Formula 1's Driver Power Rankings After 2015 Australian Grand Prix
The 2015 Formula One Australian Grand Prix was a bit of a disappointment. Low on drama and excitement and with as much tension as a broken Slinky, we can only hope the race was not an indicator of how the rest of the season will go.
But for all the failings of the grand prix itself, fans could at least enjoy some great displays by a variety of drivers all the way through the field. From winner Lewis Hamilton to last-placed Jenson Button, we saw fine performances and little sign of "race rust" from the men in the cockpit.
The first set of rankings for the 2015 season feature four world champions, three rookies and representatives from seven of the nine teams which took part.
Read on to discover who takes the prize as our first No. 1 of the year.
Note on Power Rankings
These rankings should not be confused with the actual championship table.
Rather than looking solely at points, they take into account race results, qualifying, the overall performance of each driver and how they stack up against their team-mates. The relative pace of each driver's car is factored in, as is the identity of his team-mate.
For each race, every driver who took part is awarded a score out of 10. The sum of these scores across the previous six races—or fewer, at this stage in the season—is given on each driver's slide and determines the driver's ranking.
10. Nico Rosberg
1 of 10
Nico Rosberg qualified second, but his best time in Q3 was a staggering six-tenths of a second slower than pole-sitting team-mate Lewis Hamilton's. Having looked strong all weekend to that point, the German's pace appeared to desert him when he needed it the most.
An OK start saw the German slot in behind Hamilton into Turn 1, and so began a somewhat uneventful race.
Though he occasionally pushed in an effort to catch his team-mate, Hamilton always had an answer. But despite being unable to close up, Rosberg at least kept the reigning champion honest and was in position to pounce on any mistake.
Unfortunately for him, a mistake was not forthcoming.
Rating: 7
9. Felipe Massa
2 of 10
Felipe Massa qualified in third, continuing a run of second-row grid slots which stretches back to last season's United States Grand Prix.
He made a decent start and, as the cars thundered toward Turn 1, looked like he was about to challenge Nico Rosberg for second. In the end, he backed out and slotted into third.
This is where he remained until his sole pit stop. Massa seemed to be comfortably keeping Sebastian Vettel's chasing Ferrari behind as he came into the pit lane, but exited right behind the slower Daniel Ricciardo.
Vettel put the hammer down in clean air, and Massa, even with Ricciardo out of the way, failed to adequately respond. The Ferrari exited the pits ahead of the Williams, and it stayed that way to the chequered flag.
Rating: 7
8. Nico Hulkenberg
3 of 10
Nico Hulkenberg qualified in 14th place, outpacing team-mate Sergio Perez by just 0.001 seconds. The lap could have and should have been better, but after a difficult pre-season it was an acceptable start to the year.
Two cars failed to make the start, and after the first-corner melee had thinned the field, Hulkenberg found himself 10th. Though unable to pass Max Verstappen ahead, he held off Marcus Ericsson's Sauber until the opening round of pit stops.
A good stop and strong pace on the medium tyre consolidated his position, and with three drivers ahead running into trouble, Hulkenberg crossed the line in seventh.
"Nico crosses the line - P7 and a handsome haul of 6 points! #FeelTheForce #AusGP
— Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) March 15, 2015"
For saying he'd spent less than two days in the car during testing, this was a very good result.
Rating: 8
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7. Max Verstappen
4 of 10
Max Verstappen failed to join team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. in Q3 after an error on his quickest Q2 lap, and started from 12th on the grid.
Running the slower medium-compound tyres for his opening stint, Verstappen managed to remain close to the front of the midfield pack. Having absorbed a little bit of pressure from Nico Hulkenberg's Force India, the 17-year-old debutant made what turned out to be his only stop on Lap 32.
Now on the quicker soft tyres, he looked set for a points finish and may have even beaten Felipe Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo. However, his Toro Rosso suffered a power unit failure on its out-lap, ending Verstappen's race.
As first races go, this was a good one; had no one mentioned it, would anyone have guessed he was only 17?
Rating: 8
6. Kimi Raikkonen
5 of 10
Kimi Raikkonen qualified a reasonable fifth—higher than he managed in the whole of the 2014 season—but he made a mistake on his quickest lap. It cost him two places; he couldn't have known at the time the impact this would have.
The Finn attempted to pass team-mate Sebastian Vettel into Turn 1, but had to slow to avoid a collision. Carlos Sainz Jr. ran into the back of Raikkonen's car, damaging the Ferrari's floor and kicking it into anti-stall mode.
As Raikkonen got back up to speed, he suffered a further contact with Felipe Nasr and ended the opening lap in eighth.
Likely missing a little downforce due to the damage, he nonetheless demonstrated strong pace after switching to a two-stopper. Unfortunately, his left rear wheel refused to play ball.
Difficulties fitting it at his first stop had cost Raikkonen five seconds, and at his second, he set off with the wheel not properly attached. Made aware of the unsafe release, he stopped the car at Turn 4 and retired.
On the evidence of Melbourne, we're set for a very tight battle between the two Ferraris this year.
Rating: 8
5. Jenson Button
6 of 10
McLaren went into the Australian Grand Prix on the back of a woeful winter of testing. With the power unit in his MP4-30 turned down in an attempt to make it reliable, Jenson Button could only manage 17th on the grid.
He was, however, six-tenths of a second quicker than team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
Button's mission for the race was simply to finish, and somehow he did. Along the way, he also provided one of the few highlights of a quite boring afternoon, managing to hold off Sergio Perez's quicker Force India for lap after lap—even withstanding a collision.
""I actually had a race: some dude drove into the side of me!" - @JensonButton (P11) Watch: http://t.co/wWfpCHdauc pic.twitter.com/dsF712dI6L
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2015"
But eventually Perez got by. The 2009 world champion ended the race two laps down and out of the points in 11th. His driving display deserved more.
Rating: 8
4. Carlos Sainz Jr.
7 of 10
Carlos Sainz Jr. was the Toro Rosso driver no one was really watching, but he got the better of media-magnet Max Verstappen in qualifying. A first-rate lap saw him qualify eighth, on the same row as Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
He made a great start and was close to the Ferraris into Turn 1—unfortunately, a little too close. Kimi Raikkonen slowed as he was pushed wide by his team-mate, and Sainz gave him a fairly hefty whack up the rear.
The young Spaniard's Toro Rosso somehow escaped with only minor damage. Though he lost a place to Felipe Nasr at the restart following the safety car, Sainz looked capable of coming home not too far behind Ricciardo.
But a problem at his sole pit stop cost him more than half a minute, and he fell to last. In the end, he finished ninth—still a reasonable start to his F1 career.
Rating: 8
3. Sebastian Vettel
8 of 10
Making his debut for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel qualified fourth, just ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
The German made an average start and was nearly passed by Raikkonen on the run down to Turn 1, but braked later on the inside and won the corner, slotting in behind Felipe Massa and the two Mercedes.
He remained there for the entirety of his opening stint, seemingly quicker than the Williams but unable to find a way through. As the pair headed toward the pit-stop window, he dropped back a touch, conserving his tyres.
As soon as Massa pitted, Vettel pushed hard. A combination of his three quick laps—quicker than leader Lewis Hamilton—and Massa's slow lap behind Daniel Ricciardo saw him overcut the Brazilian to take third.
The order stayed that way to the finish, giving Vettel an excellent podium and a great start to his Ferrari career.
Rating: 9
2. Lewis Hamilton
9 of 10
Lewis Hamilton had a difficult Friday, but delivered the goods when it mattered on Saturday. Both his laps in Q3 were quick enough for pole, his quickest a staggering six-tenths of a second faster than team-mate Nico Rosberg could manage.
After a good start, Hamilton settled into the lead. Rosberg remained around two seconds behind all race long, occasionally attacking, but the reigning champion always had a response and never truly needed to push.
It was a masterclass in managing a gap, and Hamilton cruised to victory without ever letting Rosberg within DRS range.
"Well done to @LewisHamilton for winning the Sir Jack Brabham trophy. The old man would approve of that dominant display. #onit #F1
— David Brabham (@brabsracer) March 15, 2015"
Of the eight races since he retired from the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton has stood on the top step of the podium seven times. His Melbourne drive was faultless—but someone else did even better.
Rating: 10
1. Felipe Nasr
10 of 10
Felipe Nasr missed out on a spot in Q3 by less than a tenth of a second, but easily outpaced team-mate Marcus Ericsson. His time in Q1, where both took part, was nine-tenths quicker than his more experienced rival.
The Brazilian did well to make a good start, avoiding the slow Romain Grosjean off the grid and making up places down the outside. Mid-corner, he encountered Kimi Raikkonen's slow Ferrari and was squeezed into Pastor Maldonado's Lotus.
Nasr was fortunate to survive the two light impacts, but luck played no part in the rest of his race. He passed Carlos Sainz Jr. at the restart after the safety car to take fifth, and that's where he finished—holding off the attentions of 2014's overtaking master, Daniel Ricciardo.
It's difficult to see how Nasr could have done better in his first-ever F1 race and has already done a lot to shake off the "pay driver" tag.
".@FelipeNasr's P5 in Melbourne is the best ever finish by a Brazilian driver on #F1 debut: http://t.co/1QRzsfcE26 pic.twitter.com/k7b4A21V3w
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2015"
Here's hoping he can produce more displays like this as the season progresses.
Rating: 10
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