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The 2019 Formula One season is underway and aside from winning races, the 20 drivers also battling for the 2019 Driver’ Championship title. So while the season takes a break this weekend, let’s take a look at the Top-10 Formula 1 drivers of 2019:
Lewis Hamilton
When it comes to Formula One betting this season, Hamilton has been the favorite in the first three races of the season. The Englishman currently leads the Drivers’ standings with 68 points after three races in the 2019 Formula One season. Often considered as the best driver of his generation and of the greatest of all-time, the 34-year old from Stevenage, England is the most successful driver from Britain. Hamilton has won more world championship titles (5) and race victories (75) than any British driver in history. Hamilton was runner-up to Kimi Raikkonen in his maiden season in 2007 and won the world title in 2008. He captured back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 before winning two in a row again in 2017 and 2018. Hamilton dominated the second half of last season by winning eight out of the last 11 Grand Prix races to secure his 5th Driver’s Championship title. This season, he’s won back to back races the Bahrain GP and Shanghai GP after placing second in the first race of the season in Australia.
Valtteri Bottas
Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes is off to a great start as well. Valtteri Bottas won the first race of 2019, finishing ahead of Hamilton in the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. The 29-year old from Nastola Finland then finished second to his more decorated teammate in the next two races to give Mercedes a 1-2 finish in the first three races of the, most dominant start by a team since the 1990s. With his exploit, Bottas currently ranks next to Hamilton in the Driver’s standings, trailing the Englishman by a mere 6 points with his 62-point total. Bottas signed with Mercedes in 2017 after spending 2013-2016 with Williams. He won his first Grand Prix in Russia in 2017 and finished the season with three wins and third in the Driver’s Standings, his highest ever. If he continues his strong start, this could be the best year of Bottas’ F1 career.
Max Verstappen
The third best driver so far this year is Red Bull’s ever popular Max Verstappen. The 21-year old Belgian-Dutch driver finished third in the 2019 Australian Grand Prix behind the two Silver Arrows. He then placed 4th in each of the last two races for a total of 39 points and current third place behind Lewis and Bottas. At the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, he became the youngest driver to start in a Formula 1 race at the age of 17 years and 166 days. The son of former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen also became the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 race when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at age 18. Also, he is the first driver to carry the Dutch flag and win an F1 race.
Sebastian Vettel
Vettel is Hamilton’s chief rival in years. The German Scuderia Ferrari ace dominated the F1 picture before Hamilton’s current reign. Vettel won four consecutive Driver’s Championship titles from 2010-2013 while racing for Red Bull Racing. He moved to Ferrari in during the 2015 season but has not delivered the title for the Prancing Horse. Vettel holds the all-time record for most consecutive races won at 9 and he ranks third all-time in race victories with 52 and also third all-time in podium finishes with 117. Vettel led Ferrari to a resurgence in 2017 and 2018 and he rivaled Hamilton in the standings. But in both seasons, his title dreams ended in Mexico and he wound up with runner-up finishes in both seasons.
Charles Leclerc
Vettel’s highly touted and cocky new teammate at Scuderia Ferrari has everyone talking. In only his second race for Ferrari at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, Leclerc claimed pole position, becoming the second youngest to do so at the age of 21. He clocked the fastest times during two out of the three practice rounds and in all of the qualifying sessions in the race while setting the track record. Unfortunately, he lost the lead after his engine dropped a cylinder with a failed fuel injector. He would finish the race in third place, his first ever podium. In the last race in Shanghai, LeClerc was ordered by Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto to let Sebastian Vettel by. He obliged and finished 5th in the race, pulling him down to 5th in the Driver’s Standings with 36 points.
Pierre Gasly
Gasly completes the list of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing having the Top 6 drivers of the season. The former GP2 series champion of 2016 made his Formula 1 debut at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. The 23-year old from Rouen, France finished 2018 15th in the Driver’s Standings while racing for Red Bull Toro Rosso. He moved to Red Bull Racing this season and is currently ranked 6th in the Driver’s Standings with 13 points after finishing 11th, 8th and 6th in the first three races of 2019.
Kimi Raikkonen
The Iceman won the Driver’s Championship title in his first season with Ferrari in 2007. But after nine seasons at Formula 1, he tried his luck at the World Rally championship from 2010-11. Raikkonen returned in 2012 for Lotus F1 team before coming back to Ferrari in 2014. Raikkonen made the move to Alfa Romeo Racing this season. The 39-year old from Espo, Finland also finished second in the Driver Championship race in 2003 and 2005 and then third in 2008, 2012 and 2018. He is the only driver to win during the V10, V18 and the hybrid V6 engine eras. His 21 Grand Prix victories also makes him the winningest Finnish Driver in F1. The Iceman has finished in 8th, 7th and 9th in the first three races of 2019 and is currently in 7th place with 12 points in the standings.
Lando Norris
Norris is the 2015 MSA Formula championship winner and the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship victor. The 19-year old was a member of the McLaren Young Drivers Program before being promoted to full-time Formula 1 racing this season. Norris is currently 8th in the Driver’s standings with 8 points, the first points of his F1 career. He finished 12th, 6th and 18th in the first three races of the season.
Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen is the son of former Le Mans GT class winner and Formula One driver Jans Magnussen. The 26 year old from Roskilde, Denmark was also a member of the McLaren Young Drivers Program before driving full-time beginning 2014. Since 2017, Magnussen has driven for Haas. Magnussen has 8 points to place 9th in the 2019 Drivers Standings. He placed 6th ,13th and 13th during the first three races of the season.
Nico Hulkenberg
Hulkenberg won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in his first try and was also the GP2 Series champion in 2009. Hulkenberg joined Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc and George Russell as the only drivers to win the Formula 2 ( formerly GP2 ) title during his first season. After racing for a season with Williams, he moved to Force India in 2011 as a test driver before racing full-time for them. He drove for Sauber in 2013 and then back to Force India in 2014. He has been a Renault driver since 2017.
So there you have our Top 10 Formula One drivers for this season. For a complete list of the Drivers racing the 2019 season and the schedule of races, you can view our article about the 2019 Formula One season.
We are just three races down in 2019 and with still 18 Grand Prix left to race, a lot can still change in the Driver’s standings. So buckle up and keep yourself updated with our articles as we continue to give you the latest in Formula One.
