2024 F1 Sao Paulo GP driver ratings: Two drivers receive perfect 10 score

Max Verstappen - 10

Verstappen demonstrated why he’s clearly F1’s top driver with a legendary performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Winning from 17th on the grid is no mean feat, and he pulled off some bold overtakes along the way. A championship-worthy drive.

Esteban Ocon - 10

Ocon’s performance in wet conditions was incredible. He pulled away from Verstappen on two separate occasions before losing the lead after the final Safety Car. Although teammate Gasly had the edge during the sprint, Ocon was mighty in the wet.

Pierre Gasly - 9.5

Aside from a poor qualifying session due to the timing of the red flag, Gasly enjoyed a great weekend at Interlagos. He scored points in the sprint and drove faultlessly in the Grand Prix, making the most of the timing of the red flag.

George Russell - 9

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

Charles Leclerc - 8

Leclerc and Ferrari never looked comfortable at Interlagos, in either wet or dry conditions. His double overtake on Russell and Norris at the final Safety Car restart was bold though, earning him a respectable P5.

Lando Norris - 7

Races like Brazil show why Norris isn’t quite ready to win the title. While he has incredible raw speed, he tends to make crucial mistakes in high-pressure moments. He lost the lead at the start to Russell and ran wide twice during the race.

Yuki Tsunoda - 8.5

Tsunoda came alive in the wet conditions, securing a career-best grid position of third. The timing of the red flag wasn’t ideal given VCARB had switched to wets, which was the right call at the time. However, it seemed VCARB struggled for pace relative to the Alpines.

Oscar Piastri - 6.5

Another fairly underwhelming weekend for Piastri. While 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 quite recovered. He also picked up a 10-second time penalty for an avoidable collision with Lawson.

Liam Lawson - 7.5

Lawson seemed more comfortable in the dry, holding the edge over Tsunoda during the sprint. Given his lack of experience, his relatively poor pace in the wet wasn’t surprising. Nevertheless, he managed to keep Hamilton and Perez at bay for a significant portion 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’s often excelled.

Sergio Perez - 4.5

Another disappointing weekend for Perez. He failed to make Q3 in both qualifying sessions and didn’t score any points.

Oliver Bearman - 6.5

Bearman continues to impress, out-qualifying veteran teammate Hulkenberg in both qualifying sessions. Haas struggled in the wet, as did Bearman, whose lack of experience proved costly as he spun twice and hit Williams’ Colapinto.

Valtteri Bottas - 7.5

Bottas was one of the stars of qualifying, narrowly missing out on Q3. A poor start amid a lack of tyre temperature dropped him down the order, finishing 13th on race day.

Fernando Alonso - 6.5

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

Zhou Guanyu - 5.5

Another anonymous weekend for Zhou in Brazil as he was out-qualified by well over a second in both sessions. He finished last on race day.

Carlos Sainz - 4

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

Franco Colapinto - 3

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

Alex Albon - 4

Albon will rue his Q3 shunt. Without it, he likely would have contended for the top three, and been in the mix with the Alpines and Tsunoda in the grand prix.

Lance Stroll - 3

Stroll’s weekend was ruined by an amateur mistake on the formation lap, where he misjudged his attempt to rejoin the track, beaching his Aston Martin in the gravel trap.

Nico Hulkenberg - 4

A poor weekend for Hulkenberg, marked by uncharacteristic mistakes and a generally weaker performance than Bearman.