The British Grand Prix weekend saw the capacity home ground thrilled by strong results for all four British drivers on the grid as some unexpected names featured in the fight at the front on Friday and Saturday.
Rain once again challenged drivers in qualifying and a crucially timed Safety Car had a major impact on the final results, with it working very much in favour of some drivers but also against many others.Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the British Grand Prix weekend.
Max Verstappen – 7/10
Qualified: 1st (+15 places ahead of team mate, -0.54s)
Grid: 1st (+14 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 1st (+5 places ahead of team mate)
- Quickest of all in both Friday practice sessions
- Broke front wing in pitlane in Q1 but then stormed to pole with final Q3 lap
- Lost the lead off the line to Norris but gained it back on lap five
- Gradually pulled away from Norris before pitting under Safety Car for softs
- Held the lead at the restart and built gap of three seconds which he held until finish to win
- Secured bonus point for fastest lap
Sergio Perez – 4/10
Qualified: 16th (-15 places behind team mate, +0.54s)
Grid: 15th (-14 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 6th (-5 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Set personal best time on final Q1 lap but eliminated in 16th
- Lost a place at the start, then passed Sargeant, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda, Stroll and Albon before pitting
- Took Safety Car restart in eighth, passing Sainz and Alonso to move up to sixth where he would finish
Another weekend where Perez finished off the podium despite driving one of the most dominant cars Formula 1 has ever seen and once again it all came down to qualifying. He admittedly wasn’t helped by waiting so long after the Q1 red flag and had cold tyres, but his failure to reach Q2 was part of a pattern of disappointing qualifying performances. He did well enough to recover up to sixth, but should have been in the fight with the McLarens.
Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Grid: 4th (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-S-M)
Finished: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Missed entirety of second practice after electrical fault
- Beat team mate by eight-thousandths to line up fourth on the grid
- Ran fourth in early laps under pressure from Russell, using questionable defending to stay ahead
- Pitted very early for hard tyres, falling to 12th, but maintained pace with Russell to remain ahead after his stop
- Lost place to Russell around outside of Luffield, then pitted again under Safety Car for mediums
- Restarted in tenth and overtook team mate for ninth where he would finish, challenging Albon ahead
Despite a disappointing result for Ferrari, Leclerc’s weekend was by no means bad. He just beat his team mate in qualifying but couldn’t match the McLarens and his race was defined by his early stop which he admitted during the race had been “too early”. He passed his team mate after the restart for ninth, but couldn’t get by Albon in the final laps to finish a frustrating ninth.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 10th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Almost matched team mate in qualifying to take fifth on the grid right behind him
- Lost a place to Russell at the start, running between the Mercedes in sixth before pitting for hards
- Restarted in seventh but lost three places in two laps to cars behind
- Claimed the final point in tenth, less than a second behind team mate
A difficult weekend to assess for last year’s winner, who was only one place behind his team mate both on Saturday and on Sunday. Out-qualified by almost nothing, Sainz lost a place to Russell’s soft-shod Mercedes tyres and largely matched Leclerc’s pace ahead until pitting. He was the big loser from the Safety Car appearance, losing places to Hamilton and Alonso, and he struggled on used tyres after the restart, swallowed up by cars behind. A forgettable result, but more a victim of circumstance than anything.
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George Russell – 6/10
Qualified: 6th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.056s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 5th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Baffled by lack of pace on Friday before securing sixth on the grid ahead of team mate in qualifying.
- Started on softs and gained one place to sit behind Leclerc but could not get by the Ferrari
- Pitted for mediums and finally passed Leclerc with brilliant move around outside of Luffield
- Restarted in fifth but unable to challenge Piastri despite tyre advantage, finishing in fifth
Toto Wolff described Mercedes’ weekend as “okay, but no more than solid” and that’s probably a fair summary of Russell. He was running at an almost identical level to Hamilton all weekend and just beat him to fifth on Saturday. In the race he went for an aggressive strategy and did well to make his softs last half the race, but lost a place to his team mate with the Safety Car timing. Had no answer for Piastri after the restart and settled for fifth.
Lewis Hamilton – 6/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 3rd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Qualified seventh, just half-a-tenth slower than team mate
- Dropped to ninth at the start running wide at Village but passed Gasly for eighth, then Alonso for seventh
- Ran long first stint on mediums before pitting under Safety Car for softs, jumping Piastri
- Restarted in third behind Norris but could not find way past despite tyre advantage
- Finished almost three seconds behind Norris to claim final podium position
Hamilton maintained his remarkable run of podiums at the British Grand Prix to ten but was fortunate to do so. He was only just out-qualified by his team mate and dropped places at the start running wide and got very lucky with the Safety Car timing to jump Piastri. It looked near-certain he would pass Norris at the restart but couldn’t, settling for a decent, if lucky, third place.
Esteban Ocon – 5/10
Qualified: 13th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.205s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: S (no pit stops)
Finished: Retired (Hydraulics – L10)
- Failed to follow team mate into Q2 after making meal out of passing Stroll just before final push lap
- Started 13th on softs, gaining one position from Hulkenberg
- Ran behind Stroll in 12th before being called in to retire with hydraulic problem
Not a weekend that Esteban Ocon will likely look back on wistfully when his racing days are over, but that’s not to say he was poor. He certainly made a hash of the end of Q2 and admitted as such, while his race lasted just nine laps in total before ending due to hydraulic failure. Not much to say other than he could and should have done better on Saturday but never got the chance to make amends on Sunday.
Pierre Gasly – 6/10
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Classified: 18th
- Reached Q3 in eighth place but was slowest in the final phase, leaving him tenth on the grid
- Ran within DRS range of Alonso in ninth for entire first stint but was unable to pass
- Lost several positions pitting just before the Safety Car, restarting 11th
- Passed off track by Stroll, then repassed with brilliant move around outside of Luffield before challenging Sainz
- Hit by Stroll at Club which led to damage that ended his race
- Classified as a finished in 18th
Gasly’s weekend was a mixed bag of promising performance and frustration that left him with no reward. He did well to reach Q3 but could manage no better than tenth and ran with Alonso right ahead of him for several laps. He was one of the biggest victims of Safety Car timing and that left him fighting Stroll, who frustrated him several times with his driving. No points, but the better weekend of the two Alpine drivers.
Lando Norris – 8/10
Qualified: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.131s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Quickest in Q1, then sat on provisional pole for 13 seconds in Q3 before being beaten to second on the grid
- Leapt into the lead at start before losing the lead to Verstappen on lap five
- Ran similar pace to Verstappen in early laps before gradually falling back
- Pitted for hard tyres under Safety Car to retain second place
- Held off Hamilton at restart over multiple laps and pulled small gap to finish second
Potentially the most memorable performance of Norris’ career so far, the McLaren driver was not only a genuine challenger for the win, he was also one of the closest adversaries Verstappen has had all season. Strong in qualifying to secure second on the grid, he stormed into the lead and stuck with Verstappen after losing it. Despite not getting the tyres he wanted, he fought hard to keep second after the restart and managed to hold off Hamilton to equal his best F1 result to date.
Oscar Piastri – 7/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Did not have revised front wing provided to team mate
- Reached Q3 in second, then almost matched team mate’s Q3 effort to secure career best third on grid
- Got a strong start but had nowhere to go, briefly pressured Verstappen before settling into third
- Maintained comparable pace with team mate ahead to drop Ferraris, then pitted for hards on lap 29
- Caught out by Safety Car timing which lost him a place to Hamilton
- Restarted fourth and pulled small gap to Russell behind to secure career best finish
In his first test of how he would fare while in the mix at the front of the field, Piastri gave a composed, confident performance which gave no indication this was only his 10th F1 start. He did well to back up his team mate in qualifying and line up third on the grid, then put Verstappen under pressure on the opening lap. He only missed out on a podium due to the Safety Car timing, but he more than made an impression across the weekend.
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Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Grid: 20th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-S)
Finished: 12th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Reached Q2 but stopped on track at the end of the session, knocking him out in 15th
- Disqualified from qualifying for being unable to provide fuel sample, demoting him to the back of the grid
- Started on hards, gaining two places at the start but passed by team mate on lap two
- Ran behind team mate, then pitted for softs under VSC to restart 14th
- Held position from Hulkenberg over the final laps to cross the line 13th
- Promoted one place after Stroll’s post-race time penalty
Bottas did not score any points out of his British Grand Prix weekend, but he at least gained places to finish ahead of five cars he had started behind. He never got to participate in Q2 after stopping on-track, then was disqualified due to a technical infringement which left him last. Despite that, his pace on the hards over the first stint set him up well and he took advantage of the Safety Car to pit and stayed ahead of Hulkenberg. A decent enough weekend.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 18th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.325s)
Grid: 17th (-3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-S-S)
Finished: 15th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Missed the whole of final practice due to undisclosed car problem
- Eliminated 18th in Q1, failing to follow team mate through
- Dropped to 19th at the start but overtook team mate, then ran behind De Vries
- Pitted early for hards and then stopped again behind Safety Car to sit in 17th
- Forced to pit a second time behind SC due to tear off in brake duct, restarting last
- Overtook both AlphaTauris in closing laps to cross the line 15th
Luck was not on Zhou’s side at Silverstone. Losing track time in final practice did not help prepare him for a wet start to qualifying and he was duly knocked out in Q1. His early stop did not pay off thanks to the Safety Car and then he lost another place as he lost time due to a tear-off in his brakes. At least he gained places after the restart, but his chances of a strong finish had already gone.
Lance Stroll – 3/10
Grid: 12th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 14th (-7 places behind team mate)
- Failed to reach Q3, over half a second slower than team mate in 12th
- Ran behind Albon in the early laps, then overtaken by Perez
- Pitted just before Safety Car and restarted 12th
- Appeared to overtake Gasly outside of track limits but no investigation by stewards
- Awkwardly clattered into Gasly at Club, earning a five second time penalty
- Finished 11th at the line but demoted down to 14th in final classification
Regardless of whether or not Aston Martin did not have good pace around Silverstone, Stroll’s weekend was probably the worst of the field. Emphatically out-performed by his team mate once more, he was over half a second slower in qualifying and couldn’t match Alonso’s pace in the race. He probably should have been penalised for not giving Gasly’s place back at the restart, then he allowed the Alpine to pass him around the outside of Luffield, then he bashed into him to end his race. His second point-less finish this year.
Fernando Alonso – 6/10
Qualified: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.567s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 7th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
- Secured ninth on the grid behind Albon’s Williams but only Aston Martin in Q3
- Moved up to seventh on the opening lap but overtaken by Hamilton, then under pressure from Gasly
- Gained a place over Sainz pitting under Safety Car, then restarted in sixth
- Overtaken by Perez in the closing laps to cross the line in seventh
Yet again, Alonso was the better of the two Aston Martin drivers across the weekend, but his opportunity to fight further up the order was limited by a car lacking in pace compared to their rivals. He made no mistakes of note and held off Gasly for most of his first stint, but he benefited from the Safety Car timing too. He couldn’t hold off Perez in the closing laps, but at least he wasn’t passed by a Williams at the end.
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Kevin Magnussen – 5/10
Grid: 19th (-8 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: M (no pitstops)
Finished: Retired (Power unit – L32)
- Was set to improve in Q1 when car suddenly switched off at Stowe, forcing him to stop
- Eliminated in 20th but promoted to 19th on the grid after Bottas’ penalty
- Dropped to last at the start but gained places when team mate and Tsunoda pitted
- Still was yet to stop when power unit failed on lap 32, ending his race while running 14th
Magnussen has endured some frustrating rounds this weekend, but at Silverstone he seemed cursed as his car failed on him without warning on consecutive days. While he made no errors of note over the weekend, he also lost a place at the start and made no overtakes before his retirement. But he was not responsible for his qualifying and race ending as they did.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10
Qualified: 11th (+9 places ahead of team mate, -2.775s)
Grid: 11th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-S)
Finished: 13th
- Only just missed out on Q3 in 11th, bemoaning DRS not being enabled after being eliminated by a tenth
- Started on hards, dropping three places, then suffered front wing damage after contact with Perez
- Pitted for new front wing which dropped him to last, then pitted again behind Safety Car
- Used soft tyres to restart 17th, then passed De Vries and Tsunoda to finish behind Bottas in 14th
- Gained one place from Stroll’s post-race penalty to be classified 13th
Over a weekend where Haas were not at their strongest, Hulkenberg’s performance was adequate enough. His best day was Saturday where he just missed out on Q3, and he tried something different by starting on hards but it cost him places at the start. His race was ruined by front wing damage that was just one of those things but he did well to recover some places after the Safety Car.
Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Qualified: 17th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.488s)
Grid: 16th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-S)
Finished: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Knocked out in Q1 in 17th after slight snap at Vale on final push lap
- Started on softs and gained three places but was soon passed by Perez before being first to stop
- Ran near the back and pitted a second time under VSC for softs, restarting in 15th
- Overtaken by Hulkenberg and then Zhou in closing laps to finish 16th, one place ahead of team mate
Tsunoda was, once again, the quickest of the two AlphaTauri drivers across the weekend, but that was pretty much all that could be said about his British Grand Prix. His hopes that their major upgrades would benefit them did not pay off and he was knocked out of Q1 after losing time in the final sector. The team tried something different on the strategy but he never had the pace to benefit and dropped near the back after the Safety Car.
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Nyck de Vries – 4/10
Grid: 18th (-2 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-S)
Finished: 17th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Ended Q1 slowest of the 19 drivers who recorded a final lap, losing time with slide into Vale
- Started on softs and ran behind Sargeant over the first stint, pitting on lap 17 for mediums
- Pitted a second time under the VSC for softs, restarting 16th
- Overtaken by Hulkenberg at the start, then Zhou to drop to 17th, finishing last of the drivers running
Although he made no major errors and was hamstrung by AlphaTauri’s upgrades for the weekend failing to offer any notable benefit around Silverstone, it was another weekend where De Vries showed little that was impressive. He could not match his team mate in qualifying but his opening stint on the softs was perfectly adequate. He fell back after the restart and was ultimately behind his team mate once more.
Alexander Albon – 8/10
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- In top three positions in all three practice sessions
- Easily reached Q3 in fourth, then secured eighth on the grid behind the two Mercedes
- Dropped to tenth at the start, then passed by Perez before pitting under VSC
- Restarted in ninth, then overtook Sainz for eighth
- Defended hard to keep Leclerc behind him over the final laps to claim four points in eighth
Another giant-killing performance for Albon where he managed to beat both Ferraris to the chequered flag and could even have challenged Alonso had he not prioritised his battery to defend from Leclerc. Williams gave him a strong car all weekend and he made the most of it over all three days, once again demonstrating that he may well be the best defensive driver on the grid. One of the best performances of the weekend.
Logan Sargeant – 5/10
Qualified: 14th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.964s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
- In the top ten in final two practice sessions and reached Q2 in 13th
- Lacked a fresh set of softs for end of Q2 and was eliminated a disappointing 14th
- Lost a place to Tsunoda after running off at Village at the start, then passed Hulkenberg for 15th
- Pitted for hards from 13th just before Safety Car but remained in 13th for restart
- Gained 12th when Gasly suffered damage when he would eventually finish
- Picked up 11th when Stroll’s post-race penalty was applied
On a race weekend where Oscar Piastri put in the most outstanding rookie performance of the season so far, Sargeant was left happy with his own driving but disappointed in the result. That was probably a fair reflection, as his car was better than his result suggested, but it was mainly down to Saturday as his race pace on Sunday was not far off Albon’s at all. He wasn’t helped by the Safety Car timing and was not overtaken once during the race.
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Sonny Hayes – N/A
Start: Held position
Finished: DNS
- Ran limited laps in practice
- Started on back row with team mate after failing to set time in qualifying
- Failed to start race after being pushed off the grid at start of formation lap
Joshua Pearce – N/A
Qualified: 22nd (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Finished: DNS
- Limited laps in practice but made no obvious errors
- Sent to the back of the grid for failing to set time in qualifying
- Spotted having animated discussion with team mate on the grid
- Failed to take the start after being removed from the grid on formation lap
Over to you
Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:
2023 British Grand Prix
- Norris is “growing” closer to the champion who inspired him to race
- Second supplier part failure ‘a frustrating issue we must solve’ – Alpine
- Albon ‘surprised’ to be quicker than Alonso at end of British GP
- Bottas admits Alfa Romeo ‘were expecting to be better than this’ in 2023
- McLaren now “finding performance quicker” after emulating Red Bull’s design
osnola
11th July 2023, 11:04
Again, ver not a 8.
Getting a bit ridiculous.
Robert Henning
11th July 2023, 11:14
I think the ratings are fine for this weekend.
Lando was the standout performer.
Verstappen’s baseline is too high. He did a good job but not spectacular like Austria.
I would swap Oscar for Lando though. I think he was the faster driver and got unlucky with the SC.
Jimmy Cliff
11th July 2023, 11:30
Max should have gotten a 9 in Austria for winning all possible – topping all qualifying sessions, 2x pole, 2x win and FLAP.
It is absolutely ridiculous that Max after getting pole, FLAP and the win is only scored a 7 – Max got the maximum result yet again. You can’t punish him for having the fastest car – if he gets all the points he did his job.
It is unfair to expect that Max gets a grand slam each race and wins by 30 seconds or more certainly considering that the pace advantage has reduced compared to earlier in the season.
MadMax (@madmax)
11th July 2023, 16:58
its a drivers rating, not a car rating.
sophie
12th July 2023, 10:43
I can understand what your saying but Max lost the lead at the start. For your information
he did not get a grand slam in this race which requires you to lead from start to finish.
In fact Max only has three grand slams in his whole career to date. The leader of grand slams is Jim Clark
who has eight secured in only 72 starts and on eof the factors that puts Jim Clark as one of the
all time greats possible the greatest.
Todfod (@todfod)
12th July 2023, 7:24
I agree. For once, I think the ratings are well balanced. Norris and Albon were the standout drivers. Norris for taking qualifying in P2, taking the race lead and then later keeping Hamilton behind on the softs. I would actually flatter him and maybe rate him a 9 this race weekend as there’s nothing more he could have done. Albon, for putting the Williams higher than it needed to be again.
Can’t give Max an 8 because he did have the fastest car, so for him to lose the lead of the race and only take it back when his ultra powerful DRS came in to play was no great feat.
Agree with the ratings on the poorest drivers of the weekend as well… Lance Stroll at his prime rubbish form.. slow in quali and racing slower cars in a rash manner. DeVries and Perez also on poor form.
CarWars (@maxv)
11th July 2023, 17:09
As he broke the frontwing, without consequence, I was thinking he wouldnt get past a 7 on this site. 8 = 10 here.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:23
Yes, it’s fair overall.
Retired (@jeff1s)
11th July 2023, 11:30
VER 9. NOR 9. HAM 7. PIA 9*. RUS 7.
PER 3. ALO 6. ALB 9. LEC. 4 SAI 4.
SAR 8*. BOT 6. HUL 5. STR 3. ZHO 5.
TSU 4. DEV 3. GAS 5. MAG 4. OCO n/a.
*Rookie
baasbas
11th July 2023, 11:33
I don’t see why Oscar is a whole point below Lando. Only because he was beaten by Lando in Q? If an 8 is for performing above what can be expected, then he should be an 8. A rookie, in his first race where he actually has a fast car puts it right behind his experienced teammate. All you can ask for is for him not to choke. He didn’t, in fact: briefly fought with a world champion in a faster car. Was told to stay behind Lando, ran the team strategy perfectly. Only lost out due to bad luck with SC timing. After a restart on the hards he again didn’t choke but kept his position. To me that is performing above and beyond expectation.
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 15:50
Agreed, Oscar performed far above expectations.
Todfod (@todfod)
12th July 2023, 7:25
I don’t think these ratings take in to an account whether the driver is in his rookie season or whether we peg them against out expectations of the driver. It’s an apple to apple comparison with his teammate and other drivers over the race weekend. Which is why I think a point less than Norris is probably fair.
sophie
12th July 2023, 13:02
Oscar did a great race especially as you say as a rookie.
I know there are team orders to keep it clean between the two of them. Stellar said that
was always the case at all races. However you say Oscar was told to keep behind?
I have seen no reports of that. Evidence please.
notagrumpyfan
11th July 2023, 11:36
I wanted to comment on the relative performance of Max, Lando, Oscar, and Alex, and how to dissect the driver input from car performance and (experience with) the upgrade packages. But eventually decided, with a smile on my face, that I fully agree with the final two ratings.
Tim (@tsgoodchild)
11th July 2023, 11:41
Hopefully Hayes and Pearce get a score in a future race.
BlueChris (@bluechris)
11th July 2023, 11:48
I Suppose MAX lost a full point because his car spinned in the start right?
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 15:50
Crashing in the pit lane won’t have helped…
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
11th July 2023, 11:50
I mean, could he really not spare the 30 seconds for a front wing change if not?
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 14:57
I mean, could he really not spare 5 seconds to drive safely into the pit lane? :P
Dusty
11th July 2023, 15:07
In this very specific scenario he couldn’t, because it was very close to the end of the session. However, without the red flag he wouldn’t be attempting to exit the pits so close to the end of the session knowing the track is drying and lap times are improving.
In summary you’re right, he weekend was not saved by that red flag.
Jere (@jerejj)
11th July 2023, 12:09
Most impressed: VER, NOR, PIA, & ALB
Most disappointing: PER & STR
Martin (@f1hornet)
11th July 2023, 12:14
I know everyone talks about how the drivers don’t matter and it’s just the car, but I think looking at Perez’s performances shows that the driver does make a difference. I like Perez and he has proven he can be great on his day, but if Red Bull had two Perez equivalent drivers, it would be a much more competitive season relative to the other top teams. Sure, if Max didn’t exist the car would be tailored a bit more to Perez’s needs, and there would be more focus on his strategy, but I’m sure we would have had other teams winnings races this season if there were two Perez’s in the team. I feel like Max is not just so fast, he’s so consistent too, and rarely has a totally off weekend.
slowmo (@slowmo)
11th July 2023, 12:30
That’s just the difference with the best F1 drivers, they’re able to perform close to the limit consistently and relatively error free compared to other drivers. Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso are all at that level whereby they can deliver close to the maximum at every race over the course of a year. Leclerc looked like he might get there too but still is prone to overdriving. Sainz has the consistency but not the peak performance level. On the grid so far Norris and Russell also show promise that they might be able to reach that level but they need to prove it over a season in future. It’s worth noting that up until 20/21, Verstappen was not at the peak level even when taking into account the car deficiencies he had.
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 15:06
Agreed. The whole “it’s just the car” narrative is just as wrong now as it was when it was levelled at Hamilton. Even the most dominant car in the world needs a good driver to consistently get the best out of it, and not even the best driver in the world is going to record consistent wins without a good car.
F1 is a team sport. It takes good results from the whole team, not just the nut behind the wheel, to be successful.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:27
Verstappen HAD to risk before 2021 to win some races, it’s not like he could win whenever he wanted and it’s not like points mattered ti him back then.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:28
to*
Sophie
12th July 2023, 15:59
I agree with your three consistent top drivers. However I believe it should be four. I dont agree with Lando “also show promise that they might be able to reach that level but they need to prove it over a season in future”
How many times has Lando made an unforced error in over four years of racing. His consistency of performance is right up their year on year with the top three. Have you seen him spin off the track in a race? Have a DNF because of driver error.
Its that consistency of high class fault free driving that destroyed Daniel. He made an error in qualifying this year and bent his steering and the commentator said thats very unusual for Lando to make any error at all.
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 13:15
Overall, I’m in rough agreement, though there is one score I would change.
The first is Piastri. He did an outstanding job today, which would probably have been a podium had the safety car not fallen Hamilton’s way. He did as almost good a job as Lando, without the full upgrade package, and running the upgrades for the first weekend. He didn’t really put a foot wrong all weekend. For a rookie, it was a phenomenal performance. I’d give him at least an 8, possibly even a 9.
drmouse (@drmouse)
11th July 2023, 15:52
Ooops, ignore “The first is”. I was originally going to disagree with other scores, but on reflection found I agreed with them.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:29
Yes, an 8 makes sense; they don’t get extra points as rookies, but was close enough to norris imo.
Mega
11th July 2023, 14:36
Well, we can stop rating devries, welcome back Danny
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
11th July 2023, 14:45
Claudio Drizli would have gone better at Silverstone than Sonny Hayes.
elchinero (@elchinero)
11th July 2023, 15:51
On the “sonny” side of the street …
Cronies
11th July 2023, 19:24
+1 a true analyst should be able to rate a driving performance irrespective of the competition/car.
David (@nvherman)
13th July 2023, 11:06
@bullfrog very good
Pete
11th July 2023, 15:31
Not sure I quite understand how the ratings work. Last week Max scored 8 with a note stating “although he literally could not have scored any more points, it’s still difficult to score him higher when the race pace advantage of the Red Bull remains obviously significant.”
This week, he scores a 7 with the notes stating that he didn’t have the same sort of advantage he had over the field compared to other races this year….
Sort of reads like he’s docked points for having no competition but is then also docked points when he does have competition because that means he doesn’t win by as large a margin.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:31
True, that’s not a good reason, it’s more like his couple of mistakes.
Fihar (@)
11th July 2023, 17:44
It’s disingenuous to dismiss Alonso’s and Hamilton’s results due to the safety car but giving Albon an 8/10 when he benefitted just as much, especially when Albon had a poor start, losing a couple of places to Gasly and Alonso.
Albon jumped Leclerc and Gasly thanks to the safety car. Yes, Gasly is a moot point due to his retirement, and Albon did one hell of a job getting past Sainz and defending from Leclerc, but to have 2 full points separating Albon and Alonso/Hamilton is just daft.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th July 2023, 0:31
Agree, prob a 7 was in order for them.
melanos
11th July 2023, 22:43
George Russell did everything better than his teammate (who was only luckier with the SC timing) and did a superb job with the softs. So he should have scored 3-4 more points. Something like 7 and 3
And by the way, what could Fernando Alonso have done better? The AMR was poor in Silverstione (as expected) but that is not Fred’s fault I’d make it 7, even eight
Judging drivers by their ability when the car’s performances are so different is tough, but most people (including the author of this article) tend to rely too much on car-related results.