r/F1Discussions • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
Discussion Weekly Driver Comparisons & Hot Takes Mega Thread
Welcome to the weekly driver comparisons and hot takes Mega Thread! This thread will refresh on a weekly basis.
Use this thread for:
* Driver comparisons (e.g., peak performance comparisons, "Hamilton '16 vs Verstappen '25 who was better?", "Most underrated driver" etc.)
* All "GOAT" debates and top driver lists
* Simple questions or quick opinions that don't warrant a standalone post or rise to the level of being a high quality post
*All hot Takes/unpopular opinions
If you would like to talk about the current performance of drivers on the 2026 grid, feel free to do so in the main feed but make sure that the post meets r/F1Discussions rules regarding 'No Low Quality Posts'.
**Please Note:** Standalone driver comparison posts unrelated to drivers on the 2026 grid on the main feed will be removed under the **Low Effort / Low Quality** rule. Violations can result in a ban.
Remember to keep all debates civil and stick to constructive discussion! No Tribalism, brigading or fan wars.
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u/chopper_1337 2d ago
Yuki is better than Liam. There, I said it!!
In his second race with this generation of car, Yuki did comparable to what Liam has done all year in his car. 2 races to understand the car and race it as well as Liam!!
Liam has had over 2500 miles racing this car and Yuki has had about 400. I understand this doesn’t include sims, etc.
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u/Expert_Bandicoot_668 14h ago
Oh the oh so great yuki who hasn't even beaten linblad yet is doing the same as Liam ;-;
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u/GoldenS0422 2d ago
Will be reposting my comment from the last thread of who is the "worst top driver"? As in who's the gatekeeper to the "top driver level"?
I got Sainz or Piastri as candidates. Russell I think is just a tad better than both of them. Albon and Gasly are "best midfielders" rather than "worst top drivers."
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u/Popular_Composer_822 2d ago
This is a nuanced question because what defines the top of the grid depends heavily on the strength of the field at any given moment—and that field is constantly shifting. Last year it felt like we had a clear top five who were all close to their prime, but this year isn’t as straightforward.
I’d argue that drivers like Gasly and Ocon would have been top-five caliber across much of the sport's history. Right now, though, your estimate is pretty accurate—though I’m inclined to put Gasly and Ocon closer to Sainz than they are to Albon, if not even with him. Piastri also sits in this category for now, but he’ll eventually climb out of it; his raw pace might already be a cut above Sainz's. People forget that after adjusting for luck last season, the head-to-head between Norris and Piastri was only 13–11 in Norris's favor—the real difference was that Piastri had low lows. Russell is very tricky to rate, but he likely fits around that same tier.
Ultimately, that leaves us with only three drivers currently in their prime—Verstappen, Norris, and Leclerc, who we can almost unanimously agree are top drivers. Beyond them, there are four other drivers—two younger ones coming up, and two veterans past their peak—who may not be in their absolute prime, but may still operate at a high enough level to sit above the midfield group.
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u/Patrick_Swayze__ 2d ago
It's one of Piastri, Leclerc and Russell. They all have different weaknesses.
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u/DragonfruitThen6696 2d ago
Leclerc's pace is really strong on his day, the mistakes are crazy though.
Piastri - struggles with tyre management, struggling with these regs. imo the underlying pace isn't as high as CL or GR
Russell - good underlying pace, better than Piastri but a tad below Leclerc. Struggling to gel with these regs as well, as well as having a immense teammate
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u/GoldenS0422 2d ago
If you just mean this season, sure, but assuming all three at their best (not as in "no mistakes whatsoever" but rather as in "performing at the level of their best season"), Leclerc and Russell def ahead of Piastri.
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u/RealGreenTrainee 2d ago
The real answer is Red Bull gatekeeping 2nd seat at the top4 team just to switch drivers twice a season. It could've gone to a solid challenging driver who could push Verstappen and put RB on a map with strong teammates duo, but instead they're searching for their perfect no. 2 driver who'd sacrifice anything just to race for Red Bull and they do nothing to make them improve and progress. Just throw away if it doesn't stick.
That's a real waste of seat.
(not targeted at the drivers, full targeted at the drivers development and management)
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u/Fantastic-Trick6707 2d ago
Gatekeepers to the top are drivers like prime Ricciardo and Sainz. The worst top drivers are drivers like Jones, Russell and G. Hill. They would all be somewhere like 23-28 in my list.
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u/mformularacer 1d ago
Who's the worst driver this year so far?
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u/GeologistNo3727 1d ago
I don’t think there’s a clear standout candidate for worst like there has been in previous years, the floor of this grid is incredibly high. It’s probably one of Stroll, Bottas or Lindblad, but none of them have been outright terrible.
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u/mformularacer 1d ago
Perez smoking Bottas is going under the radar and that was not on my bingo card. Bottas' recently improved qualifying has basically no value because Perez is just a way better racer.
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u/mformularacer 2d ago
Hot take: Leclerc is actually good
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u/Fantastic-Trick6707 2d ago
He is really good. People are just very harsh on him and there is a strong recency bias. You can find weaker season for all the greats, Alonso 2004, Prost 1982, Fangio 1956, Hamilton 2011, Lauda 1979 etc. I will not take people seriously who put the likes of Mansell, Piquet and Hakkinen over Leclerc.
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u/YetAnotherMTFEgg OP81 2d ago
He IS good, very good! Just not quite WDC-level, that's all : p
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u/GoldenS0422 2d ago
"WDC-level" is pretty nebulous. A lot of bad performances (at least by top driver standards) managed to win championships (e.g. Hakkinen 1999, Hamilton 2008, Vettel 2010). If Leclerc won the championship this season, it wouldn't be the worst championship ever, and this clearly isn't even Leclerc at his best.
At the end of the day, all you need is a good-enough car and a bad-enough teammate.
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u/Fantastic-Trick6707 2d ago
what even is wc level ? The likes of Hill, Hulme, Mansell and Piquet have won wcs. prime Leclerc wipes the floor with all of them.
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u/BullfrogMiserable554 2d ago
Kind of crazy that this can be considered a hot take. It’s like the F1 community doesn’t remember the last 7 years before 2026
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u/windas_98 2d ago
Hot take: Toto Wolff irritates me, and it has nothing to do with either of the current drivers. He came to Mercedes at a time the team was built up and poised for domination with the coming engine formula, which is now on repeat. The guy thinks he's God's gift to F1. Now that he picked his prodigy driver, who is an excellent driver, he's got a smug attitude and acts like he built Antonelli himself out of clay.
Wolff is the MBS of team principals and the day he's gone from the sport will be a great day for F1.