F1 Driver Ratings: 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is often one of the most difficult and dangerous for drivers to contend with all season long.

The perfect location, therefore, for two rookie drivers to make their second grand prix starts in their young careers.

But while the inexperienced drivers in the field made their mistakes in practice, some of the sport’s veterans waited until when it mattered most to make some poor judgements.

These are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen – 5/10

Qualified: 6th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.21s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 5th (+12 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Outqualified by team mate for first time in 33 rounds to start sixth
▲ Gained one place over Russell at the start to sit fifth
▶ First of the leaders to pit for hard tyres
▼ Lost sixth when overtaken by Russell, then caught and passed by Norris
▶ Pitted late for fastest lap attempt on softs but lost chance with VSC
▶ Finished fifth after gaining two places from late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing under VSC after chequered flag

In Baku, it was as if Verstappen and Perez had swapped helmets and cars for the weekend. It’s not rare for Verstappen to struggle with his car’s handling, but it is rare for him to struggle as much as he did throughout the Baku weekend. The slower of the two Red Bull drivers on Saturday and Sunday, Verstappen looked unusually ordinary in Azerbaijan.

Sergio Perez – 6/10

Qualified: 4th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.21s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Classified: 17th (-12 places behind team mate)

▼ Received a warning for impeding in third practice
▲ Beat team mate in qualifying to line up fourth but disappointed not to be higher
▲ Passed Sainz at the start to sit third
▶ Pitted early to undercut Piastri but held up by Norris
▶ Sat third for bulk of second stint behind Leclerc
▼ Crashed out of the race after contact with Sainz on penultimate lap

For 99% of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, the ‘King of Baku’ was enjoying his best performance for well over a year. He was quicker than Verstappen on merit on Saturday and Sunday – a rare sentence to read indeed – and was fighting for what would have been an excellent second place finish. But then, his penultimate lap crash with Sainz meant it would all go unrewarded. The stewards correctly observed it a racing incident, even if it felt a little bit like he had more room to avoid the clash. Despite this, he showed more fight than he had for some time.

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Lewis Hamilton – 5/10

Qualified: 7th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.415s)
Grid: 19th (-14 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (-6 places behind team mate)

▶ Qualified seventh after struggling with tyre temps throughout the session
▶ Forced to start from pit lane with a power unit change
▶ Passed two cars in two laps on mediums before pitting for hard tyres
▲ Overtook Stroll, Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo, Gasly and Bottas to sit 12th
▲ Passed Hulkenberg legally after yellow flag zone on penultimate lap to gain ninth

Yet another weekend where Hamilton seemed uncomfortable over the weekend – far less happy than his team mate – and never seemed to find the sweet spot. Hamilton managed to fight from the pit lane to the points over the course of the grand prix, but did need two of his rivals to crash out in order to do so. Compared to Norris’ comeback drive and the pace of team mate Russell ahead in the race, it’s hard not to feel slightly underwhelmed by ninth.

George Russell – 7/10

Qualified: 5th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.415s)
Grid: 5th (+14 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (+6 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Lost running in second practice after a PU change
▼ Received a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in qualifying
▼ Dropped behind Verstappen at the start
▲ Pitted early for hard tyres, then caught and overtook Verstappen
▶ Showed strong pace through second half of stint to gradually close on leaders
▶ Picked up final podium position in third after late crash

Not for the first time in 2024, Russell was the biggest beneficiary from a dramatic late-race crash involving two cars ahead of him. This time he only gained a podium out of it rather than a win, but it was still a decent result after a weekend that was not the smoothest for Mercedes.

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Charles Leclerc – 7/10

Qualified: Pole (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.44s)
Grid: Pole (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+16 places ahead of team mate)

▼ Crashed out of the first practice session at turn 15
▼ Received a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in third practice
▲ Comfortably took pole position by three tenths
▲ Held onto the lead at the start until pitting on lap 16
▼ Lost the lead of the race to Piastri at turn one
▶ Unable to pass Piastri despite over 20 laps within DRS range
▶ Repelled Perez’s late challenge to finish second

Leclerc could have been the best performer of the weekend even if he lost out on claiming victory from his pole position. He had a very strong opening stint but lost a little too much time in the pit cycle, which allowed Piastri to make the pass that Leclerc was very accommodating of. He tried everything to chase down Piastri but could not, but second was still a strong result. After his Friday crash, reprimand and the style in which he lost the lead, however, a ‘seven’ is the best he can get.

Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6/10

Qualified: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate, +0.44s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Classified: 18th (-16 places behind team mate)

▶ Warned for impeding Perez in second practice
▶ Qualified third but half a second slower than team mate
▼ Lost a place to Perez at the start to run fourth before pitting last of leaders of mediums
▶ Gradually reeled in leading trio over long second stint
▼ Crashed out on penultimate lap during battle with Perez
▼ Received a warning for impeding in second practice
▼ Received a warning for a red flag infringement in the grand prix

At a circuit he freely admits is not his strongest venue, Sainz was fairly solid in Baku outside of losing out to Perez at the start in the cramped rush to turn two. He managed his tyres very well to catch the leaders and put himself into a podium position. The stewards agreed he was as much to blame for his race ending crash as Perez was and that is a fair assessment. Losing a podium was more than enough punishment and it doesn’t feel right to grade him harshly for it in the circumstances.

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Lando Norris – 7/10

Qualified: 17th (-15 places behind team mate, +0.576s)
Grid: 15th (-13 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 4th (-3 places behind team mate)

▶ Eliminated from Q1 after abandoning his final flying lap for a yellow flag
▲ Started on hards and three places on opening lap
▶ Extended opening stint until lap 37, holding up Perez strategically for team mate
▲ Rejoined seventh, then caught and passed Verstappen for sixth
▶ Gained fourth after late crash to finish 11 places higher than he started

Although many mocked McLaren’s announced “bias” to Norris when he was eliminated from Q1, you could make an argument that Norris’ weekend was almost as good as his team mate’s. His only real ‘mistake’ was to abandon his final push lap in qualifying after seeing a yellow flag warning on his dash – hardly an egregious error. In the race, he did a great job to work his way up the order without any Safety Cars to help him and finish ahead of rival Verstappen. Let them laugh – Norris has little to be embarrassed about.

Oscar Piastri – 8/10

Qualified: 2nd (+15 places ahead of team mate, -0.576s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+3 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Secured front row start but three tenths off pole position
▶ Held second place behind Leclerc in opening stint
▲ Pitted for mediums and then passed Leclerc for lead with aggressive turn one move
▲ Absorbed pressure from Leclerc for over 20 laps before breaking clear
▲ Secured second career victory under Virtual Safety Car

After Hungary, this was a victory Piastri could savour without any caveats or controversies. Although he could not get around Leclerc in the opening stint, he showed great racing instinct to pass him after switching to hard tyres, then never looked likely to give up the lead once ahead. He did benefit from his team mate’s help and did not pass Leclerc at the start, but does his pass for the lead and driving afterwards earn him an ‘eight’? On this occasion, it just about does.

Fernando Alonso – 7/10

Qualified: 8th (+7 places ahead of team mate, -0.978s)
Grid: 7th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (+13 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Secured top eight grid position, then promoted to seventh by Hamilton’s pit start
▶ Held position before pitting for hards
▶ Rejoined in 13th, moving back up to eighth behind Norris
▶ Picked up two places from penultimate lap crash to finish sixth

Another weekend where Aston Martin were out on an island of their own between the leading teams and the rest of the field, Alonso largely maximised his car’s potential across the weekend. A rather lonely race, but he is starting to separate himself from his team mate again.

Lance Stroll – 4/10

Qualified: 15th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.978s)
Grid: 13th (6 places behind team mate)
Start: -7 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Classified: 19th (-13 places behind team mate)

▼ Failed to follow team mate into Q3, going slower in Q2 than Q1
▼ Suffered a puncture from opening lap touch with Tsunoda at turn four
▶ Pitted at the end of the opening lap and ran on hard tyres before fitting second set
▶ Passed Bottas but retired late after problem with brakes

Listening to Stroll’s team radio feed over the Baku weekend was depressing. He never seemed happy with the car’s handling, which could explain the deficit to team mate Alonso, but his car’s balance had nothing to do with him making a badly-judged move on Tsunoda at the start, which damaged his car and effectively ended his race. Not a good weekend.

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Pierre Gasly – 7/10

Qualified: 13th (+7 places ahead of team mate, -1.416s)
Grid: 18th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-S)
Finished: 12th (+3 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Knocked out of Q2 in 13th but disqualified for fuel flow infringement
▲ Started 18th on hard tyres, gaining three places on lap one
▲ Showed superior pace to his team mate on same strategy behind
▶ Sat 14th before pitting on final lap for softs
▶ Moved up to 12th after late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing under VSC after chequered flag

Gasly probably deserved more reward from his Azerbaijan weekend than he received. He did not let his disqualification from qualifying get him down and did a better job with his team’s strategy than his team mate to climb up to 12th at the chequered flag with a long first stint on hards.

Esteban Ocon – 5/10

Qualified: 20th (-7 places behind team mate, +1.416s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-S)
Finished: 15th (-3 places behind team mate)

▶ Suffered technical problems in first and third practice
▼ Eliminated slowest in Q1 after hitting wall on final lap
▶ Forced to start from pit lane changing parts under parc ferme
▶ Started on hard tyres and ran extremely long first stint
▶ Could not match team mate’s pace ahead before pitting on lap 49
▶ Rejoined 17th but gained 15th after late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing under VSC after chequered flag

A weekend to forget for Ocon but it would be harsh to be too critical of him. Indeed, his only real negative was to puncture his wheel hitting the wall in Q1 – an error but in no way as bad as those made by others. He lacked the pace of his team mate in the race, but how much of that was down to his limited runs in practice is a good question.

Alexander Albon – 8/10

Qualified: 10th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.329s)
Grid: 9th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 7th (+1 place ahead of team mate)

▶ Reached Q3 but denied lap on new tyres as team left cooler in air box
▲ Started on hard tyres and showed strong early pace
▶ Pitted for mediums from fifth and rejoined 11th
▲ Let through by team mate, then passed Hulkenberg
▶ Gained two places after late crash to score best finish of the season in seventh

Albon headed into the Baku weekend knowing this would be a great opportunity to score points and he delivered. He easily reached Q3 but never got the chance to set a lap on new tyres after his team’s near-calamitous error, but in the race he delivered the exact kind of performance Williams have gotten used to from him. Maybe the best weekend in the field.

Franco Colapinto – 7/10

Qualified: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.329s)
Grid: 8th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (-1 place behind team mate)

▼ Crashed in practice at turn four
▲ Reached Q3 for first time to line up ninth on grid
▶ Held position at the start until becoming first to pit for hard tyres
▶ Caught and overtaken by Hulkenberg, then let team mate by
▲ Held off Bearman, then Hamilton before overtaking Hulkenberg late
▲ Was tenth and 10s behind team mate before late crash ahead handed him first points in eighth

After crossing the line in eighth place in his second grand prix, Colapinto received high praise from race engineer Geaten Jego and team principal James Vowles for his work. He deserved it too, keeping his focus after his first practice shunt and never making another mistake over the rest of the weekend to claim a higher points finish than his predecessor managed in a year and a half.

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Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10

Qualified: 12th (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.21s)
Grid: 11th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Retired (Damage – L14)

▲ Out-qualified team mate but frustrated to miss out on Q3
▶ Suffered severe damage hit by Stroll at the start
▶ Slid down the field until being called in to retire on lap 14

For the second round in a row, Tsunoda’s grand prix ended because of damage sustained after being hit by a rival attempting an ill-advised pass on him. But while he was understandably frustrated, he had been the quicker RB driver for most of the weekend and looked fairly comfortable.

Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10

Qualified: 16th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.21s)
Grid: 14th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-S)
Finished: 13th

▼ Knocked out of Q1 having “left time on the table”
▶ Started on hard tyres, running behind Hulkenberg early
▶ Ran extremely long stint hoping for Safety Car which never came
▶ Suffered from severe graining which cost several seconds
▶ Pitted in closing laps for mediums, picking up 13th after crash ahead at the finish

RB never looked like they were clear candidates for points over the Baku weekend, but especially not in Ricciardo’s case. His Saturday was unremarkable and his Sunday was defined by severe tyre graining that seemed to affect him more than any other driver in the field. But rolling the die on a strategy that required a Safety Car that never came, it’s not a surprise that he finished barely higher than he started.

Valtteri Bottas – 5/10

Qualified: 18th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.628s)
Grid: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 16th (-2 places behind team mate)

▶ Qualified ahead of team mate but benefited from slipstream
▶ Suffered heavy tyre wear on mediums, forcing him to pit for hards early
▶ Ran at the back of the field until team mate pitted ahead of him
▶ Caught and passed by team mate to fall back to last where he would finish

A fairly boring weekend for Bottas. He struggled with graining with his medium tyres in the first stint and ran a long, lonely second stint waiting for something to happen to give him an opportunity. It eventually did when the dramatic crash happened right in front of him, but by then it was far too late.

Zhou Guanyu – 6/10

Qualified: 19th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.628s)
Grid: 17th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Out-qualified by team mate once again but sacrificed final lap to give team mate tow
▶ Started from back of the grid after fitting new power unit
▶ Started on hard tyres and extended opening stint until lap 35
▲ Rejoined last, then made up seven seconds on team mate to pass him
▲ Caught and overtook Ocon in final laps to finish 14th

One of Zhou’s best weekends for a while, although it’s easy to overlook. He played the team game in qualifying and then made good work of his alternative strategy to finish ahead of his team mate in a respectable 14th place in what is clearly still the slowest car. He can be satisfied with his efforts, if not his result.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10

Qualified: 14th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.223s)
Grid: 12th (-2 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (-1 place behind team mate)

▼ Outqualified by team mate with slower Q2 time than Q1
▶ Let through by team mate early on before pitting for hard tyres
▲ Passed Ricciardo, Gasly and Colapinto to gain tenth place
▼ Hit the wall with two laps remaining, suffering damage
▼ Lost two places to Bearman and Hamilton after the late crash scene
▶ Finished just out of the points behind team mate
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing under VSC after chequered flag

Hulkenberg’s own team principal described Baku as “one of Nico’s worst tracks”, so being so close to points was not a bad showing. However, he was beaten by his rookie team mate who had never raced the car before, had an underwhelming qualifying and hit the wall in the closing laps. Despite all that, his race pace seemed quite strong, so he earns an average grade.

Oliver Bearman – 6/10

Qualified: 11th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.223s)
Grid: 10th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 10th (+1 place ahead of team mate)

▼ Crashed in final practice at turn one
▶ Almost reached Q3 but admitted a mistake on final push lap
▼ Over-managed his tryes over first stint, asked to let team mate by
▲ Passed Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo and Gasly to sit in 12th before
▶ Unable to pass Colapinto before overtaken by Hamilton
▲ Showed good situational awareness to pass Hulkenberg legally after crash
▲ Claimed final point in tenth ahead of team mate

Bearman’s second cameo appearance of the season and first outing for his 2025 team may not have been as impressive as his first, but it was still one he could take plenty of positives from. He cheekily pinched the final point from his team mate on the penultimate lap and showed enough raw pace to have Haas feel positive about his arrival next year. However, his practice crash, over-caution in his opening stint and leaving time on the table in qualifying means he cannot score higher.

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