Welcome Drivers!

The Saudi Arabian GP is officially a wrap and while it may not have been as dramatic as years past it did feature both impressive and discouraging showings from teams across the paddock.

A couple of elite drivers in Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were racing out of position starting P15 and P12 respectively. Sergio Perez continued his incredible street circuit run. Alonso made another podium appearance, then had it taken away, only to be given the position back once again.

We are continuing our 2023 Formula 1 Power Rankings series. If you missed our previous post after Bahrain, check it out in the link below. We release our power ranking after each race and provide our analysis on why teams have moved up or down.

Similar to previous power rankings, we want to emphasize that these are based more so on in-race performance rather than the current standings in F1. These rankings aren’t necessarily a reflection of where we think the teams will end up at the end of the year. They are strictly just our take on how the teams are performing currently.

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Lets get to our key takeaways from the second race of the 2023 season!

Formula 1 2023 Power Rankings

Red Bull showed everyone that they are in a league of their own. Aston Martin proved that Bahrain was not a fluke. Ferrari was much weaker and expected. Alpine came back from a strange Bahrain to take control of the midfield.

Below are our updated power rankings after the Saudi Arabian GP.

1. Red Bull

Red Bull further proved to everyone in F1 that they are on a different planet in terms of performance. Sergio Perez started on pole for the second year in a row in Jeddah but unlike last year he was able to convert it into a race win. After a a mechanical issue with the driveshaft in qualifying, Max Verstappen started P15 but was able to cut through the rest of the grid to finish P2. Verstappen was also able to nip the fastest lap point off Sergio Perez on the final lap of the race.

It seems like Red Bull could start last at almost every single track and finish on the podium. Perez finished 5s ahead of Verstappen and 20s ahead of the nearest non-Red Bull car. Had Verstappen started in his usual position the margin would have likely been much higher.

Its not all smooth sailing with Red Bull though. There is the reliability concern around the gearbox and driveshaft. Red Bull had changed the gearbox on both cars after Verstappen reported slow downshifts in his car. Subsequently Verstappen’s driveshaft broke in qualifying. Red Bull will need to get on top of these quirks quickly but as of now they are clearly the most dominant team.

2. Aston Martin

Another week, another impressive performance by the revitalized Fernando Alonso. He was able to finish on the podium for the second straight time this season and did it with relative ease considering he took a 5s penalty for a starting procedure infringement. The Spaniard currently sits P3 in the drivers championship behind both of the Red Bull drivers.

While Alonso was having continued success it was a frustrating day for the other Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll. After a team strategy error cost him position to the Ferrari’s, Stroll was told by his engineer to stop the car due to presumed engine issues. Stroll was looking to easily be in the point and had a potential top 5 finish given the Aston Martin’s pace.

All-in it was another impressive weekend from the Silverstone squad as they try to manage their current position in the constructors championship. Reports are saying they are aggressively developing their car in the hopes they can achieve one of the largest season-over-season jumps in F1 history.

3. Mercedes

Its been all doom and gloom seemingly at Mercedes but their performance in Jeddah says otherwise. While their drivers aren’t fully satisfied with their car at the moment they were able to finish P4 and P5 in the race and they are currently tied with Aston Martin on points this season.

George Russell almost had a podium in had after the Saudi Arabian GP. Alonso was given a 10s penalty for not serving his original 5s penalty correctly. This put Alonso behind Russell at the end. Afterwards, Alonso’s podium was reinstated and unfortunately for Russell and Mercedes they did not finish on the podium.

If there is one thing that Mercedes has shown over the 2022 and 2023 season is that they are incredibly consistent and reliable. While other teams are stumbling over their own mistakes, Mercedes is there to take advantage of them and get into solid positions for the team. Their car isn’t fast enough to challenge Red Bull as of now but upgrades are on the way and if they can maintain their reliability then they will be a forced to be reckoned with.

4. Ferrari

Two disappointing races to start the season for Ferrari. After his DNF in Bahrain, Leclerc was forced to start P12 after taking a new engine component prior to the Saudi Arabian GP. He was only able to recover to P7 after running through the midfield and eventually getting stuck behind his teammate for the remainder of the race.

Sainz has had a frustrating start to the year. It seems as if he doesn’t have a very good feel for the SF-23 and he hasn’t put in the performances that he or the team had in mind. Alonso pipped P3 from him in Bahrain and he was consistently off the pace of the leaders throughout the weekend in Jeddah. He will need to step up his game if Ferrari want to get back at Red Bull this season.

We gave Ferrari the benefit of the doubt after Bahrain, thinking it would be a one time issue regarding Leclerc’s reliability issues and Sainz slow pace. However, those two issues came back in Jeddah. Leclerc could not be competitive in P12 while Sainz struggled to stay ahead of Ferrari’s rivals.

5. Alpine

Alpine snapped back after a rough start to the season in Bahrain and finished in P8 and P9 in Jeddah. They look like the strongest team in the midfield, which now contains one less team since Aston is competing with the front-runners. They have double the points of Alfa Romeo despite only taking home two points in Bahrain.

If they can keep their reliability issues under control (and maybe avoid any more 15s penalties) they should be able to cruise their way to best of the rest. They have a solid lead right now but are nowhere close to the top 4 teams. They will need to have a spectacular string of performances to get back to compete for P4 and we think that is very unlikely.

6. Haas

Haas had a solid day for the team with Kevin Magnussen finishing in the final points position P10 and Nico Hulkenberg finished closely behind in P12. This was more in line with our original expectations of Haas at the beginning of the season. Jeddah likely suits the Haas cars as they have a strong Ferrari power unit.

They made a solid recovery after a tough race in Bahrain where both drivers finished out of the points. We expect them to continue to capitalize on their points scoring opportunities and potentially bring the fight to Alpine. They have very experienced drivers and a powerful engine. Both of these things give them an upper hand against the remaining teams.

7. Alfa Romeo

It was somewhat of a weird race for Alfa Romeo. Valtteri Bottas started the year strong with a P8 finish in Bahrain but ended of in last of the drivers that were able to finish the race. In a race where most teams box once, Bottas ultimately had to pit 3 times and finished as the only lapped car. Near the end of the race he was on the radio saying that he thought something was wrong with the car because it was sliding around so much.

The situation wasn’t much better across the garage from Zhou Guanyu. He ended up pitting twice due to the safety car in lap 18 and finished the race in P13. The second year driver was hoping for a much better start to the season for a team that will be going through a lot of changes in the near future.

We do not think Jeddah was indicative of Alfa Romeo’s true pace. We think they will be able to rebound and potentially take the fight to Alpine who are still in striking distance.

8. AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda finished just outside the points in P11 for the second straight race. Yuki is proving that he holds the edge over his teammate Nyck de Vries. It is critical that he becomes the leader of the team. AlphaTauri is in limbo after a few solid seasons in F1 they fell off in 2022 and look to be near the back in 2023.

De Vries had an okay performance and was actually able to finish P14 ahead of the other F1 rookies. AlphaTauri had a much stronger performance in Jeddah and they will be looking to improve in each race. We don’t expect them to be competitive in the midfield but who knows. It is still so early in the season.

9. Williams

After showing improved pace in Bahrain Williams took a step back in Jeddah. F1 rookie Logan Sargeant had to start the race last after not being able to set a lap time in qualifying. He had a solid race, at one point racing as high as P13, but ultimately finished P16 on the day. Still a solid peformance from the rookie considering he started the race in last place.

Alex Albon had an unfortunate race as well. Near the midpoint of the race he experience problems with his brakes. He was unable to slow the car down through the corners and had to retire from the race.

Williams is looking to pull themselves away from a last place finish like last year but they will need to perform better than that if they want to do it. Albon has a point to his name already this year but will need to contribute the bulk of the work as his rookie teammate gets up to speed in F1.

10. McLaren

Once again, McLaren showed us nothing to move them up from last place in our power rankings. In Bahrain it was reliability issues but in Jeddah it was driver error and some unfortunate luck that cost them.

Lando Norris kicked off McLaren’s frustration on Saturday by running into the wall in Q1 of qualifying. The impact broke the British driver’s steering and he was unable to finish Q1. He started the race in P19. The race didn’t improve for Lando as he had his front wing damaged and needed to box to get it replaced. He finished P17 on the day and to make things worse he got passed by his rookie teammate Piastri late in the race.

Piastri’s race started on a much better note the Norris’ but wasn’t able to finish much higher than his teammate. Piastri started the race in P8 but unfortunately he got pinched between the wall and an Alpine after turn two and damaged his front wing, compromising his race before he was able to finish lap 1. McLaren currently sit last in the standings.

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