Here are our F1 team rankings after the ninth race of the season.
The rankings are based on the currently expected levels of the cars. Performance could vary from track to track – and in different conditions – but these are the overall rankings as I see them at the moment.
1. Mercedes
Still have the quickest car even though Ferrari are getting closer. The W17 is particularly strong in clean air, but the starts are also much better now than in the beginning of the year. Reliability is – surprisingly- an issue, though. Russell lost performance on several occasions, while Antonelli has been unlucky recently. With that said, Mercedes still have plenty of space for further development and must be considered the favourites still.
2. Ferrari
The acceleration of the SF-26 is insane, so we could see Leclerc and Hamilton lead a lot of races early on. They are also able to defend well in wheel-to-wheel racing. The car has great aero features and excellent mechanical grip. Sadly, Ferrari still struggle with strategies and there are just too many silly mistakes. In Catalunya, they finally got it right for once, and Hamilton was able to take his first win in red. Leclerc followed up with a great performance at Silverstone where Ferrari actually had the outright best package.
3. Red Bull
The new Red Bull car is very track dependent, but since Miami, it seems like they are able to compete near the front. The engine is fairly powerful, and while it seems like the chassis is lacking, they’ve shown surprisingly strong performances since Monaco. Verstappen has already had some great performances, and even Hadjar is doing well. Clearly the car is now faster than the McLaren, although this could quickly change again.
4. McLaren
In May, it seemed like McLaren were in front of Ferrari, but now they’ve had several rough outings in a row. McLaren have incredible aerodynamicists and engineers, capable of upgrading the car throughout the year, and now it seems like they are understanding the OP Mercedes engine a bit better. Are they better or worse than Red Bull? Difficult to say, I had them ranked higher for a while, but after the most recent race, they should probably be behind.
5. Racing Bulls
Like last year, they have a really solid package and massively underrated car. The engine provides them with a lot of performance, and the chassis is decent as well. Lawson has delivered on multiple occasions, and considering how bad he was last year, it’s a sign that the car is really competitive. Rookie Lindblad has been a slight disappointment, but he’s also been unlucky. It should definitely be possible for both drivers to score plenty more points in the VCARB-03.
6. Alpine
The first race didn’t work out so well, but Alpine have looked very competitive ever since. If a mid-level driver like Gasly can lead the midfield, and Colapinto can finish as high as he did in Miami and Montreal, it’s a sign that the car is fairly strong. Alpine have a decent chassis and the best engine – so they should continue to score plenty of points for the foreseeable future. Fifth in the WCC is a realistic goal, although it will be a close battle against Racing Bulls.
7. Audi
Surprisingly solid – but not spectacular – start by Audi. Their engine looks decent and with plenty of room for improvement. They lost their team principal, but the fundamentals are well in place. The Audi drivers have struggled with race starts, so that needs to be sorted out. There are some reliability issues as well, but the pace is better than expected. Audi should improve as the season progresses and ultimately they’ll probably be more competitive. It’s only due to coincidence (and worse drivers) that they are behind Haas and Williams in the standings.
8. Haas
As always, we know Haas will be found somewhere in the midfield. The only question is where exactly. They’ve had decent seasons in 2024 and 2025, and they have an incredible young driver in Bearman. But Haas struggle with car development, due to the fact that they outsource almost everything, so their upside is limited. They have to maximise the points haul early in the season. Bearman did his part in the opening races, but Haas have had some tough weekends recently. Ollie needs to move to a better team ASAP!
9. Williams
For about a decade, they’ve been completely incapable of building a fast car. Last season, they finally got some solid results, but mainly due to having two great drivers pushing the team forward. They were quickly out-developed by Racing Bulls, Haas and Sauber. Not a good sign. And despite using the Mercedes engine, Williams are at the back of the midfield this year. The chassis is overweight and the aero packages are underwhelming, so things are not looking good. But perhaps there’s room for some improvement. At least both of the drivers finished in the points in Miami, and Albon finally showed his worth in Monaco. Sainz is looking for a way out, while Albon seems happy with mediocrity.
10. Cadillac
The new American team seems to lack upside in all departments. At least with Ferrari engines, they won’t break down every race, but I would be very surprised if their drivers score any points by merit. They are just too far behind. Now there are rumours that Bottas could be replaced, and frankly, it would be a good decision.
11. Aston Martin
There are some fundamental issues with the leadership of this team: Lawrence Stroll’s strategy is to overpay for old, established names, and it’s not working out. Aston Martin are somewhat equal to the Toyota team of the 2000s – investing a fortune into the team with nothing to show for it. Nepotism is also an issue as F1’s worst current driver is permanently occupying one of the seats. The horrific Monaco weekend showed that the engine isn’t the only issue. Rumours are now saying that Adrian Newey understands why the car struggles and that the right upgrades are coming, but let’s see if that holds up.
