Power Rankings: Kimi Antonelli tops the judges’ table after the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Madrid
Image accompanying the official F1 announcement.Formula 1’s judges released their latest Power Rankings after the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Madrid. Kimi Antonelli finished first overall, after what the ranking panel said was a Virtual Safety Car timing swing that affected Lando Norris’ race.
The judges said Norris rebounded strongly from technical problems during Friday practice to take pole position and lead early, but that when a Virtual Safety Car appeared at an unfavourable moment, he ended up settling for third in the Grand Prix classification.
Formula 1 credited Antonelli’s rise in the Power Rankings to how he managed the race under the Virtual Safety Car—making a pit stop while Norris stopped later and then taking the lead when Norris rejoined behind him.
The judges also highlighted Antonelli’s continued form for Mercedes, saying he extended his championship lead over team mate George Russell to 81 points.
Max Verstappen was singled out for backing up a subdued Friday with a stronger qualifying showing, which saw him qualify third, before converting that into second in the race after Norris’ Virtual Safety Car disruption.
The Power Rankings also pointed to Franco Colapinto, who the judges said built momentum through consecutive Q3 appearances and scored points at Monza and Madrid, then translated a ninth-place grid into seventh at the chequered flag.
Other drivers recognised included Arvid Lindblad, who the judges said recovered after a crash during FP2 to reach Q3 and score for a ninth time in the last 10 weekends, and Nico Hulkenberg, who missed Q3 by a narrow margin in qualifying but finished 10th after a long, hot race.
Charles Leclerc was noted as the only Ferrari driver to finish, placing fourth after Lewis Hamilton retired early due to brake problems.
Reporting source: F1 official update