PAC · Pure speed, car removed
Race PaceF1 race pace ranking, 2026
The heart of the index. Race pace with the car’s baseline performance stripped out — what is left is the time the driver found (or lost) that the machinery alone does not explain.
Race Pace ranking, 2026
each round on its own, the season against the grid · click a column to sort| Pos | Driver | MEL | SHA | SUZ | MIA | CAN | MON | ESP | AUT | GBR | SPA | HUN | NED | ITA | MAD | BAK | MAL | SIN | SEASON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VERMax Verstappen | 8.2 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.6 | – | 8.4 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.5 | – | 9.7 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 10.00 |
| 2 | ANTKimi Antonelli | 7.8 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 8.2 | 9.74 |
| 3 | LECCharles Leclerc | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 9.0 | – | 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 9.35 |
| 4 | ALOFernando Alonso | – | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.6 | – | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 8.7 | – | 8.8 | – | 8.3 | 8.0 | 8.99 |
| 5 | PERSergio Perez | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 8.2 | – | 8.0 | – | 8.2 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 7.1 | 8.8 | 8.98 |
| 6 | HAMLewis Hamilton | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 7.9 | – | 7.7 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 8.88 |
| 7 | NORLando Norris | 7.8 | – | 8.0 | 9.6 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 8.82 |
| 8 | RUSGeorge Russell | 7.7 | 9.3 | 7.8 | 7.6 | – | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | – | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 8.5 | 6.2 | 8.45 |
| 9 | BEAOliver Bearman | 8.4 | 8.2 | – | 7.8 | 8.9 | – | 7.7 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 7.4 | – | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 8.2 | 8.39 |
| 10 | ALBAlexander Albon | 8.0 | – | 7.8 | 7.6 | – | 7.8 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 8.2 | – | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.30 |
| 11 | GASPierre Gasly | 8.7 | 8.0 | 9.0 | – | 8.0 | 8.2 | 7.6 | 8.1 | 9.4 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.14 |
| 12 | STRLance Stroll | 7.4 | – | 8.2 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 8.3 | – | 8.6 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 8.4 | 8.0 | – | – | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.06 |
| 13 | SAICarlos Sainz | 8.1 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 9.7 | 8.0 | 8.3 | – | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 7.0 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.03 |
| 14 | PIAOscar Piastri | – | – | 8.3 | 8.3 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 7.88 |
| 15 | OCOEsteban Ocon | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.8 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.78 |
| 16 | BORGabriel Bortoleto | 8.2 | – | 7.0 | 9.8 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 8.1 | – | 7.67 |
| 17 | HULNico Hulkenberg | – | 7.8 | 7.5 | – | 7.6 | 8.0 | – | 7.7 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.56 |
| 18 | BOTValtteri Bottas | – | 8.3 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.5 | – | – | – | 7.5 | 7.1 | – | 8.0 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.5 | – | 7.4 | 7.51 |
| 19 | HADIsack Hadjar | – | 6.7 | 7.2 | – | 8.0 | 7.6 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 7.9 | – | – | – | 8.7 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 7.36 |
| 20 | COLFranco Colapinto | 7.9 | 7.7 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 9.1 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 7.6 | – | 7.33 |
| 21 | TSUYuki Tsunoda | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.8 | 8.7 | 6.8 | – | – | – | 7.13 |
| 22 | LAWLiam Lawson | 6.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | – | 6.9 | 7.7 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 6.98 |
| 23 | LINArvid Lindblad | 7.6 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 6.3 | – | 7.7 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 6.94 |
A race grade rates one afternoon; a season grade rates a driver across the year against the rest of the grid. They answer different questions, so the season figure is not the row added up. – = not classified that race, never counted towards the season.
The spread
every race grade, driver by driverRace-by-race distribution
dot = one race · diamond = season averageAcross the season
toggle driversBest single-race performances
top 10 driver-race gradesHow the grid reads on Race Pace in 2026
This season, Max Verstappen leads Race Pace: 10.00 against the grid, across 15 rated races. The single best Race Pace performance of the year belongs to Gabriel Bortoleto — 9.8 at the MIA.
At the top. Max Verstappen leads Race Pace on 10.00, 0.26 clear of Kimi Antonelli on 9.74. 23 drivers have enough running to be rated, and the field runs from 10.00 down to 6.94 — a spread of 3.06 of a grade point.
The speciality. Alexander Albon is P10 on Race Pace but only P18 on The Index overall — 8 places better here than at everything else put together.
The soft spot. Yuki Tsunoda runs the other way: P14 on The Index but only P21 here, 7 places worse.
Same car, same measure. The tightest team-mate pair on the grid is Audi — Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg separated by just 0.12. The widest is Red Bull Racing, where Max Verstappen is 2.64 ahead of Isack Hadjar.
What this number is not. Race Pace is one of nine independent measures, and a driver can lead it while sitting mid-table overall. It is a rating against the rest of the grid this season, not against history.