Edd Straw's 2026 Spanish GP F1 driver rankings: Who passed at the Madring

The inaugural F1 race at the Madring wasn't a classic, but the weekend seriously tested the grid. Here's who passed — and who wasn't.

Why it matters:

With VSC timing and track position outweighing raw pace, these rankings reveal more than the results sheet.

The details:

• Lando Norris (P1-P3): Mighty qualifying lap; VSC cost him victory.
• Franco Colapinto (P9-P7): Superb Q3; held off Piastri.
• Esteban Ocon (P13-P11): Unlucky; pit equipment cost a point.
• Max Verstappen (P3-P2): Maximum from Red Bull; kept Norris behind.
• Kimi Antonelli (P2-P1): Fastest Mercedes; untidy first lap, VSC luck.
• Charles Leclerc (P5-P4): Clean race; old-spec PU.
• Sergio Perez (P18-DNF): Quicker Cadillac; water leak.
• Alex Albon (P16-P15): Recovered from FP3 wall clip.
• Fernando Alonso (P17-P17): Faster Aston; race ruined.
• Lewis Hamilton (P4-DNF): Underlying pace; FP3 crash.
• Arvid Lindblad (P10-P9): Recovered from FP2 crash.
• Nico Hulkenberg (P11-P10): Softs + VSC timing = point.
• Liam Lawson (P8-P6): Solid hard-tyre strategy.
• George Russell (P6-P5): One clean pass; below Antonelli.
• Oscar Piastri (P7-P8): Not at Norris's level.
• Gabriel Bortoleto (P12-P13): Poor start; tidy hards.
• Pierre Gasly (P14-P12): Bad qualifying; pit penalty.
• Valtteri Bottas (P19-P18): Traffic and Sainz ruined qualifying.
• Lance Stroll (P21-DNF): Water leak; 40-place penalty.
• Yuki Tsunoda (P15-P14): Fresh-tyre struggles; first-lap damage.
• Carlos Sainz (P20-DNF): Errors; hit Alonso.
• Ollie Bearman (Pitlane-P16): Heavy FP3 crash; strong recovery.

What's next:

With Mercedes the benchmark and Norris extracting more than the car deserves, the margins at the front are razor-thin. Expect twists.