Piastri remains top dog in F1 "Fab Five," but gap narrows

EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER

Photo Credit: Mark Thompson, Getty Images, 2023

With the annual Monaco Grand Prix now in the books, and a grueling four race stretch ahead before the first of two summer breaks, now felt like the perfect time to revisit the Motorsports Today “Fab Five” power rankings. Oscar Piastri unsurprisingly held the top spot in last month’s installment, in the midst of a historic start that saw the 24 year-old take the checkered flag first in four of the first six races of the season, but timely victories for Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen, the biggest adversary to a McLaren taking the world driver’s championship, has tightened things once again.

Here’s a run through of where things stand with the Spanish Grand Prix looming this weekend.

Honorable Mention: Alex Albon

Even with Lewis Hamilton’s apparent turn of fate over the past two race weekends, the seven-time champion is yet to do enough to prove his worth on this list. That honor instead goes to Alex Albon, who is in the midst of a career year at Williams. Yes, he only finished ninth at Monaco, two laps off the pace, but that was after consecutive top five finishes at Miami and Imola, in a Williams no less. In the first eight races of the 2025 campaign, Albon has already tallied 42 points, just one shy of equalling his total from his first three years with Williams combined. Albon is on the cusp of his most successful season in five years, and unlike teammate Carlos Sainz, he has consistently turned fast qualifying efforts into solid points scoring results. Will he finish sixth in points? Probably not. But Albon is unquestionably the best performing driver who doesn’t pilot a McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, or Ferrari, and deserves his flowers.

#5: George Russell (-1)

Russell had a blistering start to the season, scoring top fives in each of the first six Grands Prix, but it feels like Mercedes has missed the mark the past two weekends. The Englishman faded from third to seventh at Miami, and was hardly relevant last weekend, failing to score points with an 11th place finish. His teammate Kimi Antonelli, previously our honorable mention, has similarly slipped as of late, suffering crash damage during both of those aforementioned race weekends. The first two months of the season were proof that Russell and Mercedes indeed have speed without the services of Lewis Hamilton, but things will need to turn around quickly if he wants to remain in the championship conversation.

#4: Charles Leclerc (+1)

Nearly the polar opposite of Russell, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari collectively looked off their game to begin the year. The Monaco native accumulated just a single podium over the first six races of the season, finding himself fifth in the driver’s standings. However, when both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to advance through the second round of qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, it appears that was a wake up call, and perhaps a turning point, for the organization. Both cars soared through the field on race day, with Leclerc coming home sixth, before the defending Monaco Grand Prix victor proved to be a serious challenge for the McLaren duo, coming home a season-best second. There’s still plenty of time to rebound, so don’t discount Charles Leclerc and Ferrari just yet. Their best is undoubtedly still yet to come.

#3: Max Verstappen (-1)

In a year clouded by subpar equipment, uncertainty regarding Red Bull’s second entry, and accusations of being a bad teammate, Max Verstappen has unsurprisingly reminded the world of his undeniable talent. The four-time reigning champion is just 25 points back of the top of the table, with a pair of dominant victories at Japan and Imola to his credit. Although some desperate driving on race starts has cost Verstappen at times, his move around the outside in the latter victory showed exactly what he can still do when the stars align. In spite of everything, Max Verstappen, or Franz Hermann in Germany, is still the biggest threat to a McLaren title.

#2: Lando Norris (+1)

Lando Norris vaults to second in the power rankings for two reasons; his unwavering consistency and his impressive win at Monaco. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the only event to date where Norris was absent from the podium, and even that was a fourth place finish. Lando has bookended the spring with victories at Australia and Monaco, and despite Piastri’s immense success, has remained right on his coattails, sitting just three points back of the championship lead. Norris is far closer to his teammate than he was when these rankings were last released, and has some of his best tracks historically in the very near future.

#1: Oscar Piastri (--)

Even though he hasn’t won since Miami, he hasn’t lost the points lead, so why should he lose the top spot here? Piastri has a series best seven race podium streak, and has scored at least 15 points during every race weekend since the one outlier, a ninth in the opener in Melbourne. Although Norris and Verstappen have some momentum back on their side, Oscar Piastri is still the man to beat in the 2025 Formula One season.