F1Lead has awarded its traditional ratings to the twenty drivers competing in the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship following their performances in Australia, with special accolades for Carlos Sainz.
CARLOS SAINZ – 10/10
Carlos Sainz had an outstanding weekend just two weeks post-appendectomy. Despite a mistake during his fastest qualifying lap in Q3, he consistently outpaced his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc. The trend continued in the race, and even if Max Verstappen hadn’t retired, Sainz likely would have challenged the reigning world champion for victory.
LANDO NORRIS – 9/10
Lando Norris returned to form in Melbourne. He extracted the maximum from his McLaren in qualifying, outpacing Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on the grid. On race day, a strategic mishap by McLaren cost him a potential second-place finish, losing a critical position on track after the first round of pit stops.
YUKI TSUNODA – 9/10
Another solid weekend for Yuki Tsunoda, who continues to pressure his teammate Daniel Ricciardo. A Q3 qualification and a substantial point haul affirm his candidacy for Sergio Pérez’s seat at Red Bull Racing for 2025?
FERNANDO ALONSO – 7.5/10
Fernando Alonso recovered from a qualifying mishap to finish sixth in the Grand Prix. He benefited from a virtual safety car, allowing him to overtake George Russell. Post-race, he was penalized for “potentially dangerous driving,” dropping him from sixth to eighth place.
CHARLES LECLERC – 7.5/10
A lackluster weekend for Charles Leclerc coincided with Verstappen’s first retirement in two years. The Monegasque was regularly outperformed by his teammate in both qualifying and the race, missing out on his first win since 2022.
OSCAR PIASTRI – 7.5/10
Oscar Piastri was competitive in Australia but lacked race pace compared to his teammate. He also went wide in the penultimate corner towards the race’s end, though it didn’t affect his final result.
ESTEBAN OCON – 7.5/10
Esteban Ocon was arguably the star of qualifying, making it into Q2 in the slowest car on the grid! Like the two Saubers, a botched pit stop essentially spoiled his Grand Prix.
VALTTERI BOTTAS – 7.5/10
Valtteri Bottas’s chances of scoring points were dashed after another pit stop blunder – yet another – ruined his race.
NICO HÜLKENBERG – 7.5/10
Following a rare off-pace qualifying, Nico Hülkenberg had a strong race to leave with points for the second time this season. Remarkably, this marks the first time he’s scored points in consecutive races since 2019.
LANCE STROLL – 7/10
Although Lance Stroll was the less impressive of the Aston Martin drivers, it was overall a satisfactory weekend for the Canadian.
KEVIN MAGNUSSEN – 7/10
Kevin Magnussen wasn’t as quick as Nico Hülkenberg during the Grand Prix but played the team game when Haas issued orders. Nevertheless, he did enough to leave with the tenth-place point. A commendable reward for the Danish driver.
ALEX ALBON – 7/10
Alex Albon was the sole Williams in action on Sunday after the team decided to allocate his teammate Logan Sargeant’s chassis to him. The Thai driver fought hard to finish in the points but ultimately had to yield to the Haas duo.
SERGIO PÉREZ – 6/10
A minimalistic race for Sergio Pérez after dropping three places on the grid for impeding Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying. Checo struggled to make his way into the top 4 after passing Fernando Alonso.
GUANYU ZHOU – 6/10
Like his teammate, a completely botched pit stop likely cost him a chance at a better finish.
PIERRE GASLY – 6/10
Pierre Gasly is now 3-0 behind his teammate in qualifications. He likely only beat his fellow countryman in the race after Esteban Ocon lost significant time during one of his pitstops.
DANIEL RICCIARDO – 5/10
Another challenging weekend for Daniel Ricciardo, who continues to be outperformed by his Japanese teammate. The Australian exceeded track limits during qualifying, resulting in a Q1 elimination, before having an unremarkable race in front of his home crowd.
GEORGE RUSSELL – 4.5/10
George Russell spoiled what could have been a solid weekend with another mistake on the final lap. While Fernando Alonso braked unexpectedly early, the fault lay with the Mercedes driver. Nonetheless, he was once again the quicker of the two Mercedes drivers.
LEWIS HAMILTON – 3/10
Before retiring due to an engine failure, Lewis Hamilton experienced another challenging weekend, undoubtedly the worst start to a season in his F1 career.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – N/A
Max Verstappen’s race ended after just a few laps when his rear brakes caught fire, marking his first retirement in two years.
Melbourne F1 2024: F1Lead Driver Ratings. Melbourne F1 2024: F1Lead Driver Ratings. GP Melbourne F1 2024: F1Lead Driver Ratings
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