Formula 1: Driver Power Rankings after 2018 French Grand Prix
By Asher Fair
Non-formulated Formula 1 Driver Power Rankings
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer | Last Rank | Trend |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | #44, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes | 2 | +1 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | #5, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | #3, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Renault | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | #77, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | #33, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Renault | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Kimi Raikkonen | #7, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Kevin Magnussen | #20, Haas, Ferrari | 13 | +6 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | #55, Renault Sport, Renault | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | #27, Renault Sport, Renault | 7 | -2 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | #14, McLaren, Renault | 9 | -1 |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc | #16, Alfa Romeo Sauber, Ferrari | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | #10, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Sergio Perez | #11, Sahara Force India, Mercedes | 14 | +1 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | #31, Sahara Force India, Mercedes | 10 | -4 |
| 15 | Stoffel Vandoorne | #2, McLaren, Renault | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean | #8, Haas, Ferrari | 18 | +2 |
| 17 | Marcus Ericsson | #9, Alfa Romeo Sauber, Ferrari | 16 | -1 |
| 18 | Brendon Hartley | #28, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda | 19 | +1 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | #18, Williams Martini Racing, Mercedes | 17 | -2 |
| 20 | Sergey Sirotkin | #35, Williams Martini Racing, Mercedes | 20 | 0 |
Biggest Movers
Up: Kevin Magnussen (+6)
Down: Esteban Ocon (-4)
Conclusion
Given the fact that Formula 1 teams can basically be split into tiers, it makes sense that there is far less movement in both the formulated Formula 1 Driver Power Rankings and the non-formulated Formula 1 Driver Power Rankings, particularly the former, from race to race than there is in other series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, IndyCar and Formula E.
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Because of the fact that the results from race to race have a lot to do with the strength of the teams, it is rare to see certain drivers finish races outside of certain positions. As a result, the fact that the top six drivers in the formulated Formula 1 Driver Power Rankings stayed in the exact same positions that they were in after the Canadian Grand Prix after the French Grand Prix is not surprising whatsoever.
In fact, the top seven drivers stayed the same in this edition of these rankings, as Carlos Sainz Jr. continued his solid run to maintain seventh place. That said, there is still a sizable drop-off from sixth to seventh in both sets of rankings since Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are the three top-tier teams, while Renault happen to be the best team of the mid-pack so far this season. In fact, Sainz Jr. is not even in seventh in the non-formulated Formula 1 Driver Power Rankings.
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The Austrian Grand Prix is the next race on the 2018 Formula 1 schedule. That race is scheduled to take place later today starting at 9:10 a.m. ET. It is scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN2 from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.