Top 10 drivers of F1's ground-effect regulations

Formula 1 officially concluded the ground-effect era at the close of the 2025 season, marking the end of regulations introduced in 2022. The rules changed the trajectory of several careers on the grid, elevating champions into eventual all-time greats, turning promising drivers into proven products, and altering the competitive landscape.

After all the dust has settled, here were the top 10 drivers of F1's ground-effect era:

10. Alex Albon

Key stat: Albon outscored at least one Ferrari driver in seven Grand Prix weekends in 2025

The start of the ground-effect era also coincided with Albon's return to the grid, joining Williams for 2022. It didn't take long to see why Williams gave the ex-Red Bull pilot a chance. Albon scored his first points of the season in Australia, finishing 10th despite starting last and completing 57 of 58 laps on a single set of hard tires. While he obliterated most of his unproven teammates, Carlo Sainz's arrival pushed Albon to new heights. In 2025, Albon recorded points in 11 races - his most with Williams - and became the team's first driver to finish eighth or better in the standings since 2016.

9. Pierre Gasly

Key stat: Gasly outscored his teammates by 56 points over the ground-effect era (149-93)

Gasly drove for two teams during this era: AlphaTauri (2022) and Alpine (2023-present). Both outfits carried limited ceilings, but thanks to Gasly, the floors never gave out. The French pilot delivered valuable points each season, compiling 31 points finishes in 91 race starts (34.1%). He was also a familiar face in Q3 with 34 appearances. Notably, Gasly put up a good margin over his teammates, who managed only 21 points finishes and 25 Q3 appearances. Whenever grand opportunities did roll around, Gasly made sure to capitalize, earning podiums in 2023 and 2024.

8. Oscar Piastri

Key stat: Piastri was one of only two drivers to win three or more consecutive races during the ground-effect era (Bahrain to Miami 2025)

High expectations surrounded Piastri, a former F3 and F2 champion, after his McLaren signing sparked controversy over his contractual rights with Alpine. However, he's lived up to the price tag. The Australian made serious strides in each of his three seasons since his 2023 debut. While people will remember his 2025 title bid for blowing a 34-point lead to teammate Lando Norris and a 104-point gap to Max Verstappen, it's crucial to still recognize Piastri for the growth that allowed him to compete in the first place. A driver doesn't lead the championship for 15 consecutive race weekends or collect eight straight podiums by fluke. Being disappointed over how Piastri performed in a gruelling 24-race title fight is understandable, but his rivals will surely be wary of his trajectory continuing to point upward.

7. Lewis Hamilton

Key stat: Hamilton was the second driver to record five consecutive podiums in the ground-effect regulations (Canadian GP to Hungarian GP in 2022), with only Verstappen accomplishing the feat faster

The past two seasons have been brutal for Hamilton, who appeared to drift further and further from the pace as this generation of cars progressed. Although his recent dreadful form seems to have begun just after the 2024 summer break, that shouldn't erase his earlier success. Hamilton had a run of five consecutive podiums during the 2022 season, something only four other drivers have matched under the ground-effect regulations. He was also the highest-scoring non-Red Bull driver in 2023 and picked up two wins in 2024. That's quite the list of achievements for a driver who apparently never felt comfortable in these cars.

6. Carlos Sainz

Key stat: Sainz ended the ground-effect era as Ferrari's latest Grand Prix winner and Williams' most recent podium finisher

Sainz carved out a reputation for finding a way to make it happen when everything suggests he has no chance. He was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023. He also ended Verstappen's 10-race and nine-race winning streaks. And when Ferrari appeared to toss him to the curb in favor of Hamilton, Sainz got two podiums for Williams in 2025, becoming the team's first driver to grab multiple podiums in a season since 2015. All the while, his replacement at Ferrari never made it onto the podium. No matter how many times he's counted out, Sainz has demonstrated an ability to adapt and eventually thrive. He's the only driver to have stepped on the podium for multiple teams during the ground-effect era.

5. George Russell

Key stat: Russell finished in the points in 81 of 92 races in the ground-effect era, trailing only Verstappen (88)

Russell has put up a pretty impressive catalogue since his permanent promotion to Mercedes. He secured his maiden win and led the series in top-five finishes in 2022. By the end of this regulation cycle, Russell surpassed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, outqualifying him 39-29 over their time together. Russell delivered five of Mercedes' seven wins and seven of its eight poles during the ground-effect era. A subpar 2023 campaign is Russell's only blemish, though his emergence as Mercedes' No. 1 driver has since overshadowed that setback.

4. Lando Norris

Key stat: Norris was the only driver to eclipse 30-plus podiums (31) over the final two seasons of the ground-effect regulations

The ground-effect rules turned one youngster into a world champion. Norris, who began the era as one of the top midfield drivers, grew into a title challenger before finally claiming his maiden championship last season. He had a steep learning curve to overcome in 2024 as he adapted to fighting at the front, but he earned his championship credentials in 2025. Although the British driver encountered more bumps along the way, it became apparent by the end of his breakthrough title year that his blistering one-lap pace could match anyone's and that he possessed upper-echelon tire-whispering skills. Norris' trajectory to the top was never about a car carrying an undeserving pilot - a point he proved when he was the only midfield driver to get a podium in 2022. Instead, Norris maximized the platform he was given to reach truly eye-opening heights.

3. Fernando Alonso

Key stat: Alonso was the only driver outside of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, or Mercedes to record 10-plus points finishes in each season of the ground-effect regulations

Age is only a number to Alonso, who continues to drive at a high level in his 40s. The ground-effect era provided the Spaniard with an opportunity to remind F1's newer audience what they missed during his prime years - now roughly two decades ago - by grabbing eight podiums in 2023, the most of any non-Red Bull driver. Aston Martin fell off massively after that, but you could still count on Alonso to sneak into Q3 and finish in the points, even as his teammates struggled to sniff the top 10. Alonso's greatest strength is his ability to extract every ounce from his car, which he continues to do again and again.

2. Charles Leclerc

Key stat: Leclerc was one of two drivers (Verstappen the other) to earn a pole in each year of these regulations. He accomplished this despite driving for teams that ranked between second and fourth in the constructors' standings

Leclerc started these regulations in a Ferrari that looked poised to make him a champion. While that didn't happen, the once-young and hopeful title challenger enhanced his reputation as one of the sport's fastest qualifiers, perhaps ever (see Monaco 2022 or any of his Baku poles). More importantly, Leclerc proved to be one of the most adaptable drivers, getting the most out of his Ferraris, regardless of how rapid or challenging they were to tame. Leclerc has proven he has all the qualities of a champion. Now it's a matter of getting a team to power him into a title fight.

1. Max Verstappen

Key stat: Verstappen collected more wins (51), poles (35), and podiums (67) than any driver or team during the ground-effect era

Verstappen won the drivers' championship in three of four seasons in the ground-effect era, falling just two points short in his only unsuccessful bid. He displayed almost untouchable consistency when he had a dominant car underneath him, and he still maintained his winning ways even when he clearly had inferior machinery. Make no mistake, there wasn't a better driver during these regulations than Verstappen.

Daniel Valente is theScore's lead Formula 1 writer. Follow Daniel on X at @F1GuyDan.