Ahead of the second Miami Grand Prix, double World Champion Fernando Alonso moved to the top of Formula 1’s power rankings, replacing fellow two-time World Champion Max Verstappen.
The change in leader comes following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Sergio Perez claimed his second victory of the 2023 F1 season and his second win at the Baku City Circuit.
Perez was actually awarded the highest score in Baku by the panel of F1 experts, after the 33-year-old claimed victory in the first sprint race of the season, before being victorious in the main race.
His sublime performance saw him awarded with a 9.6/10, whilst Baku polesitter Charles Leclerc was awarded a 9.4.
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The Monegasque claimed pole position for both races in Azerbaijan, before finishing third on Sunday.
Alonso was awarded the third highest score in Baku after making up two places during the Grand Prix, resulting in him finishing fourth.
Whilst it was the first race this season where he didn’t finish on the rostrum, the veteran was still awarded a huge 8.8/10 by the panel, for “producing one of the highlights of the weekend”.
His giant score resulted in the Aston Martin driver moving above Verstappen in the overall power rankings, with the Dutchman having been awarded a 7.8 in Azerbaijan.
The Dutchman’s weekend was by no means a disaster; however, his collision with George Russell at the start of the sprint race certainly impacted his chances of victory on Saturday, whereas on the Sunday he was unfortunate to pit seconds before a Safety Car.
A strong weekend in Miami would likely see the reigning World Champion return to the top of the power rankings, although, Alonso’s consistent start to the season could see him fall short.
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“It may have been his first time off the podium this season, but Alonso will still see it as a job well done given the DRS issues he encountered this weekend,” the panel said, after sharing their power ranking scores from Azerbaijan.
“He qualified sixth for the Grand Prix, and was only eighth in the Sprint Shootout, but in race trim, he was his usual calculating best.
“He finished sixth in the Sprint, before getting up to fourth in the Grand Prix, producing one of the highlights of the weekend with his opportunistic overtake on Carlos Sainz.”