F1 United States GP Driver Ratings: Five 10/10 performances

Max Verstappen - 10

Max Verstappen had to work hard for his 13th victory of the season at the Circuit of the Americas. An 11.1s pit stop from Red Bull dropped him behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, meaning he had to overtake them to win in Austin. He ultimately did, putting together another perfect drive.

• Hamilton warns Verstappen: ‘I’m still here and I will take it to the top’
• What Hamilton said to Verstappen in the cool down room

Lewis Hamilton - 10

Hamilton was so close to his and Mercedes’ first victory of the year in Austin. Even before benefitting from Red Bull’s slow pit stop for Verstappen, the seven-time champion showed great race pace as he kept within touching distance of Verstappen in front. Another spectacular drive from the seven-time world champion.

Charles Leclerc - 8

Leclerc recovered well to finish on the podium - his fifth consecutive rostrum appearance in 2022. The Ferrari driver didn’t make much progress in the early phase of the race, but made the most of a timely Safety Car period caused by Valtteri Bottas. He drove well, but in terms of race pace, Ferrari were short relative to Red Bull and Mercedes.

Sergio Perez - 7

Like Leclerc, Perez started the race lower than he qualified due to an engine penalty. It was an up and down race for the Mexican, showing good speed on the mediums, but struggled on the hard tyre as he had to defend from George Russell. He then showed great pace at the end of the race, but it was too late to challenge Leclerc.

George Russell - 6

A messy race for Russell, who spun Carlos Sainz at the first corner, ruining the Spaniard’s race on the opening lap. He was once again the slower of the two Mercedes driver as he finished a distant fifth, picking up the fastest lap of the race after a late stop for fresh rubber.

Lando Norris - 10

Lando Norris' charge to sixth in Austin was nothing short of remarkable. He lost out through the pit stops and the Safety Car, but out of nowhere, he was picking off the midfield with ease. Another impressive weekend - give this man a top car already.

Fernando Alonso - 10

Like Norris, Fernando Alonso’s drive to seventh was incredible. Alonso was caught out by Lance Stroll’s veer to the left when the pair battled for position on Lap 22, sending the Spaniard airborne. He recovered from last to finish seventh. Amazing.

Sebastian Vettel - 10

Sebastian Vettel was on course to finish an easy sixth-place in Austin had it not been for Aston Martin’s shocking 16-second pit stop. Regardless, Vettel made his way through the pack after dropping to 13th, coming home in eighth with some sensational overtakes on Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon.

Kevin Magnussen - 6

A welcome return to the points for Haas and Magnussen in Austin. A risky one-stop strategy for the American outfit paid off on home soil, allowing the Dane to score the team’s first points since Austria. However, he was slower than teammate Mick Schumacher, who was put on another poor strategy by Haas.

Yuki Tsunoda - 7

Yuki Tsunoda ended his personal points drought with P10 in Austin. Tsunoda found himself up to 15th within four laps before making further progress as various other cars dropped out of the race. A clean weekend from Tsunoda overall, which resulted in a top 10 finish.

Esteban Ocon - 5

A rare off weekend for Esteban Ocon, who never quite had the pace of teammate Alonso at the Circuit of the Americas. He was knocked out in Q1 and struggled to recover from his pit lane start after an engine change from Alpine.

Alex Albon - 7

Albon continues to get the most out of the Williams package, narrowly missing out on a points finish. He fought hard but couldn’t finish inside the top 10.

Zhou Guanyu - 6

Zhou Guanyu was unfortunate to miss out on Q3 after his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Zhou was in the thick of the midfield action, running inside the top 10 before dropping down the order in the closing laps.

Pierre Gasly - 5

A scrappy race for Pierre Gasly at the United States Grand Prix. Points should have been on the table, but a penalty for dropping too far back under the Safety Car ruined his chances.

Mick Schumacher - 7

Schumacher was the faster of the two Haas drivers, but he was put on the wrong strategy (once again). The one-stop was the way to go - risky, admittedly, but Schumacher’s eventual strategy meant he had no chance of finishing inside the top 10.

Daniel Ricciardo - 3

Another torrid weekend for Daniel Ricciardo. He simply didn’t have any speed across qualifying or the race. His sabbatical can’t come quick enough.

Nicholas Latifi - 3

Nicholas Latifi struggled yet again as he approached the final handful of races in his F1 career. He spun early on before losing out to Ricciardo on track.

Lance Stroll - 4

Stroll was enjoying his best weekend of the season until he misjudged his defensive manoeuvre against Alonso on Lap 22. A slight move to the left resulted in a scary collision on the back straight down to Turn 11. The Canadian was on for big points for Aston Martin so it was a missed opportunity. 

Valtteri Bottas - 4

Valtteri Bottas returned to Q3 for the first time since Hungary. However, his race ended prematurely after a rare unforced error at the penultimate corner, spinning out and getting stuck in the gravel trap.

Carlos Sainz - 8

After a fantastic pole lap, Sainz’s race was ended on the opening lap after he was spun by Russell. The contact caused a water leak, forcing him to retire from the race. His rating is based on his qualifying performance, edging out Leclerc.