To say drivers were challenged over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend would be to grossly understate how much the best in the world were tested around a bumpy, slippery and soaking Interlagos.
In conditions on Sunday that allow the drivers to be the ones to make the difference, some rose to the occasion while others wilted.
But there are couple of performances that stood out as being among the very best weekends that drivers have put together through the 2024 season so far. These are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
A guide to RaceFans’ driver ratings system
RaceFans’ driver ratings system assesses driver performance across all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances during competitive sessions – qualifying, sprint races and grands prix – will carry the most weight to their rating.
However, practice performance can affect a driver’s weekend rating in the event of a major mistake, such as a crash, consistent errors throughout practice sessions or if a driver shows a notably impressive speed throughout all free practice sessions relative to their team mate.
The system attempts to take into account the relative performance of each driver’s car and the expected results from that, meaning that a driver who wins a race in a car clearly superior to the rest of the field may not necessarily score as highly as a driver who claims a low points finish in a midfield car.
Ratings also attempt to take into account mitigating factors outside of a driver’s control. If a driver is forced to miss considerable track time due to car problems, is the victim of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far lower than expected because of a heavily botched pit stop or suffers any other misfortune they cannot be reasonably expected to control, their rating should not be penalised.
RaceFans rates each driver’s weekend performance on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘5’ is considered to be a typically average weekend performance from a typically average Formula 1 driver.
Here is a rough guide to each possible score:
N/A – Not applicable – No rating is given as the driver did not sufficiently participate in the competitive sessions
0 – Disqualified – Only in the most extreme instance where a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation
1 – Appalling – An appalling display that brings a driver’s competency under immediate question
2 – Awful – A very, very poor performance of repeated errors with almost no redeeming qualities
3 – Very bad – Far more negatives than positives across the weekend which a driver should be very disappointed with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to achieve the base level expected for a Formula 1 driver
5 – Acceptable – The standard level of performance that should be expected from an F1 driver
6 – Good – A decent overall performance across the weekend, but not one of the best
7 – Very good – A strong performance across the weekend that any driver should be very pleased with
8 – Brilliant – A truly great weekend where the driver stood out as one of the very best of the field
9 – Exceptional – An outstanding performance that ranks as one of the best, if not the very best, of the entire season
10 – Legendary – One of the few all-time greatest performances by a driver in the history of Formula 1
Max Verstappen – 9/10
Sprint race start: 4th
Sprint race finish: 4th
Qualified: 12th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.387s)
Grid: 17th (-5 places behind team mate)
Start: +6 places
Strategy: One-stop (I-I)
Finished: 1st (+10 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Took fourth on the grid in sprint qualifying
▼ Passed Leclerc for third in sprint race but lost it for exceeding VSC delta time
▶ Knocked out in Q2 after being compromised by Ocon passing him on push lap
▶ Started from 17th grid slot after power unit penalty
▲ Gained four places at the start, then passed Hamilton
▲ Overtook Gasly, Alonso, Piastri and Lawson to sit sixth
▶ Gained second place with red flag
▲ Passed Ocon for lead at second restart and pulled away to win by 19s
Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase put his performance on Sunday on a par with his famous drive at Interlagos in 2016. Extremely high praise, but fairly reflecting the mastery of the world champion as he gained 14 places over the grand prix to end his win drought in emphatic fashion, proving to everyone why he will be a four-times world champion at the end of the season.
Although he lost a place in the sprint race with a penalty, Verstappen’s remarkable control through the grand prix and the ease in which he passed rivals like Piastri were a striking demonstration of just how in his own league Verstappen remains when it is down to the driver to make the difference. His best victory of the season and one of the best of his career.
Sergio Perez – 4/10
Sprint race start: 13th
Sprint race finish: 8th
Qualified: 13th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.387s)
Grid: 12th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -6 places
Strategy: Two-stop (I-W-I)
Finished: 11th (-10 places behind team mate)
▼ Knocked out of SQ2 in 13th after being unable to start final push lap
▲ Rose up from 13th to claim final point in sprint race
▶ Eliminated in Q2 with team mate but compromised by red flag
▼ Fell to last after spinning on opening lap
▶ Passed Saubers to sit 16th before red flag
▶ Gained two places at second restart when Hamilton and Alonso went off
▼ Passed by Hamilton to finish outside of the points in 11th
Sometimes Perez looks poor because he makes mistakes or massively underperforms and sometimes Perez looks poor because his team mate is just exceptional. It feels like it was more the latter than the former in Brazil as Perez could at least say he did not shunt his Red Bull even if he failed to score points. He had some legitimate excuses this weekend, but it still feels like several other drivers would have done a better job than he did.
Lewis Hamilton – 4/10
Sprint race start: 11th
Sprint race finish: 11th
Qualified: 16th (-14 places behind team mate, +2.029s)
Grid: 14th (-12 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 10th (-6 places behind team mate)
▼ Failed to reach SQ3, eliminated 11th
▼ Lost several places at start of sprint, then finished 11th
▼ Knocked out of Q1 in 16th
▶ Lost places to Colapinto, Sainz and Bearman before passing Sainz and Colapinto
▲ Gained two places at restart to run ninth
▼ Lost two places sliding off track at Juncao
▲ Passed Perez to move up to tenth
▶ Could not pass Lawson and claimed final point in tenth
Hamilton was a joy to watch around Interlagos. He looked poised, controlled and showed that deft touch in the wet that all the great champions do. Then he climbed out of Ayrton Senna’s MP4/5 and into his Mercedes W15 and could hardly have looked less comfortable. After he and Russell once again split set-ups for the weekend, Hamilton struggled throughout and described the car as the worst it has ever felt to drive. But he at least kept it out of the barriers and came home with a single point from proceedings.
George Russell – 7/10
Sprint race start: 6th
Sprint race finish: 6th
Qualified: 2nd (+14 places ahead of team mate, -2.029s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 4th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Qualified sixth on the grid for sprint race behind Ferraris and Verstappen
▶ Finished sixth in sprint race after spending every lap there
▲ Secured front row start for grand prix in qualifying
▲ Passed Norris at the start to lead up to Safety Car
▲ Overtook Norris at restart, then passed Leclerc back after being overtaken
▶ Ran behind Gasly for rest of race, unable to get by
▶ Finished less than a second off the podium in fourth
One of the better performers of the weekend, Russell fared much better than his team mate over the weekend. He finished as high as probably could have been expected in the sprint race and then did a great job in qualifying to secure a front row start. Despite the limitations of the Mercedes over the weekend, he kept the lead for far longer than many would have predicted at the start and beat Leclerc and both McLarens. But it was a little surprising he could not find a way by Gasly over all those laps.
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Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Sprint race start: 3rd
Sprint race finish: 3rd
Qualified: 6th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -3.309s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 5th (+11 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Secured top three position on the sprint grid behind McLarens
▶ Lost third to Verstappen in sprint race but gained it back after penalty
▶ Disappointed to qualify sixth after “shit” last Q3 lap
▶ Passed Lawson at start, then ran fifth
▶ Pitted early for second set of intermediates, but fell into traffic
▲ Passed Tsunoda at first restart, then Russell after second
▶ Lost a place to Russell
A decent weekend from Leclerc who would not have achieved the results he would have wanted, but still did a much better job than his team mate. Took a ‘podium’ in the sprint race, then was caught up in traffic after being pitted by Ferrari for a second set of intermediates. Finishing ahead of the two McLarens has to count as a good result.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 3/10
Sprint race start: 5th
Sprint race finish: 5th
Qualified: 14th (-8 places behind team mate, +3.309s)
Grid: 20th (-14 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 16th (-11 places behind team mate)
▶ Secured top five place on sprint race grid but behind team mate
▶ Finished sprint where he started in fifth
▼ Crashed out of Q2 at turn two
▲ Started from the pit lane, moving up the order and passing Hamilton
▼ Spun out of the race at Laranja after touching white line
▶ Reprimanded after the race for ‘potentially dangerous’ situation after crash
From one of his best weekends of the season in Mexico to a poor showing in Brazil. Sainz’s weekend was defined by his two crashes on Sunday where he did not look like the same driver who had stormed to victory seven days prior. Although he did well enough in the sprint sessions, it’s hard to excuse multiple shunts when several drivers managed to stay on the track in the conditions.
Lando Norris – 5/10
Sprint race start: 2nd
Sprint race finish: Winner
Qualified: Pole (+7 places ahead of team mate, -1.281s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 6th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Beaten by team mate to sprint race pole
▶ Won sprint race after being let through in closing laps
▲ Took pole position for grand prix in wet qualifying session
▼ Lost lead to Russell at start, then could not get by
▼ Passed Russell before red flag but lost position again at restart
▼ Lost two places sliding off track at second restart
▶ Overtook team mate to run in sixth where he would finish
▶ Reprimanded by stewards for not following aborted start procedure
When Norris needed to pull out his best and make the most of a critical opportunity for his championship chances, he simply was not able to do so. He had to ask the team to get Piastri to hand him victory in the sprint race, but set himself up well by securing pole position on Sunday morning. But over the course of the race, Norris showed too much weakness and made too many errors and he paid in his championship challenge being all but ended. A weekend of harsh lessons.
Oscar Piastri – 5/10
Sprint race start: Pole
Sprint race finish: 2nd
Qualified: 8th (-7 places behind team mate, +1.281s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 8th (-2 places behind team mate)
▲ Beat team mate to sprint pole
▲ Led majority of sprint race before allowing team mate through to win
▼ Reached Q3 but only managed eighth on the grid
▼ Lost a place to Verstappen early, then passed by Gasly
▼ Hit with ten second penalty for collision with Lawson
▶ Gained sixth after second restart but handed it back to team mate
▶ Finished seventh but dropped behind Tsunoda after penalty applied
Piastri’s form has seemed to swing on an almost daily basis over the last two months and such was the case again in Brazil. He was strong in the sprint sessions to beat Norris in qualifying and the sprint race – handing over the win will not be counted against him – but on Sunday in the rain, that speed disappeared into the air like the spray from the back of his car. Plenty of other drivers did worse, but he is also capable of much better.
Fernando Alonso – 4/10
Sprint race start: 18th
Sprint race finish: 18th
Qualified: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.373s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 14th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Knocked out of SQ1 in 16th place but ahead of team mate
▶ Started sprint from pit lane, losing a place to Zhou but ahead of Stroll
▼ Reached Q3 but crashed out at Mergulho
▶ Lost places to Verstappen and Gasly before pitting under VSC
▼ Overtaken by Hamilton, then slid off at Juncao at second restart
▶ Ran at the back until passing Zhou late, finishing 14th
▶ Complained of discomfort due to bouncing in later laps
Aston Martin clearly had a terrible weekend at Interlagos and were trying many different solutions to try and solve their troubles with their car. But Alonso could not battle through them over the weekend like he has so many times before, making multiple mistakes on Sunday. He was clearly struggling with poor ride in the car and he at least finished the race, but the rain likely offered him more opportunities than a dry race would have and he could not make the most of them.
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Lance Stroll – 2/10
Sprint race start: 19th
Sprint race finish: 19th
Qualified: 10th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.373s)
Finished: Did not start
▶ Followed team mate in elimination from SQ1
▶ Started sprint from pit lane but finished last of the runners
▼ Crashed out of Q2 at Curva do Sol
▼ Spun into wall on formation lap, then beached car in gravel and was unable to start race
After a perfectly acceptable if unremarkable performance on Friday and Saturday, Stroll’s Sunday ended in extremely embarrassing fashion. While there’s hardly any shame in crashing in a wet qualifying session when four of your peers – including your team mate – do the same, it’s hard to excuse the shambolic scenes on the formation lap.
Pierre Gasly – 9/10
Sprint race start: 7th
Sprint race finish: 7th
Qualified: 15th (-11 places behind team mate, +3.408s)
Grid: 13th (-9 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: One-stop (I-I)
Finished: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate)
▲ Reached SQ3 to secure seventh for the sprint race grid
▲ Held seventh throughout the sprint race, holding off Perez late
▶ Knocked out in Q2 after red flag meant he could not set lap on intermediates
▲ Overtook Alonso and Piastri before Safety Car
▶ Jumped to third by staying out on intermediates before red flag
▲ Held third at both restarts and held off Russell for several laps
▲ Claimed final podium place behind team mate in third
Gasly was exceptional in Brazil. He started off securing the best grid position for the sprint race he could have realistically expected to get, then converted it into the highest finish position he could have gotten. Like Verstappen, his starting position for the grand prix was far lower than he deserved through no fault of his own. But then in the grand prix, his rise from 13th on the grid to a podium in third behind his team mate was only overshadowed by the winner’s.
Yes, Gasly had a big break with the red flag. But he never once looked like giving up the final podium place after the restart even though he was pursued by the driver who led the opening third of the race. Gasly may have finished behind his team mate, but he had shown consistent excellence through all three days of the weekend and in very difficult conditions on Sunday. For that, coupled with no significant errors of note, he must earn a rare exceptional grade.
Esteban Ocon – 8/10
Sprint race start: 16th
Sprint race finish: 13th
Qualified: 4th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -3.408s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (I-I)
Finished: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▼ Eliminated in SQ1 to start 17th for sprint race
▶ Climbed up to finish 13th in sprint race
▲ Secured fourth on the grid with best qualifying of the season
▲ Held fourth in early laps and stayed out on inters before SC
▲ Inherited lead under red flag and held off Verstappen at restart
▶ Lost lead at second restart when passed by Verstappen
▲ Took first podium of the season in second ahead of team mate
Ocon may be about to say goodbye to Alpine, but he gave them what is likely to be one final podium together after an exceptional Sunday performance where he was outstanding in qualifying and the grand prix. Although he benefited from the red flag, he did put himself in the position to take advantage of one when the rain got worse and was not intimidated by Verstappen at the initial restart. His sprint sessions were unremarkable, but given how strong he was when it mattered most, he earns an excellent rating.
Alexander Albon – 4/10
Sprint race start: 9th
Sprint race finish: 10th
Qualified: 7th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -2.198s)
Finished: Did not start
▲ Reached SQ3 to take ninth on the grid
▶ Dropped three places in first three laps of sprint to finish tenth
▼ Reached Q3 but crashed out heavily at first corner
▼ Withdrew from grand prix as car could not be repaired in time
It’s difficult to know how harsh Albon should be judged for ultimately failing to start the Brazilian Grand Prix. While it’s near certain Williams would have fixed his car had he crashed on Saturday when qualifying was originally supposed to run, all drivers would have known that was a risk they faced. Although he was convinced there must have been something broken with the car before the accident, there has so far been no confirmation from his team. A shame, when he seemed the most confident of the two Williams drivers through the weekend.
Franco Colapinto – 3/10
Sprint race start: 14th
Sprint race finish: 12th
Qualified: 18th (-11 places behind team mate, +2.198s)
Grid: 16th (-9 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: Retired (Crashed – L31)
▶ Couldn’t follow team mate into SQ3, knocked out 14th
▶ Passed Hamilton then passed by him late in sprint to finish 12th
▼ Crashed out of Q1, leaving him 18th
▲ Passed Hamilton on track to gain 12th place
▼ Crashed out of the race under Safety Car
A brutal weekend for Colapinto who was left heartbroken for more than one reason. In a weekend where received incredible support from the Argentinian fans who flocked to Sao Paulo to support him, Colapinto could not seem to get everything together the way he has done so often in his short F1 career when he wanted to most. He wasn’t the only driver to crash twice in the rain on Sunday, but he has to be judged on the same level as everyone else on the grid, and although the conditions were at their worst when the second occured, the race was neutralised at the time.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 7/10
Sprint race start: 17th
Sprint race finish: 15th
Qualified: 3rd (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.373s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (I-W-I)
Finished: 7th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Eliminated from SQ1 in 18th place
▶ Passed Bottas to finish 15th in sprint
▲ Reached Q3 to qualify career-best third on grid
▲ Held third until pitting after VSC for wet tyres
▼ Restarted sixth but lost two places to sit eighth
▶ Ran in eighth until end of race
Tsunoda’s weekend gradually got better as the days went by until he was particularly strong when it mattered most on Sunday. He earned a brilliant third on the grid and did an excellent job to stay there over the first phase of the race. It’s a shame he lost places at the restart because from aside from that, he seldom put a wheel out of line through one of the most challenging races of the season.
Liam Lawson – 7/10
Sprint race start: 8th
Sprint race finish: 9th
Qualified: 5th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.373s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (I-W-I)
Finished: 9th (-2 places behind team mate)
▲ Reached SQ3 to secure eighth on the sprint grid
▶ Just missed out on point in sprint after passed by Perez late
▲ Followed team mate into Q3 to secure top five start
▶ Let Verstappen by, then pitted under VSC
▶ Lost place to Hamilton at restart, then gained it back at second
▲ Held off Hamilton over final third to finish in points
Another weekend where Lawson was scrappy but certainly attracted positive attention. He was stronger than Tsunoda on Friday and Saturday before being beaten when it mattered most on Sunday but he still had a strong showing and potentially could have finished even higher had he not pitted just before the Safety Car when the rain hit hardest.
Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Sprint race start: 15th
Sprint race finish: 16th
Qualified: 11th (+9 places ahead of team mate, -1.63s)
Start: -4 places
Strategy: One-stop (I-I)
Finished: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached second stage of sprint qualifying but knocked out 15th
▶ Passed by Tsunoda to finish 15th in sprint
▲ Reached Q2 but denied chance to potentially reach Q3 after red flag
▼ Lost several places at the start, then three more places in one lap
▶ Overtaken by Bearman at second SC restart, then ran 13th until finish
While it looks increasingly like Bottas’ time in Formula 1 may be drawing to an end – at least as a race driver – he continues to demonstrate that he is having the most underappreciated season in the worst car in the field. He over-achieved in both qualifying sessions and could have done even better had circumstances not went against him. He was again the team’s better driver on Sunday but was perhaps not aggressive enough in defending his position in the early laps – not for the first time this year. But the fact he continues to languish last in the championship does not fairly reflect on his performances.
Zhou Guanyu – 4/10
Sprint race start: 20th
Sprint race finish: 17th
Qualified: 20th (-9 places behind team mate, +1.63s)
Grid: 19th (-8 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Four-stop (I-I-W-I-I)
Finished: 15th (-2 places behind team mate)
▼ Eliminated slowest in sprint qualifying
▲ Passed both Aston Martins to finish sprint behind team mate
▼ Knocked out slowest, again, in Q1
▶ Started from pit lane breaching parc ferme
▼ Lost places with off at Subida do Lago
▶ Passed by Bearman after restart, then overtaken by Alonso in later laps
▶ Finished last in 15th
It seems that Zhou’s biggest limitation as a driver has been exposed clearly in 2024 and that is when it comes to getting the best out of a bad car. Of course, ‘bad’ is relative as Sauber’s C44 is still much faster than many cars from the sport’s history, but it is clearly the worst in the field and Zhou seems to continuously struggle with it more than his team mate. Brazil was yet another example as he was simply the slowest driver on the circuit, but at least he finished the race.
Nico Hulkenberg – 4/10
Sprint race start: 12th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Power unit – L20)
Qualified: 19th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.394s)
Grid: 18th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (I-I-W-I)
Finished: Disqualified
▶ Unable to follow team mate into SQ3, eliminated in 12th
▶ Rose to ninth at start of sprint but fell to 12th before retiring
▼ Knocked out in Q1, four tenths slower than team mate
▲ Rose up the order to run 11th early on
▼ Pitted for second set of inters, then spun out at first corner
▶ Disqualified from the race for receiving push from marshals
Not a good showing from Hulkenberg, especially when he is usually a driver that is at the top of his game in the wet in Interlagos. He was out-qualified in both sessions by a rookie team mate, but looked stronger in the sprint race. He was putting in a decent drive in the grand prix until spinning out and was black flagged under the red flag. For the sake of rating him, Hulkenberg will be judged as if simply never recovered on track after his spin.
Oliver Bearman – 5/10
Sprint race start: 10th
Sprint race finish: 14th
Qualified: 17th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.394s)
Grid: 15th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (I-I-I)
Finished: 12th
▶ Called to step in to replace ill Magnussen
▲ Reached SQ3 but had his sole lap time deleted for a track limits infringement
▼ Poor start in sprint, then faded in later laps
▶ Knocked out of Q1 but ahead of team mate
▼ Admitted to making “too many mistakes”, including several offs
▼ Hit with ten second penalty for collision with Colapinto
▶ Finished the race but outside of the points in 12th
▼ Received a 10 second time penalty and 2 penalty points for a collision in
An unexpected third grand prix appearance of the season for Bearman, but even he admitted it was not a strong one. Although he had a very good Friday and out-qualified his far more experienced team mate twice, Bearman’s first wet grand prix was filled with errors. But at least he finished the race and did not wreck his car once in the two wet Sunday sessions.
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NB. Drivers who completed fewer than five races omitted.
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