Another race weekend, another race winner and another controversial incident – or two – to spur debate among fans all the way through the week until the next round.
The Mexican Grand Prix was certainly an eventful one, with drama and incident across the three days despite track conditions that should have been relatively favourable for drivers.
But while there were some standout showings in the field, very few drivers could boast of having completely clean weekends. Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Mexican 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 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 – 4/10
Qualified: 2nd (+16 places ahead of team mate, -0.808s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (+11 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Effectively missed second practice with a power unit problem
▲ Beat rival Norris to secure front row start in second
▲ Took the lead at the start by beating Sainz off the line
▼ Lost the lead to Sainz when passed into turn one
▼ Hit with 10s penalty for forcing Norris off at turn four
▼ Hit with second 10s penalty for forcing Norris off at turn seven
▶ Pitted for hards and passed several cars to return to sixth
▶ Finished sixth, ten seconds behind Mercedes
Verstappen should have finished fourth in Mexico, ahead of the two Mercedes. He did not, however, and the only person he has to blame for that is himself. While the world champion may not care too much about losing fourth in the grand scheme of the championship battle, he has to be judged accordingly and his extreme aggression ultimately meant he scored fewer points than he could have done.
Sergio Perez – 3/10
Start: +5 places
Strategy: Three-stop (H-M-M-S)
Finished: 17th (-11 places behind team mate)
▼ Eliminated from Q1 in 18th, two tenths away from safety
▼ Started on hards but earned a 5s penalty for false start
▶ Moved up to 13th under SC, then passed both Aston Martins
▼ Lost 60 points of downforce after clash with Lawson, leading to early stop
▶ Fell to last, unable to make much ground on cars ahead
▶ Made second stop for mediums, then passed Zhou
▶ Made third stop for softs in closing laps but unable to take fastest lap
▶ Finished last car running in 17th
Poor qualifying, an amateurish mistake at the start, an ill-judged move on what is supposedly a slower car that left him with damage, all while watched on by his adoring home fans. Perez’s performances have become sad to see. The only reason he doesn’t score even lower is because he at least did not crash out of any session and his slow second half of the race could at least be excused by his damage – even if he should have probably played it smarter than he did.
Lewis Hamilton – 6/10
Qualified: 6th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.295s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Missed first practice to allow Antonelli to drive car
▶ Qualified one place but three tenths behind team mate
▶ Got ahead of team mate at the start but lost it after restart
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and emerged behind team mate
▲ Passed team mate after intense, multi-lap battle
▶ Finished ahead of team mate in fourth, 10s behind Leclerc
Hamilton had a solid enough weekend in Mexico, hardly the most outstanding driver, but he could come away reasonably pleased with where he finished. He was effectively in an exclusive, race-long duel with his team mate and while he eventually prevailed, it took him many laps to eventually overtake Russell despite his front wing damage. But pass him he did and once he was ahead, he showed that he had more pace.
George Russell – 6/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Ran with older specification parts across the weekend
▼ Crashed heavily in second practice
▲ Secured fifth on the grid but comfortably ahead of team mate
▶ Dropped behind team mate at the start to run sixth early
▲ Passed Hamilton on lap 15 to take fifth back before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Suffered front wing damage over bump after pit stop
▶ Held off Hamilton for several laps before eventually being passed
▶ Finished four seconds behind team mate in fifth
Aside from his hefty shunt on Friday, Russell could be pleased with his performance over the following two days of the weekend as he qualified and finished in line with the pace potential of the Mercedes. Although he lost out to Hamilton in the race, he could at least point to the front wing damage he sustained as an excuse and he fought his team mate hard but fair for several laps.
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Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Qualified: 4th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.319s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Handed car to Bearman for first practice
▶ Could not match team mate in qualifying, lining up fourth on the grid
▶ Held fourth at the start behind Norris
▶ Gained second after Norris and Verstappen clashed ahead
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and started to slowly close on team mate
▼ Lost second place with error out of final corner
▶ Finished third after pitting to take fastest lap in closing laps
A decent enough showing from Leclerc who just simply lacked that little extra that his team mate was able to find over the weekend. He showed decent pace once in second place, although he did little to put himself in that position to begin with. Any slim hopes of somehow holding off Norris to secure the one-two were lost when he almost crashed out of the race sliding off track, which was not his finest moment of the season.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 8/10
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Set two laps good enough for pole in Q3
▶ Could not hold lead at start, running off at first corner
▲ Retook lead from Verstappen in late first corner lunge
▶ Pulled away from team mate behind until pitting for hard tyres
▲ Controlled pace to manage tyres and win by just under 5s
When Sainz is really on it, he can be a joy to watch. Not that many were watching him on Sunday, with all the focus on the battle behind. He was clearly the best on track on Saturday and even though he lost the lead at the start, he at least had the excuse that it was the longest run to turn one on the calendar. But then his move to reclaim the lead was a real example of how to pull off a skilfully judged late braking overtake. Once out front, he was in full control and delivered an excellent victory.
Lando Norris – 6/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Had team’s only major floor upgrade for weekend
▶ Sat out first practice with O’Ward running in his car
▶ Qualified third on the grid just behind rival Verstappen
▶ Ran third after the start, then pushed off twice by Verstappen
▶ Continued behind Verstappen until pitting for hard tyres, rejoining in third
▶ Caught up to Leclerc until Ferrari driver’s mistake handed him second
▶ Finished second, just under 5s behind Sainz
Norris would have come away from Mexico happy with his result, but this was not his best weekend performance of the second half of the season. Although he was happy with third on the grid, it’s hard not to feel like he should be beating Verstappen with his car over a single lap. Although he did not gain any positions in the race by passing other cars, that’s hard to hold against him in the case of Verstappen with the ‘creative’ defensive tactics the championship leader was deploying. He would have likely passed Leclerc eventually late on, but did not have to. We’ll never know if he could have won the race had he not been shoved aside by Verstappen and fallen behind Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri – 5/10
Qualified: 17th (-14 places behind team mate, +1.092s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (-6 places behind team mate)
▶ Ran without floor upgrade provided to team mate
▼ Failed to progress out of Q1 for first time this season, knocked out 17th
▶ Ran 17th in early laps before passing both Saubers
▶ Overtook Colapinto, Stroll and Lawson before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Rejoined 13th, then passed Ocon, Bottas and Gasly to sit ninth
▲ Passed Hulkenberg for eighth then reeled in Magnussen
▶ Unable to catch Magnussen before finishing eighth
Like in Austin a week prior or Zandvoort after the summer break, Piastri was not around to factor into Norris’s fight against Verstappen, as McLaren would have wanted him to. Although his Q1 elimination was all down to a single missed braking point, that is all it takes in modern Formula 1. He managed to climb back into the points, at least, earning back some credit, but it’s hard not to assume that Norris would have finished higher had he started in Piastri’s car on Sunday.
Fernando Alonso – 6/10
Start: +1 place
Finished: Retired (Brakes – L15)
▶ Missed media day for illness, then sat out of FP1
▶ Eliminated from Q2 after red flag preventing him from improving
▶ Lost a place to team mate at the start, then passed by Perez early
▶ Called in to retire by team on lap 15 due to brake problems
Alonso would have almost certainly reached Q3 had it not been for the red flag at the end of Q2 and we will never know how close he could have come to points had he not been forced out of the race early on. But Alonso appeared to be having a solid weekend, even if he had dropped behind his team mate at the start of the race. Would he have stayed there? Given recent form, it’s hard to doubt him.
Lance Stroll – 6/10
Qualified: 14th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.126s)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th
▶ Knocked out in Q2 after red flag ended his final push lap
▶ Moved ahead of team mate at start, then passed by Perez and Piastri
▶ Pitted for hard tyres, falling to 17th
▶ Passed a damaged Perez, then kept Lawson at bay
▶ Finished just outside the points in 11th, six seconds behind Gasly
A respectable showing from Stroll, who may not have scored points but had shown comparative pace to his team mate over Saturday and Sunday. Compared to some recent rounds where Stroll has been significantly behind Alonso, he was left to fight his team’s corner when Alonso retired and put in a respectable performance, finishing within six seconds of the points.
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Pierre Gasly – 7/10
▲ Just reached Q3 to line up eighth on the grid
▶ Involved in dramatic start accident, losing one place
▶ Ran ninth before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Passed Zhou, Ocon and Bottas but overtaken by Piastri
▶ Overcut by Hulkenberg, then ran behind him over the final stint
▲ Claimed final point in tenth
A pretty decent showing from Gasly as he took the final point in tenth. Although he could be argued to have inadvertently triggered the crash at the start, it would be harsh to penalise him for it. He had a strong qualifying and given the cars that finished ahead of him, it would have been tough for Alpine to have asked for much more from him on Sunday.
Esteban Ocon – 5/10
Qualified: 19th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.468s)
Grid: 20th (-12 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 13th (-3 places behind team mate)
▼ Could not follow team mate into Q2, eliminated in 19th
▶ Started from the pit lane after changing power unit parts
▶ Fitted hard tyres and ran in 18th and last until Perez pitted
▲ Passed Zhou on track, then pitted for mediums
▲ Caught and passed Bottas on final lap to claim 13th
After a disappointing Saturday, Ocon managed to make up for his underwhelming qualifying with a race performance that was much more solid. When in free air, his race pace was comparable with his team mate, who he started to catch ahead after switching to mediums. By catching and passing Bottas, he at least saved face by not finishing behind a Sauber.
Alexander Albon – 5/10
Qualified: 9th (+7 places ahead of team mate, -0.369s)
Start: + places
Finished: Retired (Damage – L1)
▼ Crashed in first practice after spinning into Bearman, missing second practice as a result
▲ Comfortably progressed into Q3 to take ninth on the grid
▶ Retired on opening lap after clashing with Tsunoda into first corner
A hard performance to judge as Albon went from a poor Friday – crashing out in practice – to a solid Saturday – qualifying ninth – to being caught up in a squeeze into the first corner which ended his race after 1.5km. Although he deserves to lose credit for his crash on Friday, it’s hard to argue he didn’t make up for it in qualifying. The crash on Sunday was just one of those things and so it only feels fair to give him an average grade.
Franco Colapinto – 5/10
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 12th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Knocked out of Q1 in 16th
▶ Started on hard tyres and ran in 14th in early laps
▶ Extended opening stint all the way to lap 47 before pitting for mediums
▼ Rejoined behind Lawson but earned 10s penalty for collision
▶ Finished 12th but remained there even after penalty
Not Colapinto’s best weekend of his short F1 career thus far. With his team mate reaching Q3, 16th was an underperformance to say the least. He showed decent enough race pace on a hard-medium strategy, which helped earn him credit back. Although the stewards penalised him for the Lawson clash, it was a contentious call given how far alongside he was at the apex of turn one. The penalty did not affect his position and it does not affect his score.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Start: + places
Finished: Retired (Crashed – L1)
▶ Received ‘small’ floor upgrade for weekend
▼ Crashed out of Q2 on his final push lap, ending his session in 11th
▶ Eliminated before the first corner in high-speed clash with Albon
A tough weekend to gauge for Tsunoda after he lasted less than ten seconds before he was out of the race. Although he could not reasonably be blamed for being caught up in the accident, he could be blamed for crashing out of Q2, which may have helped secure him 11th, ironically. Scoring him lower than a ‘five’ just for crashing in Q2 feels overly harsh when he never got the opportunity to make up for it on Sunday.
Liam Lawson – 6/10
Qualified: 12th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.033s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-S)
Finished: 16th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Ran without floor upgrade provided to team mate
▶ Knocked out 12th in Q2 but compromised by red flag
▶ Started on hard tyres and ran tenth early on before being caught by Perez
▶ Clashed with Perez at turn four but held position
▶ Pitted for mediums on lap 39 and rejoined 17th
▶ Caught up to Stroll but then suffered front wing damage in clash with Colapinto
▶ Pitted for new front wing and softs but fell to last
▶ Gained 16th place when Perez pitted ahead where he would finish
Lawson had an eventful weekend in Mexico. It started off with missing out on a potential Q3 appearance due to a red flag caused by his team mate, before he then clashed with Perez and Colapinto over the rest of the race. The stewards chose not to penalise him for the Perez incident, which was fair, but the Colapinto clash was more contentious. Lawson is gaining a reputation for aggression, but he needs to be smart as well as scrappy.
Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 14th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q2 but knocked out slowest thanks to red flag
▶ Started on hards and held position but passed by Piastri early on
▶ Ran ahead of Ocon, running longest opening stint of race
▶ Pitted for mediums and rejoined still ahead of Ocon
▶ Unable to keep Ocon behind on final lap, falling to 14th at finish
Bottas could be reasonably satisfied with 14th, which speaks volumes about the level of expectations at Sauber. He could have finished one place higher if he had been able to hold off Ocon at the finish, but it’s hard to be too critical of him for it. A shame that the red flag in Q2 denied him a better starting position.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 20th (-5 places behind team mate, +0.679s)
Grid: 19th (-4 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 15th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Did not participate in first practice to allow Shwartzman to drive
▼ Knocked out slowest in Q1 after complaining of engine cutting
▶ Started on hards and gained three places with contact ahead to sit 16th at start
▶ Passed by Piastri, then lost another place to Ocon
▶ Pitted for mediums and fell to last, dealing with high brake temperatures
▶ Moved ahead of Lawson and Perez when they pitted late to finish 15th
Another weekend of Zhou failing to stand out, but it was also not his worst performance by any means. Once again he was just slow in qualifying compared to his team mate, but his race performance was compromised by continuously high brake temperatures. For that, it’s hard to be overly critical of him, especially when the Sauber is still at the bottom of the field.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10
Qualified: 10th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.479s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Reached Q3 but took tenth on the grid, slower than team mate
▶ Gained two places at the start passing Gasly and Albon
▶ Ran behind team mate before pitting before hard tyres a lap before him
▲ Passed Zhou, Ocon, Bottas and Colapinto to move back to eighth
▲ Overtaken by Piastri but finished in the points in ninth
Another points finish for Hulkenberg as he continues to help his team rack up points at this crucial stage of the season. However, he was slower than his team mate across the weekend and did not make the most of his Q3 opportunity. In the race, however, he was solid. Although once more, not as quick as his team mate.
Kevin Magnussen – 7/10
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 7th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q3, then out-qualified team mate by half a second in seventh
▶ Held seventh and ran ahead of team mate and behind Hamilton
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and emerged ahead of team mate
▲ Passed Ocon, Bottas and Colapinto to move back to seventh
▲ Kept pace with Verstappen and remained out of reach of Piastri to finish seventh
On one hand, could Magnussen realistically have done any better this weekend than he achieved in Mexico? ‘Best of the rest’ in qualifying, ‘best of the rest’ in the grand prix. He never lost a position in the race and executed his team’s strategy well, passing cars when he had to. He even kept a decent pace relative to Verstappen ahead of him and was the faster of the two Haas drivers all weekend. He appeared to maximise his car’s performance across the weekend, but his position was likely flattered by the likes of Perez and Piastri starting so far down.
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2024 Mexican Grand Prix
- McLaren have no regrets over pitting Norris shortly before red flag came out
- Leclerc fined, avoids same penalty as Verstappen after apologising for swearing
- Leclerc not in the clear over swearing as Verstappen claims he went unpunished
- Majority of drivers wanted racing rules to change “straight away” – Russell
- Verstappen was “over the limit” with Norris but others would do same – Leclerc
jhg103 (@joshgeake)
29th October 2024, 8:22
Just like in Austin (and numerous other races earlier this year), Lando should have achieved more if he actually has title ambitions.
Riccard
29th October 2024, 8:32
He drove well and deserved his 6/10 ‘good’ rating, but I agree: ‘good’ doesn’t win championships.
FS005
29th October 2024, 12:07
So you’re saying the McLaren who got P2 and P8 (behind a Haas) was faster than a Ferrari that got P1 and P3?
Realistically the Ferrari was the fastest car over the weekend. Lando already overdelivered getting P2 after Leclerc made an on track error.
And Max should’ve finished ahead of the Mercs instead of behind them.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:19
Agree, unrealistic expectations from norris to beat both ferraris with verstappen willing to sacrifice himself to make him lose time on top.
Terrion (@terrion)
29th October 2024, 8:24
4 is too low for Max. The qualy result was excelent and he achieved what he wanted to with ruining Lando’s chances for victory, despite having a slower car
David
29th October 2024, 8:29
You can’t increase a drivers score because of successful gamesmanship. At the end of the day, Max got 20s added to his race time that he didn’t need to get.
I disagree with the first penalty but his driving in the second was way beyond the mark and wouldn’t have happened if he had kept his emotions under control.
Colin
29th October 2024, 12:54
Yes, Max got the two penalties but he minimized the damage to his championship as he stopped Lando from winning…
Ludewig
29th October 2024, 8:30
Indeed, but the British are clearly suffering from a huge amount of bias, which the British have a reputation for anyway, with regards to sports.
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
29th October 2024, 9:06
Verstappen’s average rating is 0.35 higher than anyone else’s, which is a significant difference in this rating system (all other drivers have average ratings within a range of 2.13). So, while I believe Verstappen should have been rated higher in this particular race, I disagree with your view that the ratings over the season have been biased against him.
Ludewig
29th October 2024, 10:18
Max has mostly been driving the wheels off his car, so having the highest score is fully justified and cannot be taken as evidence of there not being bias. The bias rears his head mostly in how Max is marked down more than other drivers when he does make a mistake. Giving him a 4 for this weekend is just a joke. If you subtract a full point for each of his penalties (which combined probably cost him just a single placing, so this is already harsh grading), then he still should get a 6, because everything else he did was very strong.
Also, this site has an issue with judging the car instead of the driver, which inflates the scores for drivers higher in the standings. For example, I’m pretty sure that KMag would have gotten an 8 if he had done just as well, but had finished higher due to being in an inherently faster car.
So this bias normally benefits Max (but also Norris, Leclerc, Sainz, etc) and hides the other bias as long as Max is dragging that car into high placings, but when he has a car that doesn’t seem capable of more than 5th/6th on the long pace (even seeing KMag gain on him at the end), then the bias becomes a lot more evident.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:24
Agree, 4 is too harsh for verstappen, just compare him to perez getting a 3: I believe perez had a horrendous weekend and 3 for him is either justified or generous, verstappen had a super qualifying and only really lost 2 places because of his tactics with norris, which also ensured his opponent wouldn’t win.
Obviously this means he didn’t maximise the result, but I also think a 6 would be possible, or at least there HAS to be some significant difference with perez with how different their recovery drive was.
notagrumpyfan
29th October 2024, 8:33
Your arguments read as if his score should be higher ;)
Terrion (@terrion)
29th October 2024, 8:34
Or give Checo like 1. I can’t imagine a worse performance than that. It’s insane they are only 1 point appart. Similar to Lando and Oscar
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:26
Yes, at least 5 for verstappen if perez has to get a 3, else perez 2, but even so I’d consider 4 too low for verstappen, this was not a terrible weekend, just subpar because of the penalties.
Riccard
29th October 2024, 8:34
His reactions, speed, overall strategy maximised what he could get out of the car – but he didn’t meet the baseline expectations of fair driving.
In that sense, he fits very neatly into the definition for 4/10.
As long as that approach is applied consistently, it seems fair enough.
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
29th October 2024, 9:30
I agree with you that Verstappen’s rating seems low. It’s the second-worst rating of the weekend and only one point better than Perez’s, who finished 11 places behind. Even if we assess Verstappen’s weekend without considering the championship context, his performance was surely more than one point better than his teammate’s.
Additionally, I don’t think ignoring the championship context entirely is the correct approach to ratings. For instance, if we ignore the championship context in Abu Dhabi in 2016, Rosberg might deserve a rating of 3 or 4 (not even attempting to overtake a clearly slower driver for the win). Yet, knowing that second place secured him the championship, I’d give him a 6 for playing the long game and resisting unnecessary risks.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th October 2024, 10:05
@terrion He deserves 0.
Ludewig
29th October 2024, 10:19
Yes, we know that you are biased.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th October 2024, 10:52
Ludewig No, purely for his unsportsmanlike behaviour & the same with Checo.
Terrion (@terrion)
29th October 2024, 10:23
If the outcome was him being disqualified from the championship, surely. And I hope the stewards will have the balls to give anyone a punishment as massive as this. But in my oppinion, this race was nowhere near his Saudi Arabia 21 drive, for which he didn’t receive any result affecting penalty.
And objectively speaking he lost less points thanks to his shenanigans than he would have lost without them. So just based on that, 4 is a bit low, especially when Checo qualified 18th, did get penalty for not finding the correct place at the starting grid, crashed, finished last and is still only 1 point behind.
tielemst
29th October 2024, 10:58
I like Max, but a driver with two penalties for forcing another driver off the track should not get more than 4. I like agressive driving and I do think the great passes in history all would result in penalties and whining over the radio now, but Max clearly overdid it. Twice. 4 seems fair to me.
David
29th October 2024, 8:34
The ratings reflect that there were a lot of average performances across the field this weekend.
Sainz and Magnussen were the only ones that stood out.
Verstappen and Perez both poor.
Terrion (@terrion)
29th October 2024, 8:35
I would say Gasly performed really well too
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:31
Verstappen wasn’t poor, only looks like that because he got a 4, but was ok, just not for his own standards, as in he got 6th when best result possible was 4th.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
29th October 2024, 8:58
I’d say Hulkenberg should be a 5 if I’m honest. His pace in the 2nd stint was really bad relative to Magnussen. In 40 laps after Magnussen came out the pits a second ahead of him, he lost an entire 20 seconds, so consistently half a second a lap on average and couldn’t keep Piastri behind. While Magnussen was closing in on Verstappen. If Hulkenberg gets a 6, I’d say that Magnussen should probably get an 8. Hulkenberg was also a lap down in the end which I wouldn’t exactly call solid. That car was a lot better than he showed on Sunday.
Captain_Slow
29th October 2024, 9:13
As always solid comments to go with the scoring.
It may be harsh, but I think Perez should be a 2. As you write yourselves only “positive” is not crashing the car….
Norris getting 6, while Piastri 5, seem unfair. Piastri did it all to himself and failed to get past the last Haas after 71 laps of racing in a superior car. While Norris actually left the weekend with a 2nd place. If Piastri is not a 4, then Norris must be a 7.
Both Haas drivers performed excellent. Besides Gasly, both Hulkenberg and Magnussen was the stand-out drivers of the midfield. Personally I think it is their drivers making Haas the team to beat in the midfield.
Magnussen practically drove a perfect weekend. When it seemed easy, it was because he made it easy. That should be an 8. Hulkenberg was only “2nd” to a Magnussen putting in his performance of the year – but 9th and a solid performance throughout should hand the Hulk a 7, just like Gasly.
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
29th October 2024, 9:32
The 3 for Perez in contrast of Verstappen seems to high. Perez performed very bad in qualifying. Messed up the start and act like it was not his fault. Weird overtake on Lawson that damaged his whole race. No realistic idea of pace, like the FL attempt that everybody knew he wouldn’t make it.
In my opinion Perez should’ve gotten a 1 for his performance. It’s just so bad that it’s not even fun to watch at it. Why RB didn’t got Sainz is beyond me. Likable and consistent.
Ben
29th October 2024, 9:39
Please, please consider changing the rating for next year! There’s just not enough flexibility in the current structure.
Leclerc, Norris, Hulkenberg, Russell, Hamilton, Bottas, Stroll, Alonso – all got 6’s despite having massively varied weekends.
Some out-qualified their team mates and finished behind them. Some we’re out-qualified but finished in front, some didn’t even finish at all, some crashed, had pretty average races and others got podiums.
I can’t see any logical reason that a driver on the podium gets the same rating as someone who finished a lap down and well off his team mates pace (Hulk)
I get the whole no one gets a 2 or 9, but not using the full scale really limits the ratings. You’re removing 4/10 possible ratings, meaning you have to cram every driver into a 1-6 rating range. You then end up with half the grid on the same score. It just doesn’t work.
David (@nvherman)
29th October 2024, 11:25
Agreed: how can Norris only get a 6 when Piastri gets a 5? Norris really should be a 7, fully accepting that his weekend was not worth the 8 that was awarded to Sainz (who deserved that score). Piastri doesn’t deserve lower than a 5, if Verstappen is still worthy of a 4.
I’d also argue that Norris’ weekend was better than Leclerc’s, so further suggesting that 6 for Norris is too low.
Tristan
29th October 2024, 12:30
Hope it doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Getting some major “no, it’s the children who are wrong” vibes.
Dennis Juul Knudsen
29th October 2024, 10:04
What do Magnussen have to do to get at 10 in here – his drive was perfect in my world… :)
Jere (@jerejj)
29th October 2024, 10:06
Most impressed: SAI, MAG, & GAS
Most disappointing: The entire RBR rather than only both drivers, COL, & TSU.
Stephen Taylor
29th October 2024, 10:08
I am going to be contrarian here and say Mexici was Lando’s 2nd best drive this season after Zandvoort . You can not really blame him for Verstappen’s tactics costing him a race win . Certainly it was drive more convincing and less mistake prone than many of his races in from Austria onwards including his win in Singapore.
FS005
29th October 2024, 12:12
Honestly in what universe do you assume that Norris under delivered in Mexico? Why is it that everytime Norris is driving there’s always the assumption that McLaren should dominate?
Did you just forget that Piastri didn’t even make it into Q2? That he was struggling to catch a Haas?
Max is supposedly getting everything out the car because he’s being compared to Perez. But with Lando you have some imaginary benchmark of Ayrton Senna just lapping 2s faster in the same car.
Bottom line is the Ferrari was the fastest car. And Perez was doing better than Piastri till he collided with Lawson.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:37
Can agree norris’ rating is harsh here, but I also think verstappen’s was.
Tristan
29th October 2024, 12:17
Shouldn’t Perez be 2? He’s ranked down 3 points no? Makes no sense max can be on 4 and Perez on 3 anyway given their performances. Highlights the weakness of this ranking system.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th October 2024, 12:39
Agree, it’s a very clear example, I’d say also when you look at piastri vs norris being only 1 point apart.
David BR (@david-br)
29th October 2024, 13:31
Max 4, I laughed (sad, I know, but after so many 8s and a few 9s, it was a shock despite being predictable). Perez 3. Both too generous :)
Sainz 8? That I’ve got to question, an easy 9. Not just pole against strong competition, including two title challengers, but he managed to regain an easily-lost P1 off the grid at Mexico with a fantastic move against Verstappen, not exactly easy, and then control the race, including against his team mate in an equal car and not renowned for being slow. If that isn’t a 9, what is?
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
29th October 2024, 21:17
To be fair, He shouldn’t have lost P1 in the first place if I’m honest. Ferrari was certainly the quickest car, and despite how dirty he was driving, Verstappen’s inicial pace was pretty impressive.
I don’t quite see how Sainz’s performance today was pretty much the best of any driver from the entire season, which is basically how a grade 9 would be judged on this site as explained. I think an 8 is accurate.
I think to get a 9, he would have qualified ahead by a larger margin and managed the start perfectly and not even have been attacked at any point, probably as well as getting fastest lap. I think it makes sence for the scores on this site to always leave room for improvement, such as a 10. That needs to be on another level that will almost never happen.
David BR (@david-br)
30th October 2024, 11:14
@thegianthogweed But was there a better performance this season (qualifying and race)? I can’t recall one. If everyone gets an equally good start, it’s virtually impossible to defend P1 off the line in Mexico because of the tow. And the way Sainz wrestled the place back made up in my view. Fastest lap is a gimmick not available unless you have a huge time buffer to pit and set a time on new tyres, so I wouldn’t count that. Sure you can argue that he could be way ahead of P2, but that’s only really available for the race leader when the car is outperforming all others and your team mate has had a poor race, some issue or is naturally slow (ahem). Sainz has Leclerc as a team mate. All round, I’d say it was the best race weekend I’ve seen from Sainz and the best by any driver this season.