After eight races, Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s classified-race average remains the benchmark in the Most consistent drivers ranking. But the Austrian Grand Prix reshuffled the chase pack, with George Russell’s win lifting him into the top three while Lando Norris slid back.
By Elena Marsh
Andrea Kimi Antonelli remains the leader of the Most consistent drivers ranking after the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, with a mean classified finishing position of 1.43 for Mercedes. The headline, though, isn’t a change at the top — it’s the tightening of the picture behind him as the top three shifts for the first time in this latest update.
Antonelli reinforced his position in Spielberg by converting a P4 start into P3 at the flag, finishing and scoring 15 points across 71 laps. In a metric that strips DNFs out entirely and focuses only on what happens when a driver is classified, that kind of repeatable, bankable outcome is exactly what keeps a number like 1.43 in a different category to everyone else after eight completed races.
Russell is the big upward mover in the top group, climbing from fifth to third in the consistency ranking. Pole position and victory in Austria — P1 on the grid, P1 in the race, 25 points — has pulled his mean classified finish down to 3.71, enough to leapfrog into the top three for Mercedes.
That promotion matters because second place is still occupied by Lewis Hamilton on 3.63 for Ferrari, leaving only 0.08 separating P2 and P3 in this specific measure. Russell’s jump is also the largest movement magnitude in this update (two places), and it’s the cleanest illustration of how a single strong classified finish can reshape the order when the calculation ignores any non-classified results completely.
Norris is the weekend’s clearest loser in ranking terms: down two places, from third to fifth, with a current mean classified finish of 4.40 for McLaren. The key detail is that this isn’t a DNF story — Norris was classified in Austria, finishing P7 after starting P6, completing 71 laps and taking 6 points — but in a consistency metric that rewards staying near the front, a P7 is still a drag on the average.
The sting is comparative. With Russell posting a win and Hamilton holding second on 3.63, the margin for a top-three spot is narrow, and Norris’s 4.40 now leaves him looking up at a compressed battle rather than sitting inside it. This ranking’s methodology can be unforgiving: because DNFs are excluded entirely, you don’t get ‘credit’ for surviving a difficult day unless the finishing position is also strong.
Max Verstappen edges forward too, rising one place from seventh to sixth for Red Bull, with a mean classified finish of 4.67. It’s a smaller move than Russell’s or Norris’s, but it underlines how little separation there is once you get beyond Antonelli’s standout 1.43: small swings in the average can change positions quickly when the pack is tightly grouped.
There’s also churn just behind this trio of movers. Charles Leclerc drops one place, from sixth to seventh, and now sits on a 5.00 mean classified finish for Ferrari — a reminder that the midfield of this ranking can be volatile even when the leader remains stable. With eight races completed and a ‘streak’ signal still active, the broader theme is consolidation at the front and a busy fight for the next best slot behind Antonelli.
| Driver | Team | Before | After | Δ | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Russell | Mercedes | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3.71 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 3 | 5 | -2 | 4.40 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 7 | 6 | +1 | 4.67 |
Antonelli’s 1.43 keeps him comfortably in front on classified-race consistency, but Russell’s rise to 3.71 has opened a close fight with Hamilton (3.63) for P2 — while Norris’s drop to 4.40 shows how quickly the chasing order can reshuffle without any change at the top.