The first sprint round for several months produced an enthralling and often unpredictable weekend of action in Austin.
Although one driver was dominant in the sprint rounds, another took the glory when it mattered most on Sunday.
But while some of the more experienced drivers in the field made errors, the two rookies of the field had outstanding performances. Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the United States Grand Prix.
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 in 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 – 7/10
Sprint race finish: Winner
Qualified: 2nd (+8 places ahead of team mate, -0.436s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Secured sprint race pole by just one-hundredth
▲ Led every lap of the sprint race to win by almost four seconds
▶ Just beaten to grand prix pole by Norris after yellow flag ended final run
▶ Got ahead of Norris at the start but lost lead to
▶ Suffered an “issue” with car over his first stint
▶ Lost second when undercut by Sainz, unable to catch Ferraris ahead
▶ Passed by Norris controversially after intense late battle
▶ Finished fourth but promoted to podium after Norris’s penalty
A weekend that exhibited the world champion’s supreme speed as well as his supreme skill at treading the line of what is acceptable racecraft. Being beaten in the grand prix was no shame even if had won the sprint race comfortably. Although his defending against Norris sparked debate, it remained legal by the rules and it ultimately helped secure him a podium finish.
Sergio Perez – 4/10
Sprint race start: 11th
Sprint race finish: 9th
Qualified: 10th (-8 places behind team mate, +0.436s)
Grid: 9th (-7 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 7th (-4 places behind team mate)
▼ Failed to reach SQ3, eliminated in 11th
▼ Finished ninth in sprint race, half a minute behind team mate
▼ Failed to set a time in Q3 after losing sole lap for track limits
▶ Held ninth at the start running behind Tsunoda
▶ Overtook Tsunoda, then pitted for hard tyres
▶ Moved up to sixth but fell away from Piastri ahead
▼ Caught and overtaken by Russell on penultimate lap to finish seventh
Perez was slow. Perez failed to match his team mate across the weekend. Perez was beaten in the race by a driver who had started from the pit lane. It’s another weekend with the same old story for Perez.
Lewis Hamilton – 4/10
Sprint race finish: 6th
Qualified: 19th (-13 places behind team mate, +0.618s)
Grid: 17th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +5 places
Finished: 20th (-14 places behind team mate)
▶ Qualified seventh for sprint race after backing off for yellow flag on final lap
▶ Suffered car problem before sprint race but finished behind team mate in sixth
▼ Eliminated from Q1 in 16th, unable to go faster
▲ Started on hards and gained several places to run 12th
▼ Spun into retirement on the second lap at turn 19
If the United States Grand Prix had been a conventional grand prix weekend, Hamilton would have had to have scored lower. However, his performance in the sprint race sessions save him – especially as he likely would have taken pole on Friday had he not been caught out by a yellow flag. But the grand prix matters most and Hamilton spun out of the race by himself. Even if the team insisted it was down to a gust of wind and dirty air, that’s not enough to excuse him.
George Russell – 6/10
Sprint race start: 2nd
Sprint race finish: 5th
Qualified: 6th (+13 places ahead of team mate, -0.618s)
Grid: 20th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 6th (+14 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Just missed out on sprint pole after losing time in turn one on fastest lap
▼ Dropped to fifth in the sprint race, unable to keep Ferraris behind
▼ Crashed out of Q3 at turn 19 on final flying lap
▶ Forced to start from pit lane due to repairs needed
▲ Started on hards, passing Albon, Stroll, Bottas, Colapinto, Alonso and Lawson
▼ Hit with five second penalty for forcing Bottas off track
▶ Pitted for medium tyres to rejoin in eighth
▲ Passed Hulkenberg and Perez late to finish sixth
A tricky weekend to assess for Russell who had his ups and downs over the weekend to say the least. He arguably could have been on pole for the sprint race, then appeared to have thrown away his chances of a strong result in the grand prix by crashing out of Q3. However, Russell did a good job to recover through the field and finish sixth, which is arguably as high as he could have hoped to finish. For that, he only just earns a positive grade.
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Charles Leclerc – 8/10
Sprint race finish: 4th
Qualified: 4th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.088s)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▲ Took third on the grid for sprint race, just ahead of team mate
▶ Finished fourth in sprint race after losing battle with team mate
▶ Frustrated to only qualify fourth on grand prix grid
▲ Snatched lead into turn one ahead of Norris and Verstappen
▲ Pulled out lead over Verstappen until pitting for hard tyres
▶ Continued to maintain lead over team mate over second stint
▲ Secured third victory of the season by eight seconds
Leclerc’s victory in Austin was a brilliant display of building up speed over a weekend. Although he was always in the mix at the front, he built up his performance and peaked when it mattered most and once he was out front, he never looked like being beaten. He could have done better in the sprint race, but when it came to the most important sessions of the weekend he was utterly flawless. That’s why he earns such a high score.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 7/10
Sprint race start: 5th
Sprint race finish: 2nd
Qualified: 3rd (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.088s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Lined up right behind team mate on sprint race grid
▲ Passed team mate in sprint and poached second from Norris on final lap
▲ Secured third on grand prix grid ahead of team mate
▶ Held third at the start to run behind Verstappen
▶ Was first of the leaders to pit for hard tyres, undercuttting Verstappen
▲ Matched pace with team mate ahead to finish second
On a great weekend for Ferrari, Sainz had a very good weekend of his own. He was in fine form throughout the three days and was especially strong in the sprint race. Although he didn’t have the same pace as his team mate in the grand prix sessions, Sainz more than backed up his team mate and successfully undercut Verstappen to take a well-deserved second place and complete the one-two for Ferrari.
Lando Norris – 6/10
Sprint race finish: 3rd
Qualified: Pole (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.62s)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Qualified fourth on the grid for sprint race
▶ Jumped to second at start of sprint race but lost place to Sainz on final lap
▲ Secured pole for grand prix with ‘best lap of my career’
▼ Fell to fourth after being shoved aside at turn one by Verstappen
▶ Ran ahead of team mate and extended opening stint
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and set off to catch Verstappen
▼ Passed Verstappen but hit with 5s penalty for doing so off track
▶ Finished third but demoted to fourth in final classification
COTA was a bad weekend for Norris’ championship hopes. That does not mean he necessarily did a bad job, but he knows he could have done better too. He performed well in the sprint race to take third even if he did lose a position on the final lap with an error and took a superb pole position for the grand prix. Yes, he was aggressively shoved aside at turn one, but he never should have offered Verstappen that much room to the inside. Although he should have handed the place back to Verstappen at the end of the race, the main reason he didn’t was because of the incorrect judgement of his team who told him he was entitled to stay ahead.
Oscar Piastri – 5/10
Sprint race start: 16th
Sprint race finish: 10th
Qualified: 5th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.62s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (-1 place behind team mate)
▼ Knocked out of SQ1 after best time deleted for track limits
▶ Finished tenth in sprint race despite penalty for forcing Gasly off
▼ Qualified fifth for grand prix but six tenths off team mate
▶ Ran fifth behind team mate in early laps
▶ Extended opening stint until pitting for hards on L32
▶ Returned to fifth after pitting, slowly dropping back from team mate
▶ Caught back up to team mate but asked to leave 5s margin after penalty
▶ Finished where he started in fifth
A ‘five’ for the driver who started fifth and ended fifth on Sunday. Piastri was not ‘bad’ in Austin, but this was certainly not one of his stronger weekends by any means. His sprint race performance was underwhelming as he was eliminated much too soon from qualifying, but he made a decent attempt to recover in the sprint race even though he earned a contentious penalty. For the grand prix sessions, however, he was simply average.
Fernando Alonso – 5/10
Sprint race start: 14th
Sprint race finish: 18th
Qualified: 8th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.33s)
Grid: 7th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Knocked out of SQ2 after only lap deleted for track limits
▼ Fell from 13th to 18th in sprint race
▶ Secured place in Q3 to take eighth on the grid
▼ Dropped three places at the start to run in tenth
▼ Passed by Hulkenberg, Lawson, Russell and Colapinto
▶ Pitted for hard tyres, then passed Bottas
▶ Unable to make ground on cars ahead, finishing 13th
An odd three days for Alonso. Although he did not throw his car into the gravel trap or hit any of his rivals, he was clearly struggling throughout and was effectively target practice for those in the midfield over the two races. But the most experienced racer of all time should be able to stay within the white lines in qualifying.
Lance Stroll – 3/10
Sprint race finish: 13th
Qualified: 14th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.33s)
Grid: 13th (-6 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 15th (-2 places behind team mate)
▼ Eliminated from SQ2 after sole lap deleted for track limits
▶ Finished sprint race where he started in 13th
▼ Failed to follow team mate through to Q3
▼ Ran 12th after start but lost six places after error at restart
▶ Fell last after pitting for mediums but passed Zhou for 18th
▶ Ran behind Ocon for rest of race until he pitted late, finishing 15th
Another weekend where Stroll contributed little of value to his team. Even if the Aston Martin struggled in Austin, Stroll committed something over each of the three days that negatively impacted his results in some way. Giving away so many places with his mistake at the restart was perhaps the worst of these. Too many negatives for just a ‘four’ rating.
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Pierre Gasly – 6/10
Sprint race finish: 14th
Qualified: 7th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.435s)
Grid: 6th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 12th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Had the team’s only upgrades for the weekend
▶ Knocked out in SQ2 to line up 12th for sprint
▶ Dropped two places in sprint race but one was to a McLaren
▲ Breezed through into Q3 to secure sixth on grand prix grid
▶ Held position over opening stint on mediums before pitting for hard tyres early
▶ Lost around four seconds with slow stop
▼ Hit with five second penalty for passing Albon off track
▶ Overtaken by Lawson, Colapinto and Magnussen in later laps to finish 12th
Gasly was among the most outstanding performers on Saturday as he stuck his car seventh on the grid for the grand prix, which became sixth on Sunday. Then setbacks spoiled his afternoon – one was not his fault, but his penalty absolutely was. Although it made no difference to his finishing position, his pace on the hard tyres was not amazing. A disappointing result given his early promise.
Esteban Ocon – 6/10
Sprint race start: 17th
Sprint race finish: 15th
Qualified: 13th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.435s)
Grid: 12th (-6 places behind team mate)
Start: -8 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 18th (-6 places behind team mate)
▶ Ran without same upgrades as team mate for weekend
▶ Knocked out of SQ1 but less than a tenth behind team mate
▶ Finished less than a second behind team mate in sprint race
▶ Missed out on Q3 to start 12th on the grid
▶ Fell to last after hit by Albon at start
▶ Pitted for hard tyres on lap 31, rejoining 17th
▶ Pitted late for soft tyres to take fastest lap
▶ Finished 18th but secured fastest lap
A fruitless US Grand Prix weekend for Ocon but he could at least be safe in the knowledge that it was not down to him underperforming. He did a decent job over the sprint sessions, keeping pace with Gasly despite not having his upgrades, and his grand prix was effectively ruined at turn one when hit from behind. There was little he could do after that, but taking the fastest lap was some reward which helped mitigate the team’s championship losses.
Alexander Albon – 4/10
Sprint race start: 20th
Sprint race finish: 17th
Qualified: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.011s)
Grid: 14th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -4 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 16th (-6 places behind team mate)
▼ Failed to progress into SQ2 after spin on final push lap
▶ Finished five seconds and five places behind team mate in sprint race
▶ Knocked out of Q1 but ahead of team mate
▼ Suffered significant floor damage in clash with Ocon at turn one
▶ Pitted under Safety Car and fell to last
▶ Pitted for hard tyres on L33 and fell to 18th
▶ Passed Bottas and gained 16th when Ocon pitted late, where he would finish
A bad weekend for Albon, even if it was perhaps not quite as terrible as it might have appeared. The mitigating circumstances for Albon explaining his poor grand prix was that he suffered floor damage on the opening lap. The problem is, he was more to blame for the incident than anyone, even if it was probably right that he wasn’t penalised for it. But that in conjunction with his sprint qualifying spin means it Albon can’t earn an acceptable grade.
Franco Colapinto – 7/10
Sprint race finish: 12th
Qualified: 17th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.011s)
Grid: 15th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 10th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached SQ3 to line up tenth for sprint race
▶ Finished 12th in sprint after passed by Piastri
▶ Knocked out of Q1 but almost matched team mate’s time
▶ Started on hards and showed strong early pace
▲ Overtook Alonso on L22, eventually pitting for mediums on L39
▶ Rejoined 12th, then passed Gasly
▲ Took the final point in tenth place
The more Colapinto’s short season progresses, the more he appears to deserve the last seat on the 2025 grid. He put in another very good showing at Circuit of the Americas, leading the charge for his team after Albon’s early damage and managing to take his second points finish of the season to the delight of the many Argentinian fans in attendance. A strong showing for his first sprint weekend.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Sprint race start: 9th
Sprint race finish: 11th
Qualified: 11th (+4 places ahead of team mate, +0.456s)
Grid: 10th (+9 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 14th (-5 places behind team mate)
▲ Reached SQ3 to qualify in ninth for sprint race
▶ Dropped out of top ten in sprint race
▶ Unable to reach Q3 despite slipstream help from team mate
▲ Picked up two places at the start to run eighth
▶ Made early stop for hards and fell to 17th
▼ Lost multiple positions with spin at turn one
▶ Finished 14th, half a minute behind team mate
On a weekend where Tsunoda would have been expected to lead the charge for his team, he was ultimately outshone in Texas by the returning Liam Lawson. Although he was not happy with his earlier stop leaving him mired in the midfield, he couldn’t blame the pit wall for spinning at turn one. Not a bad weekend overall but he could and should have done better.
Liam Lawson – 7/10
Sprint race finish: 16th
Qualified: 15th (-4 places behind team mate, -0.456s)
Grid: 19th (-9 places behind team mate)
Start: +5 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 9th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Couldn’t follow team mate into SQ3 after having sole SQ2 time deleted
▶ Dropped one position in sprint race to finish 16th
▶ Hit with ‘back of grid’ power unit penalty
▶ Sacrificed Q2 to offer tow to team mate
▲ Jumped from 19th on grid to 14th at start, then passed Alonso
▶ Extended opening stint until L36, then pitted for mediums
▶ Rejoined 12th, then passed Gasly
▲ Moved up to ninth as rivals ahead pitted to score points on return
Welcome back to the grid, Liam Lawson. For a driver who has been out of racing for a full year, it looked like Lawson had simply stepped into a time machine and skipped forward a year to pick up where he left off in Austin. His weekend was by no means perfect and Fernando Alonso may have some misgivings about his racecraft, but Lawson delivered a confident and impressive performance over his first weekend back.
Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Sprint race start: 18th
Sprint race finish: 20th
Qualified: 18th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.076s)
Grid: 16th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 17th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Had sole benefit of team’s upgrades for weekend
▶ Eliminated 19th in SQ1 but comfortably quicker than team mate
▶ Finished last in sprint race after suffering late braking problem
▶ Knocked out of Q1 but out-qualified Hamilton’s Mercedes
▶ Ran behind Colapinto until pitting early for hard tyres
▶ Caught and passed by Ocon and Stroll, then passed by Albon
▶ Finished 17th after Ocon pitted ahead for fastest lap
Once again, another weekend where it’s difficult to assess Bottas’ performance when he is so clearly limited by having the slowest car in the field. The only true comparison to make is to his team mate, who he once again was clearly quicker than. But even then, was his pace flattered by his team’s upgrades? It feels right to be more generous in the assessment of Bottas’ performance.
Zhou Guanyu – 4/10
Sprint race finish: 19th
Qualified: 20th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.076s)
Grid: 18th (-2 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 19th (-2 places behind team mate)
▼ Eliminated slowest of all in SQ1
▶ Finished ahead of team mate in sprint race after his braking problems
▶ Knocked out slowest of all in Q1
▲ Gained three places at the start
▼ Fell to last with spin at turn one on lap ten
▶ Unable to keep place with team mate, finishing last
It’s a shame to see Zhou, who has shown flashes of ability in his three seasons in the sport, struggling to get a strong weekend together as he appears to be heading to his exit from Formula 1. A driver who rarely makes mistakes, his spin early in the grand prix was an unforced error that cost him dearly and he and his team cannot afford. Aside from that, he was once again noticeably slower than his team mate across the weekend.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7/10
Sprint race start: 6th
Sprint race finish: 8th
Qualified: 12th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.07s)
Grid: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Had the team’s upgrades for sprint sessions
▲ Qualified strong sixth on the sprint race ahead of team mate
▶ Finished behind team mate but scored last point in sprint race
▶ Frustrated to not follow team mate through into Q3
▶ Passed Alonso to gain tenth place
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and rejoined 12th behind team mate
▶ Gained multiple places overcutting rivals ahead
▲ Overtaken by Russell but finished strong eighth
On a great weekend for Haas where Hulkenberg was perhaps not the quickest of the team’s two drivers over the three days, he still ended up being the one who scored the points when it mattered most. Hulkenberg made his strategy work for him and his race pace was solid as he finished as highly as Haas could have hoped. He just did not make the most of his car’s potential in grand prix qualifying.
Kevin Magnussen – 8/10
Sprint race finish: 7th
Qualified: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.07s)
Grid: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Followed team mate into SQ3 to line up eighth on sprint grid
▲ Jumped team mate at start of sprint race to score points in seventh
▶ Received upgrades for grand prix sessions
▲ Reached Q3 to secure eighth on grand prix grid
▲ Ran seventh in opening stint after passing Alonso at start
▶ Made early stop for hard tyres, falling to 17th
▲ Passed multiple rivals to sit tenth before called in for second stop after ‘miscommunication’
▶ Picked up two places in final stint to finish 11th
Magnussen had an excellent weekend in Austin, his best of the entire season. In a rarity, he was consistently ahead of his team mate through the weekend – if not by much – even when he did not have the team’s upgrades for the sprint sessions. When he did for the grand prix, he was strong in qualifying and was running ahead of his team mate before he was called in for a second pit stop. Without that, Magnussen would have very likely had two points finishes from the weekend.
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NB. Excludes drivers with fewer than five starts.
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2024 United States Grand Prix
- McLaren insist stewards made ‘provable error’ after losing bid for review of Norris’ penalty
- Why McLaren’s focus on Verstappen’s driving failed to overturn Norris’ penalty
- Stewards reject McLaren’s request to review Norris’ United States GP penalty
- McLaren know Norris’ penalty is likely to stand – so what do they hope to gain?
- McLaren request review of Norris’ penalty for off-track pass on Verstappen
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
22nd October 2024, 10:23
Overall fair rankings but I think the Astons have had quite a rough review. For me they were the 9th fastest team this weekend. Both cars were out in q1 last year here and then both out in sq1 here.
I don’t think either driver had an incredible weekend but the car is clearly a dog particularly around here and q3 was an exceptional high point rather than the 13th place Alonso should probably have qualified and finished. I think a 5 is probably fair for sprints but in quali Fernando was strong and in the race the car was where it was with no obvious mistakes or strategic errors or SC to really capitalise on.
notagrumpyfan
22nd October 2024, 11:27
Especially a bit harsh on Stroll though; I don’t think he was worse than Perez or Zhou.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
22nd October 2024, 11:49
Or Hamilton tbh
Dex
22nd October 2024, 15:39
Perez didn’t make the mistakes we saw Stroll make, like going off track for no reason at all.
notagrumpyfan
22nd October 2024, 17:37
Then you can compare Stroll to Zhou (and Hamilton) only and come to the same conclusion :P
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 12:06
FA/LA: Not sure what they want. The only car slower than the Aston Martin was the Sauber. For Alonso to get into Q3 was an utter miracle and finishing 13th was a few places higher than where the car belonged. A 6/10 would have been much more appropriate. Likewise, a 3/10 is is just crazy. 4/10 is the worse justifiable rating. He basically did an average job, which should get him a 5/10.
Yuki: a bit rough on his rating. His team put him on an awful strategy that ruined his chance of scoring. The three drivers who started on hards with long stints all moved WAYYY up the field (Russell, Lawson and Colapinto). Yuki’s biggest failing was his characteristic response to his race not working out well: throwing a fit and getting unbalanced.
Hulk: Not sure how Hulkenberg deserves such a good rating based on the other ratings. He only got up to where his car should have been and even that required Haas blowing K-Mag’s race, Lewis spinning out, etc. By the same token, an 8 is a wild rating for Magnussen. It seems to be he’s getting extra points for actually performing how we would expect Hulkenberg to do.
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 12:07
LS* Lol
Sandwhichands
22nd October 2024, 14:14
Spent too long trying to work out who was LA despite the context clues
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 19:48
Lance Alonso! The son Lawrence always wanted.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
24th October 2024, 20:25
I think the extra points for Magnussen are partly because of it being a weekend with more events on. And the fact he beat Hulkenberg in the sprint when Hulkenberg had the upgrades. that was pretty impressive. He had a great start and got by Hulkenberg and another driver.
In the race, his strategy was questionable and he would have finished in the points without that strategy. I don’t think Hulkenberg has had many, if any sprint weekends this year when he’s done very well in both. Magnussen this time did, and had lots of good on track action too. I think the rating is fair.
Jere (@jerejj)
22nd October 2024, 11:00
Most impressed: LEC, SAI, HUL, LAW, & COL
Most disappointing: PER, TSU, ALB, & HAM
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
24th October 2024, 5:44
Wow, that’s a massive amount of impressive and disappointing drivers compared to the usual, difficult to argue with the choices though, apart from maybe hulkenberg and sainz, since magnussen had a better weekend ruined by the team’s call and the ferrari was super in the race, as in it might not have been an achievement to get 2nd with that car.
BenHur
22nd October 2024, 11:01
Such a beauty of a spin is worth at least a 9 for #44
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd October 2024, 14:07
I think Albon did it better
baasbas
22nd October 2024, 11:37
Only a 7 for Verstappen? Perez should get a low number, but Hamilton gets the same score, how exactly? And Stroll gets a lower mark? How? Yes he was bad but he was way closer to his teammate. And an 8 for Leclerc? But he got beaten by his teammate in the sprint and out qualified for the race? And Sainz gets a 7?
Well, I think I disagree on most of them today
Hans Herrmann (@twentyseven)
22nd October 2024, 16:31
I agree Sainz should have got more. For me he was at least equal to Leclerc. Leclerc did get a good start and was lucky that the gap appeared in T1 and Sainz had nowhere to go behind Verstappen, otherwise I believe Sainz had better pace. I don’t believe the narrative above about Leclerc building pace through the weekend. He was flattered by the clean air effect as we’ve seen happen throughout the year. Sainz managed to close up to him in dirty air and as you say Sainz also outperformed Leclerc in the Sprint and in Quali. Also I’m a bit of a Leclerc fan boy, I think he’s phenomenal on his day but Sainz had more pace this weekend by my (subjective)calculations .
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 22:09
It’s interesting to compare how other publications rated the drivers. Here are TR’s rankings, which I found equally bizarre in many cases:
1. MV
2. CL
3. CS
4. LN
5. KM
6. LL
7. PG
8. NH
9. OP
10. FC
11. FA
12. EO
13. SP
14. VB
15. LS
16. YS
17. GZ
18. GR
19. LH
20. AA
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 22:17
-GR 18: WTH?
-SP 13 above GR, YS, VB? Can’t see any reason why. But especially GR.
-OP in front of FC? Why?
-NH in front of FC? Again, why?
Numbered rankings have always been awful. And this is a great example.
baasbas
23rd October 2024, 9:27
@Nick T.
If only there was an English saying about opinions and everyone having one…
:-)
Nick T.
23rd October 2024, 20:42
Opinions are like Swiss bank accounts, everyone has one?
baasbas
24th October 2024, 11:34
@Nick T.
I don’t now, I have no opinion on that one…
Ben
22nd October 2024, 12:51
4 for Hamilton seems very generous.
His start was solid, but crashing on your own after 2 laps is something most rookies don’t even do.
Stroll seems harsh at a 3 as he was much closer to his team mate on pace and result.
Swap those two score and I’m pretty much agree with everyone else.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
24th October 2024, 5:47
Yes, I think I agree with this, hamilton wasn’t on it at all, in such a weekend I was expecting a 3, which, as a very rare mark, seems exaggerated for stroll considering how bad the aston was here.
MichaelN
22nd October 2024, 14:07
I imagine the Sauber is a really tricky car to drive. Zhou has been pretty decent in his first seasons, probably closer to Bottas than many expected, but this year he’s driving like his main priority is to keep out of the gravel. Which is laudable, but given how slow he ends up being and this being an era with very few retirements, that is probably not going to result in a fluke points finish.
Ideally you’d like to see rookies in two different teams, but that’s probably not going to happen for Zhou.
An Sionnach
23rd October 2024, 1:19
In a world of stupid F1 rules, this would hardly be the worst one:
Have the teams field three cars, one of which has to have a novice driver in it.
The budget cap would need to be higher. The rules around that and the limits on testing make it hard for new drivers to get into F1. It might be better to tackle these root causes of the problem, though.
Michael
22nd October 2024, 15:58
Colapinto is doing really well in F1 but in terms of deserving an F1 seat, Bortoleto is ahead. Leading F2 this year, F3 winner last year as a rookie. Colapinto was 6th in F2 when he replaced Sargeant and finished 9th and 4th in 2 seasons in F3. Perhaps both should be in F1 ahead of Antonelli and Bearman.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
22nd October 2024, 16:15
Looking at the average rating of Albon abouth and their head to head since he joined Williams, Colapinto is either the talent of the century or Albon is extremely overrated. It’s probably the latter, but Colapinto really is doing a fine job.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd October 2024, 18:30
You don’t know. One is racing incredibly well in F1, the other is racing incredibly well in F2, which might or might not translate to F1.
F2 results depend on the team too, so we don’t know their true potential until they step into F1, and even then it’s tricky to judge. Just as @roadrunner says, look at Albon’s case: he’s looking quite average compared to a competitive team mate (and a rookie at that), when in the recent past he’s been hailed as some sort of magician at times.
It goes to show that having two good drivers is better than one good driver and a lousy one. It’s much better to judge the pace of the car when two guys are pushing to the limit… now there’s an argument for the Williams being a good car that was capable of doing what Albon was doing, and it wasn’t a matter of Albon driving the wheels off of it!
Nick T.
22nd October 2024, 19:53
Sargeant tied Lawson as an F2 rookie when Lawson was in his second F2 season. But look at how bad Logan was in F1 while Liam will, at worst, be a solid driver and he may turn out to be great. Many F2 champions have been complete failures. And, by the same token, many non-junior formula champions have turned out to be great drivers.
MacLeod (@macleod)
23rd October 2024, 8:08
Your right Antonelli and Bearman are brought too early as both didn’t finish their F2 in the top 3. If you bring rookies from F2 not from the top what reason you have F2 for.
Fia should give Super license only to F2 champion and/or Indy champion. So you can have 1 new driver each year.
Nick T.
23rd October 2024, 20:44
In their defense, they’ve showed intangibles that are more valuable than their standing in the F2 championship. Like a driver recently said though, F1 isn’t a place to look for justice or fairness.
Ludewig
24th October 2024, 11:11
So Leclerc gets an 8 for being outqualified and getting lucky at the race start (he did set himself up to take advantage of it, but it was still lucky).
Max gets a 7 for a near-perfect weekend, his final quali lap getting ruined because someone else crashed, and some extremely impressive defending against a much faster car, eventually coercing the other car into a mistake.