Formula 1 | Power Rankings

Verstappen earns unanimous top marks in Sepang rankings

Formula1.com says its judges gave the Red Bull driver 10/10 after his win in the wet-dry Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Nikos Papadopoulos

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Max Verstappen received a perfect score from all five judges in Formula1.com’s Power Rankings after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit, according to the outlet’s report.

The report was published on 6 October 2026. It does not state the race’s calendar date, so the event date cannot be specified from the supplied information.

Verstappen breaks through at Sepang

Formula1.com reported that Verstappen took pole position and won after managing mixed conditions on Sunday. The outlet said the Dutch driver and Red Bull had scored podiums during the first 15 rounds but had not yet secured pole or victory.

The five-judge panel assesses drivers out of 10 for their performances across a Grand Prix weekend, with the machinery taken out of the equation. The judges’ scores are averaged for each race and added to a season leaderboard. In this case, the panel was unanimous in awarding Verstappen 10/10.

Hamilton and Antonelli feature among the standouts

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari dropped from second on the grid to 17th at the end of the first racing lap after the team’s slick-tyre gamble. As the track dried, he recovered and passed Isack Hadjar for the final podium position in the closing stages, the report said.

Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, which became third after Hadjar received an engine-related penalty. Antonelli then took the lead at the start before finishing second behind Verstappen. Formula1.com reported that George Russell stopped late in the race and that Antonelli’s championship lead increased to 84 points.

Alonso, Lawson and Hadjar deliver strong results

Fernando Alonso finished eighth for Aston Martin after qualifying 12th, which Formula1.com described as the team’s best grid position of the campaign to that point. The outlet framed the result as a positive step for Aston Martin and Honda.

Liam Lawson, starting on intermediate tyres, made progress from 11th and finished seventh for Racing Bulls. Hadjar qualified third before his engine penalty and came home fifth after losing pace in the latter part of the race, according to the report.

Lindblad gains ground; Hulkenberg misses the points

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad started from the back after taking new power-unit elements. Formula1.com said he gained 13 places on the first racing lap and later made a late move on Nico Hulkenberg to secure a point.

Audi driver Hulkenberg rose from 15th on the grid into the points-paying positions, but the supplied report says Lindblad and McLaren’s Lando Norris passed him. The source excerpt ends during its discussion of Hulkenberg, so it does not provide further detail.

Newsroom

The report presents Verstappen’s unanimous 10/10 as the weekend’s leading Power Rankings result, while noting a range of recovery drives and strong finishes across the field.

Byline

Nikos Papadopoulos

Community pulse

Editorial transparency · How this story was created

This article was prepared by the automated Ranko newsroom using tournament data recorded on Ranko Universe at the time of generation. Subsequent updates or corrections may not yet appear here.

This report summarises the results and standings available when it was prepared.

AI-generated editorial illustration. Not a photograph or an official game screenshot.