SK's Official F1 Power Rankings (after the first 12 races)

We're officially at the halfway stage of the 2025 F1 season. We've had 12 races now, and the championship picture seems to be becoming clearer.

It does appear that Max Verstappen might not be the factor in the championship this season as the driver's struggles with Red Bull have put the McLaren duo out of range.

With that being said, the 2025 F1 season has been a very interesting one so far. We've had 4 different race winners in Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and George Russell.

At the same time, we've had as many as 5 different teams on the podium, with Nico Hulkenberg being the latest addition. For all drivers, there have been highs and there have been lows for sure, but how do they rank after the first 12 races?

Let's find out in our power rankings for the first half of the season.

Criteria: The criteria for these rankings will be to take the average driver ratings of these drivers from every race and then use that to rank them accordingly.

F1 Power Rankings for the first half of the season

#21 Franco Colapinto (Avg rating: 4.75)

The Good: Canada

The Bad: Every other race

At the bottom of the list, we have Franco Colapinto. Much was expected of the Argentinian, but his start to life at Alpine has been below par. Except for the race in Canada, the Argentinian has found it hard to make an impression.

#20 Jack Doohan (Avg rating: 4.83)

The Good: Bahrain

The Bad: Suzuka, Australia, and others

At #20, we have Jack Doohan. The Australian was replaced soon after Miami and replaced by Franco Colapinto. While the Argentinian's run has been suspect at best, Doohan too had a peaky run where he just struggled to put a weekend together.

#19 Lance Stroll (Avg rating: 5.21)

The Good: Australia, China, British

The Bad: Monaco, Canada, Spain

At #19, we have Lance Stroll. The Canadian driver missed a race this season entirely because of his own doing and has more often than not looked frustrated on track.

There were a few good races at the start of the season in Australia and China. He then had a poor run that included his home race in Canada as well. The race in Silverstone was a stark reminder of what he's capable of when he gets his head in the right place.

#18 Yuki Tsunoda (Avg rating: 5.42)

The Good: Australia, China, Bahrain

The Bad: Austria, British

Yuki Tsunoda's 2025 F1 season can be broken down into two parts. There was the happy phase in Racing Bulls, where he was punching above his weight, and then he got the promotion to Red Bull.

That's where things have gotten increasingly worse for him, and hence he is in P18 in the standings.

#17 Liam Lawson (Avg rating: 5.75)

The Good: Austria

The Bad: Australia, China

It would come as a shock that Liam Lawson is ahead of the driver who replaced him at Red Bull after just two races. The blow was massive for Liam, but it does appear that now the Kiwi is starting to find some confidence in himself in an F1 car.

#16 Kimi Antonelli (Avg rating: 6.04)

The Good: Miami, Canada

The Bad: Austria, Monaco, British

We have Kimi Antonelli at P16, and a lot of it has to do with his recent run, which has been quite poor. The driver's race in Canada, where he got his first podium, and his sprint pole in Miami, are standout races, but the recent run has seen a significant drop compared to where he was early in the year.

#15 Carlos Sainz (Avg rating: 6.17)

The Good: Saudi Arabia, Imola

The Bad: Australia, Imola

A driver of Carlos Sainz's caliber should be doing better, and there's no doubt about that. His form has been improving recently, that's for sure, but at the same time, a P15 is not the way he would have wanted his Williams F1 run to start.

#14 Ollie Bearman (Avg rating: 6.25)

The good: Suzuka, Bahrain

The Bad: Australia, British

The young rookie finds himself in P14 at the moment, and the season has been quite up and down for Ollie. There have been moments where things have worked, and then there have been errors as well. The young driver is fast, but it does appear that he's far from a finished product.

#13 Gabriel Bortoleto (Avg rating: 6.29)

The good: Austria, Canada

The Bad: Australia, China

At #13, we have Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian rookie has been under the radar and gone about his business meticulously. There's certainly a step he needs to make, and he needs to cut down on his mistakes, but for an F1 rookie, it has been a decent start.

#12 Lewis Hamilton (Avg rating: 6.71)

The Good: China, Imola

The Bad: Saudi Arabia, Spain

The 7x F1 champion started the season at a deficit to his teammate, as Charles Leclerc was more used to Ferrari. The gap has continued to reduce, and Lewis Hamilton has continued to get better. With that being said, a P12 is not where Hamilton would want to find himself in.

#11 Esteban Ocon (Avg rating: 6.79)

The Good: Monaco, China, Bahrain

The Bad: Saudi Arabia, Japan

Esteban Ocon is in P11, and a lot of his has been to do with a peaky season that he's had at Haas. There are races where the French driver is on top of the car and unbeatable. Then there are races where there is a genuine struggle for him.

He'd be hoping for a more consistent second half of the F1 season.

#10 Isack Hadjar (Avg rating: 6.88)

The Good: Japan, Monaco

The Bad: Australia, British

The most impressive rookie of the F1 season so far, Isack Hadjar, has made his way into the top 10. The French driver has been very impressive in the way he's executed his first season. There are still some ups and downs, and he would expect that. At the same time, he's still learning to get on top of the car and put together a better season.

#9 Pierre Gasly (Avg rating: 7.04)

The Good: Bahrain, British

The Bad: Monaco, Canada

Gasly has been quite impressive this season by being the only shining light for a team that appears to have next to no positives associated with it. There have been quite a few performances this season where he's had to be perfect to get a decent result with his F1 car.

#8 Alex Albon (Avg rating: 7.38)

The Good: Australia, Miami

The Bad: Spain, Canada

Alex Albon's start of the season was quite impressive, where quite a few times he placed his Williams in places one wouldn't expect.

The second half has not been as eye-catching for sure, as the Thai F1 driver finds himself in P8.

#7 Fernando Alonso (Avg rating: 7.46)

The Good: Canada, Austria

The Bad: British, China

Fernando Alonso's start of the F1 season was a bit suspect, as the Spaniard had a few too many errors. He has, however, sorted a lot of things out now and has started to string together quite a few better performances.

#6 Lando Norris (Avg rating: 7.54)

The Good: Austria, Monaco

The Bad: Canada, Bahrain

It would come as a surprise to many to put Lando Norris in P6, but a lot of this has to do with the driver just not being as comfortable with the McLaren as his teammate. There have been too many errors, and there have been too many moments where one would feel that Norris could have potentially done a better job.

He is in P6 at the moment, but it would be interesting to see how he tackles the second half.

#5 Nico Hulkenberg (Avg rating: 7.83)

The Good: Britain, Canada

The Bad: China, Japan

At #5 we have Nico Hulkenberg, a driver who has been putting together quite a few sensational performances in his Sauber. The German has also secured his first F1 podium and has been a breath of fresh air at the team.

#4 George Russell (Avg rating: 7.96)

The Good: Bahrain, Canada

The Bad: Britain, Monaco

George Russell finds himself in P4 even though, in the eyes of many, he should be higher. His 2025 has been a step up, but the gap between the top 4 drivers is so small that the British driver finds himself in 4th for now.

#3 Max Verstappen (Avg rating: 8.04)

The Good: Japan, Imola

The Bad: Spain, Britain

This might come as a surprise for many, as Max Verstappen finds himself in P3 after the first half of the season. The Dutch driver has been sensational at times this season, but unlike his last few years, he's had a few mistakes here and there that have cost him points.

With an 8.04 average rating, it shows how good he's been, but he could have been placed higher if not for the errors.

#2 Charles Leclerc (Avg rating: 8.13)

The Good: Saudi Arabia, Imola

The Bad: Australia, Britain

Charles Leclerc finds himself in P2 at the midway stage of the season. The Ferrari driver has had some brilliant ones even though there have been a few howlers as well. The driver came into the season hoping for a title run, but at least he's not let his head fall and continued to perform.

#1 Oscar Piastri (Avg rating: 8.17)

The Good: Bahrain, Spain

The Bad: Australia, Canada

The F1 championship leader, Oscar Piastri, is at the top of the ratings. The Australian has probably shown the biggest improvement over last season, as he was a clear step behind Lando Norris last year.

This year, however, he's more or less a match, if not a more consistent product. After the first half of the F1 season, Oscar Piastri is the championship leader, and not many would have predicted that.