DRIVER RATINGS: F1’s most underrated driver gets a perfect score

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Max Verstappen - 10

Max Verstappen is a two-time F1 champion. It was a long wait, but once we got going, Verstappen was in a league of his own. He took the race win by over 27s in just 28 laps of racing - astonishing. 

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Sergio Perez - 7

Sergio Perez now sits second in the championship after beating Charles Leclerc to second-place. The Mexican struggled in the early laps of the race, but by looking after his tyres, he was able to pressure Leclerc into a mistake on the final lap, ultimately resulting in a five-second time penalty. 

Charles Leclerc - 7

A bit of a disappointing race for Leclerc at Suzuka. He showed great pace in the early laps but soon dropped off, struggling with tyre wear. His lack of race pace and mistake on the final lap, means his rating is affected.

Esteban Ocon - 10

It was a stunning weekend for Esteban Ocon at the Japanese Grand Prix. He managed to out-qualify and beat both Mercedes drivers on merit. There is not much more Ocon could have done at Suzuka this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton - 8

Lewis Hamilton managed to out-qualify George Russell yet again as he was the lead Mercedes driver at Suzuka. Unfortunately, Mercedes’ lack of straight-line speed meant he was stuck behind Ocon for the entirety of the race, destroying his chances of finishing on the podium.

Sebastian Vettel - 9

Sebastian Vettel was at his very best at Suzuka - a track he loves and has enjoyed great successHis Q3 appearance was brilliant, and his strategy call to switch to the intermediates, almost immediately, was inspired. Unfortunately, his tangle on the opening lap means he misses out on a 10/10 weekend.

Fernando Alonso - 7

After showing outstanding pace throughout practice and the early parts of qualifying, Fernando Alonso failed to deliver in Q3 yet again. That ultimately proved to be his undoing as he couldn't make gains at the start nor through the pit stop phase. 

George Russell - 7

Russell was once again the slower of the two Mercedes drivers. He lost ground through the pit stop phase as he was forced to queue but made great overtakes on Nicholas Latifi, Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda to recover into the points.

Nicholas Latifi - 8

Nicholas Latifi scored his first points of the year. Like Vettel, an early stop for intermediates made his race, propelling him into the points. As we saw at the British Grand Prix, Latifi is no slouch in the wet conditions. 

Lando Norris - 7

After struggling through most of qualifying, Lando Norris pulled a lap out of the bag to make it into Q3. Norris struggled in the wet, but secured one point, beating teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Daniel Ricciardo - 6

Ricciardo made a storming start, moving up to eighth from 11th on the grid. A late stop for intermediates dropped him down the order, costing him a shot of finishing in the points.

Lance Stroll - 7

Lance Stroll made an incredible start on the opening lap, moving up to 11th from 18th. Aston Martin didn’t time his switch to the intermediates perfectly, like they did with Vettel, meaning he couldn’t challenge for the points.

Yuki Tsunoda - 7

Yuki Tsunoda enjoyed a solid home race, out-qualifying his teammate and ran inside the top 10 before the crucial switch to the intermediates. Points were on the cards with a better strategy. 

Kevin Magnussen - 6

Another lacklustre weekend from Kevin Magnussen as he was the weaker of the two Haas drivers at Suzuka. He made a great move on Valtteri Bottas, but much else during the race.

Valtteri Bottas - 6

Bottas got the better of teammate Guanyu Zhou - something that hasn’t happened too often in recent grands prix. The Finn made a sluggish start from 12th, dropping down to 14th after the opening lap. He lost out to Magnussen on the first lap after the restart before getting stuck behind the Dane.

Zhou Guanyu - 5

Zhou’s race was hampered by a spin on the opening lap, dropping him down the order. He was one of the few drivers to make a pit stop for new intermediates, even setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. Regardless, points were never on the cards for Alfa Romeo in Japan.

Pierre Gasly - 5

A messy weekend for Pierre Gasly at the Japanese Grand Prix. He was beaten by his teammate, and then was forced to start from the pit lane. Gasly received a 20-second time penalty for speeding under red flag conditions - a controversial incident given that there was a tractor on track.

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Mick Schumacher - 7

Mick Schumacher showed decent pace once again but was let down by Haas’ strategy. Haas were gambling on a Safety Car, but it never came. A missed opportunity for the American outfit. 

Alex Albon - 6

Alex Albon’s race ended prematurely as he was forced to pull to the side of the track with a mechanical issue. Given how Latifi performed, with the right strategy, Albon could have starred. 

Carlos Sainz - 4

The Spaniard’s race came to an end on the opening lap, getting caught out by aquaplaning. While conditions were clearly difficult, Sainz was the only one to crash heavily, impacting his rating for this weekend.