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Formula 1: Way-too-early 2020 power rankings

By Asher Fair

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 01: Top three finishers Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 01: Top three finishers Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 30: Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP is congratulated by third placed qualifier Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 30: Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP is congratulated by third placed qualifier Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

#2 and #1

#2. . No. 33. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Honda. MAX VERSTAPPEN

Max Verstappen continues to improve year after year, both from a consistency standpoint and an overall competitiveness standpoint. He won a career-high three races in 2019 and has never won fewer races in a season than he did in the previous year, and he finished in a career-high third place in the driver standings. When a driver other than Lewis Hamilton eventually does win the world championship, don’t be surprised if it’s Verstappen. In fact, in races that Verstappen has won, Hamilton’s statistics have been disastrous. He has what it takes to reach that level. The question is whether or not Red Bull Racing will be able to improve enough in their second year with Honda engines to make it happen.

. No. 44. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes. LEWIS HAMILTON. #1

There is still no good reason not to rank Lewis Hamilton at #1.

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He is poised to break Michael Schumacher’s all-time wins record (91) in 2020, sitting just seven wins behind it with 84 and having won 62 races in the last six years. He has failed to record 10 victories in a year just once since the V6 turbo hybrid era began in 2014, as he won nine races in the 2017 season.

He has won the last three championship by an average of 73.67 points, including the last two by an average of 87.50, and he has won five of the last six by an average of 69.40. He is also slated to tie Schumacher’s titles record with his seventh championship in 2020.

Even if you include his five-point defeat to Nico Rosberg in 2016, he has come out on top by an average of 57.00 points per year in each of the last six years. He can be beaten, but can he be beaten over the course of an entire 22-race season? The world is still waiting.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

The 22-race 2020 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 15 at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia with the Australian Grand Prix.

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