The first grand prix weekend of the 2023 was not the most eventful, with drivers once again benefiting from three full days of testing the week before the grand prix.
As such, drivers were so familiar with the Bahrain circuit and the way its grip levels fluctuated between the day time and the night that there was little in the way of major mistakes or poor performances from the 20 drivers in the field.
However, some distinguished themselves comfortably above their peers during the first race weekend of the season.
With the season now one race down, here is the first round of RaceFans driver ratings for 2023.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend driver ratings
Max Verstappen – 7
Start: 1st (-)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-S-H)
Finished: Winner (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Took pole position ahead of team mate
- Led from the start, making use of early stints on softs to pull away
- Maintained a steady pace out front under no pressure
- Won by just over ten seconds
A strong start to the season: Pole, led off the line and won by ten seconds. There are no easy wins in Formula 1, but Verstappen had little to worry about after turn one. A strong start to his second title defence, but unquestionably aided by the clear best car on the grid.
Sergio Perez – 6
Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.138s)Start: 3rd (-1)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-S-H)
Finished: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate)
- Quickest in first practice
- Secured front row start a tenth behind team mate
- Lost out to Leclerc at the start but used a second set of softs to catch and pass the Ferrari
- Matched pace with team mate ahead over the second half of the race, finishing ten seconds behind
With Red Bull the class of the field, second on the grid was the minimum and Perez easily satisfied that requirement. Lost P2 off the line to Leclerc’s fresh softs but was strategic about when he would push to reclaim it. Did not allow the gap to team mate to balloon to the levels it too often did in 2022.
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Charles Leclerc – 7
Start: 2nd (+1)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: Retired (Power unit – L40)
- Ahead of team mate in every practice session
- Used new Soft tyres to leap ahead of Perez into second
- Passed by Perez on Softs after switching to Hards to fall to third
- Looked set to complete the podium before suddenly losing power 17 laps from the end
Was far closer to Red Bulls in qualifying than times appeared after losing two tenths in turn one. Proved saving softs for start was the right call by jumping to second but could not resist the sheer pace of the Red Bulls. Lost a podium when his car let him down with 17 laps remaining and likely would have been too far ahead for Alonso to catch before the finish.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5
Start: 4th (-)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 4th
- Behind team mate in every practice session
- Qualified one place behind team mate in fourth
- Held position for the majority of the race but was passed by Alonso in the closing laps
Sainz had the epitome of a ‘fine’ weekend. He did a decent job of keeping ahead of the Mercedes pair across Saturday and Sunday but was clearly the slower of the two Ferrari drivers. He could not resist the superior race pace of Alonso in the final stint but at least managed to hold off late pressure from Hamilton to take fourth place.
George Russell – 5
Qualified: 6th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.044s)
Start: 6th (-)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 7th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every practice session
- Pipped team mate to sixth on the grid
- Lost a place to Hamilton at the start but kept on his gearbox in early laps
- Dropped behind the Aston Martins over his two pit stops to fall to eighth, finishing seventh after Leclerc retired
A challenging weekend for Russell as Mercedes’ true pace was revealed. Did the better of the two Mercedes drivers in qualifying but lost out at the start before being overcut by Alonso after his first pit stop and then undercut by Stroll after his second. He kept pace with his team mate generally, finishing around five seconds behind Hamilton and a second from Stroll in seventh.
Lewis Hamilton – 6
Start: 5th (+2)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 5th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every practice session
- Out-qualified by team mate by less than half a tenth
- Ran fifth for the majority of the race before being passed by Alonso, but gained fifth back when Leclerc retired
- Caught Sainz in the final laps but could not challenge him, finishing fifth
Hamilton and Mercedes faced the reality of their relative lack of performance. He was out-qualified by his team mate but spent the entire race ahead despite struggling with wear over his first stint. Was nailed by faster Alonso into turn ten but almost caught Sainz in the closing laps, having to settle for fifth.
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Esteban Ocon – 4
Qualified: 9th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.673s)
Start: 11th (-2)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-H-H)
Finished: Retired (Withdrawn – L42)
- Reached Q3 to take ninth on the grid
- Lost two places at the start, then penalised for inaccurate starting position
- Suffered front wing end plate damage, receiving new front wing at second stop
- Handed second penalty for failing to serve penalty correctly due to team error
- Penalised a third time for speeding in the pit lane by 0.1km/h
- Brought in to retire on lap 42
Ocon would have been hoping for solid points to start the season after a decent qualifying performance, but his race unravelled rapidly. He earned a rare penalty for being out of position at his grid slot at the start, picked up front wing damage, was handed a second penalty through no fault of his own but then deactivated his pit lane speed limiter fractionally too early and was penalised again. After a messy start to the year the team opted to park his car.
Pierre Gasly – 6
Start: 19th (+1)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-H-S)
Finished: 9th
- Fined for speeding in the pit lane in qualifying
- Eliminated from Q1 in 20th after having last lap deleted for track limits
- Rose up the order through the race, passing Albon after pitting under VSC to take two points in ninth
- Held fastest lap before being denied bonus point by Zhou
Gasly’s first race weekend for Alpine got off to a poor start, eliminated in 20th in Q1 with his final lap cancelled by the stewards for a track limits infringement. However, he more than made up for it with a strong performance in the race to secure two points for his new team in ninth, only one second away from Bottas by the chequered flag.
Lando Norris – 6
Start: 10th (+1)
Strategy: Six-stop (S-H-S-M-H-S-S)
Finished: 17th
- Only just reached Q2 with identical time to Sargeant
- Suffered a pneumatic pressure problem that led to a slow stop
- Pitted six times during the race but ended up as a classified finisher
Norris out-qualified supposedly quicker cars in Q2 and had a reasonable start to the race, but his evening was ultimately reduced to little more than an extended test session due to a pneumatic problem that could not be resolved. He ended up making six trips to the pits over the race but still reached the chequered flag.
Oscar Piastri – 5
Qualified: 18th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.449s)
Start: 16th (+2)
Strategy: N/A
Finished: Retired (Electrical – L14)
- Knocked out in Q1 half a second slower than team mate
- Gained two places at the start and ran 16th before suffering electrical problem
- Changed steering wheel but did not solve problem, leading to early retirement
After waiting over a year to race, Piastri’s Formula 1 debut was one to forget. He could not follow his team mate through to Q2 but picked up to places at the start. Sadly, he could only manage 13 laps of racing before an electrical problem ended his race.
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Valtteri Bottas – 7
Start: 8th (+4)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 8th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
- Behind team mate in every practice session but pipped him in qualifying
- Jumped four places at the start and ran in the top ten for the entire race
- Finished eighth, unable to keep pace with the Mercedes of Russell ahead
Another solid start to the year for Bottas, who takes four helpful points to kick off Alfa Romeo’s season. A great start put him in a strong position in the opening stint and he was briefly ahead of Alonso after his first stop. With Aston Martin establishing themselves as the fourth top team, Bottas took ‘best of the rest’ honours with eighth.
Zhou Guanyu – 5
Qualified: 13th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.030s)
Start: 17th (-4)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-S-S)
Finished: 16th (-8 places behind team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in all three practice sessions
- Eliminated from Q2 one place behind team mate
- Lost four places on the opening lap
- Gained two positions staying out under VSC and passed De Vries at restart
- Pitted late for soft tyres to take fastest lap point away from Alpine
Up until the moment the lights went out, it had been a solid weekend for Zhou. He almost matched team mate Bottas’s time in qualifying, but got too much wheelspin off the line which dropped him into the DRS train led by Norris. He gained time on Bottas in the middle stint but lost out under the VSC. He successfully executed his team’s tactic to take fastest lap from Alpine.
Lance Stroll – 7
Qualified: 8th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.500s)
Start: 9th (-1)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 6th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Entered the weekend having missed the entire pre-season test with minimal track time in new car
- Dosed up on painkillers as still recovering from hand surgery and a broken toe
- Lost some track time in FP1 with ignition problem
- Hit team mate on opening lap and fortunate not to damage either car
- Kept pace with team mate over first two stints but fell back over final stint, taking sixth ahead of Russell
- Behind team mate in every session
Typically, Stroll’s performance would have earned a six due to the gap to his team mate over the weekend. However, he gets credit for his minimal track time in the car before the weekend and for clearly not being fully race-fit after his hand injury. He beat a Mercedes, but came alarmingly close to ending the race for both Aston Martins.
Fernando Alonso – 8
Start: 7th (-2)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 3rd (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Fastest of all in practice two and three
- Secured fifth on the grid ahead of the two Mercedes
- Lost places after hit by team mate at turn four at start
- Passed Hamilton into turn ten, then Sainz into turn 11
- Took final podium spot as first non-Red Bull finisher, but benefited from Leclerc’s retirement
- Ahead of team mate in every session
The most outstanding performer of the weekend. Quickest in two practice sessions before qualifying a strong fifth, although would have hoped for more. Lost places to the Mercedes when hit by his team mate at the start but harnessed the full speed of his car in the race, pulling off excellent overtaking moves to take the final podium position after Leclerc’s retirement.
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Kevin Magnussen – 5
Qualified: 17th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.688s)Start: 18th (-1)
Strategy: Three-stop (H-H-S-S)
Finished: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Failed to progress through Q1 blaming traffic on his final lap
- Only driver to start on hard tyres, falling to rear of the field
- Used final two stints on softs to gain places, passing De Vries to finish 13th
Magnussen blamed Perez for compromising his final Q1 time that saw him eliminated, but it was a poor excuse. He made up for it on Sunday, despite starting on the hard tyre, which looked like the wrong move. He finished ahead of his team mate in 13th, unable to do much more as the Haas chewed its rubber.
Nico Hulkenberg – 4
Start: 14th (-4)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-H-S)
Finished: 15th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Reached Q3 at first attempt after team mate eliminated in Q1
- Lost four places at the start and suffered front wing damage on opening lap, hitting Ocon at turn four
- Received new front wing on second stop, falling behind team mate
- Gradually fell back from Magnussen to finish 15th
- Handed a total of 15 seconds of penalties for exceeding track limits five times
Replacing Schumacher with Hulkenberg was an investment in experience, except his first race with the team felt like some of Schumacher’s difficult early races in 2022. His qualifying performance was solid, but he lost places off the line and compromised his early race hitting Ocon at the start. And no F1 driver with almost 200 starts should earn five track limits breaches in one race.
Yuki Tsunoda – 6
Start: 15 (-1)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-H-S)
Finished: 11th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Surprised to reach Q2 at first attempt of 2023 but had no new softs left, eliminated in 14th
- Lost a place to Hulkenberg on the opening lap but gained it back on lap four
- Undercut Sargeant but could not get close enough to challenge Albon, just missing out on a point in 11th
- Ahead of team mate in every session
Not the strongest start to a season Tsunoda’s ever enjoyed but hard to find any real complaints. Surviving Q1 in a tight midfield was a positive and he gained back the place he lost to Hulkenberg at the start. Spent the second half of the race staring at the rear wing of Albon’s Williams, unable to catch him down the straight to just miss out on a point in 11th
Nyck de Vries – 5
Qualified: 19th (-5 places behind team mate, +0.721s)
Start: 20th (-1)
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 14th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Eliminated from Q1 with the slowest legal lap time after error on final lap
- Dropped to the rear at the start but made his way steadily up the order
- Wasn’t pitted by team under VSC, moving into 11th but was passed by four cars to finish 14th
- Behind team mate in every session
A ‘back to Earth’ moment for De Vries after such a strong debut at Monza last year. Unable to match Tsunoda all weekend and eliminated in Q1, but his race pace was decent and he gained places throughout. His team admitted not pitting him under VSC was a mistake and he had little defence for the cars who pitted, eventually finishing in 14th.
Alexander Albon – 8
Start: 12 (+3)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-S-H-S)
Finished: 10th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Ran with “slower” rear wing configuration according to team principal Vowles
- Easily progressed to Q2 but front wing failure on sole Q2 lap left him 15th on grid
- Made good use of low-drag setup to keep theoretically faster cars behind him
- Absorbed pressure from Tsunoda in the final laps to cling onto final point
A very ‘Alex Albon’ performance. Disappointed to be denied an opportunity to fight for a place in Q3 but stormed off the line and gained three places at the start and showed strong pace throughout. Demonstrated his excellent defensive driving skills to secure a well-earned point in what is still likely to be the ‘slowest’ car in the early season.
Logan Sargeant – 7
Qualified: 16th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.191s)
Start: 13th (+3)
Strategy: Three-stop (S-S-H-S)
Finished: 12th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Ran with theoretically faster rear wing than team mate for weekend
- Gutted to be eliminated from Q1 with identical time to Norris
- Picked up three places with aggressive opening lap
- Generally kept pace with team mate Albon throughout the race
- Pitted under VSC for softs, passing Zhou to move into 12th where he finished, less than 10s behind team mate
A professional and mature debut weekend in Formula 1. Almost succeeded in reaching Q2 at his first attempt, showed great racing instincts at the start to gain places through the opening lap and did well to keep on Albon’s pace through the race. The most impressive rookie of the weekend.
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Over to you
Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
- FIA no longer applying its limit on F1 cars ‘porpoising’
- Why F1’s 2023 tyres are requiring drivers to change their management style
- The familiar and unfamiliar problems holding McLaren back at the start of 2023
- ‘Not like a rookie’: How McLaren glimpsed Piastri’s potential in curtailed debut
- “I’m a shouty guy”: Tsunoda told to rein in “emotional” radio chatter
Archibald Bumfluff
7th March 2023, 7:23
Ah yes, the old scores out of 8
Electroball76
7th March 2023, 13:04
You can only score 9 if you can ace every session in the slowest car, win from the back, solve world hunger, win all championships, look cool in photos etc.
10 is reserved for Senna and Fangio.
Filip (@urubu)
8th March 2023, 5:46
They aint brits so probably only Stewart and Clark.
Cronies
8th March 2023, 6:20
Listen to your readers, this rating system is beyond pathetic… Good Grief!!!!! Pathetic
Dex
7th March 2023, 7:49
I can appreciate the effort, but it’s kinda pointless; some things are impossible to quantify. For example, what could Verstappen do better in this race? What were his mistakes, anything negative at all that could be said about his driving? Yet it is a 7 simply because he didn’t drive a slower car, thus he couldn’t do crazy overtakes etc. Some drivers don’t stand a fair chance to get a fair rating… Also I’m not sure why was Stroll’s race more impressive than Hamilton’s (who didn’t impress this time though). He ended behind him, he started behind him, and he didn’t have a slower car. Perhaps he got an extra sympathy point for being a lesser driver, or because of his hand. The whole system is wrong, but the worst thing is that I cannot think of a much better one, or even a good one at all. Perhaps a system without plain numbers would seem more objective, but that beats the point here. I’d probably go for ratings like “great”, “good, “average” etc., with + and – sections and that’s all. It would be somewhat easier to rate the teams as a whole, or their cars… I don’t mean this as a real criticism even, these are personal, subjective ratings, and that’s fine. We can agree, disagree, or even make our own if we “know better”.
Peter707
7th March 2023, 9:43
There is a difference between comfortably beating your teammate and destroying your teammate. Max did a good job, but was not that much above Perez and the capabilities of his car as was Fernando. I think 7 is reasonable here (assuming that 8 is the maximum in practice).
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 12:02
You could also argue that Verstappen wisely saved his material as much as possible and cleverly did nothing more than necessary. Isn’t being a good racing driver not also about things like this?
Not saying this is the case, but that is all largely as subjective as it can possibly be.
Peter707
7th March 2023, 14:07
Delivering 85 % because there is no need for more does not make it 99 %, even if it is a wise decision.
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 16:36
You are saying that being wise is not part of the performance, whereas I say that it is.
Actually, it is a quite important part of motorracing. e.g. Driving like an idi ot, only to not make it to the finish does not come close to a 99% performance either.
Psychotext (@textuality)
8th March 2023, 2:28
Objectively… yes, it does.
MichaelN
7th March 2023, 17:10
It absolutely is part of it. Not just because the drivers have to use numerous parts in other races, where more performance might need to be extracted from them (optimistically assuming there’ll be the need) – but also because it’s always better to win as slow as possible so as not to draw unwanted attention from the competition and regulators.
Bojangles
7th March 2023, 20:02
Funny observations you make. Max was cruising like Lewis in his heydays.
If Max would have pushed, he might have lapped the whole field. Just listen to the comments of his race engineer during the race: “This is not a race for us Max, just maintain the pace”.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
8th March 2023, 2:19
They tell him this every time he’s dominating a race, as far back as 2017-2018, I don’t think he obeys though.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
8th March 2023, 2:20
And I’m absolutely sure he wasn’t 1,5 sec faster per lap than perez this race (or any race really).
amian
7th March 2023, 10:25
“For example, what could Verstappen do better in this race?”
I think you misunderstand the ratings. A 7 is not a full score of 10 minus penalty points for doing sth wrong.
You should understand it as the effort Verstappen exerted in order to bring the result he brought. He had an easy stroll throughout the weekend, the circumstances didn’t require of him much beyond the ordinary, and a 7 represents that.
petebaldwin (@)
7th March 2023, 10:38
Yes that’s exactly right… I’d give him a 7 as well. It’s not a criticism of him – he didn’t need to put in an 8 or a 9 because he had the pace to win without doing so. It’s the same as when Hamilton was winning easily. The job is getting off the start, pulling a small gap to the car behind to break DRS, turning everything down and then making no mistakes whilst you cruise to the flag.
It was a solid performance and he did what he needed to do (hence getting a 7) but for a man of Max’s talent and in a car as fast as the Red Bull, it was an easy race for him. Max could step it up several gears in terms of his own performance if he needed to but he didn’t…
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 12:14
I however remember Hamilton finishing P1, in a car far superior, hitting the brakes more than the accelerator, and still being awarded doing a ‘stellar’ job, with full points.
It’s hard to keep liking or disliking someone out of the equation.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th March 2023, 11:04
That was my immediate take from this was Stroll shouldn’t have got a 7 when he was outperformed by Hamilton who got a 6 in a inferior car (as shown by Alonso). I was fine with the 6 for Hamilton but think Stroll was at best equal with him if not below.
Albon’s 8 seem generous, almost like they’ve decided the Williams is a worse car than it actually is at present. Feels like the rating is for his performance based on where the car was last year rather than him delivering what the car should do this year.
How Ocon didn’t score a 2 or 3 is crazy. What does a driver have to do to score less than 4?
Leclerc’s 7 seems generous given he qualified the car where it was capable and was delivering on par before the engine gave up. Sure had he been keeping ahead of Perez then it might have been justified but he wasn’t overperforming the car so a 6 seems fairer.
The first few races are probably the toughest to rate though as you don’t know how much is car or driver related until the full picture of the pecking order comes out after a few races.
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 12:23
With the season 1 weekend old, you claim the Williams is a better car than its finishing positions suggest?
And then you say we’ll only know the pecking order until after a couple of weekends? Strange.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th March 2023, 16:31
I was saying why there is possibly a difference between the way drivers are rated based on the perception of their car performance. I don’t see how the Williams can be worse than last year on the evidence of BOTH Albon and Sargeant running on the verge of points for the entire race. What I was saying is it feels to me like the rating they gave Albon (full marks) is suggesting he somehow drove a stellar faultless race almost outperforming what was possible. Well if the Williams is actually the 5th or 6th fastest car then his performance doesn’t seem to deserve full marks.
I certainly didn’t see enough in that race to suggest he deserved a 8. Also as stated in the summary, he easily made it into Q2 and his qualifying place was due to car issues and not being able to set a time so his car was definitely faster than where it started. He finished 5 places forward bearing in mind Leclerc, Norris and Ocon fell behind him through no effort on Albon’s part and Hulkenberg I believe fell back for a new wing? SO in reality he made up 1 place in the entire race.
So in summary I don’t think the Williams is anywhere near the slowest car and looking at the actual facts, passing one car and holding up another shouldn’t warrant awarding a 8 in my opnion.
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 16:54
There’s zero evidence -yet?- that Williams has made that huge leap from being slowest last year to 5th or 6th fastest this year. Don’t you think such an improvement would have been noticed during testing, and would have been discussed in the media?
But even if:
5th fastest car: 4 teams ahead, equals 8 drivers, meaning position 9 maximum achievable.
6th fastest car: 5 teams ahead, equals 10 drivers, meaning position 11 maximum achievable.
Sounds like Albon did a pretty decent job to me.
Your song sounds nice, but the lyrics don’t match.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th March 2023, 17:16
Finishing where your car is capable is not enough to earn full marks in my book, is it in yours? In that case lets just give Verstappen a 8 every race and be done with it.
I think there is suitable evidence at least on the car peformance in that race that Williams was not the slowest car or even slower than 2 or 3 other cars as a minimum.
slowmo (@slowmo)
8th March 2023, 9:20
I think the article today showing Williams as the only car other than Aston Martin to lap a second a lap quicker than last year proves my point plus it’s the start of the arrival of the articles you requested. It wasn’t noticed in testing due to sand bagging but was pretty easy to see in the race for anyone that watched their progress.
melanos
8th March 2023, 2:55
7 is almost the maximum rating. For an 8 you have to do something extraordinary. Which is almost impossible to do when you have such a dominant car. No challenge, no glory.
Jere (@jerejj)
7th March 2023, 8:50
Most impressed: VER, ALO, & STR
Most disappointing: SAI & MAG
Sergey Martyn
7th March 2023, 9:48
Can’t understand – why Albon got the same rating as Alonso?
Lewisham Milton
7th March 2023, 13:32
Alphabetical order?
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
7th March 2023, 10:04
Ohh look, our ranking system that’s just six grades is back.
Basically,
A = 8
B = 7
C = 6
D = 5
E = 4
F = 3
Archibald Bumfluff
7th March 2023, 12:04
someone could get pole by 10 seconds and put a lap on second place on their way to victory and only get an 8 here
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
7th March 2023, 13:09
I have always thought these scores are a bit pointless and they don’t make sense. Why not just mark everyone out of 10 each race? They could still collate the scores at the end of the season and not worry about the all time ratings.
Imre (@f1mre)
7th March 2023, 21:18
He’d get a 7. “Clearly the best car” as reasoning.
Lewisham Milton
7th March 2023, 13:36
Like the FIA, we should go up to 25 points to make the scores more meaningless.
S
7th March 2023, 15:05
And only score half of them….
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
7th March 2023, 15:37
None of that. We just need decimal places and a better understanding of ordinality.
Coventry Climax
7th March 2023, 12:27
Stroll should have been awarded a 0, simply for his decision to race while being unfit. Not just potentially endagering himself, but others as well.
The rules by which he was declared fit should be revised, and the staff that declared him fit to race should be sacked.
Given the safety standards the FIA claims to follow, this is a downright joke.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
7th March 2023, 13:11
I am very fussy about the safety of F1, but how did stroll not look capable in the race. His mistake at the stat had nothing to do with injuries and the rest of his performance was probably close to being with his best in F1. He was great.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
7th March 2023, 13:27
Stroll’s rating should be a secret, in keeping with the ridiculous way his injury was(n’t) reported.
Still half-expecting to hear before the Saudi event that Lance also broke his collar bone and nose.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th March 2023, 17:22
He completed the weekend with no ill effects or any incidents. Seems he was fit after all.
Coventry Climax
8th March 2023, 13:39
No incidents? Rumaged through the fridge in the opening lap, I suppose?
No ill effects? He took painkillers. No painkillers exist that heighten the senses. Actually, it’s what painkillers do; dull the sensitory system. Aston turned up the power assist to his steering. Why don’t they do that all the time? Because it’s negative to go beyond the optimum.
If he was fit, why the ‘heroic’ stories about being in pain etc?
Stan (@)
7th March 2023, 16:55
At this race Albon will finish the year as the best driver on the grid. He will need just to finish 10s in front of his rookie teammate. Hilarious.
MichaelN
7th March 2023, 17:08
Alonso:
Is not true. Hamilton had already cleared Alonso. Alonso being tapped by Stroll only gave Russell a run.
The Williams seems to be ranked based on their 2022 car. This one looks pretty competitive in the ‘knocked out in Q2’ group; at least in Bahrain.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
7th March 2023, 17:50
@willwood have you completed the ’10s of history’ article yet? I think much of the negativity around this rating system will disappear once you have released that because it will give people an idea of what a driver actually has to do to get a 10. Personally, I think Hamilton in Brazil 2021 is the only race this century worthy of a 10/10, and would be interested to know if you agree.
Itsmeagain (@)
7th March 2023, 21:36
We all know he had the rocketengine at that time. As having a superior never give you a 10 (looking at the rating of Max this race) brasil 2021 is an 8 for Lewis.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
8th March 2023, 2:26
Should be a 9 tbh on the basis of verstappen’s 9 in spa 2022. Those 2 races look similar to me, absolutely dominant performance, dominant car, recovered from the back.
melanos
8th March 2023, 3:00
That was a 3 or a generous 4, maybe an 8 for the Merc engineers
Will Wood (@willwood)
9th March 2023, 10:08
@f1frog Sorry you’ve waited so patiently for so long. It’ll be coming during the gaping hole that is the now-vacant Chinese Grand Prix slot!
W (@vishnusxdx)
7th March 2023, 20:04
Oh no, it wasn’t cast aside. And they’ve learned nothing. Shameful.
MB (@muralibhats)
7th March 2023, 20:34
Believe LH used to get more than this during the dominant days ?
Dale
7th March 2023, 22:04
On this site he still gets at least 5, even if all he does is arrive at the circuit in his pajamas and then miss every session.
Adney Gonsalves
7th March 2023, 21:51
How’s lando getting a 6 n hulkenberg getting a 4?
Dale
7th March 2023, 22:02
LOL. was this done using the ‘numbers out of a hat’ methodology?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
8th March 2023, 2:29
This rating system was heavily criticized last year, mainly because it essentially only has 6 possible ratings instead of 10 and also cause of the inconsistency sometimes. Though in this occasion I don’t think it’s wrong to put alonso ahead of verstappen, since he had to do some overtaking at least.