Tag: Hamilton

Verstappen wins in Vegas as Mclarens Disqualified

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202511230599 // Usage for editorial use only //

Well, well, well. What do we have here? Is that a championship fight that is now back on? The biggest storyline of the Las Vegas Grand Prix happened off the track.

On the track, Max Verstappen won the race at a canter after getting ahead of Lando Norris, who finished 2nd on the road, at the first corner after the McLaren ran wide defending his place. George Russell took the final step on the podium.

Off track, BOTH McLarens were disqualified from the race for excessive plank wear. A penalty that is impossible to argue against. The minimum thickness of the plank is 9mm. Both McLarens had planks that were at least 8.90mm thick. Quite the difference but the rules are the rules.

In a largely uneventful race, this news set Saturday night / Sunday morning alight, depending on where you were watching.

The race had action in the first 5 laps, with first-corner contact by multiple drivers triggering the virtual safety car. Once this went in, the race pretty much ran out in Quali order. Any changes we will get to in the driver ratings. Lets focus on the Championship for now.

With both McLarens disqualified, Verstappen has halved his deficit to Norris, and Piastri, ironically, didn’t lose ground in the championship for the first time since Baku.

The situation is clear. Norris leads both Verstappen and Piastri by 24 points, with 58 still remaining over the last two race weekends. If Norris outscores his rivals in Qatar, he is the World Champion. If he doesn’t, the championship goes to the finale in Abu Dhabi. Oh, the racing gods have been nice, or naughty, depending on where your allegiances lie.

This disqualification obviously makes Norris’ job a bit harder, but it is still very much in his hands. The biggest issue maybe that McLaren are forced to raise their ride height to ensure no more issues, which can cause the car to lose performance. Just ask Ferrari. This drop could easily put McLaren back into the pack, and provide Verstappen with an opportunity you know he will take.

It’s going to be a very nervy weekend, with any mistake now potentially season-ending. But before we go to Qatar, let’s rate the drivers for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

1. Max Verstappen – 8.5

Once Max got ahead of Norris at the first corner, it felt inevitable that he would win the race. He built a 3 second lead within 10 laps and that is where it would stay until Norris had fuel issues (least of his problems) and that gap stretched to 18 seconds at the flag. The 3 seconds might as well have been 18 because Max looked very comfortable out front.

2. George Russell – 8.5

Just another very solid performance from Russell in Vegas. The Mercedes was expected to be quick after last year’s dominance but they couldn’t quite match those heights. Russell qualified 4th, got up to 2nd on the first lap and held off Norris until Lap 25 to finish 3rd on the road. This was obviously ungraded to 2nd post McLaren penalty.

3. Kimi Antonelli – 8.8

The biggest mover of the race! Kimi qualified in 13th place, got a 5-second penalty for jumping the start and still came 3rd, 7 seconds off his teammate. He showed phenomenal pace and great overtaking prowess to battle his way up the field. My driver of the day.

4. Charles Leclerc – 8.1

Another good mover on Sunday. A disappointing qualifying had Charles start in 9th but he was quickly making up places. He used the overcut to get ahead of Sainz but couldn’t overtake Piastri for the second time to get into 5th. It would of course not matter as he would jump up to 4th anyway.

5. Carlos Sainz – 8.1

Sainz pulled off a great performance in the wet qualifying to take 3rd, punching above the Williams’ weight. He wasn’t able to hold on as he was overtaken by faster cars, but he was still solidly ahead of the chasing pack. This all but secures Williams’ 5th place in the Championship.

6. Isack Hadjar – 7.7

Hadjar took advantage of his teammate locking up in turn 1 to gain two positions, and from there kept his finishing place despite being overtaken by Piastri and Leclerc once they got up to speed. He followed Sainz home for solid points.

7. Nico Hulkenberg – 7.9

A quietly great result for Nico. Qualified just outside the top 10 in 11th and drove well to get up to 9th before the McLaren DSQ. Sauber continue to catch Haas and Aston Martin and could definitely steal 7th in the Championship.

8. Lewis Hamilton – 4.2

Another nightmare for Lewis. As has been the form this season, he looks comfortable in practise but then performance just disappears on a Saturday and Sunday. He qualified last when setting a time for the first time in his career and looks out of sorts in his Ferrari during the race. He was able to get back up to 10th at the flag but mistakes halted his progress. He can’t wait for this year to finish and doesn’t look enthused about next year either.

9. Esteban Ocon – 7.6

Esteban finally outscored his teammate in Vegas. He went for a longer first stint that gave him an advantage to overtake his teammate to lead the team home. They didn’t quite make the points on the night but both got in post-race.

10. Ollie Bearman – 7.5

No more big points for Ollie this time around. The Haas’ lined up together on the grid and finished together. Still, more points for the young Brit.

11. Fernando Alonso – 6.5

Only two more races in this car for Fernando, and he can’t wait. He never really got close to the points and was fighting the middle tail end, if that’s even a thing.

12. Yuki Tsunoda – 2.5

Forgettable weekend for Yuki. Didn’t get far in qualifying, started in the pitlane after Red Bull changed his set up but didn’t do anything for him. I don’t think I even saw him in the race so your guess is as good as mine.

13. Pierre Gasly – 4.0

Another one we saw very little of on Sunday morning. Gasly couldn’t repeat his Vegas speed from the last 2 years. He was the last driver to finish on the lead lap, in an irrelevant no-man’s land.

14. Liam Lawson – 3.5

Liam caused his own issues in Vegas. He outbraked himself at the first corner, connected with Piastri and damaged his front wing in the process. He had to limp home as the wing got caught on his front right tyre, falling way back from the field. He wasn’t able to catch back up and ended a lap down.

15. Franco Colapinto – 2.5

Honestly, I have literally nothing to say about Franco. Let’s move on.

16. Alex Albon – 3.1

Alex retired on Lap 35 in Vegas, ending his misery. His radio wasn’t working from the off, he damaged his front wing trying to overtake Hamilton, got a 5-second penalty for his troubles and then had to retire the car. Crikey.

17. Gabriel Bortoleto – 2.2

Another one that went too deep in the first corner, not only ending his race but also Lance Stroll’s. Gabriel sent it down the inside, got on the dirty line and used Stroll as a break. Bortoleto limped around before retiring on Lap 2.

18. Lance Stroll – 5.0

For once, Lance crashed out of a race and it wasn’t his fault in the slightest. As above, Bortoleto outbraked himself and Lance was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Game Over.

19. Lando Norris – 7.9

Despite going too deep defending from Verstappen at Turn 1 to lose the lead, it was all going pretty smoothly for Lando. He was due to extend his championship lead and effectively knock Verstappen out of the running. But the racing Gods intervened to make it much closer going into Qatar. It wasn’t a vintage performance for the McLaren but was able to recover past Russell, who overtook him on Lap 1 as well and showed good pace before having to drop back to save fuel late on.

20. Oscar Piastri – 7.2

Oscar continues to struggle compared to his teammate in the McLaren. He qualified 5th, lost a few spots at the start after getting hit by Lawson, but was making them back up as the race went on. He got 4th place on the road from Antonelli after the Italian served his 5 second penalty at the flag but he still lost ground to his teammate. Until the DSQs which ironically keep him in the title fight.

Verstappen Wins again in Baku as McLaren falter

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 21: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing Second placed George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Third placed Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams and Paul Monaghan, Head of Car Engineering of Oracle Red Bull Racing on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 21, 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Andrew Ferraro/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202509210492 // Usage for editorial use only //

Let’s face it, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a bit of a shocker. Well, not if you are a Max Verstappen fan, who won at a canter. All the excitement happened on Saturday during qualifying with a record-breaking 6 red flags coming out to play. This meant that qualifying was actually longer than the race, a crazy 100 minutes long.

Once the 5 red lights went out on Sunday, the race didn’t deliver what the mixed-up grid promised. We had Carlos Sainz and Williams on the front row, Championship leader Piastri was in 10th after causing one of the red flags, and his title rival was only 7th as well. We were expecting the quicker cars making their way through the field, but we were left disappointed.

Piastri’s bad weekend ended after only 5 corners. He moved too early at the start and got mobbed by the field as he tried to correct his error as the lights actually went out. Now at the back of the field, he out braked himself going into Turn 5, locked up and slid into barriers.

This gave his two title rivals a massive opportunity, but only one was able to take advantage. Verstappen led from the front, in a class of one to win easily while Norris didn’t make up any ground from his 7th place start, stuck in DRS trains all afternoon but never really showed great pace anyway.

Elsewhere, Russell used the alternate strategy well to jump up to 2nd and Carlos Sainz completed his weekend with a fantastic podium finish for Williams, their first in 4 years.

There were some other great performances, which we will get to, but overall, it was a pretty lacklustre race around the streets of Baku. We even had the disappointment of the threatened race not materialising, which would have really spiced things up. Anywoo, into the ratings.

1. Max Verstappen – 8.1

It felt inevitable once he took pole and his main rivals were in the midfield that Max would win this race. He got away well, navigated the early safety car restart and slowly disappeared into the distance to put himself back on the outskirts of a title challenge.

2. George Russell – 8.5

Georgy-boy once again quietly got on with business this weekend. Suffering from a bad case of the flu, he dragged himself and his Mercedes onto the podium. He utilised the Hard-Medium tyre strategy well, putting in the pace when in clear air to jump the field and take second. Another weekend maximised.

3. Carlos Sainz – 8.9

Performance of the weekend from Carlos. He got his Williams onto the front row on Saturday, navigating a tricky qualifying session while his teammate caused the first red flag of the day. He remained second at the start and kept within touching distance of Verstappen for a while until the Red Bull showed its pace advantage. We also didn’t see much of Carlos but he pace was great and delivered the result Williams deserve this season. Driver of the Day.

4. Kimi Antonelli – 8.3

This is more like it from Kimi. Just when he needed a great performance to calm the doubters, he delivered. He boldly passed his teammate at the safety car restart, after starting 5th, to be running in with a chance of a podium, but he should be very happy with 4th. He showed the pace and aggression that we should expect from him.

5. Liam Lawson – 8.3

Lawson continues to put in great performances at the moment; this is his best finish in F1. He was the cork in the bottle for much of this race, running in 3rd until the pit stops, but held his own and didn’t come under much pressure from the chasing pack, despite them being on his tail pretty much all race. He has been the better Racing Bull since the Summer Break, and really, before that as well.

6. Yuki Tsunoda – 7.5

Again, more progress here from Yuki. Qualified in 6th, finished in 6th. Was the main chaser in the Lawson train, Red Bull would have expected him to get past, but at this point, at least he is scoring points! Held Lando off as well at the end.

7. Lando Norris – 6.9

Whatever he or McLaren may say otherwise, this was a massive opportunity missed for Lando. With his main title rival out of the race, it was a chance to scrap back points. He did do this, but not as many as is needed. He was quite passive in the race I thought. Was asleep at the safety car restart, got jumped by Leclerc and that really stuck Lando in position. A slow pit-stop didn’t help his progress, but his pace wasn’t electrifying when needed. He did eventually got past on Lap 41 to finish 7th and close the gap to Oscar to 25 points. However, this will be another instance if he looks back in December having not won the title, that will stand out as a reason why.

8. Lewis Hamilton – 7.1

Another disappointing qualifying for Hamilton, starting 12th. He went for the alternate Hard to Medium strategy and looked racey! He was running towards the back of the Lawson DRS train and got a big tyre differential when he pitted on Lap 36 for mediums. He closed like a madman on the pack in front, team orders got him ahead of his teammate but he couldn’t make inroads on Norris. He attempted to let his teammate back through but a combination of late Ferrari comms and a misjudgement from Hamilton resulted in a botched attempt.

9. Charles Leclerc – 7.1

Leclerc was another driver who binned it in Quali to bring out a red flag, starting 10th. The pace was looking promising for Ferrari on Friday but, once again, this didn’t convert. Like Lando, Charles was stuck in DRS trains all day and couldn’t make progress. He let his fast-approaching teammate through late on to have a go at the cars in front, and in typical Ferrari fashion, they messed up giving the place back on the finish line, so Charles was stuck in 9th.

10. Isack Hadjar – 7.1

A solitary point for Isack, but he fell back in the race from 8th. He didn’t quite have the pace of his teammate, but still a points finish. Not much else to say really!

11. Gabriel Bortoleto – 7.1

Bortoleto led the second half of this race, finishing 30 seconds back from Isack in 10th. He made up positions from his starting place of 13th, but that was as good as it was getting.

12. Ollie Bearman – 7.1

Clawed his way up from 15th and finished just behind Bortoleto for best of the rest. Again, very quiet race.

13. Alex Albon – 5.5

Rough weekend for Alex. Crashed early in Q1 to start at the back and hung around the back of the field for most of the race. On his way to 13th, he picked up a 10-second time penalty for colliding with Franco Colapinto.

14. Esteban Ocon – 7.2

Was disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement so started at the back. He made his way back up to 14th, which isn’t too bad, considering.

15. Fernando Alonso – 7.2

Fernando was unfortunate to start just behind Piastri as he reacted to Oscar jumping the start, so he jumped the start himself. The resulting 10-second penalty was costly as he was running in the points but got stuck behind slower cars to finish 15th.

16. Nico Hulkenberg – 6.2

Outperformed by his teammate, again! Starting 17th and finished 16th, very quiet from the Hulk.

17. Lance Stroll – 5.5

Lance qualified 14th and went back in the race. Kind of typical for the Canadian this season if the session is dry.

18. Pierre Gasly – 6.2

One of two drivers to be a lap down in Baku. The other being his teammate. This Alpine is just so tricky the moment, and Pierre has signed up to multiple more years of it. Eek.

19. Franco Colapinto – 5.9

He was at the back of the field all weekend, and once he was spun around by Alex Albon’s Williams, he wasn’t able to re-attach to the pack. Last on the road once again.

20. Oscar Piastri – 1.5

Nightmare weekend for Oscar. He didn’t look comfortable throughout practice and crashed in Q3 to put himself in the pack for the race. He got a bit trigger-happy with the clutch to jump the start and dropped all the way to the back because of it. He would be put out of his misery at Turn 5, as he outbraked himself, and found himself right at the scene of the accident with one of his wheels pointing in the wrong direction. A really strange weekend from the previously in-flappable Australian. He will need to put it behind him and regain his composure in Singapore.

Piastri Wins as Norris suffered Title blow

Oscar Piastri won an action-packed Dutch Grand Prix as Lando Norris suffered a big title blow as an oil leak ended his race prematurely. In a race that saw three safety cars periods following three retirements, and a couple of virtual safety cars to clear up debris from clashes immediately after said safety cars, we got a mixed up finishing order.

It was a nightmare day for Ferrari, the first double DNF since the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix. Hamilton and Leclerc crashed at the same corner, but with differing levels of responsibility for their exits.

Verstappen and Hadjar completed the podium in what was a fantastic performance by the young Frenchman to further his case for rookie of the season.

Behind them, the Aston Martins both got into the points for the first time since Singapore 2022, which is a crazy stat!

Other notable finishes are Ollie Bearman, who finished 6th after starting at the back. We will get into why in a moment but great result for Bearman who breaks his 11th place streak nicely.

In all, an absorbing race with plenty of action. A great way to restart the season. Let’s get into the ratings:

1. Oscar Piastri – 8.5

Oscar drove an assured race from pole. He held the lead into Turn 1 and pulled a gap to Verstappen in the early laps before Norris got past. This buffer would disappear with the safety cars, but he wasn’t threatened by his teammate at the restarts. It looked like he had it all under control from the get-go and got his first career grand slam in the process.

2. Max Verstappen – 8.2

Max maximised in Holland. His car clearly was no match for the McLarens, but he maintained his podium finish until Lando retired and promoted him to 2nd. He wins save of the day for his lap 1 hold when going around the outside of Lando into the banked corner. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. There was a small chance at victory at the final restart with Max on softs and Piastri on hards but he couldn’t get close enough. Solid result.

3. Isack Hadjar – 9.5

Driver of the day! Phenomenal performance from Hadjar, fully deserved podium. He qualified 4th, got off the line well and held his own in 4th for much of the race. He was never too far from Verstappen and survived the restarts. Fully, fully deserved.

4. George Russell – 8.1

Mr reliable Russell! Another maximiser. Was running in 6th, for most of the first half until he was promoted to 5th after the safety period caught Ferrari and Leclerc out. Promoted to 4th after Norris retired, solid points. Job done.

5. Alex Albon – 8.9

Stunner from Albon, aided massively by a great lap 1, gaining 5 places from his 15th starting position. Took advantage of others in front of him making errors or retiring to move up to 5th. As he said in his post-race interview, “I was in 10th, finished and finished 5th” – perfectly summed up.

6. Oliver Bearman – 8.9

Great strategic race from Haas. Starting last, Ollie was stuck on the hards to go uber long, take track position in case of safety cars and pit late on to take advantage of late safety. Tick, tick and tick. Exactly how they drew it up!

7. Lance Stroll – 8.5

Lovely result for Stroll. Pitted first on lap 8, was able to gain track position at the first safety car as he stayed out, pitted again during the final safety car but also just took advantage of chaos ahead to finish 7th.

8. Fernando Alonso – 8.4

Was frustrated to have pitted a couple laps before Hamilton crashed, losing out to those around him who were able to get a cheap pitstop. But fortune turned around at the end when he did the same back. Was running 10th, inherited 9th from Norris and then got 8th after Antonelli’s penalties.

9. Yuki Tsunoda – 7.5

An ok points finish for Yuki after being knocked out of Q2 once again. Not much was seen of him really, and he was promoted due to other crashing out. Story of the race really.

10. Esteban Ocon –

Another go-long merchant! Started on hards, pitted for mediums on Lap 53 and just moved up quite efficiently to complete the points.

11. Franco Colapinto – 7.5

So close to his first points of the season for Franco – 0.5 seconds! A better performance from the Argentine, his best result of the season but hard not to look at the number of retirements as helping this cause. Briatore did come out and say it was his best performance of the year – which is positive for Franco’s long term future, he needs to get into the boss’ good books.

12. Liam Lawson – 7.3

Lawson was running in the points until coming together with Sainz at the first safety car restart. Both got a puncture and dropped a lap down. They were put back on the lead lap at the final safety car, but couldn’t get back into the points.

13. Carlos Sainz – 7.3

The other half of the Lawson / Sainz accident, and apparently the one to blame, as he got a 10-second time penalty. I think this was harsh. Carlos was far enough alongside at the point of Lawson’s oversteer moment for this to be a racing incident. It ruined both their races but it was a better showing from Carlos in Zandvoort and probably would have finished ahead of his teammate.

14. Nico Hulkenberg – 6.0

An inconspicuous weekend for Sauber in Holland. I don’t think we ever really saw them in the race. Qualified 17th and finished 15th. Couldn’t use the safety cars either.

15. Gabriel Bortoleto – 5.7

Gabby fell back in the race, which is unusual for the recent past. Again, an inconspicuous weekend for the Brazilian.

16. Kimi Antonelli – 5.2

The summer break didn’t have the intended effect on the young Italian as his rough weekends continued. A spin early in FP1 ended his session, but he recovered somewhat to qualify 11th. He moved up in the race, taking advantage of the chaos in front as well as a good overtake on Alex Albon. But then it fell apart. An extremely optimistic overtake attempt on Leclerc at the banked Turn 3 ended with a broken Ferrari and Antonelli with a 10-second penalty. This penalty pushed him out of the points at the flag.

17. Pierre Gasly – 6.5

A tricky weekend for Pierre and a rare one where he is beaten by a teammate. Finishing last on the road didn’t paint the whole picture as he was running in and around the points until the final safety car dropped him to the back.

18. Lando Norris – 7.5

Devastating result for Lando as he was hunting down his teammate for a late go at the lead and closing the gap in the championship. An oil leak caused by a chassis failure cut off his engine with 7 laps to go. He was looking the quickest McLaren during practice, but couldn’t translate that to pole in Quali. This was probably his downfall from winning the race, but the DNF could be championship-defining.

19. Charles Leclerc – 7.7

Charles was battling for a podium when he was taken out by Antonelli, ending his race. He lost out at the first safety car, caused by his teammate, but made up some spots, including a ballsy overtake over Russell, and was battling his way back up until he tangled with the Mercedes rookie. A real shame for the Ferrari driver.

20. Lewis Hamilton – 6.0

An uncharacteristic mistake from the 7-time World Champion as he ran wide at Turn 3, slid on the advertising, snapped oversteer and found himself at the scene of the accident. He was running nicely in the top DRS train behind Hadjar before the incident. A double whammy as well for Lewis is the 5-place penalty in Monza for ignoring yellow flags on his reconnaissance lap.

2025 Mid-Season Driver Ratings

IMOLA, ITALY - MAY 18: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W16 Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes and the rest of the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 18, 2025 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The F1 summer break, a month-long shutdown of all F1 activities, doesn’t just give the teams a well-deserved rest, but it also allows us to gather our thoughts and reflect on the season so far, and look forward to a 10-race run in that promises to be a thriller between the two McLarens for the title.

It’s been an intriguing championship so far, one dominated by McLaren with some quality performances from the chasing pack, most notably Nico Hulkenberg’s first podium in the Sauber at his 239th attempt, at Silverstone. I have been grading each driver’s performance out of 10 for each race so far, hopefully you have been reading them, and have given them all an average over the first 14 races of the season. Let’s see how well I have done, and if I even agree with the scores I have given them.

21. Franco Colapinto – 5.43

Franco replaced Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix and hasn’t made the difference Alpine were looking for. There have been a few crashes and no points for the Argentine. His best score was 7.1 at the Canadian Grand Prix where he finished 13th, equalling Doohan’s best result.

20. Jack Doohan – 5.56

The pressure was on Jack before a wheel was turned, as soon as Colapinto was signed, it felt like the clock was ticking. Doohan wasn’t able to get on his teammate’s pace and also crashed the car a few too many times, maybe pushing too hard, especially when he tried to take turn 1 at Suzuka with the DRS open!

19. Lance Stroll – 6.27

It’s been another quiet season for Lance, apart from when it rains. In the two wet races of the season, Australia and Britain, Lance has recorded by far his best results of 6th and 7th, respectively. He did score a surprise 7th in Hungary after Aston Martin’s upgraded car really clicked, but apart from these, he hasn’t really been anywhere and continues to be the most frustrating driver on the grid.

18. Liam Lawson – 6.29

This has been a rollercoaster debut campaign for Liam Lawson. From being unceremoniously demoted from Red Bull to Racing Bulls after only two races, to scoring points in 3 of the last 4 races and outperforming his teammate consistently in that period. His average has been hurt by those early races, both in the low 3, while he has scored a 9.2, an 8.3 and 8.1 in the aforementioned points finishes.

17. Yuki Tsunoda – 6.3

The curse of the Red Bull second seat has worked against Yuki this season. He started well in the Racing Bull, being in and around the points, but hasn’t been at that level since. He has only scored points 3 times in the Red Bull for 4 points. He has really struggled to get on top of this car, which has finally made the team evaluate if they are the issue, not the driver.

16. Gabriel Bortoleto – 6.58

Now, I disagree with myself here. I think Bortoleto has been really solid this season. He started the season with outqualifying his teammate, but couldn’t get the races right, but has now started to do that. Like Lawson, he has scored points in 3 of the last 4 races before the summer break. He should be higher really.

15. Esteban Ocon – 6.75

Esteban has had an up-and-down season, following the form of his car. He has had great races, like in China, but then races where he has been non-existent. He has been ever-so-slightly outperformed by his rookie teammate as well, who has felt more consistent.

14. Carlos Sainz – 6.77

Carlos hasn’t got to grips with his Williams consistently enough for a driver of his talent. He has had some great results, Jeddah for example, but has been outperformed by Albon and has really tailed off in the second half of the first half. His qualifying hasn’t helped him, starting further back and having to battle through.

13. Oliver Bearman – 6.79

Similar to Ocon, Bearman’s form has fluctuated like his car’s suitability to the tracks. He scored his first points in China, and continued that streak until Bahrain, but hasn’t scored since. However, he finished 11th four times between Canada and Belgium, showing a more consistent hand than his teammate and could have collected many more points if the chips had fallen another way.

12. Kimi Antonelli – 6.91

Kimi has had some great highs during his maiden season; his podium in Canada and his sprint pole in Miami topped those highs but we can’t forget he started his career with a 4th and two 6ths! He has been unfortunate with reliability as well, retiring from the points in Imola and Spain but has made mistakes that resulted in DNFs as well. It’s been a true rookie season as he gets to grips with F1. He lost his way towards the summer break as the upgrades made to the Mercedes changed its drivability. Hopefully, the break can give him some space to re-adjust and come back stronger.

11. Isack Hadjar – 7.14

Another one that surprised me when the averages came out, I thought he would be higher. Hadjar has been the surprise of the season and the rookie of the year for me. After his terrible start in Australia, he has shown really strong speed, especially in qualifying. He has finished in the points 5 times and was strategized out of at least 2 more by the Racing Bulls team. He has had a tricky run since Canada, but his acclimatisation to the big stage has been impressive after such a tricky start in Australia.

10. Max Verstappen – 7.15

I know what you are thinking, are you mad having Verstappen only 10th!!? Well, I scored him a 1 for his misdemeanour on Russell in Spain so that really dented his average. A score I stand by, by the way, you can’t be deliberately driving into people. This season sums up the enigma that is Max Verstappen so well. He has almighty drives like in Japan and Imola, where you think ‘Only he can do that’, but then has those moments of red mist, as in Spain. It reminds me of Michael Schumacher; undeniably one of the best to do it, but they have questionable moments that are beneath their talents. The Red Bull has got progressively worse over the course of the season and is now probably the 3rd or 4th best car, but Max has only been out of the top 6, twice, with 4 podiums. Without the 1 in Spain, he would be right up there, but shoulda, woulda, coulda!

9. Pierre Gasly – 7.25

Pierre has had to deal with the slowest car on the grid this season but has taken the opportunities given to him. His weekend in Bahrain was fantastic, qualifying in 6th around much faster cars and holding onto 7th for Alpine’s first points. When he’s been able to get on top of the car, its worked but more often than not, he hasn’t been able to trouble the points. Another stand out performance was 6th in Great Britain, taking advantage of the wet weather chaos. Is Pierre’s talents being wasted at Alpine? Almost certainly.

8. Lewis Hamilton – 7.36

The final surprise of the averages. I think Lewis wouldn’t be in my top ten if I wrote a 2025 driver list off the top of my head, but when you look at his results, he has only not scored points in two races. China and Hungary. And he was disqualified in China through no fault of his own. It’s the colossal expectations that came with his move to Ferrari and Lewis’ negative talk about himself that has made this such a tricky season to watch. It hasn’t been disastrous but he has been thoroughly outperformed by Leclerc. The sprint win in China is the peak of his season so far, with three 4ths, two 5ths and 2 6ths, again not disastrous but not up to his very high standards.

7. Fernando Alonso – 7.37

Fernando didn’t score points until Spain, and is tied in the championship with this teammate, who ranks 19th on this list, so you are probably wondering, why is he so high up? Well, let me explain. He retired from points-paying positions in Monaco and China, a safety car cost him in Imola and he was driving a dog of a car to 11th 3 times. Oh, and since Spain, he has scored points in every race, bar Belgium. His best result of 5th came in Hungary just before the summer break. Despite being ancient by F1 standards, his performance levels haven’t dropped; he can be trusted to maximise whatever car he is in. He is the eternal man.

6. Alex Albon – 7.47

Alex started the season so strongly, scoring points in 7 of the first 8 races, until a 3-race reliability-induced DNF streak derailed his momentum. Since then, he has scored 2 out of 3 before the summer break. What a turnaround from last year. While his teammate has been struggling, Alex has been leading the team to 5th in the championship with fantastic consistency. Even with Williams giving up development of their car very early, looking at his season as a whole, you wouldn’t really notice.

5. Nico Hulkenberg – 7.7

You may think this score is propped up by his podium at the British Grand Prix (which is my drive of the season so far), but Nico actually leads the pack with three 9+ scores at the Spanish, Austrian and British GPs, as well as an 8.4 in Canada during that 4-race points streak. While he has been out-qualified by his teammate, Nico has shown great racecraft and experience to take the flashy results, showing exactly why Sauber and Audi wanted him in the first place.

4. George Russell – 7.8

This has been George’s strongest season in F1, truly stepping into a leadership position at Mercedes. He has barely put a foot wrong, been consistently fast and only been out of the top 6, twice. He has stood on the podium 6 times, including a great win in Canada. Looking back, I think he should really be ahead of Leclerc in 3rd place, but his teammate’s proximity early in the season may have affected my scoring, reluctant to give him particularly big scores. For example, Bahrain really should be in the 9s with his late electronic issues while holding off a much quicker Lando Norris, but I only gave him 8.8. You live and learn, but this shouldn’t take anything away from George.

3. Charles Leclerc – 7.87

Comparing Charles and George more, I think that George started with a better car, as Charles’ Ferrari was very temperamental and difficult, especially in difficult conditions. The results point to George having the better season, but I’ve been very impressed with Charles’ ability to pull a result out – thinking sticking it on the front row in Monaco to secure 2nd, that fantastic one-stop in Saudi, comfortably leading in Hungary before reliability caught up with him, and that great drive in Spain for a podium. What they have in common was the Ferrari didn’t deserve to be there, but Charles did. That is what has impressed me so much this season from the Monegasque. There we go, I got there! Convinced myself that my scoring and order, are in fact, right. Nicely done James.

2. Lando Norris – 7.97

We have made it to the two easiest scores of the day. Lando has had the slight raw speed over his teammate over the season, but mistakes have cost him points and momentum during this first half, thinking back to Saudi Arabia and, of course, Canada. This has been coupled with sublime performances like Australia, Austria and Monaco, where he has shown his class and bottle. Winning 3 of the last 4 races has brought him right back into play with his teammate for the Championship, who has just been consistent. I feel you must have noticed from this post that I value consistency in drivers!

1. Oscar Piastri – 8.13

Oscar has stepped it up a notch this year. He was outperformed quite comprehensively by Norris last year, but Piastri has been the performer of the season so far, no doubt. He lost at least 15 points when sliding off track in Australia, but since then has been virtually faultless. I still don’t think he should have got that penalty at Silverstone that cost him victory. He has shown speed, mental toughness, and a no-holds-barred approach to racing that has put him in this position and shown why he has won every category he has ever raced in. Don’t put it past him to complete the set this year.

Lando Norris Triumphs at Hungarian Grand Prix

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - AUGUST 03: Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes crosses the finish line to cheers from his team on the pit wall during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 03, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

Lando Norris won a tense and engrossing race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, setting up the perfect 10-race championship run-in between the McLaren teammates once the season starts again after the summer break.

The McLarens looked to have the dominant package throughout practice and all but two runs of qualifying, but a change of wind conditions put the pack on their back. Charles Leclerc took a sensational pole ahead of the McLarens, with the top 5 separated by 0.1 seconds and 3 teams. The closest in years. This set up a finely poised race with the favoured McLarens unable to run and hide.

At the front, Leclerc maintained the lead from Piastri, but Norris lost 2 spots to Russell and Alonso, as he got pinched on the inside into turn 1. He took a lap or two to get past Alonso but found himself stuck behind Russell. McLaren decided to switch Norris’ strategy to a one-stop, which would be race-defining. With everyone around him opting for the theoretically quicker two-stop, this would give him track position to defend late on, which he would expertly hold on to from his teammate to take the victory. Piastri gave it a good go to overtake, nearly taking them both out on the penultimate lap, but luckily for him, narrowly avoided contact at Turn 1.

Leclerc would fall away dramatically in the 2nd half of the race and lose out on a podium to Russell. Behind the leading pack, Verstappen finished 9th in a difficult weekend for Red Bull. He was beaten by both Aston Martins, former teammate Lawson and Bortoleto in a great weekend for the midfield battle.

Right, let’s get into the driver ratings!

Lando Norris – 8.8

A disastrous start for Lando turned out to be a blessing in disguise for his race. Being stuck behind the slower Russell made McLaren rethink his strategy, swapping him to a one-stop. This would give Lando track position over the two-stoppers, but he would have to walk a fine line between tyre management and speed to give himself a chance to win. He did this expertly, pushing at the right times, conserving his tyres through the middle sector and ensuring his rivals used theirs. While his teammate was catching him quickly towards the end as Lando got through traffic, he didn’t make any mistakes and took an essential victory going into the summer break.

Oscar Piastri – 7.9

Oscar probably feels hard done by the racing gods; he didn’t do anything wrong, yet he was beaten by his teammate due to a better strategy. He stalked Leclerc for most of the race, trying the undercut and overcut to no avail, but eventually got past on lap 51 as Leclerc struggled with chassis issues. He quickly set off after his one-stopping teammate but really just ran out of laps, catching properly with 2 laps to go. One crazy divebomb that nearly took out both of them later, he settled for 2nd. He was a lucky boy, he was perilously close to ending both their races. Lando actually avoided the incident, making a small adjustment at the apex to give Oscar more room. Lucky, lucky Aussie.

George Russell – 8.3

Give the man a bloody contract already! How many times does George have to show team-leading maturity and consistency to convince Mercedes he is the future? Another podium for the Brit in what is his best season in F1. Qualified 4th, kept in touch with the leaders and then picked up the spoils of Ferrari’s woes when the opportunity arose. More points, and he deserves more money.

Charles Leclerc – 8.5

A frustrating afternoon in Budapest for Charles. He led from an incredible pole into the first corner and built a nice buffer to Piastri through the first two stints, up to around 4 seconds. However, a chassis issue from Lap 40 would derail his victory bid, losing buckets of time, eventually finishing 4th and 40 seconds back. That would be tough to take. Hard to judge as well, didn’t put a foot wrong and outperformed the car. Without the issues, I think he would have caught Norris and challenged for the win. Passing is another matter.

Fernando Alonso – 8.3

A veteran’s drive from Alonso. Temporarily up to 4th in the opening stages before Norris got past, he eked out his tyres to perform the one stop, maintaining track position and coming home a comfortable 5th. The Aston Martin was a much better car in Hungary compared to Spa, where the team brought upgrades, without the team really understanding why. Whatever the reason, give Fernando a good car and he will deliver.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 8.5

A fantastic result for Bortoleto! A fantastic weekend all around really. He started 7th, got ahead of Stroll for 6th and brought the car home in front of the Canadian. Another good utilisation of the one-stop. While Hulkenberg has had the flashy result for Sauber in 2025, this is as impressive to me. Consistent and fast, exactly what you need to have a long career in F1. Really impressive from Bortoleto.

Lance Stroll – 8.2

Lance shadowed his teammate all weekend, starting on the 3rd row with him and finishing less than 10 seconds behind at the flag. Lance, incredibly, was only 0.15 seconds off pole as well! It does show that Lance can do it; I don’t think anyone actually doubts that; it’s just so few and far between for our liking.

Liam Lawson – 8.1

The last 5 races couldn’t have gone better for Lawson to cement his place on the grid for 2026. Another top 10 qualifying and points finish for the Kiwi in Hungary. He has been the best Racing Bull coming into the summer break which has been quite the turnaround.

Max Verstappen – 6.5

It was a struggle from the off for Max as he couldn’t get on top of balance issues in pretty much every session. It looked a 50/50 chance he would make it into Q3 but was able to qualify 9th and didn’t progress from there in the race, despite a few nice overtakes into the chicane. He finished 70 seconds behind the victor, unheard of in this ground effect era. His cheeky move over Lewis Hamilton into the high-speed Turn 4 was brave so he gets a couple extra points to his score.

Kimi Antonelli – 7.5

Kimi returned to the points in Hungary with a 10th-place finish with a good recovery drive after qualifying 15th. He was one of the earliest one-stoppers to pit, took advantage of the tyres to get track position and held onto it.

Isack Hadjar – 7.1

Hadjar was hampered as he had to wait an extra lap for his pit stop when others dived in and got track position over him in the one-stop race, dropping him out of the top-10. He hunted down Antonelli for that last point in the closing stages, but couldn’t find a way around, and just missed out on points.

Lewis Hamilton – 6.1

Yet another disappointing weekend that started with promise for Lewis. He looked quick during the practise sessions but when it came to quali, the pace fell away and it was another Q2 knockout. He went with the alternate strategy for the race, starting on the hards but couldn’t make it work. Started 12th, finished 12th.

Nico Hulkenberg – 6.9

Nico was thoroughly outperformed by his teammate in Hungary. He was knocked out in Q1, starting 18th but was one of the few drivers to make the two-stop work. He pitted very early on Lap 5 and then again on Lap 40, to make his way up to 13th.

Carlos Sainz – 6.5

Struggles all round for Williams, the car didn’t look quick all weekend. Like Barcelona, the Hungaroring’s long, medium-speed corners didn’t suit the Williams. Carlos did outqualify and out-race his teammate, which is always a plus. Williams tried the two-stop and Carlos was making progress on the mediums at the end but ran out of laps to do anything significant.

Alex Albon – 6.5

A Q1 knockout for Alex, and while he did make progress up the field on Sunday, that was really the only way he could go. Another two-stopper but went medium-hard-hard compared to his teammate, which proved the difference between their finishing order, with Carlos getting past in the closing stages.

Esteban Ocon – 6.1

A very ambitious one-stop strategy from Haas for Ocon, pitting on Lap 14 and going on the Hards from there. Unfortunately for Ocon, it wasn’t able to elevate him as he was caught and passed by the two-stoppers in the final 15 laps, finishing 16th.

Yuki Tsunoda – 5.5

Getting tired of starting these with ‘another tricky weekend for Yuki but it WAS another tricky weekend for Yuki. The only silver lining for him is that now Max is really struggling, it takes an ounce of pressure off him, as he is clearly not the problem. He isn’t really helping, though. He qualified 19th, started from the pit lane after setup changes, but they didn’t seem to help and he trundled around at the back, only beating the two Alpines.

Franco Colapinto – 6.2

A rare weekend where Franco beat his teammate in both competitive sessions. He started 14th but fell back in the race as both Alpines struggled to keep up with the pack. They did have a nice battle between themselves on split strategies, with the two-stopping Franco coming out on top. Unfortunately, for both of them, this Alpine is the slowest car on the grid.

Pierre Gasly – 5.8

A poor showing from Pierre this weekend. He finished last on the road after starting 16th. He couldn’t keep up with the cars around him and was beaten by his teammate. He has been really solid this half of the season but couldn’t make up for the car’s lack of pace this time around.

Ollie Bearman – 7.2

Bearman was having a solid weekend until reliability issues scuppered his chances in the race. He was running in the top 10 until he started falling back with floor damage which would retire his car on Lap 48.

Belgian Grand Prix Driver Ratings

It was by no means a classic in Belgium this time around. Once again wet weather actually gets in the way of racing, when it used to produce some of the best action. F1 in 2025 is basically a dry weather sport, which is a damn shame. Once the track was dry enough for this risk averse race director to let us go, Piastri took advantage of the slipstream up to Lecombe to take the lead and not look back. Not much action happened behind unfortunately, apart from Lewis Hamilton rolling back the years to pull off some lovely overtakes on a comeback drive, gifting him points in the process.

Without further ado, let’s get into the ratings:

Oscar Piastri – 9.1

It was a masterful drive from Oscar in Belgium. Starting 2nd on the rolling start, he bravely followed Norris through Eau Rouge and slipstreamed past him on the Kemmel straight to take the lead, and crucially the strategy advantage on a wet-dry track. Once he had the advantage, he didn’t give it back. He held onto his degrading mediums, and didn’t give Lando a sniff, putting in metronomic lap times over the last 25 laps to win by 4 seconds.

Lando Norris – 7.5

A mistake ridden race from Norris which we haven’t seen for a while. He didn’t ace the rolling start, which lost him the lead and then made 3 costly mistakes when hunting down Piastri to take the lead back. He had to settle for 2nd on this occasion and a loss of momentum in the title fight.

Charles Leclerc – 8.7

Charles had a great weekend all round in this seemingly improved Ferrari. He ran third for the whole race, withstanding constant Verstappen pressure to take a very deserved podium.

Max Verstappen – 7.5

Max was hampered by the race officials on Sunday. Red bull opted for a high downforce setup, anticipating wet weather, which they got, but the race director didn’t let them use it. With the race being run in dry conditions for the majority, Verstappen wasn’t able to get past Leclerc on the straights, confining him to 4th.

George Russell – 7.7

A lonely one for George after he passed Albon on Lap 6. He was quicker than the Williams but slower than the cars ahead, eventually finishing 30 seconds off the lead and 16 behind the podium. George is worried about this Mercedes performance slump since his Canada win.

Alex Albon – 8.9

A cracking performance from Albon. His last gasp Quali lap to get him into 5th was mega! Not that we saw because of poor TV direction, but that’s not new. He couldn’t hold off George in the wet but did stop Hamilton in his tracks to take a fantastic 6th for Williams.

Lewis Hamilton – 7.9

I think this was Lewis’ best race for Ferrari despite starting 18th and finishing 7th. His progress up the field in the early stages threw us back to pre-2022. He carved his way through, his late braking moves and brace driving. His move on Gasly was confident! Something we haven’t been able to say for a long time. Fingers crossed this is actually the turning point we are hoping for.

Liam Lawson – 8.3

Another great drive from Lawson. He is stringing a few together now! A good qualifying got him into position and Racing Bulls got the strategy right to maintain 8th place.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 8.6

Bortoleto’s best all round performance to date. He out performed his teammate all weekend, got into Q3 and scored his 2nd ever points. He looked consistently quick and made some nice moves in the race.

Pierre Gasly – 8.1

Valuable point for Gasly and Alpine. Their aggressive strategy paid off, Gasly pitted on Lap 11 with Hamilton to jump up multiple places into 11th and then inherited 10th after Hulkenberg pitted twice.

Ollie Bearman – 7.8

Ollie was unlucky not to get points in the race, after Haas left him and his teammate out too long on the inters and they weren’t able to recover. Ollie just misses out in 11th, gutting.

Nico Hulkenberg – 7.4

Nico was another who missed out on strategy. Sauber decided to pit him a second time when running in 10th, which proved to be the wrong decision. He dropped down to 15th and could only recover to 12th. A valuable point dropped in the very close midfield battle.

Yuki Tsunoda – 7.6

This bottom half is going to follow a similar pattern. Another driver screwed by strategy. Yuki was arguably having his best weekend in a Red Bull, qualifying and running in 7th until a radio mishap meant he ran an extra lap with the inters, dropping him well out of the points. Still, light at the end of the tunnel.

Lance Stroll – 7.1

Honestly have no idea what happened to Stroll, apart from he climbed from 16th to 14th. On paper, not bad. He did make a lovely move on a Haas, which we saw on TV. Other than that, we know he definitely participated.

Esteban Ocon – 6.1

Esteban was not happy with his team, saying they made every mistake possible on Sunday. They left him out way too long on the intermediates and went the wrong way on setup which left him stuck. Ouch.

Kimi Antonelli – 5.3

A struggle for Kimi in Belgium. Wasn’t able to get out of Q1 in both sessions, started from the pit lane in the main race and progressed only to 16th. This Mercedes performance and his confidence have taken a hit. Summer break can’t come soon enough to allow Kimi to reset and go again.

Fernando Alonso – 5.1

Not even Fernando Alonso can cure this Aston Martin. Alonso qualified 19th, started from the pit lane and finished 17th. Even bigger ouch than Ocon.

Carlos Sainz – 5.9

Yet another driver screwed by strategy. Carlos pit on Lap 12 like the rest of the grid but gambled on another on Lap 26 which was, again, a mistake. He wasn’t running in the points so might as well have hit it didn’t work out. Scored points in the sprint though!

Franco Colapinto – 3.5

Another pitlane starter who didn’t trouble the main field. Not much else to say. Like Stroll, we definitely know he participated.

Isak Hadjar – 6.7

Both strategy and car issues put pay to Hadjar’s day. Despite running as the first Racing Bull on the road in the early stages, the team pulled Lawson in first. This cost Hadjar a lap and many positions as he came back out towards the back. However, not all was right with his car, an issue lost him lots of time and ate through his tyres. He finished a lap down.

British Grand Prix Driver Ratings

Silverstone does it again. You can always trust the British Grand Prix to throw up some drama, some rain and some unexpected results. Heavy rain earlier in the day threatened to disrupt the race, but the track was perilously close to drying up by the start. All the cars began the formation lap on intermediate tyres, but a few drivers opted to change to slicks before the start—a decision that would prove costly. From there, we were treated to 52 laps of high-speed drama, slipping, sliding and spinning. At the flag, McLaren emerged in their usual spot for 2025, securing a one-two finish, while other big names like Ferrari and Mercedes struggled with strategy.

It was Lando Norris who came out on top to win his first British Grand Prix after Piastri was harshly penalised for a safety car infringement when leading. The Aussie would have to settle for 2nd, but it was behind the two McLarens, where we will find the driver of the day: Nico Hulkenberg! The Sauber driver came from 19th on the grid to take his first podium, at the 239th time of asking. This has to take the lead as the most popular moment in recent F1 history; the whole paddock was basking in Nico’s success, which was lovely to see.

Now, let’s get into the driver ratings:

Lando Norris

Lando Norris claimed his first British Grand Prix victory, marking his eighth career win. Starting third on the grid, he did well to resist Hamilton’s advances on Lap 1. Soon Norris was on the back of Verstappen, and he overtook on lap 11 only to lose second place immediately during the pit stops. However, he regained the position after Verstappen’s mistake at the safety car restart. Norris ultimately inherited the lead after Piastri was penalised for a safety car infringement, but looked like he would have been able to take the fight to his teammate if not for the penalty. We will never know, though, and history will only remember a Norris victory.
Driver Rating: 8.5

Oscar Piastri

When Piastri took the lead from Verstappen on Lap 8 and stretched his lead to 12 seconds, he could be forgiven for thinking a win was his. The safety cars scuppered him, though; first, nullifying his lead, followed by a controversial penalty for erratic driving that cost him the victory. Despite this, he drove a strong race and was unlucky to miss out on the top step of the podium.
Driver Rating: 8.2

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg delivered the drive of the day, and likely drive of the year, starting 19th and finishing 3rd. His strategy was flawless, pitting for fresh intermediates just as the rain intensified and switching to mediums at the perfect time. Hulkenberg was one of the few drivers to make no discernible mistakes and capitalised on others’ errors to secure his first podium in 239 races. Once he got into his podium position, he drove expertly to pull away from the pack and secure Sauber’s first podium in 13 years.
Driver Rating: 9.7

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton showed promise early in the weekend, topping practice sessions and narrowly missing out on pole position. However, the Ferrari really struggled in the wet conditions, and Hamilton battled balance issues throughout the race. He lost time in the final pit stops and couldn’t catch Hulkenberg, finishing fourth. Despite the challenges, it was one of Hamilton’s better results this season.
Driver Rating: 8.1

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen took pole position with a flawless lap but struggled in the race due to Red Bull’s gamble on a low-downforce setup, which was ill-suited to the wet conditions. Verstappen grappled with a tail-happy car and graining tyres, uncharacteristically spinning at the safety car restart and dropping to tenth. He recovered to fifth, but it was a day of damage limitation for the reigning champion.
Driver Rating: 7.7

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly had a really solid race, making the right strategic decisions and gaining positions during pit stops. He fought with Hamilton and Russell for much of the second half of the race, but couldn’t match their pace ultimately. He dispatched Stroll to take 6th late one, an important result for Alpine, who languish at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship
Driver Rating: 8.5

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll ran as high as third during the race despite a sub-optimal strategy. He wasn’t able to hold on as he struggled with severe tyre degradation as the track dried, eventually finishing seventh. Despite the drop, it was a commendable performance from the Canadian, who often faces criticism, not least from me.
Driver Rating: 8.1

Alex Albon

Alex Albon scored points for Williams after a tricky couple of races. He stayed out of trouble and delivered a consistent performance to finish eighth.
Driver Rating: 7.9

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso started seventh but could only manage ninth at the finish. He expressed frustration with the team’s strategy but still secured valuable points for Aston Martin.
Driver Rating: 7.8

George Russell

George Russell’s race was marred by poor strategy decisions from Mercedes, even before the race had started. He was one of the car to pit on the formation lap, and Mercedes chased strategy calls from there. It was a strange decision to go with new hards, twice, on a drying track when tyre temperature is crucial. They went early with their decision to go with dries towards the end, and got the decision wrong for the 2nd time, causing Russell to lose bundles of time. He would have to settle for a point when, at times, a podium looked like a possibility…miraculously.
Driver Rating: 7.5

Ollie Bearman

Ollie Bearman was the only rookie to finish the race, coming home in 11th. He had a few clumsy moments, which included hitting his teammate, and pulling off a beautifully choreographed double spin and Brooklands. Despite this, he did manage to finish ahead of Ocon.
Driver Rating: 7.1

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz had an up-and-down race. His performance was hindered by strategic missteps and a late coming together with Leclerc when the Ferrari driver lost control at Stowe, pushing them both out of the points.
Driver Rating: 7.3

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon was caught in several incidents, including a collision with his teammate. He finished 13th after a challenging race.
Driver Rating: 7.2

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc had a nightmare race, pitting too early for slicks on the formation lap and struggling with pace throughout. It was one of his worst performances as a Ferrari driver with multiple mistakes and excursions across the grass and gravel traps.
Driver Rating: 5.2

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda finished last on the road for the second consecutive race. He struggled for pace and was the only driver to be lapped. Just when the curse of the 2nd Red Bull seat looks like it hits rock bottom, the bottom falls out again. Where/when will this end?
Driver Rating: 4.5

Did Not Finishers

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli was taken out early in the race after being hit by Isack Hadjar. He was unable to continue with most of his diffuser missing.
Driver Rating: 5.0

Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar caused the collision with Antonelli, which led to him losing control and crashing heavily at Copse. It was a slow weekend all round for the Racing Bulls team, a learning opportunity for their young drivers.
Driver Rating: 3.5

Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto was a victim of risky strategy after Sauber put him on mediums on the formation lap. Struggling with tyre warm up on a track that wasn’t ready, Bortoleto lost control while feathering the throttle at Turn 1, crashing into the barriers and destroying his rear wing. Race over on Lap 2.
Driver Rating: 4.0

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson’s race ended on the first lap as three cars attempted to take the Loop side by side, when there was only room for two. Lawson was the unlucky victim, as a thump from Ocon, the meat in the sandwich, broke his rear suspension.
Driver Rating: 4.0

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto did not start the race due to transmission issues on the reconnaissance lap.
Driver Rating: N/A

Canadian Grand Prix – Driver Rating

Canadian Grand Prix, Sonntag, LAT Images

George Russell fantastically won the Canadian Grand Prix, never being troubled by the chasing pack as he took his and Mercedes’ first win of 2025. He was closely chased by Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman was more focused on watching his mirrors than attacking Russell. Behind the McLarens were recovering after an off-qualifying session which left them 3rd and 7th, but would come together in the closing laps to see their Championship lead reduced for the first time this year. Overall, it was an exciting race, with the strategies creating a nice offset that concertinaed the pack towards the end. I’m running out of time to write this (FP1 of the Austrian Grand Prix is less than 12 hours away) so let’s get into it.

George Russell – 8.8

George took a great pole on Saturday and led the whole way on Sunday, it was a great drive, just as talk is building about his future at Mercedes with the Verstappen link not going away. George has arguably been the driver of the season and this victory was thoroughly deserved.

Max Verstappen – 8.5

A typical Verstappen drive, didn’t have the fastest car but maximised the result. He held off Antonelli around the pit stops to solidify 2nd and ran quite a quiet race to the chequered flag. This level of consistency is what makes Max, Max.

Kimi Antonelli – 8.7

Antonelli became the 3rd youngest podium finisher in F1 history with a fantastic drive. He overtook the championship leader at Turn 1, threatened Verstappen around the pit stops and was holding on well in front of massive pressure from the McLarens in the closing stages. He earned this podium!

Oscar Piastri – 7.6

A slightly off weekend for the whole McLaren team in Montreal. Oscar qualified well to take 3rd but couldn’t hold on at the first corner and couldn’t pressure Antonelli in front to create an overtaking opportunity. His teammate who started 7th was able to catch him by the end of the race and should have passed, but we will get to Lando.

Charles Leclerc – 7.5

Another tricky weekend for Ferrari as the car just isn’t gelling at the moment. The upgrades don’t seem to be having the desired effect either. Charles found himself in no-mans land in fifth, but not as much as his teammate.

Lewis Hamilton – 7.5

Too many times this season have we found Lewis in the middle of nowhere mid-race. This time it was due to damage he picked up on Lap 13 after hitting a groundhog. He was driving well before that, keeping up with the leaders. This damage was costing him 1/4 second a lap which left him on his own for much of the race.

Fernando Alonso – 8.1

Points are like London buses for Fernando this season, wait ages for one and suddenly they come thick and fast. It was a great drive from Fernando to take best of the rest.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8.4

A great drive from Hulkenberg, took advantage of some first lap swabbles to get into position to score points and did well to keep them. Dragging this Sauber into the points is a great achievement and Nico has the experience and skill to do that.

Esteban Ocon – 7.9

A great drive from Ocon and a great strategy from Haas helped get the Frenchman into the points in Montreal. Starting behind his teammate, Ocon was able to move up the field and take his first points since Monaco.

Carlos Sainz – 7.9

Sainz recovered after a horror Spanish Grand Prix to take a point in Montreal. A nice dive down the inside of Bortoleto was a highlight after staring 16th.

Ollie Bearman – 7.3

Ollie just missed out on points in Montreal and would be disappointed to be beaten by his teammate but a solid performance from the team.

Yuki Tsunoda – 6.9

Yuki received a 10-place penalty in practice for overtaking under red flags, so he started from the back. He battled back but wasn’t able to get into the points. His performances are starting to go backwards again.

Franco Colapinto – 7.1

Franco beat his teammate in Canada, which is always a plus for him to maintain a positive reputation within the team. He didn’t trouble the points but the car isn’t really in that fight at the moment.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 7.2

Bortoleto is doing a decent job but being outperformed by his teammate more regularly, or at least Nico is getting the stand out performance from this car. Gabriel is in the fight though and building confidence.

Pierre Gasly – 6.9

An off weekend for Pierre. He was always towards the back and got in a few scuffles, notably with Lance Stroll. Beaten by his teammate that doesn’t happen very often.

Isack Hadjar – 6.1

Isack’s worst race in a long time. The Racing Bull didn’t look quick at all in Montreal and Isack got penalised as well for impeding in qualifying. He made it into Q3 but went backwards from there.

Lance Stroll – 6.5

I think Lance’s 10 second penalty was harsh, he did drift wide and Gasly dipped onto the grass but is that really worth 10 seconds? I think Pierre bought that a bit. Last on the road for his home race isn’t the result he wanted and probably didn’t reflect his actual pace, especially after coming back from wrist surgery.

Lando Norris – 5.5

Lando, Lando, Lando. A dodgy Q3 put him into the pack and he did really well to fight back in the race until a lack of judgement when overtaking his teammate cost him dearly. He looked for a gap that wasn’t going to open in time, when he probably would have got past around the outside of Turn 1. It was clumsy collision with the wall that cost him 10 points. Points that he needs.

Liam Lawson – 4.5

Lawson started in the pit lane after his team made lots of changes to his car post Quali. His race didn’t get much better as he retired early after not making any impression on the field.

Alex Albon – 5.9

Another tricky one for Alex, having qualified in the top ten, he was running well after getting pushed off the track on the first lap, which may have led to the issues that caused his retirement. The weekend started so promisingly but didn’t translate for Albon.

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 25: Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Third placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 25, 2025 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

The Monaco harbour was basked in its usual summer glow as Lando Norris won his maiden Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, but the action didn’t reflect the glorious setting. Formula 1 tried a different tactic to spice up the racing at Monaco, however, their mandatory two-stop rule only seemed to highlight that Formula 1 has outgrown Monaco and there isn’t anything they can do to fix their biggest issue. You just can’t overtake.

I liked the idea of F1 trying something different at Monaco as the traditional one-stop, track-position-is-king, procession has gotten very old. It came to a head in 2024 as a first lap red flag gave everyone the chance to conduct their mandatory tyre swap, all going onto the hards and going to the end. Ive watched pretty much every race since 1970 and this was the worst boring, by far.

Unfortunately, despite the chaos that the mandatory two-stop brought, it wasn’t the right chaos and didn’t fix the age-old problem for Monaco. The top 10 largely finished where they started, with the only actual overtake happening on track, on the last lap, as Stroll went around the outside of Hulkenberg.

Best to just get on with the ratings as we don’t need to review pit stops and Trulli trains (sorry Jarno)

Lando Norris

Lando Norris was the star of the weekend, securing a brilliant pole position and executing a calm, controlled race to take the win. His only misstep was a double lock-up into Turn 1, but he got away with it. Norris held off Charles Leclerc under pressure, showcasing his maturity and skill on the most demanding circuit of the season.
Rating: 8.8

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc was in the hunt for victory all afternoon, staying within four to five seconds of Norris but unable to find a way past on Monaco’s tight streets. A strong qualifying performance put him on the front row, and Ferrari looked quicker than expected. A solid drive, but just shy of the top step.
Rating: 8.7

Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri claimed his second podium of the season with a solid third-place finish. He was a couple of tenths off Norris all weekend and looked a bit scruffy at times, which is uncharacteristic for the Australian. Still, he continues his impressive run of scoring points in every race this season.
Rating: 7.9

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Red Bull were a couple of tenths off the pace all weekend, which was expected given the circuit’s characteristics. Verstappen hung around in fourth, hoping for a red flag or safety car that never came. A relatively quiet weekend by his high standards.
Rating: 7.5

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was one of the few drivers to make progress on Sunday. Starting seventh after a qualifying penalty, he used the overcut to jump Esteban Ocon and Isaac Hadjar in the pits. However, he was stuck in no man’s land for much of the race, too quick for the cars behind but too far back to challenge the leaders.
Rating: 7.7

Isaac Hadjar

Isaac Hadjar had another strong weekend, qualifying sixth and starting fifth after Hamilton’s penalty. His team used strategy effectively, with Liam Lawson holding up the field to help Hadjar build a gap. A well-executed race earned him a solid sixth place.
Rating: 8.1

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon delivered an understated but impressive performance. He qualified seventh and finished seventh, rarely seen during the race but consistently quick. A great weekend for Ocon that went somewhat unnoticed.
Rating: 7.9

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson played the team game early on, sacrificing his strategy to help Hadjar. He qualified ninth and finished eighth, earning solid points. A welcome result for Lawson, who showed both speed and teamwork.
Rating: 7.7

Alex Albon

Alex Albon qualified ninth and finished ninth, playing the team game with Williams. He was cheekily overtaken by George Russell when he deliberately skipped the Novelle chicane, and would receive a penalty. Albon’s two points were well-earned in a tricky race.
Rating: 7.0

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz had a similar race to Albon, qualifying eleventh and finishing tenth. He initially let Albon ahead to play the team game, then swapped back to secure a point. A solid drive, but missing Q3 limited his potential.
Rating: 7.3

George Russell

George Russell had a disappointing weekend, retiring in qualifying due to an electrical issue and starting fourteenth. He made up positions to finish eleventh but was stuck in the Monaco train for most of the race. Mercedes missed a trick by not splitting strategies and he was rightly penalised for intentionally skipping the chicane to pass Albon in hope of improving his position.
Rating: 6.2

Ollie Bearman

Ollie Bearman qualified last and finished twelfth, stuck in the Monaco train for the entire race. A tough weekend with little opportunity to make progress, but took advantage of the Lap 1 virtual safety car to gain a pit stop over most of the midfield.
Rating: 6.0

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto pitted early to gain track position but was also stuck in the Monaco train. He finished thirteenth in a race where overtaking was nearly impossible.
Rating: 6.0

Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto recovered well after a first-lap crash, pitting under the virtual safety car to gain time. He finished fourteenth, ahead of his teammate, in a race where his crash ironically helped his strategy.
Rating: 6.5

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll made one of the few overtakes of the race, passing Hulkenberg around the outside at the Nouvelle Chicane on the final lap. A small but impressive moment in an otherwise uneventful race.
Rating: 6.8

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg was unlucky with strategy, pitting early and dropping back to fifteenth. A decent qualifying session was the highlight of his weekend.
Rating: 7.2

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda was involved in an early crash with Pierre Gasly, which left him with significant car damage. He finished seventeenth, stuck in traffic and unable to make progress.
Rating: 5.5

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli crashed in qualifying and started near the back. He was stuck in the Monaco train all race, finishing eighteenth in a disappointing weekend for Mercedes.
Rating: 5.2

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso’s unlucky streak continued, retiring from sixth place due to an engine failure. He was on course for his first points of the season before the issue struck.
Rating: 7.7

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly’s weekend was ruined by a brake issue that caused him to crash into Tsunoda on the first lap. He retired early, making it impossible to grade his performance fairly.
Rating: 5.2

Overview

The Monaco Grand Prix once again highlighted the challenges of overtaking on the tight, twisting streets of the principality. While the mandatory two-stop strategy added some intrigue, it also emphasized the need for rule tweaks to make the race more exciting. Despite its flaws, Monaco remains the jewel in Formula 1’s crown, and its place on the calendar is secure. Next up, the triple header concludes in Barcelona, where McLaren and Verstappen are expected to battle it out on a circuit with medium to high-speed corners. See you there!

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

IMOLA, ITALY - MAY 18: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and the Oracle Red Bull Racing team celebrate during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 18, 2025 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202505180494 // Usage for editorial use only //

Max Verstappen expertly won an interesting and absorbing Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday. Having started second, Verstappen performed arguably one of his best overtakes of his career, masterfully out-braking Oscar Piastri around the outside into the Tamburello chicane, holding it together with the Australian giving him space to take the lead into the first corner.

From there, Verstappen really had control of the race, which was helped by McLaren’s interesting strategic decisions. The race had the full safety car contingent, virtual and full safety car, which helped Verstappen in the first instance to extend his lead after Oscar Piastri took an early stop which did not work out for him. The full safety car bunched the field back up on lap 46 but still no one could get close to Verstappen as he drove away by six seconds. Behind him, both McLarens were two-three, Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri, which is becoming routine for the McLaren team now. Following that came a fantastic battle between the two Ferraris and Alex Albon towards the end. Lewis Hamilton took fourth, Alex Albon fifth for the second fifth in a row, really cementing his place as best of the rest in the driver’s championship, followed by Leclerc who was caught by the two behind him after staying on old hard tyres with the second safety car.

George Russell took 7th on a quiet day for the Briton, in front of Sainz, Hadjar and Tsunoda who came from a pit lane start to take the last point.

Overall this was quite an exciting edition of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by recent standards with the split strategy providing lots of opportunities for overtakes but Verstappen really was the class of the field.

Right, on to the ratings!

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen pulled off a fantastic overtake over Oscar Piastri into turn one and never really looked back. He pulled out a two-second lead before Piastri pitted early for the undercut, but Red Bull held on getting through the graining and Verstappen increased his lead. From there, it was all looking very easy, very rarely seeing the Red Bull driver. The late safety car brought the field back to him but didn’t bother him in the end. He just keeps reminding us why he’s a four-time world champion and in the echelon of one of the best drivers of all time. These types of performances feel routine for him and look routine, but I imagine they’re very much not.

Rating: 8.9

Lando Norris

Lando continues to be hampered by his Saturday performances, qualifying fourth in this Grand Prix and getting stuck behind George Russell in the first twelve laps. By the time he got past, he was seven seconds behind the front two and really that’s quite a big gap in this title fight. He was unlucky with the virtual safety car, pitting thirty seconds before it came out, and then got stuck behind his teammate after the second safety car. Once he was past him, he was six seconds back from Verstappen, which was too far.

Rating: 8.1

Oscar Piastri

Oscar will be kicking himself for breaking a bit too early in the first corner. From there, the team didn’t help him, pitting Piastri early for the undercut, but he got stuck behind traffic and wasn’t able to eat into Verstappen’s lead. If anything, he lost time post pit stop. He was running in a distant third once the virtual safety car and all had rolled out. McLaren decided to keep him out during the second safety car and wasn’t really able to challenge Verstappen on much older tires after the restart. Not a great Sunday for Piastri. It could have been very different if he’d kept the lead into turn one, but unfortunately, he didn’t.

Rating: 7.9

Lewis Hamilton

A much better Sunday after a disappointing Q2 exit on Saturday. Hamilton was much more at ease with the car at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Having been stuck behind Kimi Antonelli for much of the first half of the race, but once able to get past he made good progress. He put mediums on at the second safety car and was able to make up places over his teammate and Alex Albon to claim fourth. Generally, a much better race for Hamilton. He said after the race, it was the most comfortable he’d been, and he looked quick with some decisive overtakes.

Rating: 8.1

Alex Albon

Another fantastic weekend for Alex Albon and the Williams team. This is the second time in a row Alex has finished fifth and the third time all season. He was also a beneficiary of going long in the first stint. Albon took advantage of the virtual safety to pit, jumped Piastri and was running as high as third for much of the race. Piastri would then overtake him in between the two safety car periods. Albon pitted again at the second safety car and wasn’t quite able to hold on to fourth. So another fifth place for Alex Albon and a fantastic performance. Williams is really looking a very solid car.

Rating: 8.5

Charles Leclerc

A frustrating afternoon for Charles who thought he could probably get more out of the race after qualifying eleventh on Saturday. Made a good start, made a couple of places up, and was running nicely on the mediums in the first stint and triggered the first set of pit stops pitting on lap 11. Initially, this looked like a great decision as he undercut Russell and Piastri to take a net third on the road. But the safety car timings really screwed him with those around him taking a cheap stop. At the safety car, he decided to stay out as he had no fresh tyres available. This gave him track position, but left him vulnerable to Albon and Hamilton behind when he was eventually overtaken by both. So he finished sixth but a promising race for the Ferrari team overall, if not a bit frustrating for Charles.

Rating: 8.1

George Russell

A tricky weekend for Russell and the Mercedes team. Even though he started third on the grid after a great qualifying performance, the pace in the car really wasn’t there on Sunday. He suffered from high degradation in the first stint after being pushed hard by Lando Norris. He pitted early on lap 12, triggering the other two stoppers and was a victim of the safety cars. With the hot conditions causing Mercedes problems, we are going to see more of this.

Rating: 7.6

Carlos Sainz

Again, another solid weekend from Carlos. Argued that he was screwed by his team’s strategy putting on to the two stop when clearly the one stop was the right way to go on Sunday and was further exasperated by the virtual safety car coming out at the right time for the one stoppers. Another point scoring position could arguably have been sixth or seventh on another day.

Rating: 7.8

Isack Hadjar

Another point scoring position for the ever impressive rookie. Started eleventh, was running as high as fourth with Alex Albon during the early stages of the race, but wasn’t able to hang on to that position as the safety car and virtual safety car were not very well timed for him. He lost positions to Sainz and Russell during the safety car period and wasn’t able to make those positions back. More points for the young Frenchman.

Rating: 7.8

Yuki Tsunoda

A great recovery drive from Yuki from the pit lane after a humongous crash on Saturday, where he flipped his Aston Martin and was lucky to climb out of that uninjured. Went long in the first stint, made use of the virtual safety car and safety car to find his way back into the points at the flag.

Rating: 7.7

Fernando Alonso

Fernando was unlucky again, still not having scored a point in 2025. The Aston Martin looked much better after upgrades, and Alonso qualified fifth. However, an early pit stop and poorly timed safety cars left him unable to full recover, finishing eleventh.

Rating: 7.8

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg had a great performance, running in the low teens for most of the race. He took advantage of the safety car periods and was running in tenth at the restart but couldn’t hold on, finishing twelfth.

Rating: 7.7

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly had a tough race, pitting very early and dropping back after battling with Charles Leclerc. He was running in the mid-teens for most of the race, finishing thirteenth.

Rating: 7.6

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson had a quiet race, qualifying fourteenth and finishing fourteenth. He was thoroughly outperformed by his younger and more inexperienced teammate.

Rating: 7.1

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll had an unfortunate race after qualifying in the top ten. He was caught out by the safety cars and finished fifteenth.

Rating: 6.5

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto had a tricky weekend on his second debut, crashing in qualifying and finishing sixteenth. He was tentative at the start and never really recovered.

Rating: 6.1

Ollie Bearman

Ollie Bearman had a quiet race, running towards the back for most of it and finishing seventeenth. He was unlucky in qualifying with his fastest time in Q1 being chalked off due to the red flag coming out just before he finished his lap.

Rating: 5.8

Gabriel Bortoleto

Bortoleto finished last on the road, outperformed by his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg. He had a few good battles towards the back, but couldn’t move forward.

Rating: 5.5

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli had a scrappy weekend, retiring on lap 46 while running around fifth to eighth. He had some good battles but ended his race prematurely.

Rating: 7.2

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon retired on lap 28 with an engine failure, impacting the race more than his driving did.

Rating: 5.5

In what could be the last time Formula One arrives in Imola for a while, this iconic circuit produced a decent race with plenty of action into Turn 1. Verstappen takes the honours of four consecutive wins at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, tying off its inclusion in the calendar for now. Next, the second leg of the triple header takes us to Monaco, where a mandated two-stop race could see some crazy strategies. Verstappen leaves Italy very much in the title fight, putting down a marker to McLaren that he isn’t going anywhere.