An exciting Australian Grand Prix is behind us, and while we digest everything that happened it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of another edition of team power rankings.
You know the drill, these are all subjective and based mainly on my (incredibly smart) opinion mixed with form and on-track results, meaning it is a generally subjective list that holds no real weight except for the large basis of fact I like to think I can generate.
So with that all in mind, let's get to it!
10. Alpine (-)
Well the positive for Alpine is that for the first time, both drivers weren’t eliminated in Q1, with Esteban Ocon making it into Q2 on the Saturday. The bad news is that Ocon was hampered by a stray tear off visor in his car during the race, which cost him any chance of points on the Sunday. Still, a baby step is a baby step.
9. Kick Sauber (-)
The team is their own worst enemy right now. Fix the pit stops and you may just fix your pointless run. Australia was definitely a missed opportunity for the team.
(Photo by Sauber Group)
8. Williams (-)
Much like Alpine and Kick Sauber, Australia felt like a missed opportunity for Williams to get some points. Sure they only had one car, but it still felt like such a ‘Williams race’ in which they usually would be there to steal a point or two. Hopefully come Japan they’ll at least have two cars to try and push for that once again.
7. RB (-)
A tale of two halves of the garage right now, and not in the way many predicted. Yuki Tsunoda was strong all weekend and deserved a points finish, while Daniel Ricciardo once again struggled and continues to look in some serious trouble right now. A big few races coming up for RB to try and sort out their issues with Ricciardo and hope that both sides of the garage can be fighting for points, not just one.
6. Haas (-)
Double points! Something that a month ago seemed impossible. And two races in a row with points. What a result for the American team. No matter how they come their way, the team will take them.
5. Mercedes (-1)
A double DNF. Definitely not what they were expecting in Australia. It was an erratic weekend for the team, with some concerning pace on Friday, some solid speed on Saturday and a mix of both on Sunday. George Russell told The Roar after the race that the car was still “not fast enough”, which only added to the concerns he had after his last lap crash. And with Lewis Hamilton suffering an engine issue, the pre-season hope that seemed to be coming from the team seems to be slipping away fast.
(Photo by Silver Arrows Net)
4. Aston Martin (+1)
Double points for the team after a somewhat invisible weekend. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had some good pace on Friday that wasn’t able to translate into good pace on Saturday and Sunday to bring the fight to Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari. Still, the team leave Australia only one point behind Mercedes and in a solid fifth place in the Championship.
3. McLaren (-)
The first podium for McLaren in Australia for a decade sadly didn’t come from hometown hero Oscar Piastri. However, McLaren fans will no doubt take any podium, particularly at this early part of the season. Added to this the Aussie’s fourth, and McLaren are in a good place right now.
2. Red Bull (-1)
For the first time in these power rankings in more than a year, Red Bull isn’t on top anymore. Is that a bit harsh? Maybe. But barring Q3, they weren’t the fastest team all weekend. Sergio Perez wasn’t able to capitalize on the absence of his teammate after Max Verstappen retired from the race, while those in front of him were. Expect this however to be a slight blip on the radar for a team that is still the fastest in the sport.
1. Ferrari (+1)
A 1-2 in Melbourne for the first time in 20 years. Some genuine pace all weekend. Second in the Championship and only four points behind first. All in all, it was a great weekend for the Scuderia which many F1 fans will be hoping continues to bring us an exciting 2024 season.
What do you think of this list? Which order would you currently rank the teams in? Let me know your thoughts below!