2024 F1 Sao Paulo GP driver ratings: two drivers receive a perfect score of 10

Max Verstappen-10

Verstappen demonstrated why he is clearly F1’s top driver with a legendary performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Winning from 17th on the grid is no easy feat and he managed a number of daring overtakes along the way. A championship-worthy ride.

Esteban Ocon-10

Ocon’s performance in wet conditions was incredible. He pulled away from Verstappen twice before losing the lead after the final Safety Car. Although teammate Gasly had the lead during the sprint, Ocon was powerful in the rain.

Pierre Gasly-9.5

Apart from a poor qualifying due to the timing of the red flag, Gasly enjoyed a great weekend at Interlagos. He scored points in the sprint and rode clear in the Grand Prix, making optimal use of the timing of the red flag.

George Russell-9

Considering how difficult it was to drive the W15 at Interlagos, Russell deserves credit for his performance on Sunday. Under slightly different circumstances it was a race he could have won.

Charles Leclerc-8

Leclerc and Ferrari never looked at ease at Interlagos, in either wet or dry conditions. However, his double overtake on Russell and Norris at the final Safety Car restart was daring and earned him a respectable P5.

Lando Norris-7

Races like Brazil show why Norris is not quite ready to win the title. Although he has incredible raw speed, he tends to make crucial mistakes when the pressure is on. He lost the lead to Russell at the start and went wide twice during the race.

Yuki Tsunoda-8.5

Tsunoda came alive in the wet conditions to secure a career-best third place on the grid. The timing of the red flag was not ideal as VCARB had switched to rain, which was the right decision at the time. However, it seemed that VCARB was struggling with pace against the Alpines.

Oscar Piastri – 6.5

Another rather disappointing weekend for Piastri. Although he would have won the sprint without team orders, he made a costly mistake on his final lap in Q3 during Grand Prix qualifying. This put him on the back foot, and he never fully recovered. He was also given a 10-second time penalty for an avoidable collision with Lawson.

Liam Lawson-7.5

Lawson seemed more comfortable on dry land and held the lead over Tsunoda during the sprint. Given his lack of experience, his relatively poor wet pace was not surprising. Nevertheless, he managed to keep Hamilton and Perez at bay for a significant part of the race.

Lewis Hamilton – 4.5

Hamilton’s disappointing 2024 campaign continued at Interlagos. He was uncompetitive throughout, even in wet conditions where he often excelled.

Sergio Perez-4.5

Another disappointing weekend for Perez. He failed to reach Q3 in both qualifying sessions and scored no points.

Oliver Bearman-6.5

Bearman continues to impress, surpassing experienced teammate Hulkenberg in both qualifying sessions. Haas struggled in the rain, as did Bearman, whose lack of experience proved costly when he spun twice and hit Williams’ Colapinto.

Valtteri Bottas-7.5

Bottas was one of the stars of qualifying, narrowly missing Q3. A poor start due to a lack of tire temperature saw him drop in the rankings and finish 13th on race day.

Fernando Alonso-6.5

A messy weekend for Alonso and Aston Martin, who perhaps had the slowest car at Interlagos.

Zhou Guanyu – 5.5

Another anonymous weekend for Zhou in Brazil, where he was over a second ahead of qualifying in both sessions. He finished last on race day.

Carlos Sainz -4

After Sainz’s 10/10 performance in Mexico, the Spaniard was completely wrong this weekend. He was slow in the sprint before crashing twice on Sunday. A weekend to quickly forget.

Franco Colapinto-3

A tough weekend for Williams and Colapinto, who crashed twice on Sunday. Just like in Mexico, he seemed slower than teammate Albon.

Alex Albon-4

Albon will regret his Q3 shunt. Without that he would probably have been fighting for the top three and would have been in the mix with the Alpines and Tsunoda in the Grand Prix.