Verstappen tops ground effect era ranking, Norris and Piastri trail

The Red Bull Racing driver, who came out of the era as the most successful on the grid, led a staggering 2,633 laps over the four-year span in which F1 fielded ground effect cars.

The Dutch driver, who claimed three Drivers’ Championships, was followed in a distant second by 2025 champion Lando Norris, who led 674 laps. Second runner-up in last season’s Drivers’ Championship, and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri claimed third place with 576 laps led during the ground effect era.

Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc led the fourth-most laps with 572, while George Russell rounded out the top five with 346 laps led. Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, who claimed five Grand Prix victories under the ground effect rules, led the sixth-highest number of laps at 294, followed by Williams Racing's Carlos Sainz in seventh with 283 laps led.

Lewis Hamilton was in a distant eighth with 92 laps led, while Esteban Ocon (14 laps), Kimi Antonelli (11), Yuki Tsunoda (5), Fernando Alonso (4), Sebastian Vettel (2), and Alex Albon (1) completed the list.

Formula 1 will usher in a seismic regulation change from the 2026 season, with several overhauls set to reshape the sport at the start of the new campaign.

Changes will range from power units, which will see an equal split between internal combustion and electric energy, to aerodynamics and overall car design, with ground-effect tunnels disappearing and drag reduced to favour closer, more competitive racing.

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