Formula One asked the drivers themselves to rank the top ten drivers on the grid, and you can see the results in the table below.
Each of the 20 F1 drivers that attended the season's last race was supposed to name the top ten drivers from one to ten. The Grand Prix point scoring system was then applied to create the final ranking.
The number one driver would be assigned 25 points, and the number ten driver would be assigned 1 point. Everybody was permitted to include themselves in the top ten, but interestingly, not everyone did.
The final table below shows that drivers from seven different teams made it to the top ten. After such an incredible season, it might have been expected that Verstappen would rank the highest.
His teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, barely made it to the top ten and fell back two positions compared to the 2022 rankings.
It is worth pointing out that there are currently three World Champions on the F1 grid and all three of them are placed inside the top three.
Lewis Hamilton scored second place, while George Russell, who has been a pretty equal match to him, was not ranked inside the top ten.
It is similar to Fernando Alonso, who placed third, but his teammate Lance Stroll did not make it inside the top ten in the final ranking.
Another point worth mentioning is that each of the top five drivers is from a different team. Lando Norris, who described the 2023 season as his best so far, ranked P4.
The Papaya drivers were followed by the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who, on average, according to the driver's vote, complete the second strongest driver pairing on the grid.
All the drivers acknowledged Alex Albon's contribution to William's success, and the 27-year-old got the P7, which is a two-position improvement compared to the previous season.
Oscar Piastri managed to impress not only his team and fans but also other racers around him, as many of them included the Australian inside the top ten, which resulted in P8 for the youngest driver on the grid.
Another new driver inside the top ten is Pierre Gasly, who managed to score P3 during the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race and also stood on the podium after the Dutch Grand Prix.
Source: Formula 1
Ranking | Driver | Team |
1. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
2. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
3. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
4. | Lando Norris | McLaren |
5. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
6. | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
7. | Alex Albon | Williams |
8. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
9. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
10. | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |