Piastri tops F1's "Fab Five" after first five races of 2025

EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER

Opening lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, April 20, 2025 [Credit: Clive Rose, Formula 1 via Getty Images]

If you encapsulated the Formula One calendar in a novel, Sunday signified the conclusion of its first chapter, as the series completed its fifth race of the campaign, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

More than three-quarters of the season still remains, but five Grands Prix is an adequate sample size to separate this year’s contenders and pretenders heading into May, a month headlined by the historic Monaco Grand Prix. With that, here is the first addition of my Formula One power rankings, looking at the sport’s “Fab Five.”

Honorable Mention: Kimi Antonelli

No, it’s not the seven-time World Champion sitting just below the cutline. Actually, that title belongs to the youngest driver on the grid, 18 year-old Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. The Italian has been far and away the best of the six newcomers to the series thus far, currently positioned sixth in the drivers’ standings. He is yet to podium on the senior circuit, but has scored points in four of five events and proven a worthy accomplice to George Russell, elevating Mercedes to second in the constructors’ standings. Nobody could’ve asked for a better start.

#5: Charles Leclerc

In what has been an otherwise underwhelming start to a highly anticipated 2025 season for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is making positive strides and still producing solid results. After a lackluster eighth place finish in the season opener in Melbourne, the eight-time Grand Prix victor has scored four consecutive top five finishes, including a season-best third in Saudi Arabia this past weekend. It’s far from the flashy numbers he was looking for, following a season where he won three times along with a career-high 13 podiums, but Leclerc is finding his way and getting better. In time, he could climb the ladder, but he’ll have to settle for fifth for now.

#4: George Russell

I already delved into the mastery of George Russell’s early season performance in last week’s column, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. He remains one of only two drivers to score top fives in every race. Sometimes, that consistency is all you need to remain relevant in the title fight. Russell was ready to take on the lead role at Mercedes and has capitalized.

#3: Lando Norris

Norris is the other driver with nothing but top fives in 2025, nearly won the drivers’ championship last year, and is considered by many to still be the top dog for McLaren, the defending constructors’ trophy hoisters. In spite of all of this, with the numbers his teammate is putting up, it almost feels like Lando Norris is underperforming compared to what his stellar equipment should produce. After winning the season opener, many were already fully prepared to crown the Englishman as ‘next up,’ but he’s been hardly relevant in the conversation for race wins since. That being said, he remains second in points, has been consistent, and his best tracks are ahead of him, including Miami, where he scored his maiden victory last year. There’s room to proceed with caution, but let’s pump the brakes on any doomsday talk about Lando.

#2: Max Verstappen

The four-time reigning drivers’ champion is the stark opposite of Norris. During a time where Red Bull appears to mechanically be a step slow, if not completely undrivable for Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen is still Max Verstappen. He’s accumulated two poles, three podiums, a win at Suzuka, and remains on the doorstep of the drivers’ championship lead, all while single-handedly outdoing the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Hamilton on the constructors’ side.

That being said, if Verstappen wants to remain in the championship conversation, he needs to capitalize when he is fast and has track position. Regardless of how you feel about the narrow twists and turns of Jeddah, you can’t deny that Sunday was a grave missed opportunity for Verstappen to score a win and head into the off-week with momentum on his side. Still, what he continues to do with a subpar car is incredible, earning him the runner-up spot in my power rankings.

#1: Oscar Piastri

Was there any doubt? Piastri has won three of the first five races of the 2025 season, already more than he had in his first two seasons combined. At just 24 years-old, the Australian is emerging into not just a star, but a serious contender for the drivers’ championship, despite still being widely considered the ‘number two’ at McLaren. He leads the points for the first time in his career, and his best tracks are still ahead of him. The obvious choice to take the top spot in the inaugural Motorsports Today “Fab Five.”