Formula 1: 2020 Power Rankings
By Asher Fair
Formula 1 Power Rankings: #4 and #3
#4. . No. 77. Mercedes-AMG Petronas, Mercedes. VALTTERI BOTTAS
2019 finish: 2nd place (326 points)
Valtteri Bottas is more determined than he has ever been to take the fight to teammate Lewis Hamilton and win his first world championship after a career year in 2019 that saw him finish in a career-high second place in the driver standings with a career-high four victories, a career-high 15 podium finishes and a career-high five pole positions. But even with all of that, Hamilton still beat him comfortably, winning the title by 87 points with 11 victories and 17 podium finishes with nearly three times as many laps led as his teammate. In his fourth season with Mercedes, Bottas is in a contract year for the fourth time. Team principal and CEO Toto Wolff vowed to make future negotiations smoother to lessen the mental burden on Bottas, as his performance went downhill last season when there were rumors of him losing his ride. Will that mentality get him to where he wants to be in 2020?
#3. . No. 16. Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. CHARLES LECLERC
2019 finish: 4th place (264 points)
Charles Leclerc got the Formula 1 world’s attention with a strong first season driving for Ferrari last year, as he became the first Ferrari driver to beat four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel since he arrived at the Scuderia in the 2015 season. He beat Vettel in points, wins, podium finishes, pole positions, laps led and average finish, and he established himself as the team’s number one driver, landing a massive contract extension following the season while Vettel has already announced his departure from the team after 2020. Even with all of that success, Leclerc still left a lot on the table in 2019, many times due to Ferrari strategy blunders and other mechanical issues. If Ferrari can provide him with strong package in 2020, he will be a regular frontrunner.