Brazilian GP driver ratings: Max Verstappen masterclass and lacklustre Lando Norris
Max Verstappen was on top form with a stunning win in Sao Paulo.
The ratings are in after a race that tested the drivers to the very limit in the wet conditions of the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen was at his brilliant best while it was mostly a bad day for the Britons on the grid.
Driver ratings for the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen – 10
A drive to silence the critics.
When Max Verstappen does eventually hang up his helmet, Sao Paulo 2024 may well go down as the finest drive of his career.
Starting P17, through no fault of his own, Verstappen cut through the field early on and made such quick progress that a win even without a safety car looked a genuine possibility.
In the end, the victory came in part due to the Red Bull strategist choosing track position over fresh tyres but that should take nothing away from what was simply a superb drive from Verstappen.
He found grip where no else could and after too much talk of his driving standards, he showed once again that when push comes to shove, he is the best driver on the grid right now.
Esteban Ocon – 9.5
Like Verstappen, both Alpines benefited from the red flag but to say that was the reason for Esteban Ocon’s podium would be unfair given the immense racecraft it took to stay within the white lines on a soaked Interlagos circuit.
As Verstappen said in the cool down room afterwards, Ocon was flying at points in the race and was fully deserving of the win if it were not from the brilliance of Versappen, but a P2 is his best result since his Hungary victory in 2021 and increased his points total by more than 4.5 times.
Pierre Gasly – 9
Just like Ocon, Pierre Gasly was very deserving of his podium spot. In a way, it was Gasly who had it harder later on with Russell looking to overtake but the Frenchman defended well before finding that extra bit of pace to take him to the line.
It was an excellent performance from Gasly and deserved given his good run of form of late.
George Russell – 9
Poor timing cost George Russell the win in Sao Paulo but he was near perfect otherwise. To begin with, he made small work of getting past Lando Norris and then firmly shoved the door in his face and despite the McLaren being a quicker car, Russell kept Norris at bay for the first quarter of the race.
After the red flag, Russell looked to recoup what he lost but the Alpines were too quick and he will have to settle for fourth.
Chalres Leclerc – 8.5
As chaos was going on around him, Leclerc had a rather quiet race but still one that showed his talent.
The Ferrari man took the opportunities when they came and with his team-mate out, he ensured the team did not lose too much ground to McLaren in the Constructors standings.
Lando Norris – 6.5
The race where a title hope faded out of sight. With Verstappen in 17th and himself on pole, Norris simply had to cut the points gap and yet somehow, the Dutchman’s lead has been extended.
Norris’ performance was a sloppy one, two poor starts and arguing with his race engineer over when to pit ultimately cost him and had he stayed in front of Russell, he could have dictated the race much better.
After the red flag, he needed team orders to be allowed to move past Piastri but it was an error-strewn performance that has all but handed Verstappen the title.
Yuki Tsunoda – 8.5
An incredible qualifying to be in the top three may not have translated into the race but it was an excellent performance from Tsunoda, who finished ahead of a McLaren and a Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri – 6.5
A bad race in what has been an underwhelming triple header for Oscar Piastri. Whatever momentum he and the team had going into the summer break has been snuffed out and him hitting Liam Lawson handed him a 10-second penalty.
With Norris all but out of the title race, time for Piastri to start saying no to team orders.
Liam Lawson – 8
Sergio Perez 0-1 Liam Lawson.
After their clash in Mexico, there was only one man Lawson wanted to beat this weekend and he duly did that.
It started off with a great qualifying to start in P5 and while he did slip down the order, he held onto ninth to score more points for him and the team.
Lewis Hamilton – 6
What is going on with Lewis Hamilton? Another poor performance that was bad from quali to the race.
The Mercedes car may not be the best but how, then, is Russell qualifying on the front row and arguably would have won if things had gone his way?
It is another sub par performance from Hamilton that was only saved by just getting into the points.
Sergio Perez – 5.5
Three of the four Red Bull cars finished in the points and there are no prizes for guessing which one didn’t.
No one is asking Perez to be on Verstappen’s level but when the Dutchman starts P17 and wins, Perez simply has to do better.
A spin early on pushed him to the back of the field and after a recovery, he again went wide and allowed Hamilton to overtake into P10.
Verstappen earned 26 points in Sao Paulo. Perez has not earned that many points in the last seven races combined.
Oliver Bearman – 6
Having never driven Interlagos before and also never raced in F1 in the rain, this weekend was always going to be a challenge for Oliver Bearman and it played out that way.
More than one spin but considering his much more experienced team-mate ended in the wall, at least Bearman brought the Haas home in one piece.
Valtteri Bottas – 7.5
Where has that quali pace come from? Easily making it into Q2 and then coming oh so close to Q3 as well until the red flag.
They say that quali can be the true test of the skill of a driver and given the pace of that Sauber meant he was always likely to slip down the order, there seems there is life in the old dog yet.
Fernando Alonso – 6
A frustrating drive for Alonso and one that nearly destroyed his 43-year-old back.
That Aston just has no pace and maybe in his desire to extract more out of it, Alonso made a rare mistake and fell to the back of the pack, only overtaking Zhou Guanyu before the end.
Zhou Guanyu – 5
Over a second and a half slower than his team-mate in quali and dead last in the race.
More from a Sao Paulo stunner
Lando Norris claims ‘it’s not talent, just luck’ as Max Verstappen romps to Brazil win
Unheard Lewis Hamilton radio message reveals tough opinion on Mercedes W15
Did not finish
Carlos Sainz – 5.5
A costly mistake that sent Carlos Sainz into the wall and out of the race. Up and until then it had been a good drive but it ultimately came to nothing.
Franco Colapinto – 5
Heavy crashes in quali and the race suggest there is still plenty to learn for the young rookie.
Did not start
Lance Stroll – 3
I can only imagine the heart sinking feeling the Aston Martin mechanics must have felt when they saw a car that they had just rushed to fix end up in the gravel in the formation lap.
It was an inexcusable rookie mistake from Stroll.
Alex Albon – 5.5
A big crash late on in quali meant Albon played no part in the race but he did well to make it to Q3.
Disqualified
Nico Hulkenberg – 5.5
An odd DQ for Nico Hulkenberg as his spin needed the marshals to push him back on track and although he did manage to get going again, any help from an outside source is illegal and gave the German the first black flag in F1 since 2007.
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