F1 2024 fantasy tips and power rankings ahead of Australia Grand Prix

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Two races down, 22 to go. Currently, with Red Bull already over the hills and far away out in front of the chasing pack, the sense of predictability we became accustomed to in F1 last year already looks set to resonate in 2024.

Max Verstappen has dominated the first two grands prix of the season, claiming pole position and the race victory comfortably in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Arguably of more significance is the performance of the other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, in finishing next-best behind in second on both occasions.

It leaves the rest of the pack with a mountain to climb, as they squabble for position and every last point. Ollie Bearman’s stand-in performance on debut for Ferrari in Jeddah was impressive, as the 18-year-old took the chequered flag in seventh.

But Bearman won’t be involved in this, as The Independent ranks the usual 20-driver grid from last to first in this season’s power rankings, with the position of drivers based on their most recent performances and their expectations at the start of the season.

At the end, The Independent also gives their take on potential picks for F1 Fantasy, ahead of the third race this weekend in Australia.

20. Pierre Gasly

What a nightmare start to the season it has been for Alpine. Back of the pack from day-dot, their car is woefully off the pace at the start of this season. It is to Gasly’s credit that outbursts on team radio have been kept to a minimum. In Bahrain having qualified 18th, he finished 18th, while in Saudi he became the first retiree of the new campaign. It can’t get any worse, can it?

19. Valtteri Bottas*

Distinctly unimpressive from the Finn, languishing towards the rear of the grid at the start of his third season with Sauber – and the last of his current contract. Finishes of 19th and 17th – and two Q1 eliminations, albeit in 16th spot – are perhaps an indicator of Sauber’s lack of performance in this early stage of the season. He’ll hope for more in Australia; a country where he has been taken on as one of their own.

18. Logan Sargeant

It’s a big year for the American, who needs to put up a better fight against team-mate Alex Albon to keep his place in Formula 1. It is now 24-0 in Albon’s favour in qualifying since the start of last year, with Sargeant unable to leap out of Q1 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. A drive to 14th from 19th in Jeddah puts him above Bottas.

17. Esteban Ocon

Only above his Alpine team-mate courtesy of finishing the race in Saudi with a relatively respectable 13th place, as he squabbled behind Kevin Magnussen’s defiant defence to help his Haas team-mate out in front. Like his compatriot Gasly, Ocon will be desperate for Alpine to show signs of improvement in Melbourne.

16. Yuki Tsunoda

Early-season team-mate tensions with Daniel Ricciardo have been one of the season’s early talking points, with both drivers unable to produce on the promise shown in testing in the new RB car. Tsunoda’s immature divebomb on Ricciardo post-race in Bahrain puts him below the Australian in these rankings.

15. Daniel Ricciardo

Finishes of 13th and 16th for the 34-year-old so far; hardly the sort of drives which will persuade Red Bull to sign him up next year. It’s a massive weekend upcoming for him at his home race in Albert Park, after he of course missed last year’s edition. Can he get in the points?

14. Zhou Guanyu

While a crash in third practice in Saudi put paid to his qualifying – with his mechanics unable to fix his stricken car in time – the Chinese driver was on the cusp of the points a race earlier in Bahrain, finishing 11th. Up against team-mate Bottas – perhaps even with a 2025 seat at stake – the early advantage is with Zhou.

13. Lance Stroll

One point in Bahrain; one crash in Saudi. Stroll’s heavy shunt in Jeddah was costly, given he was running in the points at the time. It is a formidable task up against two-time world champion Fernando Alonso as his team-mate, but Stroll still must do more for Aston Martin in what is now his eighth straight season in Formula 1.

12. Kevin Magnussen

Twelfth over the line in both races so far – there was only one spot suitable for the Dane here. His brilliant defence in aid of Hulkenberg in Saudi Arabia came after a handful of penalties for off-track misdemeanours. Despite irritation amongst those around them, Magnussen’s focused drive effectively earned his team their first point of 2024.

11. Alex Albon*

Unfortunate to miss out on a point in Saudi Arabia, the Williams driver was simply held up by Magnussen for too long. However, his dual-progressions into Q2 maintain his perfect qualifying record against Sargeant and there is no doubt that his next target will be a top-10 finish in Melbourne; a track where he earned his point for the Grove-based outfit two years ago.

10. Lewis Hamilton

Given all the fanfare heading into this year – his last for Mercedes following the news of his 2025 move to Ferrari – it has been extremely underwhelming so far for the seven-time world champion. Qualifying placements of ninth and eighth have been way below expectations and including last year he has now qualified behind Russell four times in a row. His best showing was in the race in Saudi, in keeping Oscar Piastri behind him. 2023 sprung into life with a podium for Hamilton in Australia; can he follow suit this year?

9. Nico Hulkenberg*

The only point-scorer outside the top five teams so far, Hulkenberg was ecstatic with his 10th-place finish in Saudi Arabia, which came about after a terrific start and Magnussen’s defence later in the race. While unable to keep Ollie Bearman behind him, the German kept his Haas car in between the narrow walls to bring home a point.

8. Lando Norris

Compared to years previous – when McLaren have endured torrid openings to the season – it has been a satisfactory start for Lando. He was briefly in the lead in Jeddah, as McLaren opted not to pit him in the early safety car period, which inevitably resulted in him dropping down the field to finish eighth. Still yet to completely nail a lap in Q3, however.

7. Carlos Sainz

Falls down the rankings… through no fault of his own. The Spaniard, who finished on the podium in Bahrain, was absent in Saudi after undergoing surgery on his appendix. Sainz will be looking to bounce back in Melbourne.

6. Fernando Alonso*

Impressive qualifying showings for Aston Martin’s main man haven’t resulted in the early-season podiums of last year. From sixth to ninth in Bahrain and fourth to fifth in Saudi, Aston’s race pace looks some way short of their main competitors. Will be eyeing a strong performance at Albert Park, 18 years after his one and only win down under.

5. George Russell

The Brit can be quietly happy with his performance so far. Third in qualifying in Bahrain was an excellent performance, given Hamilton was down in ninth, and he has driven a solid couple of races to finish fifth and sixth. Can Mercedes find some performance gains this weekend?

4. Oscar Piastri

Has outperformed his team-mate Norris so far – and that’s all you can really ask of the young Aussie. Cut a frustrated figure behind Hamilton for so long in Jeddah but came home to finish fourth. Will be desperate for a strong showing in Melbourne: his home race.

3. Charles Leclerc

Fourth in Bahrain amid brake issues and third in Saudi after qualifying second was just about as good as it could have been for the Ferrari driver. However, the Monegasque will think he can at least grab a pole position away from Max Verstappen in the next few races. Ferrari look a clear second to Red Bull but are close in qualifying. Likes Albert Park, too; won there in 2022.

2. Sergio Perez

Is the Mexican in the best car on the grid? Sure. But while coming up short of Verstappen, Perez is doing the next-best thing by securing P2 on two occasions. Fifteen points short of the Dutchman in the championship standings at this early stage, all it takes is a sudden incident or reliability problem for his team-mate for Perez to grab top spot. Granted, that looks unlikely at this stage.

1. Max Verstappen*

Two pole positions, two race wins, one extra point for the fastest lap. A near-perfect start for Verstappen, as he looks on course already for a fourth straight championship despite all the off-track problems at Red Bull. A win on Sunday in Australia would see Verstappen match his own F1 all-time record of 10 grand prix wins in a row.