Sergio Pérez has the best average positions gained in F1 2026: +3.67. Behind the leader come Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team, +3.25), Liam Lawson (Red Bull, +3.00), Max Verstappen (Red Bull, +2.75) and Carlos Sainz (Williams, +2.67). First to fifth is separated by 1.00. Average positions gained per race, from grid slot to finish.
The standout single-race number at the Dutch Grand Prix came from Liam Lawson: +1. Nobody has pushed harder over the last three rounds than Isack Hadjar (Red Bull): +15, +2 across the Belgian and Hungarian Grands Prix — comfortably clear of the level set over the rest of the season. Going the other way, Liam Lawson (Red Bull) has given up the most ground: -3, +1 across the Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix, below the standard set earlier in the year.
So why is this ranking worth your time? Because it is exactly the kind of question every fan argues about and almost nobody actually counts. This one is counted: 19 drivers and 12 races of the F1 2026 season, built race by race from the official classifications. No votes, no opinions, no cherry-picked highlights — if a driver moves here, something real happened on track. And it recomputes itself after every Grand Prix, so the next time the argument comes up, the answer is already up to date.
Updated after the Dutch Grand Prix
Through 12 rounds of 2026, Sergio Pérez (Cadillac F1 Team) leads this table at +3.67, built from 3 counted races.
Behind him, Liam Lawson holds second on +3.40, while Esteban Ocon rounds out the top three at +3.25.
As with every Measure ranking, the numbers are computed directly from official race data and refreshed after each round.
Round 12 at the Dutch Grand Prix keeps Sergio Pérez on top of Measure’s Best average positions gained ranking, averaging +3.67 positions for Cadillac F1 Team across 3 counted races. Liam Lawson is the closest challenger on +3.40, with Esteban Ocon next on +3.25. With only 0.27 separating first from second and 0.42 covering the top three, this table is defined by fine margins rather than a runaway leader. That tight clustering means a small shift in average can reshuffle the podium quickly as the season moves beyond 12 completed races, putting extra weight on each counted result for the main contenders.
The same per-race gain used in "Most positions gained" (grid position minus final classification, classified races with a proper grid slot only), averaged over the races counted. Unlike "Biggest improvement vs qualifying", this uses the official starting grid, so grid penalties affect it. A minimum of 3 counted races is required; drivers below the threshold are excluded, never estimated. Ties are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
The same per-race gain used in "Most positions gained" (grid position minus final classification, classified races with a proper grid slot only), averaged over the races counted. Unlike "Biggest improvement vs qualifying", this uses the official starting grid, so grid penalties affect it. A minimum of 3 counted races is required; drivers below the threshold are excluded, never estimated. Ties are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
After every Grand Prix. The standings above reflect results through the Dutch Grand Prix.
A higher value is better — the driver at the top of the table is the strongest by this measure.
Sergio Pérez (Cadillac F1 Team), with +3.67.