After a relatively uneventful season-opener the previous weekend in Bahrain, drivers faced a very different kind of challenge in Saudi Arabia.
With its high-speed sweeps and barriers in close proximity around the track, there was much smaller margin for error at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.But while some drivers made mistakes in Saudi Arabia – and were punished for it – other drivers managed to stand out by keeping their cool. Especially a certain debutant.
Here are RaceFans’ driver ratings for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.
A guide to RaceFans’ driver ratings system
RaceFans’ driver ratings system assesses driver performance across all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances during competitive sessions – qualifying, sprint races and grands prix – will carry the most weight to their rating.
However, practice performance can affect a driver’s weekend rating in the event of a major mistake, such as a crash, consistent errors throughout practice sessions or if a driver shows a notably impressive speed throughout all free practice sessions relative to their team mate.
The system attempts to take into account the relative performance of each driver’s car and the expected results from that, meaning that a driver who wins a race in a car clearly superior to the rest of the field may not necessarily score as highly as a driver who claims a low points finish in a midfield car.
Ratings also attempt to take into account mitigating factors outside of a driver’s control. If a driver is forced to miss considerable track time due to car problems, is the victim of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far lower than expected because of a heavily botched pit stop or suffers any other misfortune they cannot be reasonably expected to control, their rating should not be penalised.
RaceFans rates each driver’s weekend performance on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘5’ is considered to be a typically average weekend performance from a typically average Formula 1 driver.
Here is a rough guide to each possible score:
N/A – Not applicable – No rating is given as the driver did not sufficiently participate through the competitive sessions
0 – Disqualified – Only in the most extreme instance where a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation
1 – Appalling – An appalling display that brings a driver’s competency under immediate question
2 – Awful – A very, very poor performance of repeated errors with almost no redeeming qualities
3 – Very bad – Far more negatives than positives across the weekend which a driver should be very disappointed with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to achieve the base level expected for a Formula 1 driver
5 – Acceptable – The standard level of performance that should be expected from an F1 driver
6 – Good – A decent overall performance across the weekend, but not one of the best
7 – Very good – A strong performance across the weekend that any driver should be very pleased with
8 – Brilliant – A truly great weekend where the driver stood out as one of the very best of the field
9 – Exceptional – An outstanding performance that ranks as one of the best, if not the very best, of the entire season
10 – Legendary – One of the few all-time greatest performances by a driver in the history of Formula 1
Max Verstappen – 8/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+1 place ahead of team mate)
• Quickest in two of three practice sessions
• Fastest in all three phases of qualifying to take pole by three tenths
• Lost the lead to Norris pitting under Safety Car for hard tyres
• Regained the lead with turn one pass on lap 13
• Managed his pace out front to win comfortably
What else is there to say about the driver who has won 19 of the last 20 grands prix? Verstappen produced yet another dominant performance in Jeddah and never looked in doubt of taking the victory. He does enjoy the fastest car in the field, but he only failed to finish P1 in a single session the entire weekend, showing that this was as much driver as it was car.
Sergio Perez – 6/10
Qualified: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate, +0.335s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate)
• Just beaten to a front row start by Leclerc by 0.016s
• Passed Leclerc to take second on lap two
• Pitted for hards under Safety Car but earned 5s penalty with unsafe release
• Used new tyres to pass Hamilton and Norris to take second place
• Kept largely within pace of his team mate to finish eight seconds behind on track
Perez once again produced a solid weekend to back up Verstappen and secure 18 points in back-to-back weekends – which is exactly what Red Bull expect him to do. He seemed slightly closer to Verstappen’s race pace in Jeddah than he had been in Bahrain, but it’s difficult to know how much pace his team mate had in hand. He would have scored higher, only he was out-qualified by a Ferrari and was deemed responsible for his unsafe release penalty by leaving his pit box under a red light.
Lewis Hamilton – 5/10
Qualified: 8th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.144s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 9th (-3 places behind team mate)
• Took eighth on the grid, a tenth slower than his team mate
• Stayed out under Safety Car to restart third, passed by Perez and Leclerc
• Battled hard to keep Piastri behind him for several laps before pitting for softs
• Challenged Norris but could not get passed, finishing in ninth
Although Hamilton was hoping for much better things from Mercedes’ 2024 car, his weekend in Jeddah felt like so many of his performances over the first half of 2022. He struggled with his car bouncing through the high speed corners and never looked as comfortable as his team mate all weekend. His gamble to stay out behind the Safety Car did not pay off ultimately, but he did well to hold off Piastri for so long in the middle phase of the race.
George Russell – 6/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
• Beat his team mate by a tenth in qualifying to line up seventh
• Pitted under Safety Car for hard tyres to restart in ninth
• Passed Hulkenberg, then spent several laps unable to close on Alonso
• Inherited sixth when Hamilton and Norris pitted, finishing 4s behind Alonso
Russell put in a good showing over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. He was faster than his team mate in every single session, but Mercedes’ lack of performance in the high speed turns restricted how high he could have finished. But after spending almost 40 laps unable to reach DRS range of a car that Mercedes were faster than in Bahrain, it’s hard to give him additional credit.
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Charles Leclerc – 7/10
Qualified: 2nd (+9 places ahead of team mate, -0.53s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (+4 places ahead of team mate)
• Out-qualified a Red Bull to start on the front row
• Held off Perez at the start until being overtaken on lap four
• Pitted for hard tyres under Safety Car
• Passed Hamilton and Norris to regain third, pulling away from Piastri behind
• Claimed first podium of the season in third, 18 seconds behind winner
• Took bonus point for fastest lap on the final lap
A very good weekend from Leclerc who just could not do any more to fight against Red Bull than he managed over the three days. He was able to get the most of his Ferrari in Saturday’s race as he endured a lonely race, too fast for the cars behind to catch but unable to challenge the Red Bulls ahead. A third place in that car is to be expected, but he earns credit for out-qualifying a Red Bull on Friday.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – N/A
• Missed media day due to illness
• Participated in both Thursday practice sessions, inside top seven in both
• Forced to withdraw from event after being taken to hospital with appendicitis
Oliver Bearman – 8/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (S-H)
Finished: 7th (-4 places behind team mate)
• Stepped in for Sainz from Friday, having just a single hour of practice
• Reached Q2 at first attempt
• Appeared to impede Bottas but no investigation
• Just missed out on Q3 by less than half a tenth
• Started on softs, then pitted for hards under Safety Car to restart 12th
• Passed Tsunoda and Zhou, then battled with Hulkenberg
• Managed tyres well and kept away from Norris in closing laps to claim points on debut
You only get one grand prix debut in Formula 1 and Oliver Bearmanwill always be able to look back on his with immense pride. Around one of the most challenging and dangerous tracks on the calendar in an unfamiliar car with just an hour’s practice, Bearman acquitted himself with maturity far beyond his 18 years. Although his car was better than 11th in qualifying and seventh in the race, he likely exceeded his team’s expectations and looked like he already belongs to be on the Formula 1 grid.
Lando Norris – 6/10
Qualified: 6th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.043s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 8th (-4 places behind team mate)
• Secured sixth on the grid just behind team mate
• Fortunate to be cleared of jumping the start by his FIA transponder
• Stayed out under SC to lead restart until passed by Verstappen, Perez and Leclerc
• Pitted late for soft tyres, keeping position despite slow stop
• Received black-and-white warning flag for weaving
• Finished eighth after being unable to catch Bearman ahead, but held off Hamilton
A decent showing for Norris whose race was defined by a gamble on staying out under the Safety Car. While a second Safety Car or red flag never came, he made a decent attempt at making the strategy work. He used some slightly dubious tactics to try and keep Hamilton behind and couldn’t quite match his team mate over the weekend, but still could be satisfied with his work.
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Oscar Piastri – 7/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
• Secured fifth on the grid in qualifying, faster than team mate in every phase
• Overtook Alonso early to take fourth
• Pitted for hards under Safety Car, then spent 20 laps unable to pass Hamilton
• Inherited fourth back when Hamilton pitted where he would finish
A strong weekend for Piastri who was the quicker of the two McLarens across Friday and Saturday. His qualifying showing was good and he made quick work of getting passed Alonso to take fourth position and will be satisfied with finishing there despite missing the podium. The only way he could have done better was if he had managed to find a way by Hamilton after so many attempts.
Fernando Alonso – 8/10
Qualified: 4th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.726s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (+14 places ahead of team mate)
• Inside the top two in both Thursday practice sessions
• Qualified on second row, comfortably ahead of team mate in Q3
• Lost a place to Piastri, then pitted under SC for hard tyres to restart seventh
• Kept Russell out of DRS range for several laps over long second stint
• Secured top five finish ahead of both Mercedes, a Ferrari and a McLaren
Alonso had a very strong showing across all three days of the Jeddah weekend and it was hard to see how his results could have been better. His qualifying performance was among the best in the field and although he could not keep Piastri behind him, he managed to hold off Russell for effectively over 30 laps to finish much higher than he likely expected to be heading into the weekend.
Lance Stroll – 3/10
Start: +1 place
Finished: Retired (Crashed – L5)
• Slightly damaged his car in first practice brushing the inside wall at turn 22
• Followed team mate into Q3 but never matched his best Q1 time to line up tenth
• Crashed out on fifth lap, hitting same wall at turn 22
A poor performance from Stroll who had areas of concern on each of the three days of the weekend. He reached Q3 but never matched his Q1 effort which would have seen him seventh on the grid if he had equalled it. Crashing out of the race early is always a bad result, but it’s especially disappointing when he committed the exact same error in practice but seemingly failed to learn from it.
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Pierre Gasly – 5/10
Qualified: 18th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.004s)
Start: -2 places
Finished: Retired (Gearbox – L1)
• Knocked out of Q1 in 18th, virtually matching his team mate
• Reported being unable to access sixth gear on formation lap
• Forced to retire with gear problem at end of opening lap
Gasly could do nothing to prevent his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend ending how it did, with him effectively out of the race before the lights even went out. He matched his team mate in qualifying to demonstrate that Q2 was never within the team’s reach, but as his race never truly started it’s almost impossible to give him anything over than a standard grade.
Esteban Ocon – 7/10
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 13th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
• Eliminated from Q1 in 17th, just ahead of team mate
• Took SC restart in 15th after pitting for hards, passing Albon
• Made opportunistic pass on Tsunoda to move up to 13th
• Passed by Albon late to finish as the first lapped finisher in 13th
Even though Ocon will have left Saudi Arabia unhappy to finish 13th, he should be satisfied with the performance he put in over the weekend. Given that the Alpine remains one of the slowest cars in the field – slower here than they were last season – Ocon did genuinely well to finish ahead of two RBs, a Williams and both Saubers.
Alexander Albon – 6/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
• Reached Q2 to qualify 12th on the grid
• Pitted under SC for hard tyres to restart 14th
• Suffered front wing damage when squeezed by Magnussen at turn four
• Passed Tsunoda and Ocon in closing laps to finish 11th
A good weekend’s work from Albon, even if he was frustrated to miss out on the final point at the end of the race. He admitted he wished he had the same top speed advantage he enjoyed in last year’s Williams while he was stuck in the train behind Magnussen, but managed to get around two cars in the final stint and was again quicker than his team mate.
Logan Sargeant – 4/10
Qualified: 19th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.419s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 15th (-4 places behind team mate)
• Missed almost the entire third practice after hitting wall and breaking suspension
• Knocked out of Q1 in 19th after failing to get tyres in right window
• Pitted under Safety Car for hards and passed Bottas
• Ran behind team mate, then could not pass Tsunoda despite several laps of DRS
• Dropped dramatically in final laps with tyre wear to finish 15th
• Promoted ahead of Tsunoda to 14th after his post-race penalty
After a decent enough start to the season last weekend in Bahrain, Sargeant’s Jeddah performance felt like a return to his 2023 form. Although he was by no means bad during the race, keeping up with team mate Albon under the Magnussen train, his error in Friday’s final practice and inability to match his team mate in qualifying had him on the back foot heading into Saturday. He can’t be satisfied with his weekend.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Qualified: 9th (+5 places ahead of team mate, -0.461s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
• Reached Q3 for first time in 2024 to take ninth on the grid
• Responsible for unsafe release from garage pre-race, earning 5s penalty
• Pitted under Safety Car for hard tyres to restart 11th
• Lost places to Bearman, Magnussen, Ocon and Albon
• Finished a lap down in 14th but demoted to 15th after post-race penalty
Tsunoda had a Friday to be proud of when he was inside the top ten in all three phases and comfortably beat team mate Ricciardo on the way to ninth on the grid. But on Saturday, it was a sub-par performance. He lost too many places in the Magnussen train where getting ahead of the Haas could have opened up his whole race. He was lucky not to earn a penalty point for his pre-race unsafe release either, but at least he was quicker than Ricciardo all weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo – 4/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 16th (-2 places behind team mate)
• Failed to follow team mate through into Q3, eliminated in 14th
• Suffered 40s pit stop double-stacking behind Tsunoda under SC, falling last
• Overtook Bottas to move up to 17th, then caught up to train behind Magnussen
• Had a spin at turn one late in the race after taking too much kerb
• Finished two places and 15s behind team mate in 16th
At times after his return to Formula 1 last year, Ricciardo looked like the formidable race-winning driver of old. But in Jeddah, his weekend resembled his difficult time with McLaren all too much. He never looked like he was on the same level as Tsunoda and his unforced error late in the race is something a driver with his experience simply shouldn’t do. He must ensure he doesn’t produce further weekends like this.
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Valtteri Bottas – 5/10
Qualified: 16th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-S)
Finished: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
• First car eliminated from Q1 by less than a tenth after appearing to be impeded
• One of only two drivers to start on softs
• Caught out by yellow flags at start which caused him to hesitate off the line
• Pitted under SC, then overtaken by Sargeant and Ricciardo to fall to the rear
• Passed team mate in pits after his slow stop to finish
Bottas had a weekend in which luck did not go his way, but he also never looked like he would be particularly higher up the field if it did. He probably would have gained a place or two off the line with his softs, but clearly backed off when he got yellow warning lights triggered by Norris’s ‘jump’ start. It’s clear that Sauber are towards the bottom of the field for performance, but even so he struggled to make a notable impression.
Zhou Guanyu – 4/10
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 18th (-1 place behind team mate)
• Crashed heavily at turn eight in final practice
• Failed to set Q1 time after just missing the flag, leaving him 20th on grid
• Stayed out under Safety Car to run very long opening stint on mediums
• Pitted for softs with nine laps remaining, but suffered slow stop
• Finished last car running in 18th
A bad weekend for Zhou. Not just because he effectively crashed himself out of qualifying, but because his pace in the race suggested he could have been in the mix at the top of the midfield had he not. A great example of how just a single mistake can turn a promising weekend into a poor one.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7/10
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 10th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
• Knocked out in Q2 after stopping on track due to fuel system problem
• Stayed out under Safety Car to restart in eighth, battling with Bearman
• Took advantage of team mate backing pack up to pull out gap to cars behind
• Emerged 11th after pitting for hards and gained tenth when Zhou pitted to earn point
With the field set as they currently are, snatching a point is effectively as good as a win in the closely contested midfield. Hulkenberg was a little compromised by his problems in qualifying but took advantage of the Safety Car to try something different on strategy. While his has his team mate to thank in no small way, Hulkenberg still had to execute his part of the plan and he did so.
Kevin Magnussen – 5/10
Qualified: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate, +0.014s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 12th (-2 places behind team mate)
• Followed team mate Q2 to take 13th on the grid despite missing final push lap
• Pitted for hard tyres under Safety Car
• Earned 10s penalty for squeezing Albon at turn four
• Passed Tsunoda illegally at turn four, earning second 10s penalty
• Deliberately backed off to hold up cars behind for advantage of team mate ahead
• Remained ahead to finish 11th, dropping behind Albon after penalties
Perhaps the one driver whose performance is hardest to judge. Typically, earning two driving-related penalties in the same race would warrant a score under five, however his execution of Haas’s ‘go-slow’ tactics effectively won his team a point against the odds. For that reason, and because he was pretty well matched with Hulkenberg over the weekend, he probably deserves a passing grade.
Over to you
Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Vowles being patient with Sargeant but expects to see “progress”
- “So I’ve got nothing to worry about?” – The best unheard team radio from Jeddah
- “Shock” of poor start to season showed need for change at Alpine – Famin
- “My tyres are dying”: Stroll’s short-lived struggle until he hit the wall
- Bearman calls Ferrari debut a “dream” but admits “I made a lot of mistakes”
David
11th March 2024, 7:49
Bearman coming in at such short notice and having a superb weekend shows what F1 has been missing for the last few years because of the fear of taking a risk.
Drivers like Ricciardo, Magnussen and Bottas should have hung up their race suits years ago. Hulkenberg and Albon already did, and although they are serving their teams well on their return, we know they are never going to be a contender for a top drive. Stroll hasn’t made the step forward to consistent pace, and Sargeant has never looked like having any pace.
Bearman, Lawson, and even Mick Schumacher should be on the grid instead of this lot, whose only advantage is that they have driven an F1 car before, and worked in an F1 team, so know how the buttons work.
So many mis-steps in the F1 regulations over the years, but the decision to slash testing to an absolute minimum “to cut costs” has only served to fossilise the driver lineup. Let’s face it, the lack of testing isn’t stopping Red Bull from building the best car, and the budget cap isn’t stopping the big teams, with years of earlier investment in facilities and staff, from leading the way on the track.
CarWars (@maxv)
11th March 2024, 8:38
Removing those drivers from the grid indeed makes sense.
Bringing back the car destroyer Mick Schumacher is not great in this ages of limited budget. He had his chance, he wasn’t found to be good enough.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:24
Disagree, he was good enough for f1, just not at haas, where budget was limited, and just as a reminder, steiner, who fired him, was fired now!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:25
Plus you’re talking like he had 10 seasons, he had 1 season in a car that wasn’t even worthy of f1 and 1 season in a backmarker car, that’s it, surely would make less mistakes in the 2nd proper season.
Asd
11th March 2024, 9:13
“Drivers like Ricciardo, Magnussen and Bottas should have hung up their race suits years ago. ”
Nonsense.
Years ago? Bottas was 3rd in the WDC just 3 years ago! You’re not making any sense.
Which of those drivers drove a Ferrari this weekend, huh?!?
Put Bearman in an Alpine and you would soon want him out of F1 as well.
You want Schumacher back? You make no sense, mate.
j sc
11th March 2024, 9:59
A fair point!
notagrumpyfan
11th March 2024, 10:28
I would first and foremost compare drivers to their teammate.
If the gap is too big then the slower one should be on the watch list.
But in some cases both drivers should be on that list.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
11th March 2024, 12:08
@Asd I concur with your assessment.
This I find interesting, get rid of Bottas & Ricciardo both multiple GP winners but
should stay.
No sense.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
11th March 2024, 12:58
The problem is that all these drivers have done well against other drivers at some point in their careers which makes them impossible to compare. The only measuring stick is their current performance in a car unless they have a history of being really fast. Nowhere is this more evident than Toro Rosso with Yuki Tsunoda. He’s been given 3 teammates over the past season and he still has his seat and looks to retain it. This number exceeds Max Verstappen’s teammates over many years. Should Red Bull replace Verstappen with Tsunoda and give him a chance to see how quick he is? Tsunoda may half a second quicker than Checo. That would make Tsunoda the GOAT and he could have won 100-200 races. They can always promote Verstappen back to Red Bull next season or keep Checo if it makes no difference in the WCC and WDC.
And this is a clear victory for Max’s fans because they will be the first to tell you that he’s 3 seconds faster than any driver on the grid and this change would be welcomed by Max and his fans so he can finally compete. I have no doubt that Max will win 10 races in the Toro Rosso just like he did in the past and will take the WDC every year! And since Max’s racing is the cleanest of all drivers, there’ll be no accidents at all – or we can just blame the other drivers anytime he just accidentally plows into them.
Are we all behind a Tsunoda-Verstappen swap?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:28
Let’s be realistic: verstappen was setting the car on fire already at toro rosso, tsunoda never did that and that tells you already who’s the better driver of the 2.
I like verstappen but I’m not the one to say he’s 3 seconds faster than any other driver on the grid, I think if you take a season like 2021, also considering their age, he probably had 2 tenths in hand over hamilton, which over the season made the difference, as merc was overall slightly faster.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:29
Ops, I think the saying is setting the track on fire, I’m italian.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
11th March 2024, 9:17
… Drugovich & Pourchaire …
Also:
a) Andretti
b) at least three more teams on the grid, preferably five or six more
c) teams free to run 1, 2 or 3 cars as they see fit
d) prequalifying if there are too many cars
e) unlimited testing
f) no restrictions on using certain types of tyres during race
I could go on, but there’s little point. It will never happen.
Brell-9W
11th March 2024, 10:51
These things can happen but it might be many years down the track.
Formula one needs to go through some sort of death/rebirth before that can happen.
MichaelN
11th March 2024, 15:25
Completely agree.
We know that each of those drivers has been (strongly) outclassed in the recent past by their teammates. It’s highly likely, though impossible to prove, that they are not getting the best out of their current cars either. And to make matters worse some of these guys are actually the better driver in their respective team (Hülkenberg, Bottas, Albon).
We can’t have a grid of 20 guys at the level of a Hamilton and Verstappen. That’s not realistic. But we also know that there is a good part of the grid, possibly as much as a third, that can’t measure up to the likes of Leclerc, Norris, or Russell either. Some fresh faces in F1 would be great. New stories, new opportunities and if it doesn’t work out, just get more new drivers. It’s not like there’s a shortage.
Rygiel
11th March 2024, 17:04
The Bearman hype makes me think of the same hype around Nyck De Vries a couple of years ago, and look where he ended. One good weekend in a top 3 car doesn’t make a F1 driver!
MichaelN
11th March 2024, 22:45
Very true, it might well be that he crashes out of the next race he takes part in and then people will say he’s too young and so on. That’s possible. But we don’t know that yet, and he did do a good race here, his qualifying was decent, he kept it clean and he finished just 20 seconds behind Leclerc after starting in the midfield. That’s a very good job that deserves praise!
Especially because one of the main things team principals have bandied about is that ‘experience’ is crucial in modern F1. Yet here we have Bearman do a solid job while there is a not insignificant number of people on the grid who have spent the better part of the past seasons not having any noteworthy weekends. If that’s what experience is worth, I’d rather we see more rookies. The ultra-conservative hiring policy of teams is just a bit grating.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th March 2024, 8:07
Wow, what happened. I am pretty much Ok with all these ratings …
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
11th March 2024, 10:43
Yeah me too. My only question was Alonso better than Piastri in any way?
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
11th March 2024, 8:11
Ricciardo had car issues
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
11th March 2024, 9:37
Yeah he did, but there’s still a long way to go for Dan.
Not sure why but he used to be the qualifying ace early on, these days he seems to struggle in qualy which does him no favours come race day.
I have a theory as to why he’s failed and other “older” drivers also since ground effects came into being but I’m giving it another half season before I convince myself.
notagrumpyfan
11th March 2024, 10:37
Which ‘older drivers’? I don’t see Alonso struggling, and Hamilton still has his strong days (past two seasons).
Perez seems to be more of the same since ground effect cars, and so is Hulkenberg.
Brell-9W
11th March 2024, 9:45
After Oliver Bearman overtook Nico Hulkenberg, he was about 6.5 sbehind George Russell, who was about 2.0 s behind Alonso.It was approximately halfway through the race, or maybe a bit more.
Through to the end of the race, the gap between Russell and Bearman was very constant, sometimes dropping down to 5.5s or sometimes blowing back out to 6.5s again. The gap between Russell and Alonso was also very static in this time. The fact that Bearman could jump in at short notice, from F2, and during the 2nd half of his first race match the long run pace of drivers of that caliber is truly sensational.
Jere (@jerejj)
11th March 2024, 10:13
Most impressed: VER & BEA
Most disappointing: MAG, STR, & RIC
Mayrton
11th March 2024, 10:30
Overall I think over the starting two races of the seasons mostly Ricciardo stands out as ‘no longer belongs in the sport’. He is done. Also Stroll and Sargeant again proved to have little relevance.
tielemst
11th March 2024, 10:52
I kind of wonder how Nyck de Vries would have done in the Williams. More time, less pressure. Sargeant really isn’t doing anything in that car.
notagrumpyfan
11th March 2024, 13:23
Nyck in the Toro Rosso rated higher (on average) than Sargeant in the Williams.
Sargeant seems to be a tad better (closer to Albon) thus year but still not at Nyck’s level (ouch) ;)
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
11th March 2024, 16:45
Sergeant actutally looked as quick as albon last weekend based on their lap time data and there didn’t actually look to be a massive difference this weekend either although more than last race.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
11th March 2024, 15:50
I think Sargeant might be able to match Albon in quali this year on a few tracks. He’s often close in FP and some Quali sessions. He needs to be beating Albon a handful of times and out racing him though.. I just don’t see that happening any time soon. Sadly, it looks like this will be his last season.
Ricciardo is washed, run out of Mojo juice. We are seeing the same pattern as McLaren, he has the odd good or great performance and the rest of the time he’s sub-par.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:33
Not sadly, if he’s not worthy of f1 it’s fair he leaves, people had no sympathy for mick schumacher, despite him actually improving enough on the 2nd season that he’d have been at magnussen’s level on 3rd.
An Sionnach
13th March 2024, 10:27
The Mick haters relish and exaggerate his failings more than reality can bear. He seems like a genuinely lovely young man who made a number of mistakes before showing a clear improvement while under merciless pressure from a boss who lived and died by his sword of media notoriety.
Maybe Mick isn’t good enough, but he hasn’t had the chance to really demonstrate his abilities.
Speculation on my part, but his detractors’ lack of a realistic motive for hating such a nice lad must have a motive. Frustrated deniers of his father’s talents finally getting vengeance for 1994 and Michael’s stellar career?!?
José Lopes da Silva
11th March 2024, 12:53
Stroll is doing is talking on the track.
It’s important for F1 to have drivers like Stroll to remember than the human factor still matters.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
11th March 2024, 15:38
Good point and yeah it’s amusing when he said he was going to do his talking on the track. He occasionally shows a glimpse of performance from time to time, certainly not good enough in such a strong field of competitors.
Sadly he is at zero risk of losing that seat while his dad is in charge of Aston Martin. I wonder if he had to actually try and work harder for that seat his performances might improve.
Edvaldo
11th March 2024, 15:21
Very difficult to rate or to bother with the rating on races nobody did anything out of their reach.
I guess Max for the domination and Alonso for finishing ahead of 3 cars in theory faster than his (but one doing nothing and 2 on a much worse strategy, so it wasn’t much of a challenge) a bit higher than the rest.
MichaelN
11th March 2024, 15:30
It’s quite telling that a fifth of the grid gets rating below ‘the base level’.
Red Bull is doing very well, no question – but there are also a lot of people who don’t just come up short, but who are actively doing a bad job. Disappointing!
earthling (@34rthl1ng)
11th March 2024, 22:25
Really impressed with #44, has not T-boned anybody in 2 consecutive races!!!!!
No fake understeering from the inside either!!!!
That’s worth at least a 2
Roy Beedrill
12th March 2024, 0:20
Bearman: 18yo kid was called to race in a Grand-Prix for Ferrari less than 3 hours before FP3, started 11th, finished 7th, did a flawless race despite being put in such a stressful environment at a quite dangerous track. 8/10
Alonso: Finished in a lower position than he started from. 8/10
Some of these driver ratings have just as much sense and objectivity as some FIA stewards’ decisions.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:36
What if aston martin had better quali pace than race pace, just like last year’s red bull?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th March 2024, 2:36
And also last year’s haas, dare I say, in that case it’s normal to fall back during the race.
Grapmg
12th March 2024, 7:37
I think it’s obvious that if Leclerc qualifyed 11th and finished 7th he would have been rated highest 5/10. Oliver is a rookie and rated on that bases. The rating is subjective based on driver performance in relation to car performance not merely on the results in the race. Alonso is rated 8/10 based on having a less competitive car than his closest rivals. But nobody really knows how much of the performance is driver/car