Andrea Kimi Antonelli has the best qualifying average in F1 2026: 3.35. Behind the leader come George Russell (Mercedes, 3.47), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari, 4.18), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 4.29) and Lando Norris (McLaren, 4.65). First to fifth is separated by 1.30. Average qualifying position across every session entered this season.
The standout single-race number at the Singapore Grand Prix came from Max Verstappen: P1. Nobody has pushed harder over the last three rounds than Carlos Sainz (Williams): P9, P13, P14 across Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore Grand Prix — comfortably clear of the level set over the rest of the season. Going the other way, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) has given up the most ground: P16, P4, P4 across Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore Grand 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: 23 drivers and 17 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 Singapore Grand Prix
Through 17 rounds of 2026, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) leads this table at 3.35, built from 17 counted sessions.
Behind him, George Russell holds second on 3.47, while Lewis Hamilton rounds out the top three at 4.18.
As with every Measure ranking, the numbers are computed directly from official race data and refreshed after each round.
After round 17 at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Best qualifying average ranking is still headed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes on 3.35, with 17 races counted. George Russell remains the closest pursuer on 3.47, while Lewis Hamilton sits third on 4.18. With no listed top gainers or top losers, this update reads as consolidation rather than a shake-up at the front. The standout detail is how tight the lead battle is: Antonelli’s advantage over Russell is only 0.12, meaning even a small swing in qualifying form can flip the top two as the season progresses. By contrast, the gap back to third is much larger, underlining a clear separation between the top pair and the rest of the podium in this metric.
Mean qualifying position across all qualifying sessions a driver entered, using the full field — not just the top 10. Lower is better. A minimum of 3 sessions is required; drivers below the threshold are excluded, never estimated. Ties are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
Mean qualifying position across all qualifying sessions a driver entered, using the full field — not just the top 10. Lower is better. A minimum of 3 sessions 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 Singapore Grand Prix.
A lower value is better — the driver at the top of the table is the strongest by this measure.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), with 3.35.