POWER RANKINGS: Who impressed our judges at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix?

After securing a pair of P2 finishes in Canada and Monaco, Hamilton finally fulfilled his ambition of winning a Grand Prix with Ferrari, and he did so in spectacular fashion. After sitting out FP1 while Dino Beganovic took his car, Hamilton took his time to build up the pace and set a blistering lap when it mattered in the final seconds of Q3. It was enough to get his first front row start with the Scuderia and from there, he flawlessly executed a bold three-stop strategy to beat Mercedes to victory – the perfect controlled drive which earned him a 10 from our judges.

It was a return to the points in Barcelona for Lando Norris following his unfortunate retirements in Canada and Monaco. He managed to find some luck this time around as he went fastest in FP2 before qualifying P4, which the McLaren driver maintained throughout the race to stick close behind the Mercedes pair up ahead. This calm and collected approach proved to be the right one as he moved into P3 once Kimi Antonelli retired, giving him a second podium finish of 2026.

With Russell back on top form and both Ferrari and McLaren posing threats, it was far from an easy weekend for Antonelli. He admitted to overdriving the car and struggling to find pace in the warm conditions, resulting in his first non-front row start of the season in P3. Determined to gain positions, he launched a fierce challenge to Russell up ahead and eventually got past him before a mechanical issue cut his race short.

Pierre Gasly continues to be the star of this season’s midfield after converting a P14 grid slot into an impressive P7 finish in Barcelona. The Q2 exit was far from ideal, especially as he qualified behind his team mate Franco Colapinto, but Gasly’s increased pace during the Grand Prix was enough for Alpine to order a swap between their drivers on track. It ended up being a smart decision as the Frenchman closed up to the pack ahead and fought his way past via overtakes and a well-timed pit stop to extend his points-scoring streak.

Red Bull’s tendency to be on the back foot on Friday and improve over the weekend happened again for Max Verstappen, who suffered with low grip throughout practice before surprising himself with a top-five spot in Qualifying. The Dutchman couldn’t keep up with Norris ahead of him and had a pretty lonely race, even though the team went with a similar gamble to Ferrari with a three-stop strategy. He inherited P4 after Antonelli retired, marking another round of maximising what he could in the RB22.

Sporting a unique football-inspired livery, Racing Bulls enjoyed another double points finish with Liam Lawson leading the team. Like in Monaco, he squeezed into the final part of Qualifying and took a respectable P8 on the grid, which he ultimately clung onto even after dropping out of the top 10 following his pit stops. Retirements further up the order and a post-race penalty for Franco Colapinto were key in aiding Lawson’s recovery.

Colapinto got off to a strong start in Barcelona as he outqualified his team mate for the third time in 2026, but he faded away slightly during the race and was asked by the team to let Gasly through for position. He was still able to keep the Racing Bulls pair behind all the way to the chequered flag but was hit with a 10-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement post-race, dropping him from P8 to P10 in the final classification.

Off the back of losing his podium in Monaco, Isack Hadjar remained realistic about Red Bull’s chances this weekend and was pleasantly surprised when he qualified less than a tenth off P3. Any chance of gaining further places on the opening lap was quickly ruined as he got a poor launch and tumbled down the order, but his subsequent charge through the field was a delight to watch and he climbed his way back up to P6.

Racing Bulls were still riding the high off Lawson and Arvid Lindblad achieving their best career finishes last time out when they arrived in Barcelona. It looked like more points could be up for grabs as the rookie lined up in P11 on the grid, but the race got off to a shaky start when he ran wide onto an escape road on the busy first lap. Hanging their hopes on a Safety Car, the team eventually brought Lindblad in as the last driver to pit in the first stint and he was able to progress back into the top 10, finishing P9 and helped by Colapinto's penalty.

Missing out

Narrowly missing out on a spot in our judges’ top 10 are Sergio Perez (Cadillac’s sole finisher in 14th), Oscar Piastri (who struggled for performance and settled for fifth), and Williams’ Carlos Sainz (who started the race well but didn’t have the speed to fight for points, ending up 12th).

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