Formula 1's Driver Power Rankings After 2015 Mexican Grand Prix
Nico Rosberg returned to the top step of the podium in style with a dominant performance at the 2015 Formula One Mexican Grand Prix.
Just one week after his title challenge was officially ended, Rosberg put newly crowned three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton firmly in the shade to take his fourth victory of the season—and the first hat-trick of his F1 career.
Hamilton followed the German home for Mercedes' 10th one-two finish of the season, and further down the road Valtteri Bottas emerged from a race-long Red Bull versus Williams battle to take third.
The Finn drove an excellent race, as did fourth-placed man Daniil Kvyat. Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Max Verstappen will also head into the next race on a high after their strong drives led to points finishes.
But some drivers left the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in a less than happy mood—chief among them the Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
From a purely racing perspective, the first Mexican Grand Prix since 1992 was rather dull, but perhaps we were due a quiet one after the thrills and drama of Austin.
The drivers will be back in action on November 13 when first practice begins for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Until then, here's how they rank.
Note on Driver Power Rankings
These rankings should not be confused with the championship table.
Rather than looking solely at how many points each driver has, these rankings take into account race results, qualifying, each driver's overall performance and how drivers 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 weekend, every driver who took part is awarded a score out of 10. The sum of these scores across the previous six races is given on each driver's slide and determines the driver's ranking. Races outside the most recent six have zero impact on the scores.
The cumulative total and ranking is therefore based on recent form—it is not a reflection of the season as a whole.
As we're more than six races into the season, drivers will be dropping points from races earlier in the year; this, coupled with a very tight field, may result in large fluctuations.
All position changes are relative to where the driver was in the previous set of rankings, published after the United States Grand Prix and available here.
Honourable Mentions
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Nico Hulkenberg drove a strong race to finish seventh, while Marcus Ericsson's 12th-place finish said nothing of how well he performed relative to team-mate Felipe Nasr.
And again, we have to mention Alexander Rossi—the only driver currently on the grid to have been classified ahead of his team-mate every time he has started a grand prix. It's only a four-race streak but credit is still due.
10. Daniil Kvyat
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New Entry
Daniil Kvyat lost out on a near-certain podium after one of his best drives in F1.
He qualified fourth on the grid with a time of 1:20.398. In doing so, he outqualified team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix, but it was a close-run thing—the Australian was just one-thousandth of a second slower and started fifth.
Kvyat made a great start and was ahead of Sebastian Vettel within a few hundred metres of the start. He held the position into Turn 1 and spent the opening stint gradually pulling clear of Ricciardo, who had risen to fourth.
He stopped on Lap 21 and, thanks to his good pace, managed to stay ahead of both the early-stopping Williams cars. Valtteri Bottas tried to close up, but the Russian managed to maintain a moderately comfortable gap; as the Finn's tyres aged, it began to slowly grow.
Kvyat looked a nailed-on certainty for a podium, but the emergence of the safety car put his position in jeopardy. Both he and Bottas pitted for fresh tyres, and at the restart, Kvyat was a little too close to the two Mercedes' entering the final corner.
In dirty air, he couldn't get the power down, and Bottas—who hadn't been quite as close—ended up getting a better entry onto the pit straight. The FW37's Mercedes engine did the rest, powering Bottas through into third long before the braking zone of Turn 1.
Ricciardo had a bit of a go over the next few laps, but Kvyat eventually pulled clear to finish three seconds ahead of his team-mate.
Kvyat has been outscoring Ricciardo of late but not outdriving him. This time, he did both—and more than deserved the top-three finish he lost.
He's a new entry in 10th.
Rating: 10
Cumulative: 44
9. Jenson Button
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Down One
Jenson Button had one of the quietest, most dismal weekends of his 282-race career—and none of it was his fault.
A misfire discovered by the team during third practice left Button unable to qualify, so he needed to ask permission from the stewards to start the race from the back. But as he was carrying 70 places worth of grid penalties, 20th and last is where he would have started anyway.
Button didn't make a great start, but he passed the two Manors by the end of Lap 2 to run 16th. Unfortunately, that's as far as raw speed got him—with his Honda engine struggling on the long pit straight, Button's medium tyre-shod McLaren was the slowest "midfield" car in the early stages.
He ran as high as 11th as other drivers made earlier stops, but after making his own first visit to the pits he was back down to 16th. Button moved up two places after Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Nasr retired, but even the intervention of the safety car couldn't push him toward the points.
The 2009 world champion had a bit of fun in the closing laps as Carlos Sainz Jr. slowed dramatically, but even a struggling Toro Rosso was too quick for Button's healthy McLaren; the Brit crossed the line in 14th, last of all bar the two Manors.
Button falls one place to ninth.
Rating: 7
Cumulative: 46
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8. Fernando Alonso
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Down One
Fernando Alonso's Mexican Grand Prix was a depressingly short affair.
He qualified 16th, missing out on a spot in Q2 by two-tenths of a second. Away from the straights, it was a good lap—as he later revealed on Twitter. He started 18th after receiving grid penalties; team-mate Jenson Button didn't take part in the session due to a power-unit issue and started 20th.
Alonso made a good start and exited Turn 3 in 16th, but at Turn 5, his car slowed. The team had discovered an MGU-H problem before the race but didn't have time to fix it, and Alonso knew he would almost certainly break down.
He coasted back to the pits and retired at the end of the first lap.
Alonso falls one place after his first DNF in four races.
Rating: 7
Cumulative: 47
7. Valtteri Bottas
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Up Two
Valtteri Bottas survived a scare to stand on the podium for only the second time in 2015.
He qualified sixth on the grid, less than half-a-tenth shy of the Red Bull duo in fourth and fifth. Team-mate Felipe Massa was a further tenth slower, and he started seventh.
Bottas had a so-so getaway off the line but benefited a little from the coming-together between Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo to end the opening lap in fifth.
The Finn was the first driver to make a scheduled stop, coming in for fresh medium-compound tyres at the end of Lap 8. He emerged in 16th but immediately began to regain places—largely as a result of the cars ahead making their own stops.
But with a number of cars starting on mediums, Bottas had to make a couple of on-track passes. Jenson Button and Felipe Nasr were easy pickings, but the next car up the road was that of countryman Kimi Raikkonen.
The FW37 was much quicker, but Raikkonen was in no mood to give up without a fight. On Lap 22, Bottas tried to overtake around the outside into Turn 4; the Ferrari man gave him space initially but refused to yield the apex into the following corner.
Bottas had nowhere to go and the pair collided. Raikkonen was out on the spot with suspension damage but Bottas survived to race on in a net fourth. He initially closed the gap to Daniil Kvyat in third, but as his tyres aged, the Russian began to edge clear.
He would surely have to stop again, while Kvyat could go to the end, so it looked like any hopes of a podium were over. But the safety car, deployed after Sebastian Vettel's crash, changed everything.
Bottas pitted for fresh medium tyres while Kvyat took on softs.
When the safety car returned to the pits, Kvyat had a slight wobble in the final corner, and Bottas took full advantage. His Mercedes engine powered him past the Red Bull on the pit straight; now third, he never looked back and held the position all the way to the flag.
Fortune played its part, but Bottas drove beautifully and made most of his own luck. He's up two spots to seventh.
Rating: 9
Cumulative: 47
6. Sebastian Vettel
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Down Four
Sebastian Vettel treated the Mexican fans to one of the worst drives of his F1 career.
He qualified third on the grid with a lap of 1:19.850—less than four-tenths down on polesitter Nico Rosberg's best. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen suffered car problems in the Saturday session and could only manage 15th.
Vettel's race went badly from the very start. He got off the line slowly and was passed by Daniil Kvyat, but he attempted to come back at the Russian on the long run down to the first corner. Opting against going around the outside, Vettel braked a touch early and tried to take a normal line through Turn 1.
Unfortunately for Vettel, an unseen Daniel Ricciardo was waiting for him. The former team-mates touched and Vettel ended up with a punctured right-rear tyre; the slow lap and pit stop that followed saw him fall to 19th and last.
He soon caught the Manors and made up a few positions as other cars pitted. On Lap 17, Vettel overtook Jenson Button into Turn 1 to take 11th, but six corners later, he spun and fell back to 15th.
The rest of the stint was spent on slightly flat-spotted tyres, trying unsuccessfully to overtake Pastor Maldonado. Vettel took on fresh mediums on Lap 35, and 15 tours later, he was 12th and with a very good chance of rising into the points.
But another mistake, again at Turn 7, sent him spearing into the barriers and out of the race.
Finishing second in the drivers' championship now seems a tall order for Vettel. He's down four places to sixth.
Rating: 4
Cumulative: 47
5. Max Verstappen
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Down One
Max Verstappen kept his place in the top 10 of the drivers' championship after another solid drive.
He made it through to Q3 for the third race in a row and went on to qualify eighth on the grid. Team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. was eliminated in Q2 and started 11th.
When the lights went out, Verstappen got off the line well but was a little cautious into Turn 1. This ended up working to his advantage; he avoided the immediate aftermath of the collision between Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo and was able to sneak past Felipe Massa when the Williams man was pushed wide at Turn 5.
He was surprisingly able to stay ahead of Massa until the Brazilian pitted. Verstappen stayed out later than almost everyone and ran as high as third before dropping to eighth after his own first stop.
In the middle stint—or rather, the early part of what was planned to be his second and final stint—Verstappen held off Sergio Perez before a mistake at Turn 12 allowed the Mexican to overtake.
The emergence of the safety car prompted a switch to two stops, and though his pace on the soft tyres in the final stint wasn't good, Verstappen did at least hold off the two Lotuses to claim ninth.
F1's youngest-ever driver has now scored points in seven of the last eight grands prix. He falls a spot to fifth.
Rating: 8
Cumulative: 50
4. Daniel Ricciardo
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Down One
Daniel Ricciardo couldn't quite match his team-mate, but he did at least give us two of the moments of the race.
He qualified fifth on the grid with a lap of 1:20.399, outqualified by Daniil Kvyat for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix. The margin could not have been tighter—it was just one-thousandth of a second in the Russian's favour.
Ricciardo made a reasonable start and was able to challenge slow-starting Sebastian Vettel into Turn 1. The Australian got his nose down the inside, but Vettel came in from the outside line to claim the apex; the resulting collision punctured the Ferrari man's tyre, but Ricciardo escaped with no damage.
Running in fourth behind Kvyat, his pace on the soft tyres wasn't exceptional, and after stopping three laps later than his team-mate, he ended up down in sixth with both Williams cars ahead of him.
Though Ricciardo quickly edged up to the back of Felipe Massa, he struggled to overtake the Mercedes-powered FW37—even with DRS on the main straight. But eventually, he managed it after getting a much better exit from the final corner and firing his car down the inside into Turn 1.
He might have caught and passed Valtteri Bottas, too—either on the track or when his rival pitted. But the emergence of the safety car adversely impacted many planned one-stop races, and Ricciardo's was one of them.
He stopped again and, after briefly pressurising Kvyat, maintained fifth place all the way to the flag.
He's down a spot to fourth.
Rating: 8
Cumulative: 50
3. Nico Rosberg
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Up Three
Nico Rosberg added his name to a select list with a brilliant drive in Mexico.
He qualified on pole for the fourth consecutive race, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just under two-tenths of a second. But with a long run down to the first corner, it was far from certain that he could convert pole into the race lead.
Such fears were unfounded; Rosberg made as good a start as anyone and stuck resolutely to the inside line, forcing Hamilton to the outside on the approach to Turn 1. The Brit tried a switchback assault through Turn 2, but Rosberg got onto the racing line and settled in to a secure lead.
He had to withstand some degree of pressure from his team-mate, but it looked like he had an answer for everything Hamilton could throw at him.
The gap between the pair yo-yoed between one and three seconds for almost the whole grand prix, Rosberg keeping Hamilton out of DRS range for all but two of the racing laps. The team's decision to switch to two stops injected a bit of tension but had no effect on the running order.
The German crossed the line around two seconds clear of Hamilton to win his fourth race of the season. Having set the fastest lap four tours from the end, he also celebrated the first hat-trick—pole, win and fastest lap—of his F1 career.
According to Stats F1, only 43 other drivers—going all the way back to 1950—have achieved that feat.
Rosberg's dominant performance moves him up three spots to third.
Rating: 10
Cumulative: 51
2. Sergio Perez
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Up Three
Sergio Perez was one of the big safety-car losers at his home race.
He made his one Q3 run when the track conditions were not at their best and qualified ninth on the grid, beating team-mate Nico Hulkenberg by a little under one-tenth of a second. The German lined up in 10th.
A slightly below-average start saw Perez come perilously close to a bump into the first corner, but he avoided any contact and ended up gaining a place on the opening lap thanks to Sebastian Vettel's puncture.
His initial pace on the soft tyres was good, but toward the end of the stint, he came under pressure from Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Toro Rosso. Perez held off his attentions and made his one and only pit stop at the end of Lap 18.
Staying out longer than most of his rivals meant he emerged in a net 10th. Sainz was the first car in his way, but Perez overtook after the Spaniard left the track to keep his position.
Perez then caught Max Verstappen, and after eight laps spent struggling to get close enough to mount an attack, the Dutchman made a mistake at the entry to the stadium sector. Perez dived down the inside into the tight hairpin to take the position to the loudest cheer of the day.
Now up to eighth, Perez looked certain to pass Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa when they made their second stops. However, the safety car emerged on Lap 52; both were able to pit and rejoin ahead.
Force India left Perez out, and though he didn't have the tyre life left to challenge those ahead, he held off the cars behind to finish eighth. When the chequered flag fell, he was still setting competitive times on rubber that was 53 laps old.
Perez is up three places to second.
Rating: 9
Cumulative: 51
1. Lewis Hamilton
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No Change
Lewis Hamilton wasn't at his best but kept his team-mate honest all the way to the flag.
He qualified second on the grid, beaten over a single lap by Nico Rosberg for the fourth race in a row. Hamilton's best time of 1:19.668 was just under two-tenths of a second down on his team-mate's best.
Hamilton made an average start and slotted in behind Rosberg on the run down to Turn 1, but he was unable to mount a serious attack into the braking zone. From then on, he had a fairly uneventful race, lapping at the same pace as his team-mate but unable to mount an assault on a track that didn't lend itself to running in dirty air.
The only real drama came after Rosberg—who everyone thought was one-stopping—made a second, precautionary stop.
The team called Hamilton in the following lap but he sounded far from keen on the idea, insisting his tyres would be good to the end. His mechanics waited in the pits, but Hamilton drove on by, his argument with race engineer Peter Bonnington becoming increasingly heated.
He relented a lap later, having made it clear he disagreed with the call—and any chance he might have had of winning the race disappeared.
Hamilton pushed hard after the safety car but dropped back every time he got into the serious dirty air zone, and he eventually crossed the line a shade under two seconds down on his team-mate.
He holds on to the top spot.
Rating: 8
Cumulative: 52
Penalty, timing, qualifying and race data used throughout sourced from the FIA, the official F1 website and F1 Fanatic's lap charts.
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