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The 2023 F1 Austrian GP ended with Max Verstappen picking up his fifth win in a row, with the Red Bull driver taking domination to the next level. Verstappen is now leading the championship by a whopping 81 points, and there seems to be no stopping him.
However, all of this was overshadowed by what happened after the race as drivers were given as much as 30 seconds worth of time penalties after the race. In a race weekend that was marred by track limit penalties up and down the grid, how did the drivers fare?
Let's take a look at our driver ratings for the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
Criteria for rating: When we rate the drivers, there are a few things that we take into consideration. These are:
- Performance in both qualifying and race
- Results achieved compared to the potential of the car
- How many mistakes were made over the weekend
- Relative performance against their teammate
2023 F1 Austrian GP: Rating the drivers
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Sprint (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)
GP (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)
Rating: 10
This was another weekend where not many would have questioned Max Verstappen if he had messed up the pole lap due to track limits or something else. Similarly, he wouldn't have been criticized if the wet weather conditions induced an error from him.
However, it didn't matter in the end, as he just doesn't seem to be making any mistakes these days. This was another flawless weekend without any errors from the Red Bull superstar and the title triumph looks like nothing more than an eventuality.
Sergio Perez
Sprint (Started: 2nd, Finished: 2nd)
GP (Started: 15th, Finished: 3rd)
Rating: 7
This was a better weekend for Sergio Perez, and secured a P2 and P3 finish. The situation still wasn't ideal as the Mexican once again messed up his qualifying session.
The championship challenge that Perez would have hoped for is over now as the focus shifts on performing well enough to keep his seat for the future.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Sprint (Started: 9th, Finished: 12th)
GP (Started: 2nd, Finished: 2nd )
Rating: 8.5
Charles Leclerc was nowhere close to being comfortable with the car at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. The driver struggled for pace even when it came to matching teammate Carlos Sainz.
In all of this, though, it was interesting to see that the young driver did not lose his head. A helping hand from Ferrari meant that the driver could concentrate and secure his best result of the season.
Carlos Sainz
Sprint (Started: 5th, Finished: 3rd)
GP (Started: 3rd, Finished: 6th)
Rating: 7.5
There were reasons to be both optimistic and disappointed for Carlos Sainz at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
The Spaniard was the faster Ferrari driver this past weekend, and that should give him confidence. However, the five-second penalty was his own doing, and he should have been more careful.
Overall, though, this weekend was a good sign for Sainz as Ferrari charts its way back to the front.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
Sprint (Started: 18th, Finished: 10th)
GP (Started: 5th, Finished:8th)
Rating: 5
Lewis Hamilton completely lost the plot at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, and it was there for everyone to see. The complaints on the radio tested the patience not only of the fans, but it appears it did not go down well with Toto Wolff as well.
Hamilton was quite clearly the faster of the two Mercedes drivers this weekend. The fact that he ended the 2023 F1 Austrian GP getting outscored by George Russell will be disappointing.
George Russell
Sprint (Started: 15th, Finished: 8th)
GP (Started: 11th, Finished: 7th)
Rating: 6
This was not the best of races for George Russell either as he struggled with pace throughout the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. He was slower than Lewis Hamilton this weekend, but made sure that he kept his head down and got the maximum that was on the table.
A P7 is not too impressive, but at least it's more than what his teammate could put together.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
Sprint (Started: 12th, Finished: 15th)
GP (Started: 9th, Finished: 10th)
Rating: 7
The 2023 F1 Austrian GP was a tale of two halves for Pierre Gasly, as he had a disastrous sprint but a decent race. Getting demoted to P10 afterward was not the best thing for the Alpine driver, but his consistency over the race will be heartening for him.
Esteban Ocon
Sprint (Started: 8th, Finished: 7th)
GP (Started: 12th, Finished: 14th)
Rating: 7.5
A tale of two extremes for Esteban Ocon as well as he secured a very impressive P7 in the sprint, but struggled massively in the race. The 30-second post-race penalty was comical to say the least, but the French driver once again outscored his teammate with the heroics in the sprint.
McLaren
Lando Norris
Sprint (Started: 3rd, Finished: 9th)
GP (Started: 4th, Finished: 4th)
Rating: 8.5
The poor performance in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP sprint docks 1.5 points for Lando Norris, but other than that, he was impeccable. Norris once again showed that if he has the car to fight at the front of the grid, he will produce the results. That overtake on Lewis Hamilton must have felt good.
Oscar Piastri
Sprint (Started: 17th, Finished: 11th)
GP (Started: 13th, Finished: 16th)
Rating: 4
This was a stinker for Oscar Piastri as Lando Norris truly overshadowed him. Yes, he did not have the upgrades on his car, but the gulf was not because of upgrades; it had more to do with the drivers.
Piastri has been quite impressive this season, but the 2023 F1 Austrian GP is one he will want to forget as soon as possible.
Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas
Sprint (Started: 19th, Finished: 20th)
GP (Started: 14th, Finished: 15th)
Rating: 5.5
This was an anonymous weekend for Valtteri Bottas as the car was just quick enough to not be the slowest, but slow enough not to threaten the points. Alfa Romeo needs a better package if Bottas has to extract a result from that car.
Guanyu Zhou
Sprint (Started: 16th, Finished: 19th)
GP (Started: 17th, Finished: 12th)
Rating: 5.5
We saw more of the same from Guanyu Zhou as he continues to be there and thereabouts with Bottas, but is not really making a difference as a driver. The Chinese driver and his teammate are certainly not the most inspiring driver lineup in F1 at the moment.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Sprint (Started: 6th, Finished: 5th)
GP (Started: 7th, Finished: 5th)
Rating: 7.5
A P5 result almost seems like a steal for Fernando Alonso after the kind of weekend he had at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. Aston Martin was in no man's land this past weekend, as the car was clearly slower than even McLaren's.
Alonso himself was a bit off-color this weekend as he lost out to Lance Stroll in the sprint.
Lance Stroll
Sprint (Started: 7th, Finished: 4th)
GP (Started: 6th, Finished: 9th)
Rating: 7
This was a decent weekend in terms of performance for Lance Stroll. He was able to beat Fernando Alonso in the sprint and even out-qualified him for the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
In the end, a P9 on Sunday, coupled with a P4 in the sprint, is a decent result.
Haas F1
Kevin Magnussen
Sprint (Started: 10th, Finished: 14th)
GP (Started: 19th, Finished: 18th)
Rating: 4
Guenther Steiner loves Kevin Magnussen, but he's going to have a hard time convincing his bosses that he deserves a seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg.
Haas cannot keep its tires alive for more than a lap, and that is true for both drivers. What is not flattering for Magnussen, though, is the massive qualifying gulf between him and Hulkenberg. The former needs to step things up at Haas if he has to keep his seat.
Nico Hulkenberg
Sprint (Started: 4th, Finished: 6th)
GP (Started: 8th, Finished: DNF)
Rating: 9
For a moment in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, Nico Hulkenberg would have made Christian Horner wonder if a replacement for Sergio Perez is right in front of him. As we alluded to earlier, Haas cannot keep its tires alive for more than a lap. Over one lap, however, the car can be very competitive.
This is exactly what Hulkenberg ended up exploiting in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP to secure some points for the American team.
AlphaTauri
Nyck de Vries
Sprint (Started: 14th, Finished: 17th)
GP (Started: 20th, Finished: 17th)
Rating: 5
Nyck de Vries appears to have a deadline before which he has to show considerable improvement. However, the lack of competitiveness of AlphaTauri makes it very hard for anyone to be competitive.
The 2023 F1 Austrian GP was not too impressive from the Dutch driver as once again he was called up for a questionable move on Kevin Magnussen.
Yuki Tsunoda
Sprint (Started: 13th, Finished: 16th)
GP (Started: 16th, Finished: 19th)
Rating: 5
This was a weekend to forget for Yuki Tsunoda as the first-lap lunge cost him big time. The early season impressiveness seems to be tailing off now and the driver will be hoping for better weekends than the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
Williams
Alex Albon
Sprint (Started: 11th, Finished: 13th)
GP (Started: 10th, Finished: )
Rating: 8
Alex Albon was very close to scoring points in both races. but was unable to make it happen. Regardless, Albon continues to impress everyone with his poise and ability to outperform what the car seems to be capable of achieving.
Logan Sargeant
Sprint (Started: 20th, Finished: 18th)
GP (Started: 18th, Finished: )
Rating: 5
It was a better weekend for Logan Sargeant as he was closer to Alex Albon in pockets. After the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, Sargeant will be looking forward to Silverstone, a track he tends to perform very well at.
