2024 mid-season driver ratings: Who is F1's top performer so far?

The driver ratings have been calculated using the race-by-race scores given. An average rating has been calculated.

20) Logan Sargeant - 5.50

Sargeant looks to be out of F1 at the end of the season. The writing was on the wall for the American when Williams handed Alex Albon his car for the remainder of the Australia weekend following the Thai driver’s shut in practice. Sargeant’s sophomore year has been far from a disgrace - but he still lags way behind his teammate despite some tidy performances before the summer break. 

19) Sergio Perez - 5.68

While Perez started the 2024 F1 campaign in respectable fashion with a series of podiums, his usual dip in form during the European leg of the season happened again. Just 28 points in the last eight races has put Red Bull’s spot at the top of the constructors’ championship in jeopardy. 

18) Kevin Magnussen - 5.75

Haas’ decision to ditch Magnussen for 2025 seems to be perfectly justified. Hulkenberg has continued to have a decisive edge in qualifying and the race. While Magnussen is capable of brilliance on his day, those days are few and far between. The Dane’s aggression and reputation has taken a hit, leaving him without a drive for next year. 

17) Zhou Guanyu - 5.89

After two respectable years for Zhou at Sauber, the Chinese driver has taken a clear step back in performance. Zhou is 13-1 down in the qualifying head-to-head against Bottas, with the average gap between the pair around 0.5s. The handling of the C44 has made life difficult for Zhou, resulting in a mid-season chassis change. His race day performances are on the stronger side but still not at the level to impress Audi for 2025.

16) Lance Stroll - 6.11

Stroll remains among F1’s worst performers - but it’s not been all doom and gloom for the Canadian. He’s already out-qualified teammate Alonso five times this year - two more than the whole of last season. It’s fair to say Alonso has the upper hand but Stroll has posed somewhat of a threat in the opening half of the season.

15) Daniel Ricciardo - 6.50

Ricciardo endured a miserable opening four races for VCARB, picking up his worst rating of the year following a torrid Japanese Grand Prix. To his credit, he’s slowly turned things around, putting himself in contention to replace Perez at Red Bull. His lack of consistency combined with Tsunoda’s overall advantage puts him in the lower down the order. 

14) Valtteri Bottas - 6.57

Despite sitting bottom of the drivers’ championship, 2024 being Bottas’ strongest season for Sauber is a fair argument to make. He has destroyed Zhou in qualifying - and points would have been on the cards in a number of races (China, Japan) had operational errors not occurred. The same Bottas flaws remain in terms of his positioning on Lap 1 or overall race craft, but in terms of overall pace, he’s right up there in F1’s midfield. 

13) Pierre Gasly - 6.88

Gasly has cemented himself as Alpine’s team leader heading into 2025 - but it’s Ocon who’s had the general edge across all metrics this year. The former Red Bull driver struggled most when the car was at its worst before growing into the acedency following a crucial setup change led by Ocon. The pair remain one of the most evenly-matched pairings on the grid.

12) Alex Albon - 7.07

With the Williams considerably overweight, Albon’s had few opportunities to impress this year. His finest weekend of the year was in Monaco - qualifying and finishing inside the top 10 at a track which wasn’t expected to suit Williams. The arrival of Sainz in 2025 will give a clearer indication as to whether Albon has genuinely improved since leaving Red Bull.

11) Esteban Ocon - 7.10

Ocon continues to be a reliable performer in F1’s midfield, enjoying a small advantage over Gasly in the first half of the season. His departure from Alpine is unjustified but reasonable given his relationship with his teammate. Ocon’s fighting drive into the points at Spa resulted in his best rating of the year.

10) Fernando Alonso - 7.25

2024 has arguably been one of Alonso’s weakest seasons in F1. He’s been out-qualified by Stroll on five occasions and in some races, he’s simply gone missing, which isn’t like Alonso. His lack of form during the European leg of the season has been baffling with the gap to Stroll diminishing.

9) Yuki Tsunoda - 7.32

Out of the four Red Bull drivers, Tsunoda is a very clear second-best this year. Even so, he continues to be overlooked by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko as a possible teammate for Verstappen. He’s shown great consistency and maturity with numerous top 10 finishes for VCARB.

8) Nico Hulkenberg - 7.54

Hulkenberg continues to be F1’s star performer in the midfield with blistering displays on a Saturday. With the Haas no longer chewing up its tyres, the German has converted his stunning qualifying pace into a number of great results - most notably in Austria and Britain. 

7) Carlos Sainz - 7.73

Sainz remains a close match for Leclerc. His Australia weekend was perfect, earning him a 10 rating. He flourishes in changeable conditions and shows confidence over team radio when needing to make crucial strategy calls. 

6) Oscar Piastri - 7.79

Piastri is slowly chipping away at the deficit to Norris. Norris still has a pace advantage, notably in the race. Piastri’s maiden victory was on complete merit and he was unfortunate to just miss out at Spa. In the last eight races, only Verstappen has out-scored Piastri, highlighting just how well he’s done recently. 

5) George Russell - 7.82

Russell has out-performed teammate Hamilton in 2024 - but is behind him the points standings. A DNF at Silverstone when in contention for the podium and DSQ when he won at Spa has put Russell considerably behind in points. While Hamilton has closed the gap in recent rounds, there’s no doubt Russell has been the stronger Mercedes driver in the opening 14 races despite our rankings suggesting otherwise. 

4) Lewis Hamilton - 7.92

After a tricky start to the year, Hamilton’s been back to his very best in the last four to five races. Has he been better than Russell this year? Probably not, but when there’s been opportunities on the table to win, he’s taken them. As Mercedes have improved, so has Hamilton. 

3) Charles Leclerc - 8.14

While Leclerc has endured a couple of tricky weekends amid Ferrari’s slump, on the whole he’s been brilliant throughout. His Monaco weekend was majestic, delivering a perfect weekend in front of his adoring fans. 

2) Lando Norris - 8.36

Norris has been scrutinised for his performances this year. Overall though, he’s been brilliant. It’s more the small details (starts or Lap 1s) that have been his main problem. He continues to have the edge over Piastri but cutting out those crucial mistakes will be the key factor as to whether he can topple Verstappen in the second half of the year.

1) Max Verstappen - 9.00

Verstappen remains F1’s top performer despite Red Bull’s advantage at the front of F1 diminishing. He showed his brilliance at Imola in particular - where McLaren had the quicker car - but it was Verstappen who would take pole and then the win. While Verstappen has had his off weekends or mistakes - Monaco and Hungary to note - he continues to be the decisive factor for Red Bull.