F1 Power Rankings: Perez, Sainz, Hamilton, Alonso all battling for 2nd-best

Welcome to the second edition of our Formula 1 driver rankings for the 2023 season. Here's how each driver stacks up after eight races.

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Previous Rank: 1

There's no stopping Verstappen. He's ripped off four straight victories since a second-place finish in Azerbaijan. During that span, Verstappen's produced a remarkable drive from ninth to first in Miami, a stunning pole lap in Monaco, and two superb performances in Barcelona and Montreal. The reigning world champion has now led the last 224 laps, fifth most all time and just 81 laps away from tying the F1 record set by Alberto Ascari in 1952. Ascari may not hold the record for much longer with the way Verstappen is driving.

2. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

Previous Rank: 2

There hasn't been a more consistent non-Red Bull driver than Fernando Alonso. The 41-year-old has scored podiums in six of the eight races. He's also etching closer and closer to the top step, with two second-place finishes in the last three events. Not only has Alonso obliterated his teammate Lance Stroll by a tally of 117 to 37, but there's a serious chance that second in the drivers' championship is also on. The two-time world champion sits nine points behind Perez in the chase for the top spot behind Verstappen.

3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

Previous Rank: 2

We're still searching for where the Perez who won two of the season's first four races has gone. In what's now becoming a worrying trend carried over from last season, the Mexican pilot's quality has decreased as the year progressed. His recent string of lowlights includes failing to make Q3 in each of the previous three races. It's seemingly been all downhill for a man who was once hopeful of challenging Verstappen for the championship. What was once a six-point gap to his teammate has now ballooned to a 69-point deficit.

4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Previous Rank: 5

Hamilton looks much more comfortable in the car following Mercedes' numerous upgrades. He's secured podiums in back-to-back races - second in Spain and third in Canada. Hamilton has also shown a much better race pace over his qualifying performances. He started fifth in Barcelona and fourth in Montreal, only to cross the line in a higher position. The seven-time champion had just one podium finish and 62 points in his first eight races last season compared to the 102 points he has through the same amount of events this year.

5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Previous Rank: 6

Self-inflicted errors continue to plague Ferrari. Sainz appeared frustrated by his team's strategic decisions in Monaco and Spain, finishing eighth and fifth, respectively. His result in Barcelona was even more frustrating considering he qualified second behind Verstappen. But while there's plenty of blame to be handed out to the team, Sainz has to take some responsibility as well. He was handed a three-place grid penalty in Montreal qualifying, forcing him to start 11th. He managed to cross the line in fifth for the fourth time in five races, though he hasn't finished higher than fourth all season.

6. George Russell, Mercedes

Previous Rank: 4

Russell hasn't stormed out of the gates with his Mercedes in 2023 like he did last season. He's only got one podium in eight races - finishing third in Spain - and has already failed to finish in two races after suffering just one retirement a season ago. Russell has demonstrated his immense skill when he's kept the car on the track. He was third in Barcelona despite failing to get out of Q2 and starting the race from 12th. The 25-year-old also managed to get his car into eighth place from last in Montreal after a huge collision with the wall. Unfortunately, he didn't complete the race, but it was still impressive given the damage he caused after the earlier incident.

7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Previous Rank: 8

Leclerc has been outperformed pretty much all year by his teammate, and that's reflected by Sainz sitting ahead of the Monegasque driver in these rankings. And nothing has looked worse recently than two races ago in Spain, when Leclerc failed to make it out of Q1, while Sainz, in his hometown race, qualified second. But if you're looking for Pyrrhic victories for unquestionably the most disappointing driver on the grid, Leclerc has outperformed Sainz in three of the last five races and climbed to 11th in Barcelona while his teammate fell to fifth. That's the upshot for a driver who entered the year expecting to compete for race wins but only has one podium.

8. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

Previous Rank: 10

Alpine's A523 has been a mixed bag, but Ocon has made the most of it by scoring points in each of the last four races. That includes a surprise podium in Monaco after a superb lap in qualifying in which he held provisional pole at one point. In a sport dominated by the big three constructors plus an emerging Aston Martin, Ocon is the only driver from outside the top four to stand on the podium this season. If there was any question about who's been Alpine's top pilot, Ocon has answered it firmly by nearly doubling Pierre Gasly's point total (29-15).

9. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Previous Rank: 7

Stoll is frankly getting body bagged by his teammate. Alonso has outperformed the Canadian in all but one race this year. The only time Stroll beat him was by one place, which was more about getting the team a good sixth- and seventh-place result amid damage control in Spain. When the other driver in the same machinery routinely gets on the podium, you probably shouldn't finish eighth in the driver standings. A couple of DNFs have hurt Stroll, but he's landed in the points all but once when he's finished the race. If Aston wants to compete for second in the constructors' standings, they'll need more consistency from their young driver in his seventh year on the grid.

10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Previous Rank: 9

Alpine has cemented itself as a legitimate midfield team this year, and Gasly has finished in the points in five out of eight races. And, if he had better justice in Canada after getting knocked out in Q1 because Sainz impeded him, he'd likely be on a four-race streak of finishing in the top 10. Unfortunately, that's not how F1 works, and, as a result, Gasly has barely more than half the points of Ocon. He's only bested his teammate three times on the track this year. With improved pace from McLaren recently, Alpine needs more from Gasly.

11. Lando Norris, McLaren

Previous Rank: 14

For a brief second, Norris and McLaren appeared to be back. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The 23-year-old has scored just two points over his last four races. The McLaren has looked solid during qualifying, but a lack of race pace and bad luck have killed Norris' Sundays. He qualified third in Spain and finished 17th - some of that result had to do with making contact with Hamilton on Lap 1 and was never able to recover. Norris started seventh in Canada but crossed the line ninth, only to be slapped with a five-second penalty that dropped him to 13th.

12. Alex Albon, Williams

Previous Rank: 12

Albon again continues to show why he's one of the most underrated drivers on the grid. In Montreal, Albon put on a masterclass demonstration in qualifying speed, tire management, and racecraft. The Williams driver topped the timesheets in Q2 before settling for a ninth-place start. He then nursed his hard tires 58 laps on an aggressive one-stop strategy while defending from Ocon and Norris to cross the line P7. The result is Williams' best finish since Spa 2021.

13. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

Previous Rank: 15

Hulkenberg has points in just one race this season, and he hasn't finished higher than 15th over the last five events. However, the Haas driver may have scored one of the biggest surprises of the early season by qualifying second in Montreal - the second-highest qualification in team history. But that was the end of the celebration, as he was handed a three-place grid penalty and finished 15th. Still, it was nice to see the Haas garage have some joy in what has been another difficult season.

14. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

Previous Rank: 11

Bottas' decline has been one of the biggest surprises of the campaign. Through eight races, Bottas' highest starting position is 10th, which he's done just once. The Finnish driver has also only finished in the points on two occasions. Compare that to 2022 when Bottas started in the top ten five times and scored points six times through the first eight races. Despite Alfa Romeo's C43 not being anything to write home about, Bottas running around with the bottom of the midfield and backmarkers has been a troubling sight.

15. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

Previous Rank: 13

Tsunoda remains stuck on two points after failing to score over the last four races. It's been a real struggle for AlphaTauri, as the team sits last in the constructors' standings, with Tsunoda the team's only driver to score points. He failed to get out of Q2 in Canada and Spain and was penalized in each of those races. Tsunoda's five-second penalty in Barcelona dropped him out of the points, costing the team a ninth-place finish.

16. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo

Previous Rank: 18

It's been a trying year for Alfa Romeo after preseason testing in its Ferrari engine looked surprisingly impressive, particularly the sophomore Zhou. Alas, he's squeaked into the points twice this year - both ninth-place finishes - and otherwise hasn't placed higher than 13th. But he's still beaten Bottas three times through eight races, and that's decent for a second-year driver with a veteran teammate.

17. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Previous Rank: 16

Maybe Piastri wishes he picked Alpine after all. Save for his eighth-place finish at his hometown race in Australia and squeaking into the top 10 with an impressive showing in Monaco, the rookie has finished outside the points. He's been the most impressive of the freshman, though, and he's on a two-race streak of outperforming his teammate Norris.

18. Kevin Magnussen, Haas

Previous Rank: 17

After handily besting Hulkenberg in four of the first five races out of the gate, Magnussen's strong stretch ended with a DNF in Monaco. Since then, he's finished 18th and 17th, while Hulkenberg made it into Q3 in Canada. Down grid, finishing the race at all is seen as a small triumph. And Magnussen's two retirements compared to Hulkenberg's zero are also illustrative of who's been more consistent, even if Magnussen has finished in the points more often.

19. Logan Sargeant, Williams

Previous Rank: 19

Sargeant could be given a bit of a pass considering his inexperience, but it's hard to feel optimistic about his potential based on his recent run. His last four results are as follows: 20th, 18th, 20th, DNF. That's just not going to cut it, even for a team like Williams. It's too early to completely give up on the rookie. However, Sargeant needs to find his groove and do it fast.

20. Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri

Previous Rank: 20

It's hard to tell how good the AlphaTauri car actually is, but Tsunoda showing the ability to reliably finish, at worst, within punching distance of the points is likely illustrative of where de Vries should be. Instead, the Dutch rookie has yet to secure a single point and has been bested by Tsunoda all but once. This doesn't look like the same driver who stepped in with Williams last year and appeared ready for F1.