2022 F1 Belgian GP: Driver Ratings

The 2022 F1 Belgian GP saw Max Verstappen stun everyone with his performance levels all weekend while adding to Ferrari's long list of errors this season. Over the weekend, we have seen some fantastic performances from quite a few drivers while leaving a few others frustrated as well.

So how have the drivers performed over the last three days? Find out in our driver ratings for the 2022 F1 Belgian GP.

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2022 F1 Belgian GP: Rating the drivers!

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (Started: 4th, Finished: DNF)

Rating: 3

This was a rare occasion when Lewis Hamilton crashed into another driver. Fernando Alonso's agitated reaction calling Hamilton a driver who 'only raced and won from first' was a bit much, but in reality, it was the right way to summarize that crash!

It was a weekend to forget for Hamilton and the move deserved a penalty, to say the least. The 2022 F1 Dutch GP could not come sooner for the Mercedes driver.

George Russell (Started: 5th, Finished: 4th)

Rating: 8

A solid outing at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP for Russell! The P4 was not a bad result for the Mercedes driver as he kept his nose clean throughout the race and tried to attack Carlos Sainz for the podium. He might be hoping to start properly beating Lewis Hamilton again soon, but for now, a P4 is a decent result.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen (Started: 14th, Finished: 1st)

Rating: 10

Max Verstappen dominated the field at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP unlike anyone else throughout the season. Starting P14, he got himself comfortably in the lead when Carlos Sainz made his first pitstop. This was a drive made to look easy by Verstappen's brilliance more than anything else, as the Red Bull driver took another step towards his second title.

Sergio Perez (Started: 2nd, Finished: 2nd)

Rating: 7

It might look a bit unfair to award just seven points to the Mexican for the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. To be fair, however, one can't be seven-tenths off his teammate in equal machinery in F1. If there was any other team where Perez was seven-tenths off his teammate, he would have found himself looking for a new seat.

Having said that, Checo's racing IQ was immaculate as he waded his way through the Mercedes' and then Ferrari early in the race. That, however, does not win you races against Verstappen, and the Mexican has arguably realized that by now.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (Started: 15th, Finished: 6th)

Rating: 7

If the current trend continues, Charles Leclerc risks losing all his confidence by the time the season gets over. At the moment, the driver can't buy luck even if it was sold in a supermarket and the 2022 F1 Belgian GP was no different.

It was unfortunate that he had to pit early to get rid of the soft tires. It was unfortunate that the team insisted on not giving him the hard tires in either of the stints. To cap off another disastrous F1 Belgian GP, the pitstop on the second last lap was an unnecessary risk poorly executed by Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz (Started: 1st, Finished: 3rd)

Rating: 8

Carlos Sainz did the best he could under the circumstances at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. He took pole and secured a podium, which was the best result possible, and he did all that without much strategic intervention from the team.

McLaren

Lando Norris (Started: 17th, Finished: 12th)

Rating: 7

It was a bit of an off-weekend for Lando Norris where he did what was possible with the McLaren. The car lacked straight-line speed at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP and as a result, he could not overtake others for the entirety of the race. A P12 finish from a P17 start is not what Norris would have hoped for in yesterday's race.

Daniel Ricciardo (Started: 9th, Finished: 15th)

Rating: 6

Not much to say for the Honey Badger as he spent most of his race looking at Alex Albon's rear wing. He was more or less there or thereabouts when it came to race pace, but getting stuck behind cars didn't help.

Alpine

Fernando Alonso (Started: 3rd, Finished: 5th)

Rating: 8

An excellent haul of points for the Spaniard who made the most of every opportunity that fell his way. He was probably not the fastest Alpine driver at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP but he would take the P5 finish with both hands.

Esteban Ocon (Started: 16th, Finished: 7th)

Rating: 9

Esteban Ocon could easily have finished ahead of Fernando Alonso at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP without the penalty or with a couple more laps in the race. This was arguably one of the most impressive performances all weekend from the French driver.

AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasly (Started: Pitlane, Finished: 9th)

Rating: 8

That was a stellar drive from Pierre Gasly as he made his way through the field and ultimately found himself in P9 at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. If rumors of Alpine trying to sign Gasly turn out to be true, things would only get better for the Frenchman.

Yuki Tsunoda (Started: Pitlane, Finished: 13th)

Rating: 6

Yuki Tsunoda displayed a somewhat solid drive on Sunday but the issue remains once again when it comes to putting everything together. While his teammate did so and scored points, the Japanese driver once again could not deliver.

Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel (Started: 10th, Finished: 8th)

Rating: 8

Sebastian Vettel turned back the clock once again at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP just like he has done multiple other times this season. Despite the poor qualifying, the German driver made perfect decisions on the first lap as he came through the mess in P5.

Vettel tailed the Alpines for most of the race but a lack of top speed eventually compromised his race. It was another weekend where he showed that the talent is still there if he were to stay beyond this season.

Lance Stroll (Started: 9th, Finished: 11th)

Rating: 6

Aston Martin's biggest issue was revealed once again at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. While Sebastian Vettel scored points for the team, Lance Stroll finished the race in P11, almost 30 seconds behind his teammate. The Canadian's talents do not belong in a team that wants to challenge for the title one day. Did Fernando Alonso consider that when he decided to switch teams? We'll have to wait to find that out.

Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas (Started: 11th, Finished: DNF)

Rating: 4

It's hard to comment on an F1 Belgian GP where Valtteri Bottas was initially plagued with a power unit penalty and then had an errant Nicholas Latifi ending the Finn's race. All in all, a weekend to forget for Bottas.

Guanyu Zhou (Started: 18th, Finished: 14th)

Rating: 6

The Alfa Romeo did not really allow Guanyu Zhou to fully express himself at any point in the race. A muted progress from P18 to P14 does not give much to write about.

Haas F1

Kevin Magnussen (Started: 12th, Finished: 16th)

Rating: 6

This was a throwback to the Haas of previous seasons. The car had terrible straight-line speed and was not a match for any of the midfield teams this weekend. Kevin Magnussen tried to rally throughout the race but could not do much in the end.

Mick Schumacher (Started: 19th, Finished: 17th)

Rating: 6.5

Like his teammate Kevin Magnussen, there is not much to write home about Mick Schumacher's race either. The German held a slight pace advantage over Magnussen all weekend, but in the end, fighting for P16 did not lead to much action anyway.

Williams

Alex Albon (Started: 6th, Finished: 10th)

Rating: 8.5

An excellent all-around weekend for Alex Albon at Spa! The qualifying was fantastic and so was the race. A well-earned point for Albon as he keeps kicking things along.

Williams has found a gem in the Thai-British driver and should be looking to supplement him with great competition.

Nicholas Latifi (Started: 11th, Finished: 18th)

Rating: 4

It was another typical Nicholas Latifi race where he was outclassed by his teammate in all aspects. To make things worse, the spin early in the race would not have helped him gain any friends on the grid either. The Canadian looks out of his depth in F1 and it's starting to become more and more obvious.