‘Brilliant’ Hadjar defeats Verstappen and Piastri with strong performance in Zandvoort
Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, and Isack Hadjar completed the Top 3 at the Dutch Grand Prix. Hadjar, in particular, claimed his first F1 podium, leading to finishing ahead of the drivers from McLaren and Red Bull Racing in the F1 power rankings.
In fact, the Racing Bulls driver earned a 10 in the Power Rankings, published on the official Formula 1 website after each race weekend.
The ranking is determined by five jury members, who assess which drivers performed best over the Grand Prix weekend, independently of their equipment. The result is a list that provides a relatively fair overview of the season’s top-performing F1 drivers.
As a result of his podium in Zandvoort, Hadjar gets a perfect score from the F1 experts. They wrote about it: ''Hadjar kicked off his rookie F1 season in painful circumstances with a formation lap spin at the Australian Grand Prix, but since then the French youngster has starred with Racing Bulls.''
''He reached new heights at Zandvoort via a stunning run to fourth in Qualifying, defending that position brilliantly before taking advantage of Norris’ retirement to score a maiden podium.''
‘Challenging but strong’ weekend for Verstappen
Piastri’s Grand Slam earned him a 9.6, while Verstappen received a 9 for his second-place finish. Lando Norris retired due to a mechanical issue but still ranked fourth in the Zandvoort Power Rankings, scoring an 8.6 for his weekend.
About the Dutchman, the jury members wrote the following: ''Heading into the weekend, Max Verstappen knew it would be a challenge to add to the Zandvoort wins he achieved in 2021, 2022 and 2023, given McLaren’s level of performance this season.''
''It proved to be the case, despite an inspired Qualifying effort that saw him set the fastest middle sector split. He was running a strong third to Piastri and Norris on an off-set strategy when the latter hit trouble and retired – giving the Dutchman a bonus P2 result.''
After his DNF, Charles Leclerc also makes the top ten with a 7.4. The Monegasque was forced off the track by Kimi Antonelli, resulting in both Ferraris failing to finish the race at Zandvoort. Equally remarkable is Pierre Gasly, who scored a 7.0 despite finishing seventeenth and last among the classified cars.
Power rankings standings in the F1 season of 2025
The Power rankings standings are as follows. Piastri has an average score of 8.7 this season and is therefore also leading this ranking. Norris follows with an 8.2, but he is hot on Verstappen’s heels as the gap is only a tenth. Hadjar, due to his 10, moves up two places and has an average score of 7.2.
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