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The 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP saw Max Verstappen pick up his 9th consecutive win. The driver was in imperious form all weekend and continued his dominance over the grid once again.
There were quite a few brilliant performances up and down the grid from other drivers as well. Ollie Bearman making his debut was certainly one of the talking points of the weekend.
How did each and every driver fare during the F1 Saudi Arabian GP? Let's find out in our driver ratings.
When we rate the drivers, we take the following factors into consideration:
- 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 Saudi Arabian GP: Rating the drivers
Red Bull
Max Verstappen (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)
Rating: 10
Another peerless weekend from Max Verstappen as he picked up win number 56 in F1. Of all weekends, this was the one where he could have messed up because of the off-track shenanigans. Yet, at no moment did it appear that the driver was in any trouble whatsoever. No mistakes once again as Max Verstappen wins the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
Sergio Perez (Started: 3rd, Finished: 2nd)
Rating: 7.5
A much better weekend for Sergio Perez. He has been historically very impressive in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. This weekend was another example of it.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (Started: 8th, Finished: 9th)
Rating: 6
Not a good look for Lewis Hamilton as he once again struggled in qualifying. The body language has not been that good for the Mercedes driver and it was obvious in the 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP that Lewis wasn't fully comfortable with the car.
George Russell (Started: 7th, Finished: 6th)
Rating: 8
A better weekend than Lewis Hamilton might not be the best consolation for George Russell as Mercedes was quite uncompetitive in Jeddah. He does however continue to be the benchmark at Mercedes.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (Started: 2nd, Finished: 3rd)
Rating: 9.5
This is the kind of weekend Charles Leclerc was destined to produce in Bahrain before the brake issue and this is the kind of weekend he would be hoping to produce in the future. Great qualifying and great race for Leclerc who might be kicking himself for not being aggressive enough in his defence against Sergio Perez.
Ollie Bearman (Started: 11th, Finished: 7th)
Rating: 8
The 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP was the debut in a Ferrari for Ollie Bearman and the kid impressed. He has the pace, he has the temperament and by the looks of it, he has almost everything one needs to already be an F1 driver.
McLaren
Lando Norris (Started: 6th, Finished: 8th)
Rating: 7
Getting away with the jump start might have made Norris chuckle a bit after the race but overall it was a steady weekend for him. The 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP could have gone better if not for the safety car but that is precisely why one should not find themselves behind their teammates in races.
Oscar Piastri (Started: 5th, Finished: 4th)
Rating: 8
An assured, measured, and matured drive from Oscar Piastri. The Australian has just continued to grow and become very formidable in McLaren.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso (Started: 4th, Finished: 5th)
Rating: 8.5
Was a P4 possible if he had managed to keep Oscar Piastri behind him? Probably, because McLaren wasn't too far ahead of the Aston Martin in terms of pace. Other than that blip, it was another strong weekend for the Spaniard at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
Lance Stroll (Started: 10th, Finished: DNF)
Rating: 3
That was just a rookie error from Lance that came into being because he just found it hard to keep up with the cars in front. A move that might be a sign of things to come as Stroll struggles to keep up with Alonso.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly (Started: DNS, Finished: DNS)
Rating: 5
Getting outqualified by Ocon again (arguably because he couldn't complete his second push lap in Q1) was not something Gasly would have wanted. Missing out on the race was just symbolic of the F1 Saudi Arabian GP for Alpine.
Esteban Ocon (Started: 17th, Finished: 13th)
Rating: 8.5
Esteban Ocon finished the race ahead of both the Stake F1 Sauber drivers, both RB drivers, and one Williams driver. That Alpine did not deserve to be there and any number of onboards can prove that. A good effort that might not get noticed in the bigger scheme of things.
Williams
Alex Albon (Started: 12th, Finished: 11th)
Rating: 7
Albon might be a bit disappointed because he could have scored a point in the Williams. The problem was that he was rough-housed a bit by Magnussen which meant he was stuck in traffic.
Logan Sargeant (Started: 19th, Finished: 15th)
Rating: 6
Bad qualifying and a decent race for Logan. He still continues to trail Albon and chickens might come to roost if he isn't making enough improvements.
V-Ca-RB
Daniel Ricciardo (Started: 14th, Finished: 16th)
Rating: 4
A low point for Daniel Ricciardo in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The Australian has been unable to stamp his authority in RB and finishing last is not going to help much.
Yuki Tsunoda (Started: 9th, Finished: 14th)
Rating: 6.5
Tsunoda looked exhausted and a bit disappointed after the F1 Saudi Arabian GP but he was involved in a dogfight against Kevin Magnussen for much of the race. The Japanese driver is proving himself once again this year as compared to his teammate but lack of points is a struggle
Stake F1 Sauber
Valtteri Bottas (Started: 16th, Finished: 17th)
Rating: 5
Another unremarkable weekend for Bottas as the team couldn't get anything going. The driver is fighting for a seat in 2025 and with the car not giving anything, it does become hard to pull out the results.
Guanyu Zhou (Started: 20th, Finished: 18th)
Rating: 6.5
Zhou tried something different in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP by not pitting during the safety car but unfortunately, it didn't work out. Both Stake F1 drivers are on a sticky wicket when it comes to their future and these races certainly don't help
Haas F1
Kevin Magnussen (Started: 13th, Finished: 12th)
Rating: 7
Kevin Magnussen must be kicking himself for the inflicted penalties, but if we keep that aside the Danish driver did drive like a soldier for his team in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The defensive drive was brilliant and deserves a lot of credit
Nico Hulkenberg (Started: 15th, Finished: 10th)
Rating: 8
The German was unlucky in qualifying and made up for it in the race. His point finish in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP can, in part, be attributed to what Kevin Magnussen did as a rear gunner. Having said that, the German kept his nose clean and got the result home. He's had impressive pace in the car and will be looking to build on this result.
