ASN Power Rankings: Austrian Grand Prix

1) Max Verstappen. It was another dominant weekend for the Dutchman. He extended the lead in the championship and is showing that winning the title is not impossible.

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 04: Race winner Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 04, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202107040262 // Usage for editorial use only //

2) Lando Norris. It was an incredible weekend for him. He almost got pole position, then he kept behind both Mercedes in the early stages of the race. The only little mistake was pushing Perez too wide, something that made him receive a 5-second penalty and lose P2 in the race.

Lando Norris after qualifying. Credits: McLaren Twitter.

3) Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver performance was pretty good in Austria, on Sunday he took P2, but it was not fast enough to match Verstappen’s pace. At least he managed to outperform his teammate.

2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Saturday – Steve Etherington

4) Sergio Perez. On Saturday it seemed that he could Max to score a Red Bull 1-2, but he ruined everything on Sunday. He lost positions after the contact with Lando Norris, then he received two penalties for forcing Charles Leclerc wide. Not an ideal weekend for the Mexican.

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 04: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda makes a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 04, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202107040680 // Usage for editorial use only //

5) Lewis Hamilton. It was one of the hardest weekends for him, he was struggling to overtake Norris, then a problem with his car made him go even slower, making him lose 2 positions. The gap to Max is now 32 points, but the seven-time world champion will not give up.

Lewis Hamilton in Austria. 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Saturday – LAT Images

6) Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard is showing that Ferrari made the right choice in picking him as the substitute for Sebastian Vettel. He chose a different strategy and recovered five positions in the race, finishing in P5.

Carlos Sainz in Austria. Credits: Scuderia Ferrari on Twitter.

7) Charles Leclerc. It was not the best weekend for him, but he managed to deliver a good performance anyway. He started outside the top ten, and after being pushed wide twice, he still managed to finish in P8.

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the second practice session at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on July 2, 2021, ahead of the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

8) Pierre Gasly. He entered Q3 once again, and he knew that starting with the soft tires was not going to be easy. However, he still managed to bring home some points for AlphaTauri.

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 04: Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT02 Honda during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 04, 2021, in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202107040654 // Usage for editorial use only //

9) Daniel Ricciardo. He still struggled in qualifying, but he recovered many positions during the race. He was still far away from his teammate, but the race pace was promising.

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 25: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) McLaren F1 Team MCL35M Mercedes leads Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Alpine A521 Renault on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 25, 2021, in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

10) George Russell. The British driver showed that he deserves to be in a top team. He entered Q3 with medium tires ahead of both Ferraris. Then, he was running in P10 until the final stages of the race, when he was overtaken by Alonso. Despite that, one of the best drivers during the Austrian GP.

George Russell (GBR) Williams Racing FW43B. Steiermark Grand Prix, Sunday 27th June 2021. Spielberg, Austria.

11) Fernando Alonso. He fought like a lion until the last lap, and he praised George Russell for being such a great driver. In a difficult weekend for Alpine, the two-time world champion scored another important point.

12) Sebastian Vettel. He was running outside the top ten, and on the last lap, Kimi Raikkonen took him out. At least he did not lose any points.

13) Lance Stroll. It was a difficult race for Aston Martin, and Lance Stroll only finished in P13, not an easy weekend for them.

14) Yuki Tsunoda. He received two penalties for touching the white line before the pit entry, and his race was therefore ruined. Not an ideal weekend for the Japanese driver.

15) Antonio Giovinazzi. An anonymous weekend for him, he did not find the right pace during the race.

16) Kimi Raikkonen. He recovered some positions during the race, and while he was attacking Russell for P11, he did not see Vettel coming and took him out. He also received a penalty for that, not ideal.

17) Esteban Ocon. The two races in Austria were a nightmare for him, especially the second one, where he crashed after just three corners.

18) Mick Schumacher. The same weekend for the Haas driver as the previous ones, it will probably be like this until the end of the season.

19) Nicholas Latifi. He was nowhere if compared to his teammate. This weekend as well, he was only ahead of both Haas.

20) Nikita Mazepin. Just like his teammate, another boring race, but he said that he still wanted to make the most out of it.