Charles Leclerc’s omission from Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix Power Rankings has sparked debate among fans after a complicated Sepang race in which the Ferrari driver had to recover from a failed slick-tyre gamble, contact, front-wing damage and four pit stops.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was included among the highest-rated performers of the weekend. The Ferrari driver received a score of 9.0, placing him level with Liam Lawson and behind only Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso in the post-race ranking. The contrast between the two Ferrari drivers has drawn particular attention because the Power Rankings are intended to assess standout individual performances rather than simply reproduce the finishing order.
Charles Leclerc misses Bahrain GP Power Rankings top 10
Max Verstappen headed the Bahrain GP Power Rankings with a perfect score of 10 following his pole-to-win performance at Sepang. Fernando Alonso was second with 9.4, while Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson shared the next-highest score on 9.0.
Kimi Antonelli received an 8.4 after finishing second, while Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad were both awarded 7.8. Nico Hulkenberg followed on 7.4, with Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz both completing the published top 10 on 7.2.
Charles Leclerc was therefore absent entirely, despite a race that required him to deal with several setbacks. His day included an unsuccessful gamble onto slick tyres, contact, front-wing damage and a total of four pit stops. Those circumstances have fuelled the argument among some fans that his recovery deserved greater recognition.
Why Lewis Hamilton’s 9.0 adds to the debate
The presence of Lewis Hamilton near the top of the Bahrain GP Power Rankings makes Charles Leclerc’s omission particularly noticeable from a Ferrari perspective. The seven-time world champion received the joint-third highest score of the weekend, while his team-mate did not feature among the ten listed drivers.
That does not necessarily mean the ranking assessed the two Ferrari performances directly against each other. Power Rankings are designed to reward the strength of a driver’s weekend rather than simply rank competitors according to their final classification, which can create notable differences between race results and the eventual scores.
Kimi Antonelli provides one example. Despite finishing second, the Mercedes driver was ranked fifth with 8.4, behind Fernando Alonso and the 9.0 scores awarded to Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson. Conversely, drivers can miss the ranking despite finishing well, with sixth-placed Oscar Piastri also absent.
Fans argue Charles Leclerc’s recovery deserved more credit
The discussion around Charles Leclerc therefore centres less on where he finished and more on how much weight should be given to the difficulties he had to overcome. Supporters of the Ferrari driver have highlighted the sequence of setbacks during the race and argued that his recovery was underrated by the final ranking.
There is also an unavoidable subjective element in any performance ranking of this kind. A difficult race can produce a strong recovery while still containing moments that reduce an overall assessment, just as a cleaner weekend can receive greater recognition without necessarily producing a better finishing position.
For Ferrari fans, however, the comparison is an interesting one. Lewis Hamilton earned one of the highest ratings of the Bahrain GP weekend, while Charles Leclerc’s eventful afternoon was not enough to secure a place in the top 10. That difference has turned what might otherwise have been a routine post-race ranking into another talking point from Sepang.
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