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The 2024 F1 Bahrain GP saw Max Verstappen put together a flawless weekend as he won the race by a whopping margin of more than 20 seconds. The Red Bull driver made the best use of the car under him and outperformed all other drivers on the track.
This feature, however, is not about Max Verstappen, it's about the two drivers on the grid, the real superstars of their respective teams. How did each of them fare at the F1 Bahrain GP? Let's find out in our driver ratings for the season.
Criteria for rating: When we rate the drivers, there are a few things that we take into consideration, which 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.
2024 F1 Bahrain GP: Rating the drivers
Red Bull
Max Verstappen (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)
Rating: 10
The RB20 is a piece of work, isn't it? But so is the driver. This was just brilliant work all around by Max Verstappen, as he nailed the qualifying lap first and then took the lead, after which there was no looking back.
The Dutchman's performance in the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP likely silenced many doubters who were expecting a title challenge from his competitors.
Sergio Perez (Started: 5th, Finished: 2nd)
Rating: 6
A P2 finish shouldn't yield such a low rating, but when your teammate is a whopping margin ahead of you at the end of the race, then there is a question to be asked: Was the result just down to the car?
While Sergio Perez had a positive outcome in the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP, his overall performance might not have met his expectations.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (Started: 9th, Finished: 7th)
Rating: 6
Not the best start of the season for Lewis Hamilton, as his bad qualifying dictated his race. The driver might need to sort this out because overtaking is certainly not the easiest in F1 at this stage.
George Russell (Started: 3rd, Finished: 5th)
Rating: 7.5
Russell was more or less brilliant in the manner in which he controlled the race. The F1 Bahrain GP could have yielded a podium, if not for the power unit, but a strong start to the year for the Brit.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (Started: 2nd, Finished: 4th)
Rating: 8
A brilliant qualifying but a struggling race where the brake issues were just too much for the driver.
Leclerc spent his first stint at the F1 Bahrain GP, continuously locking up and having very little control over the car. The fact that he found a way out to finish P4 was certainly commendable.
Carlos Sainz (Started: 4th, Finished: 3rd)
Rating: 8
Carlos Sainz delivered an impressive performance in the F1 Bahrain GP, securing a podium for Ferrari. However, despite praise from commentators and pundits, it's essential to note that he was out-qualified by his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who also overtook him on the track when Sainz faced issues with his car.
A good drive from Sainz, but we need context before we pass sweeping judgements.
McLaren
Lando Norris (Started: 7th, Finished: 6th)
Rating: 7
Lando Norris was disappointed by his lap in qualifying as he made a mistake in sector 1. Overall, he did what he could with the car at the F1 Bahrain GP and brought home decent points.
Oscar Piastri (Started: 8th, Finished: 8th)
Rating: 6
Oscar Piastri's performance in the F1 Bahrain GP was somewhat disappointing. He appeared to be consistently slower than Lando Norris throughout the race and even lost a position to Lewis Hamilton. Piastri has some room for improvement within the McLaren team.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso (Started: 6th, Finished: 9th)
Rating: 7.5
Fernando Alonso did what he most often does, which is extracting whatever is possible from the car. The Spaniard would be a bit disappointed with the car, but not with his performance.
Lance Stroll (Started: 9th, Finished: 10th)
Rating: 6
Lance Stroll had a decent race as he made his way to P10. The Canadian would be happy to finish just behind Alonso even though the gulf between the two was vast at the F1 Bahrain GP.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly (Started: 20th, Finished: 18th)
Rating: 7
Gasly was just a step behind his teammate at the F1 Bahrain GP, but just like Esteban Ocon, he would be hoping for improvements to come his way in the coming races.
Esteban Ocon (Started: 19th, Finished: 17th)
Rating: 7.5
Esteban Ocon maximized the potential of his car in the F1 Bahrain GP, but it's clear that Alpine needs to provide a better vehicle. Without a competitive car, the drivers are limited in their ability to fight for better positions on the track.
Williams
Alex Albon (Started: 13th, Finished: 15th)
Rating: 7
Albon had a somewhat lonely race with his car struggling from an overheating power unit. Not scoring points would hurt as he looks ahead to Jeddah.
Logan Sargeant (Started: 18th, Finished: 20th)
Rating: 5.5
Logan Sargeant didn't have the best F1 Bahrain GP. He was once again knocked out in Q1, which isn't ideal. Car issues further hindered his performance in the race, limiting his ability to make significant progress and ultimately resulting in his finishing position.
V-Ca-RB
Daniel Ricciardo (Started: 14th, Finished: 13th)
Rating: 6.5
A listless weekend for the Australian. More importantly, this is not the kind of weekend that will get him a seat in a Red Bull.
Yuki Tsunoda (Started: 11th, Finished: 14th)
Rating: 6.5
Yuki Tsunoda's post-race actions might just have ended any hopes of being a Red Bull driver in the future. You just can't have red mist moments of this kind. An overall forgettable stint from the Japanese driver at the end of the race is what everyone is going to remember.
Stake F1 Sauber
Valtteri Bottas (Started: 16th, Finished: 19th)
Rating: 6
The early collision cost Valtteri Bottas a lot. The driver tried to recover, but the monstrously slow pitstop ended everything for him.
Guanyu Zhou (Started: 17th, Finished: 11th)
Rating: 7.5
Arguably the best race weekend that Zhou Guanyu has put together in F1. One mistake from the drivers in front and Zhou would have finished top 10. An impressive start to the season for him.
Haas F1
Kevin Magnussen (Started: 15th, Finished: 12th)
Rating: 6.5
Magnussen was the higher-finishing Haas driver in the F1 Bahrain GP, but he struggled with both qualifying and race pace.
Despite this, the Danish driver has demonstrated his ability to score points, as seen in Jeddah last year, and will undoubtedly aim to replicate that achievement at the upcoming race in Saudi Arabia.
Nico Hulkenberg (Started: 10th, Finished: 16th)
Rating: 6.5
Had Hulkenberg avoided trouble at the start of the race, he could have potentially earned points. Despite this setback, he displayed overall superiority as a driver, particularly in a car that he's now pushing to its limits. While the outcome may be a bit disappointing, there are certainly positives to be gleaned from the weekend.
