F1 Driver Ratings: 2024 Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix is always one of the most challenging of the season – especially when there is not a single Safety Car intervention to offer respite for drivers as well as opportunities.

But as one driver dominated the weekend, others throughout the field stood out for finishing ahead of multiple rivals in faster cars, while others simply underperformed or were guilty of silly errors.

Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen – 8/10

Qualified: 2nd (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.899s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+8 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Secured front row start but lost best Q3 lap to yellow flags
▲ Held off Hamilton to keep second at the start
▶ Unable to match Norris’s pace in first stint
▶ Pitted for hard tyres but continued to fall further behind
▲ Closed up gap to Norris ahead but finished over 20 seconds adrift in second

Although Verstappen had little answer for McLaren’s superior performance in Singapore, he continued to demonstrate the qualities that look likely to secure him a fourth consecutive world championship. He arguably maximised his results on Saturday and Sunday, and could have been faster in qualifying had he not lost his best lap thanks to Sainz’s crash. Finishing second in a car that was likely not among the top two fastest on the grid shows that he can make the difference when it counts.

Sergio Perez – 4/10

Qualified: 13th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.899s)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 10th (-8 places behind team mate)

▼ Knocked out of Q2 in 13th complaining about his tyres
▲ Picked up three places on opening lap to sit tenth
▶ Unable to pass Colapinto despite several laps of DRS before pitting for hards
▶ Undercut Colapinto but then got stuck behind Hulkenberg for several laps
▶ Took final point in tenth, one lap down

Perez described his Singapore Grand Prix as “a complete disaster”. While he was referring more to his strategy failing to give him an opportunity to undercut more cars ahead of him, he could only really have himself to blame for, yet again, being so far off his team mate.

Lewis Hamilton – 6/10

Qualified: 3rd (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.026s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (S-H)
Finished: 6th (-2 places behind team mate)

▲ Beat team mate to qualify third on the grid
▶ Started on softs but had to settle for remaining third at start
▶ Made early stop for hard tyres, rejoining 13th
▶ Passed several slower cars but was overcut by team mate to sit fourth
▶ Overtaken by Piastri, then caught and passed by Leclerc
▶ Finished a frustrated sixth, almost 25s behind team mate

Mercedes were perhaps fortunate that Hamilton was excused from media duties after the race due to heat-related fatigue as he was already hot enough under the collar as it is following his team’s strategy in Singapore. Starting on soft tyres was clearly a ploy to jump Verstappen and possibly even Norris, but once that did not happen, it was always going to be a long night for Hamilton. He faded to sixth place at the finish, but he had hardly been given the best opportunity to fight for a higher placing, save for a Safety Car that never came.

George Russell – 6/10

Qualified: 4th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.026s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (+2 places ahead of team mate)

▼ Damaged front wing at turn eight in second practice
▶ Lined up right behind team mate in fourth on grid
▶ Ran behind Hamilton until he had pitted, then stopped for hard tyres
▶ Ran fifth after pitting, gaining third when Leclerc and Piastri pitted
▶ Overtaken by Piastri, then under pressure from Leclerc
▲ Held off Leclerc to finish fourth

Russell could be satisfied with fourth place in Singapore, but had been hoping for more from his team’s qualifying positions. Unlike his team mate, Russell was given a conventional strategy and made it work, managing to keep Leclerc at bay in the final laps despite almost 10-lap older tyres. But after being out-qualified by his team mate and not making any passes on track in the race, it’s hard to justify a higher score.

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Charles Leclerc – 6/10

Qualified: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.361s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (+2 places ahead of team mate)

▼ Qualified ninth after losing only Q3 lap for track limits
▶ Ran behind Alonso early, extending opening stint
▶ Pitted for hards on lap 36, rejoining eighth
▲ Overtook Alonso to take seventh, then let through by team mate
▲ Passed Hamilton for fifth but unable to overtake Russell despite catching him late
▶ Finished fifth, 1.4 seconds behind Russell

Not one of Leclerc’s best weekends by his own admission. Although he complained about his cold tyres in qualifying, he later accepted he still should have stayed within track limits of his one Q3 lap. Made better work of his recovery in the race than his team mate, but fell short of getting the car back to where it probably should have been had he been able to pass Russell.

Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10

Qualified: 10th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.361s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 7th (-2 places behind team mate)

▼ Crashed out of Q3, leaving him tenth on the grid
▶ Fined for crossing the track without permission after crash
▼ Dropped two places at the start when spooked by Colapinto at turn one
▶ Unable to overtake Tsunoda and pitted early for hard tyres
▶ Overtook several cars to rise up to sixth place before caught by team mate
▶ Allowed Leclerc through, falling to seventh where he would finish

On one hand, seventh place was a decent result for Sainz after starting down in tenth. But given the pace of the Ferrari, it was still an underwhelming result. It all came down to his Q3 crash, which, while bizarre, he could not be excused for. He also gave away places at the start by leaving too much space to the inside at turn one, which Colapinto took full advantage of. He could have done worse than seventh, but should have finished higher too.

Lando Norris – 7/10

Qualified: Pole (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.428s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+2 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Secured fourth pole in six races
▲ Held the lead from pole for the first time in his career
▲ Pulled away from Verstappen with superior pace
▼ Suffered minor front wing damage with mistake in turn 14
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and rejoined in lead
▲ Controlled pace out front to win by 20s after leading every lap

The dominant winner in Singapore, took pole position, led every lap of the race and won by over 20 seconds. So why not a higher score? For two main reasons. First, Verstappen’s inability to match his pace in the opening stint, with Norris able to just drop into a faster rhythm of lap times, shows how much of a performance advantage he enjoyed with his McLaren on Sunday. Secondly, Norris’ completely unforced error on lap 29 saw him drop several seconds and damage his car, however slightly. If Verstappen had been right behind him, that could have easily been a race-losing error. As such, he misses the threshold for a higher grade.

Oscar Piastri – 6/10

Qualified: 5th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.428s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate)

▼ Failed to maximise qualifying position, three tenths slower in Q3 than Q2
▶ Lost a place to Hulkenberg at the start but reclaimed it into turn seven
▶ Extended opening stint until lap 38, then pitted for hard tyres
▲ Rejoined fifth, quickly passing Hamilton and Russell to gain third
▶ Unable to make up gap to Verstappen ahead, claiming final podium spot in third

Following his excellent showing the previous weekend in Baku, Singapore was another round like Zandvoort where Piastri was just not able to match Norris over Saturday and Sunday. Although he underperformed in qualifying, he did make up for it with two strong overtakes on the Mercedes. But given the strength of his McLaren and the tyre advantage he had, those passes are not enough to earn him a higher grade.

Fernando Alonso – 7/10

Qualified: 7th (+10 places ahead of team mate, -0.41s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (+6 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Squeaked into Q3 before qualifying seventh
▶ Held position at the start to run behind Hulkenberg but unable to pass
▶ Pitted for hard tyres to undercut Hulkenberg, then passed by Leclerc on new tyres
▲ Kept pace with Sainz ahead and did not allow Hulkenberg within DRS range
▲ Claimed eighth place as ‘best of the rest’, one lap down

Given where Alonso started and finished, Aston Martin could hardly have hoped for anything better than eighth in a race without a single retirement in a top team. He jumped Hulkenberg in the pits and finished right behind Sainz to score four well-earned points, but given the tyre age advantage he had over the Ferrari, it feels too generous to award him anything higher.

Lance Stroll – 4/10

Qualified: 17th (-10 places behind team mate, +0.41s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 14th (-6 places behind team mate)

▼ Failed to progress out of Q1 to start 17th
▶ Started on hards but dropped behind Gasly at the start to run in 18th
▶ Pitted for mediums on lap 26, falling last
▶ Ran behind Magnussen before gaining his place when he punctured his tyre
▶ Finished 14th, almost 50 seconds behind team mate

The stats above tell the story of Stroll’s weekend better than any text summary could. As Alonso reached Q3 and was in the mix for points, Stroll looked like he was driving a different car to his team mate. Although he made no major mistakes over the weekend, Stroll was simply slow, even if his strategy did not pay off for him.

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Pierre Gasly – 5/10

Qualified: 18th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.354s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 17th (-4 places behind team mate)

▼ Baffled by loss of pace in qualifying after eliminated in Q1
▶ Passed Stroll at the start, then extended opening stint
▶ Attempted to hold up rivals to benefit team mate
▶ Pitted for hard tyres on lap 37 and fell to last after slow stop
▶ Unable to pass Bottas thanks to Sauber’s team tactics, having to settle for 17th

Not the most fun Singapore Grand Prix for Gasly, who felt like he was never really given a chance by the universe over the weekend. He couldn’t seem to match his team mate in qualifying, while his team rolled the dice on a long opening stint hoping for a Safety Car that never came. Then, his efforts to try and pass Bottas were frustrated by Sauber’s team tactics. Understandably, he left frustrated with his lowly finishing position.

Esteban Ocon – 6/10

Qualified: 15th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.354s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 13th (+4 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Reached Q2, unlike team mate, before being eliminated slowest in 15th
▲ Passed Magnussen and Albon at the start to sit 13th in early laps
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and ran between Tsunoda and Magnussen
▲ Overtook ailing Ricciardo to claim 13th place where he would finish

Not a bad weekend at all for Ocon at a circuit where Alpine looked to be lacking compared to many of their midfield rivals. He was the faster of the team’s two drivers, had a good start and did not make any mistakes – unlike the previous weekend.

Alexander Albon – 5/10

Qualified: 11th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.007s)
Start: -4 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 20th (-9 places behind team mate)

▶ Had sole benefit of revised suspension for weekend
▶ Just missed out on Q3 by 0.026s
▼ Lost four places at the start to sit 15th before early stop for hards
▶ Forced to retire on lap 15 with overheating car

Albon had a frustrating weekend in Singapore. Although he out-qualified his team mate, he admitted to leaving time on the board in qualifying and had an upgraded car. He lost too many places at the start, but there was little he could do about his retirement. Perhaps he would have fought back over the course of the race, but sadly, we will never know.

Franco Colapinto – 7/10

Qualified: 12th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.007s)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (+9 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Ran without revised suspension over weekend
▲ Eliminated from Q2 in 12th but matched team mate’s time
▲ Gained three positions at the start with excellently-judged move into turn one
▶ Kept ahead of Perez until pitting for hard tyres at mid point of race
▶ Undercut by Perez and unable to get within DRS range of the Red Bull
▶ Finished 11th, admitting to “struggling physically” in later laps

Three rounds into his Formula 1 career, which have included two of the toughest circuits on the calendar, Colapinto continues to prove that he is an F1-worthy talent. Although his car was not the same spec as his team mate’s, Colapinto matched Albon in qualifying and even believed he would have reached Q3 with a tidier lap. He earned praise from Perez who could not get around him and never looked out of place in a gaggle of cars including Alonso, Hulkenberg and Perez. Also, his move into turn one at the start was as superbly judged as it was brave. Another impressive weekend.

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Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10

Qualified: 8th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -0.369s)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 12th (+6 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Reached Q3 to secure strong eighth on the grid
▼ Dropped three places on the first lap to sit 11th early
▶ Ran long first stint before pitting for softs on lap 33
▶ Rejoined behind team mate and was allowed past
▶ Ran in 12th place until the finish, running out of laps to catch Colapinto

Considering where he had started after a very strong qualifying performance, Tsunoda was understandably disappointed to drop out of contention for points. But so much of that came down to the start of the race, where he was one of the drivers caught out by the squeeze into turn one. His aggressive medium-soft strategy was probably not the best in hindsight, but it’s understandable that the team banked on a possible Safety Car. Once again, he was the stronger of the two RB drivers across the weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10

Qualified: 16th (-8 places behind team mate, +0.369s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Three-stop (S-M-S-S)
Finished: 18th (-6 places behind team mate)

▼ Knocked out of Q1 to his disgust
▶ Opted for softs at the start but remained 16th before pitting first for mediums
▲ Passed both Saubers and Gasly before letting team mate by
▼ Lost two places in one corner as tyres faded before second stop for softs
▶ Called in by team in later laps for fastest lap attempt on newer softs
▶ Finished 18th but took fastest lap on penultimate lap

If that turns out to be Ricciardo’s final grand prix, it was clearly not how the much loved veteran would have liked his last chapter in the world championship to end. Never on the level of his team mate – not for the first time this year – Ricciardo’s race was not helped by his team’s aggressive strategy either. He got to pull off a few overtaking moves and even got the chance to take the fastest lap by his team. But sadly, it seems Ricciardo will never get back to the performance he demonstrated at the peak of his powers.

Valtteri Bottas – 5/10

Qualified: 19th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.482s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 16th (-1 place behind team mate)

▶ Eliminated from Q1 but ahead of team mate
▶ Took start on hards and held position
▼ Suffered with overheating brakes early, losing 19th to team mate after error in turn five
▶ Ran behind team mate until pitting for mediums, undercutting Gasly
▶ Kept away from Gasly with help of team mate to finish 17th

Bottas has been the clear better performer of the two Sauber drivers for the bulk of the season that it stands out when he is beaten. His overheating brakes led him into a mistake at turn five which lost him a place to his team mate, but it was surprising that he never managed to reclaim that place. Although he kept ahead of Gasly over the final stint, he had his team mate to thank for that as he deliberately kept Bottas within DRS range to neutralise the threat of Gasly.

Zhou Guanyu – 6/10

Qualified: 20th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.482s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 15th (+1 place ahead of team mate)

▼ Knocked out slowest in F1 but half a second behind team mate
▶ Started on hard tyres to run behind team mate in early laps
▲ Pulled off great pass on team mate around the outside of turn seven to gain 19th
▶ Pitted for mediums and undercut Gasly to sit 18th
▲ Deliberately kept team mate within a second to benefit from DRS to defend from Gasly
▶ Gained 15th when Magnussen and Ricciardo pitted, where he would finish

Zhou’s F1 future may hang in the balance, but while he is considered to be in the lowest echelon of drivers in the current field, he showed that he’s no slouch in Singapore. In a race with no Safety Cars, driving the slowest car in the field, he deserves credit for finishing 15th. His opportunistic move on Bottas early on was among the best of the day (night) and then he earned the praise of his team for helping Bottas to keep Gasly at bay. He just needs to solve his qualifying problems.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8/10

Qualified: 6th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -0.503s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (+10 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Reached Q3 to secure top six start
▶ Passed Piastri into turn one but overtaken into turn seven
▶ Held off Alonso until overtaken by Leclerc and pitting for hards
▶ Undercut by Alonso and Sainz to run ninth
▲ Held off Perez over entire final stint to secure two points in seventh

Hulkenberg continues to produce some of the most outstanding performances in the field on a fairly regular basis. In Singapore it was hard to think how his weekend could have gone better, even if he himself wasn’t fully happy with his race. He went backwards from where he started, but considering the cars who got by him over the race, they should have been ahead of him on the grid to begin with. Holding off Alonso for the entire first stint and Perez for the second was an excellent effort.

Kevin Magnussen – 4/10

Qualified: 14th (-8 places behind team mate, +0.503s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-S)
Finished: 19th (-10 places behind team mate)

▶ Ran with old-spec front wing over weekend
▶ Reached Q2 but eliminated 14th
▶ Started on hard tyres and ran 14th early on
▶ Pitted for mediums just before half distance, rejoining behind Ocon
▲ Pulled off opportunistic pass on Ricciardo after Ocon overtook him
▼ Punctured left-rear tyre hitting wall at turn five, forcing him to pit
▶ Pulled in to retire with five laps remaining

As Magnussen heads into the sunset of his F1 career, his final Singapore Grand Prix encapsulated much about him as a driver. He was out-qualified by his team mate, showed solid race pace and smart racing instincts to pass Ricciardo immediately after Ocon. Then, he threw it away with a simple error where he clipped the wall. Even if he had an old front wing, that doesn’t explain the gulf between the two Haas drivers this weekend.

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