Lewis Hamilton's first win with Ferrari stole the spotlight, but plenty of other drivers caught the judges' eyes at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. From strategic gambles to unlucky retirements, see who impressed in the latest Power Rankings.
Lewis Hamilton finally clinched his first victory with Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a momentous occasion that didn't go unnoticed by our Power Rankings judges. With a strategic three-stop race and a blistering qualifying lap, Hamilton secured the top score from our panel. But who else impressed over the weekend?
A five-judge panel evaluates each driver's performance out of 10 after every Grand Prix, aiming to assess skill over machinery. These scores are averaged to create a race score, which accumulates over the season to form the overall Power Rankings Leaderboard.
Hamilton, after a couple of P2 finishes in Canada and Monaco, finally achieved what he joined Ferrari for — a Grand Prix win. He missed FP1 while Dino Beganovic took the wheel but made up for it with a remarkable Q3 lap. Starting from the front row, he orchestrated a flawless three-stop strategy, edging out Mercedes for victory and earning a perfect 10 from the judges.
Lando Norris found his way back into the points in Barcelona, a relief after retirements in Canada and Monaco. Fastest in FP2, he qualified P4 and maintained his position throughout the race. Norris took advantage of Kimi Antonelli's retirement to claim his second podium of 2026.
George Russell had a solid weekend at Mercedes, leading FP1 and FP3 and taking his third pole position of the year. Though his focus on defending against Antonelli cost him ground to Hamilton, Russell's P2 finish keeps him well within the title race.
Kimi Antonelli faced a challenging weekend. Struggling with the warm conditions, he admitted to overdriving the car, resulting in a P3 start. Despite a strong challenge to Russell, mechanical issues ended his race prematurely.
Pierre Gasly continued to shine in the midfield for Alpine, converting a disappointing P14 qualifying into a P7 finish. The team’s decision to swap positions with teammate Franco Colapinto paid off as Gasly extended his points streak.
Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, started the weekend struggling with grip but managed a top-five qualifying spot. Though unable to catch Norris, he inherited P4 after Antonelli's exit, maximizing the RB22’s potential.
Liam Lawson, with Racing Bulls' unique football-themed livery, led the team to another double points finish. He qualified P8 and, despite dropping back at times, ended up P8 due to strategic retirements and penalties elsewhere.
Nico Hulkenberg had a promising qualifying session for Audi with P9, but an unusual gravel-induced failure ended his race early, leaving him pondering what might have been.
Franco Colapinto started strong, outqualifying his teammate, but faded during the race, allowing Gasly to pass. A post-race penalty for a yellow flag infringement dropped him from P8 to P10.
Isack Hadjar, still recovering from losing his Monaco podium, was pleasantly surprised by his qualifying performance for Red Bull. A poor start saw him drop positions, but his charge back to P6 was a highlight.
Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls was eyeing more points after a strong P11 start. Although a shaky first lap saw him run wide, a late pit stop strategy helped him recover to P9, aided by Colapinto's penalty.
Sergio Perez finished as Cadillac's sole finisher in 14th, while Oscar Piastri settled for fifth after a lackluster performance. Carlos Sainz, starting well for Williams, couldn't maintain the pace, ending up 12th.
The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix was a weekend of strategy, surprises, and some unfortunate retirements. As the season progresses, the Power Rankings will continue to reflect the ever-changing fortunes on the track.