Mexican GP driver ratings: Needless Verstappen scores worst rating of his season

A perfect 10 and a score as low as 2, it’s time for the Mexican Grand Prix driver ratings.

Another assured drive from Carlos Sainz secured his second win of the season while Max Verstappen had his worst score of the year.

F1 2024 Mexican Grand Prix driver ratings

Carlos Sainz – 10

When Carlos Sainz wins, he does it in a manner that suggests anything else was never a possibility.

After a start that saw Max Verstappen nip in the lead, Sainz produced a daring overtake to get back ahead of the Dutchman and from there, the Ferrari man never looked back.

Sainz has an ability to control a race as good as anyone, never seeming too bothered by what was behind him.

It was another dominant display and all the more bittersweet that a driver on the top of his game is being shown the exit door from F1’s elite.

Land0 Norris – 9

Having had his fingers burned in Austin, Norris knew what it would take to get past Verstappen and was prepared to let it go to the stewards if need be.

His first attempt at an overtake saw him pushed wide and when he kept hold of the place, he did well to avoid a Verstappen-shaped missile coming down the inside.

Once Verstappen had been penalised out of the running, Norris did well to hunt down Leclerc and move into P2.

Chalres Leclerc – 8.5

Benefited again from Verstappen and Norris’ tussle to move into P2 but was never able to fully put the pressure on his team-mate.

Later on in the race he could do little as Norris flew past but a win and a podium makes for an excellent triple header so far.

Lewis Hamilton – 7.5

He may have finished ahead of his team-mate but there was little else for Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes to write home about.

Despite having a spec that is significantly newer than Russell’s, Hamilton found it extremely hard to get by his team-mate and when he eventually did, all he saw ahead of him was 30 seconds of clear track, such is the pace difference from Mercedes to the front runners.

Four more races and it will not be Hamilton’s problem anymore but it is a tough time still for the Brackley team.

George Russell – 7

Given the Frankenstein’s monster nature of his car, including a freshly broken front wing, George Russell finishing in the points is a good result but like Hamilton, he is too far off those ahead to be overly pleased about.

Max Verstappen – 5.5

Needless would be the best way to sum up Max Verstappen’s afternoon in Mexico.

The Dutchman knew that his defending would be under the spotlight given what happened in Austin but he gave the stewards little choice in his early engagements with Norris.

The 20-second penalty was a death sentence for his slim win chances but he did at least recover to P6, meaning Norris only cut the Red Bull driver’s Championship lead by 10 points.

Kevin Magnussen – 9

It is proving to be quite the Indian summer for Kevin Magnussen who is enjoying what may well be his last races in F1.

After a team error cost him points in Austin, Magnussen hit back with a P7 finish in Mexico, his best result of the season.

The Dane’s most impressive moment came late on when despite his team-mate being overtaken by Piastri, Magnussen consistent pace and tyre preservation meant he finished over a second ahead of the quicker McLaren.

Oscar Piastri – 7

After an uncharacteristically poor quali, it was always going to be about recovery for Oscar Piastri but he was not able to match the feats of Norris in 2023 who went from the same spot to fifth.

McLaren started Piastri on the mediums but an extended stint ultimately did not pay off with Piastri unable to catch Magnussen and Verstappen ahead.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8.5

Upstaged by his team-mate but nothing should take away from another solid week from the German.

Qualifying 10th, Hulkenberg improved to move one spot up and make it three consecutive points scores for the first time this season.

Pierre Gasly – 8

His points tally may not point to it but the triple header has been very good for Gasly so far and while he did not get the rub of the green in Austin, he did so in Mexico to hold onto the last point-paying spot.

Starting eighth, Gasly may have hoped to move up, not down, the grid but with the likes of Oscar Piastri behind him, keeping that spot was always going to be a challenge – but the Frenchman has extended his lead over his team-mate.

Lance Stroll – 7

Lance Stroll may well have been the driver with the least airtime in Mexico as he drove his way to P11.

It is an alarming sight to see both Astons out of the points but is a reflection of how this team which was once capable of consecutive points scores has been overtaken by their nearest rivals.

Franco Colapinto – 6.5

With his team-mate back in the paddock early, Williams’ hopes fell on Franco Colapinto but it was his most difficult weekend as a Formula 1 driver yet.

Some close encounters climaxed into him clipping the front wing of Liam Lawson late on but luckily for the Argentine, he came away relatively unscathed from the impact.

P12 and one to quickly move on from.

Esteban Ocon – 6

After a pit lane start, he made it up to 13th but getting past three retired cars, the two Stakes, a car that had to pit late on for a new front wing and Sergio Perez is not much of an achievement.

While Pierre Gasly has found some pace in the Alpine, Esteban Ocon is struggling to do the same.

Valtteri Bottas – 5

Valtteri Bottas qualified on pole here in 2021 and yet three years later, something similar would be one of the biggest miracles in 2024.

The car is slow but it must be soul destroying for Bottas to not even be in with a sniff of a point.

The team is on course to end with zero points for the season and it would take plenty of cars DNFing ahead of them for that to change.

Zhou Guanyu – 5

Given this is race number 20 of the season, I am running out of ways to describe Zhou Guanyu finishing in the bottom 25%. Three drivers out and another two almost hitting each other at least pushed him up to 15th, but more futile time out on track.

Liam Lawson – 6

Liam Lawson may well want the Red Bull drive in the future but his job in this race was to avoid that very same car.

Sergio Perez’s frustration spilled out in his attempt to get by Lawson and had it not been for the New Zealander’s evasive action then the two would have hit one another.

With that incident survived, Lawson made contact with Franco Colapinto and was forced to pit late on for a new front wing.

Sergio Perez – 2

His team-mate got a 20 second penalty and still finished 11 places ahead.

Sergio Perez’s Mexican Grand Prix was poor but yet so familiar. A terrible quali was followed by the most rookie of errors in not even being able to line up in his grid properly.

On a day where Ferrari overtook Red Bull in the Constructors’, there is only one driver to blame.

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Did not finish

Yuki Tsunoda – 6

Not a lot Yuki Tsunoda could have done to avoid what proved to be a race-ending incident.

With Albon the meat in a VCARB/Alpine sandwich, Tsunoda was clipped by the Williams and instantly got a puncture.

The Japanese driver was helpless to stop his big impact with the barriers and out of the race.

Alex Albon – 7

A great quali was not able to be built on as Albon went out of the race early.

In the wrong place at the wrong time, Albon did his best to avoid contact in a congested start but could not do so and paid the price.

Fernando Alonso – 6

400 race starts but not one of the more memorable ones in Mexico.

Having been eliminated in Q2, Alonso was then forced to retire with a mechanical issue early on in the race.

Read next: Mexican GP: Carlos Sainz wins as Max Verstappen hit with huge penalty by FIA