Formula One is one of the most competitive sports in the world with only 20 drivers making it to the biggest stage each season while thousands try and fail, but who is the best?
The relationship between individual performance and the driver's car is also an extremely unique aspect to consider when ranking these super-human drivers. For example, someone finishing 7th in the 9th fastest car is a far bigger achievement than a driver finishing 4th in the fastest car.
This type of subjectivity makes creating a list unbelievably difficult, and when all the drivers are separated by milliseconds every lap any sort of ranking can cause huge division, but let's have a go.
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This ranking will take into consideration all factors but will mainly focus on performance since the new regulations were introduced in 2022.
Top 10 Formula One drivers as of 2024
10th- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Piastri was undoubtedly the standout rookie of 2023 and has arguably had the most impressive debut season of any driver for a considerable time. Despite losing to Norris in the standings, the Australian managed something that has eluded his teammate his entire F1 career, win a race (even though it was just a sprint). Piastri's tire management has looked shaky at times, and that will be something he has to correct if he is to reach his potential.
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9th- Alexander Albon (Williams)
Albon's return to the grid in 2022 has been an amazing advert for giving drivers another chance in F1, and the former Red Bull man has certainly taken it. Albon absolutely decimated his teammate Logan Sargeant last year, scoring 27 out of the team's 28 points all season. There is no real way of knowing how good Albon could be with him driving a Wiliams, but he is certainly deserving of a place in the top ten.
8th- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
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Being Max Verstappen's teammate is probably the hardest role in F1 at the minute, but the sheer lack of challenge from Perez last season can't be overlooked. Despite being in the most dominant car in F1 history, the Mexican spent most of his time fighting the teams behind Red Bull, and just about managed to hold on to P2 in the driver standings. With Ferrari now seemingly closing the gap, it will be a real fight or flight season for Perez.
7th- Lando Norris (McLaren)
Now this is going to be controversial, but let me explain and stress that from here onwards you could change the order as much as you wanted and still have a viable argument. It is no secret that Norris is an extremely good driver, and in the second half of 2023 in particular showed he could be a future world champion, but for me he simply hasn't achieved what those above him have. When he is on it he could be argued as the best on the grid, but he just hasn't shown it regularly enough and is prone to making avoidable mistakes, particularly in qualifying.
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6th- George Russell (Mercedes)
The debate between Russell and Norris is one of the more controversial across the sport, but the Mercedes man just edges it for me. What Russell managed to do in his debut season with Mercedes is nothing short of remarkable. To beat Hamilton in his first season at Mercedes was an extraordinary achievement, and to cap the season off with a win in Brazil, fending off both Verstappen and Hamilton was quite the feat.
Russell's performances at Williams were also off the charts, scoring a front row at Spa in the wet essentially earning him the move to Mercedes.
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5th- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Quite a few had counted out Sainz from ever making a real impact in F1 when he was released by Renault in 2018, but he has proven the doubters wrong with great spells at McLaren and Ferrari. While some attempt to make it a debate, for me Sainz is quite clearly the weaker of the two Ferrari drivers, but what the Spaniard lacks in raw pace he makes up for with racecraft and composure. All three of Sainz's wins in F1 have come in unusual circumstances, but while it can be argued they were all handed to him on a plate his strategy calls at Silverstone and Singapore were genius and ensured he got the results over the line. Something his teammate Leclerc hasn't managed on occasions.
4th- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Alonso is proof that age is just a number, and the two-time world champion still looks as good as ever at 42 years old. The Spaniard's move to Aston Martin has allowed us to see his true pace again, with early 2023 results in particular demonstrating his ability to fight at the top when given the car. Since then, however, Aston Martin have failed to maintain their competitive edge, but races like Brazil last year have shown exactly why he is an option for both Mercedes and Red Bull for 2025.
3rd- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
It honestly feels like a crime to put Hamilton outside the top two, but that just seems to be the unfortunate reality at the moment given Hamilton's form. The seven-time world champion has only one pole and no wins since the start of 2022, and hasn't shown anywhere near the consistency he is known for. Hamilton has still shown his class, however, and comfortably beat Russell in 2023 and looked for a while like he could challenge Perez for second in the championship. He is by far the greatest F1 driver of all time with the most wins, poles, and podiums, but could his best years be behind him.
2nd- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
For me, Leclerc is the most under appreciated driver on the grid, particularly by British media who often overlook his results. The Monegasque driver may be one of the most unlucky sportsmen on planet Earth with so many potential wins snatched away from him due to dismal team strategy and mechanical issues. However, it must be noted Leclerc has been guilty of making costly errors on his own accord, France 2022 in particular.
Leclerc is quite comfortably the best qualifier on the grid, and his record of 23 poles and only five wins simply shows his ability to put a car on pole that has no right to be there. The 26-year-old is also the only driver since the new regulations to show they can get the better of Verstappen in an out-and-out race on multiple occasions, with his performances in Bahrain and Austria in 2022 proving this point. If I could put any of the other 19 drivers in the same car as Verstappen in hope of a fiesty battle, I'd choose Charles Leclerc right now.
1st Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Probably the easiest decision of the entire list, Verstappen takes the top spot, as he does almost every single race. With three consecutive world championships, and 19 wins out of the last 21 races which include the two best winning runs in the history of the sport (10 wins in a row and 9 wins in a row) he is simply a cut above. Yes, he has the best car, yes his teammate hasn't posed any sort of challenge, but the bloke does not put a foot wrong. If the other drivers can't catch him soon, there is going to be a new name in the GOAT debate.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Motorsport, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris