next, Colapinto will aim to improve his one-lap performance as he's still seeking his first Q3 appearance since the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
17. Esteban Ocon, Haas
The pressure was on Ocon to deliver after getting properly outperformed by his teammate last year. Through three races, there's still a lot to be desired, with Ocon scoring only one point to Bearman's 17. While the margins seem a tad closer in qualifying between the two, Ocon's still not where he needs to be. Even more concerning is that the French driver is lagging further behind on race day.
18. Alex Albon, Williams
As mentioned prior, the FW48 isn't allowing either Williams driver to show off their full potential, but Albon has been the most frustrated by the car. The Thai driver is still looking for his first Q3 appearance since last July, when he qualified fifth at Spa.
19. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
Alonso nearly made it out of Q1 at the first race of the season in Australia. Considering the state of the AMR26, that should've been celebrated as if the Spaniard was fighting for pole. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Aston Martin's disastrous start is that the paddock has been deprived of witnessing more Alonso magic. Who knows how many more years of that we have left?
20. Sergio Perez, Cadillac
Much like Aston Martin, the Cadillac drivers are competing in their own championship at the back of the grid. It's been Perez leading that fight after twice out-qualifying Valtteri Bottas. Maybe we were too harsh on the 36-year-old during his ousting from Red Bull.
21. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
If Bottas can take any satisfaction from the start of this season, it's that he's been the closest Cadillac driver to scoring points, thanks to his 13th-place result in China. Otherwise, it's been head-scratching to see the pilot with 20 career poles struggle to hold a significant advantage over his teammate Perez in qualifying.
22. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
There just isn't enough to work with to rank Stroll anywhere other than last. He has yet to finish a race this season: his Aston Martin car failed to start one race and retired in the other two. And in the two qualifying sessions Stroll participated in, he placed 21st in China and last in Japan.
Daniel Valente is theScore's lead Formula 1 writer. Daniel has covered the sport for multiple years, conducting analysis and interviewing key figures inside the paddock. His expertise is breaking down data and discovering unique stats. Follow Daniel on X at @F1GuyDan.
