While many Formula One fans are still coming to terms with the controversial conclusion to the 2021 season, others have been making their voices heard via the official site’s Fan Power Rankings.
Powered by F1 Fan Voice, the annual list gives Formula One fans from across the globe an opportunity to rank their top 10 drivers depending on how they feel each performed over the course of the season.
The results are also cross-referenced against the list compiled by the Aramco F1 Power Rankings judges, who score each driver out of 10 after each race.
To no great surprise, the fans and the experts didn’t always agree!
Let’s see who finished where.
10: Esteban Ocon: Average score: 6.60
9: Charles Leclerc: Average score: 6.77
8: George Russell: Average score: 6.78
7: Fernando Alonso: Average score: 7.12
6: Sergio Perez: Average score: 7.17
5: Lando Norris: Average score: 7.65
Norris recorded three podium finishes during the season, good enough for a sixth place finish in the Driver Standings. Meanwhile, the experts ranked him third overall, whilst fans voted him in fifth.
4: Pierre Gasly: Average score: 7.71
Gasly was a model of consistency in 2021, taking points in 15 out of 22 races, while finishing ninth in the Driver Standings. The fans felt he deserved more, though, ranking him fourth overall, while the experts ranked him joint-fifth overall.
3: Carlos Sainz: Average score: 7.75
Sainz may have finished joint-fifth in both the Driver Standings and the experts’ Power Rankings, but the fans clearly felt his four podiums warranted more, ranking him third overall.
2: Lewis Hamilton: Average score: 8.36
The seven-time champion will look back on 2021 wistfully after falling just short of an eighth Drivers' Championship. He finished second in the Driver Standings, as well as both the expert and fan rankings too.
1: Max Verstappen: Average score: 8.80
Verstappen topped the Driver Standings as well as the experts’ and fans’ rankings after finishing outside of the top-two just four times, winning a first, albeit controversial, title in the process.