Miami GP driver ratings: One F1 driver with Mercedes links continues to go under the radar

Lando Norris - 9.5

Lando Norris delivered a masterclass on race day at the Miami Grand Prix to take his maiden F1 grand prix victory. In free air after Sergio Perez’s pit stop, Norris was the fastest driver on track - setting better lap times than Max Verstappen for the remainder of the race. His first win will be a weight off his shoulders. Norris escapes the perfect 10 rating for his sprint qualifying performance given he had the pace for pole even if McLaren take more of the blame for their poor tyre preparation on the softs.

Max Verstappen - 9

Verstappen had to settle for second in Miami with the RB20 not quite hooked up. While Verstappen did control the race from the front during the early stages, his pace wasn’t electric as he maintained a three-second gap over Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s relative struggles were apparent when replays showed him cutting across a chicane and clattering into a bollard. Fortunately, no damage was done to his car but it was a clear indication things weren’t completely on point this weekend. Still, two poles, a win in the sprint and second-place isn’t bad at all.

Charles Leclerc - 9

Leclerc bounced back from a spin in FP1 to put together a strong weekend in Miami. Two front row starts and two podium finishes, Leclerc had the edge over teammate Carlos Sainz.

Sergio Perez - 7

To come away with fourth given the RB20 was tricky to handle was a good result for Perez. His divebomb at the start of the race was ridiculously ambitious. But even when he switched to fresh rubber, his pace was unspectacular, coming under threat from the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz - 7

It was a scrappy weekend from Sainz in Miami. He seemed to spend more time complaining over team radio than anything else. Sainz was unable to pass the slower RB of Daniel Ricciardo in the sprint before an aggressive duel with Piastri resulted in him picking up a post-race penalty for contact with the aforementioned McLaren driver.

Lewis Hamilton - 8

Hamilton put together his strongest Sunday of the year together with an impressive drive to sixth. Given the pace of the W14, there probably wasn’t much more in it. He outclassed George Russell, finishing 18 seconds ahead of his teammate. It’s a shame he didn’t come away with a point in the sprint after losing it because he was penalised for speeding in the pit lane.

Yuki Tsunoda - 8.5

Tsunoda replicated teammate Ricciardo’s sprint performance with a fine drive to seventh. While he did benefit from the timing of the Safety Car, Tsunoda fended off the second Mercedes of Russell on merit. After a tough start to the weekend in the sprint, Tsunoda recovered nicely to halt Ricciardo’s recent momentum.

George Russell - 7

Russell continues to have the edge over Hamilton over one lap. In both races, he lost out at the start and couldn’t recover from then on, finishing 18 seconds behind the seven-time world champion at the chequered flag.

Fernando Alonso - 7

Miami was one of Alonso’s weakest weekends for Aston Martin. He was out-qualified by teammate Stroll for both races. His quest for points was aided by the timing of the Safety Car, allowing him to get past Esteban Ocon in the closing laps.

Esteban Ocon - 8.5

Ocon continues to go under the radar as one of F1’s star performers. He is 5-1 up on Pierre Gasly in the qualifying head-to-head this year - and it would probably be a whitewash if Ocon wasn’t nursing an underperforming power unit. Ocon delivered a faultless race day performance to claim Alpine’s first point of the year.

Nico Hulkenberg - 8.5

Hulkenberg’s pursuit for points was ultimately unsuccessful on Sunday in Miami. That was through no fault of his own though with the timing of the VSC and SC benefitting some of his midfield rivals. In terms of his own level of performance, Hulkenberg continues to show why Audi signed him.

Pierre Gasly - 7.5

Unlike his teammate, the timing of the VSC didn’t go in his favour, dropping him out of points contention. Still, it was a more competitive weekend for Gasly after a difficult start to the year relative to Ocon.

Oscar Piastri - 8

Piastri drove a brilliant first stint of the race, running in second behind Verstappen on merit. He lost out on a possible podium finish due to the timing of the Safety Car, while an incident with Sainz forced him into the pit lane for repairs.

Zhou Guanyu - 6.5

Zhou continues to struggle in qualifying as he was eliminated in Q1 again. However, he enjoyed two tidy races, beating his teammate in both.

Daniel Ricciardo - 7.5

We saw the best and worst of Ricciardo in Miami. Taking into account his sprint race segment, his rating would be 10/10. However, things didn’t go to plan in qualifying as he blamed a dodgy set of tyres for his Q1 elimination. He couldn’t recover into the points after that.

Valtteri Bottas - 6

An anonymous weekend from Bottas. Despite starting on the softs, he fell backwards on the opening Lap 1. After that, he didn’t feature too heavily.

Lance Stroll - 6

It was one of Stroll’s better weekends in F1 as he out-qualified Alonso in both sessions. Like many drivers, he was caught out by the timing of the VSC/SC before picking up a penalty for an illegal overtake on Alex Albon.

Alex Albon - 5.5

A scrappy weekend from Albon, who was out-qualified by Logan Sargeant for the first time (in sprint qualifying). He was firmly in the midfield hustle and bustle but a late lock-up into Turn 11 dropped him to the back.

Kevin Magnussen - 2

Magnussen deserves credit for making the sprint a lively affair. Although, he did pick up four penalties in the process. His Sunday was then ended by a clumsy crash with Sargeant as moves closer to a race ban.

Logan Sargeant - 5

Sargeant continues to underwhelm when assessing his performance relative to Albon. However, his race was ended through no fault of his own after contact with Magnussen.