F1 Driver Ratings: 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

After a wet weekend in Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, drivers had to contend with a very hot Friday, a wet qualifying session and a dry race day in Hungary.

Tempers flared through the field with hardly any of the 20 drivers enjoying a completely clean weekend. But there were some who stood out, while others who made errors earlier in the weekend managed to make up for it on Sunday.

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

Max Verstappen – 6/10

Qualified: 3rd (+13 places ahead of team mate, -0.799s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 5th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Enjoyed benefit of all team’s upgrades for weekend
▲ Only just beaten by two McLarens to line up third on the grid
▶ Got ahead of Norris illegally off-track at the start, forced to hand back position
▶ Extended first stint before pitting for mediums from lead, losing place to Hamilton
▶ Fought Hamilton but unable to get ahead before making second stop for mediums
▶ Caught Hamilton again and clashed at turn one, losing a place to Leclerc
▶ Finished fifth, between the two Ferraris

One of the more agitated weekends Verstappen has had for a long time. Verstappen appeared to want to fight anyone and everyone as he struggled with the balance of his updated RB20 and realised that he just did not have the pace to fight for the win. It was bemusing that he felt he would be allowed to keep the second place he gained off track at the start no matter what his argument was. While he may not have been predominantly to blame for his clash with Hamilton, it felt like he should have been wiser and attempted to force a high-percentage pass rather than a lunge. He finished fifth, but should have probably been on the podium even in spite of his team’s questionable strategy.

Sergio Perez – 5/10

Qualified: 16th (-13 places behind team mate, +0.799s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-M)
Finished: 7th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Ran without full suite of upgrades afforded to team mate over weekend
▼ Crashed out of Q1 at turn eight to leave him 16th on grid
▼ Started on hards and lost a place to Russell, then Sargeant
▶ Ran behind Russell before pitting for mediums and undercutting the Mercedes
▶ Made second stop for mediums, falling behind Russell
▶ Regained seventh when Russell pitted and kept out of DRS range to finish ahead

The all-too-familiar story of Perez throwing away his chances of a good finish in qualifying repeated yet again in Hungary. However, this time, Perez managed to salvage a passing grade with a recovery drive that he could be reasonably satisfied with, even if he did not have a great start. Even if he did not have the exact same specification car as his team mate, Perez managed to make his way up the order and finish about as high up as his team could have reasonably expected. And he managed to win the battle against Russell, who started behind him. But he never should have been in that position to begin with.

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Lewis Hamilton – 8/10

Qualified: 5th (+12 places ahead of team mate, -0.881s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 3rd (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Secured top five grid position despite car struggling in cooler temperatures
▲ Passed Sainz at the start and almost got ahead of Verstappen at turn two
▶ Kept reasonable pace with the leader until early stop for hard tyres
▲ Undercut Verstappen, then held him off for several laps
▶ Pitted early again for second hard set, then came under pressure from Verstappen
▶ Clashed with Verstappen as stewards felt he “could have done more to avoid collision”
▲ Claimed final podium position in third, 14 seconds behind winner

Overall, Hamilton probably had the strongest performance in the field across the weekend, given the package available to him. He did not crash in practice, did a good job in qualifying in conditions that did not fully suit the Mercedes, got a good start and gave as good as he got with Verstappen as they battled on track. The stewards determined that neither he nor Verstappen deserved a penalty for their clash, which probably feels about right all considered. His team’s strategy helped him, but he still executed well and capped off a strong weekend performance with his 200th grand prix podium at one of his favourite tracks.

George Russell – 6/10

Qualified: 17th (-12 places behind team mate, +0.881s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-H)
Finished: 8th (-5 places behind team mate)
▶ Fell out of Q1 after team error left him underfuelled in final minutes
▶ Started 17th on hard tyres, passing Perez and rising up to seventh in long first stint
▲ Fitted mediums for middle stint, passing Tsunoda and Stroll before pitting for hards
▶ Reeled in Perez over later laps but unable to catch, finishing in eighth
▲ Claimed bonus point for fastest lap

After going to bed on Saturday with a very difficult prospect for the grand prix starting from 17th, Russell could come away reasonably pleased to have salvaged four points, even if that was not what he would have wanted heading into the weekend. He apologised for his part in the qualifying mishap that was probably more to do with his team’s error, but admitted he should have put in a better early lap. He lost the personal battle with Perez, but that was more a matter of pride than anything. Russell’s recovery earns him a positive rating.

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Charles Leclerc – 6/10

Qualified: 6th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.209s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 4th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Crashed heavily at turn four in second practice
▶ Qualified sixth after admitting to not getting the “cleanest” lap in Q3
▲ Got ahead of team mate at the start to run fifth early
▶ Pitted last of all to rejoin in fifth on hards, then pitted for mediums with Hamilton
▶ Lost a place to Verstappen on newer tyres but regained it after his clash with Hamilton
▶ Finished fourth, two seconds ahead of Verstappen

A peculiar weekend for Leclerc who was not at his best on Friday or Saturday but was able to put in a better performance when it counted on Sunday. He ran a very long opening stint on mediums but made it work for him as he avoided being undercut by his team mate. It was inevitable that he would be passed by Verstappen but gained a bonus position when Verstappen and Hamilton clashed. A solid but not spectacular performance.

Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6/10

Qualified: 4th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.209s)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 6th (-2 places behind team mate)
▲ Fourth in each phase of qualifying to line up on second row of the grid
▼ Dropped to seventh at the start, then passed Alonso for sixth
▶ Ran behind team mate in first stint, then again in second stint on hards
▶ Extended middle stint before pitting for mediums tyres on lap 47, rejoining sixth
▶ Caught Verstappen late but unable to pass him, finishing sixth

Sainz looked to be one of the strongest drivers over the Hungary weekend even if his Ferrari was not in contention for the race win on performance. However, he did not get a good start which proved to be his undoing for Sunday afternoon. Once behind, he did not seem to be able to do anything to challenge his rivals cars ahead and he ended up finishing as the lowest of the top six starters.

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Lando Norris – 7/10

Qualified: Pole (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.022s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate)
▲ Quickest in several sessions before beating team mate to pole position
▼ Lost the lead into turn one, then let through by Verstappen into second
▶ Kept pace with team mate ahead through first two stints before being pitted earlier
▶ Undercut his team mate through final pit cycle to take lead
▲ Showed superior pace to his team mate in final stint but let him by in closing laps
▶ Finished second, just behind team mate

The very rare instance where a driver could have won a grand prix, but chose not to. Granted, it was a very complicated situation, but Norris knew that he had only gained the lead after McLaren’s questionable strategy call. He took pole position and was clearly the quicker of the two McLarens at the end of the race, but he lost the lead from pole position yet again and only had himself to blame.

Oscar Piastri – 7/10

Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.022s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: Winner (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▲ Pipped to pole by team mate by just 0.022s
▲ Beat team mate to turn one to take lead of the race
▲ Comfortably led the opening stint before pitting for hards
▼ Lost some time running wide at turn 11, leaving him under pressure from Norris
▶ Lost the lead when undercut by his team mate, unable to keep pace with him
▶ Allowed through into lead with three laps left to claim maiden grand prix win

As Norris himself admitted, Piastri deserved to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. He put together a very strong weekend at the Hungaroring, only just missing out on pole before charging into the lead at the start. He only had McLaren to blame for losing the lead and he lacked the same speed as his team mate in the final stint, but it did not matter as Norris honoured his team’s orders to let him through and let Piastri claim a deserved first grand prix win.

Fernando Alonso – 6/10

Qualified: 7th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.201s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-H)
Finished: 11th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Out-qualified team mate by one place and two tenths
▶ Started on softs and passed Sainz before pitting for mediums
▶ Tried to back pack up to open window for team mate to pit into
▶ Ran behind Hulkenberg before passing, then made second stop for hards
▶ Caught Tsunoda but was unable to pass, eventually letting team mate by
▶ Was told team mate would let him back through but he did not, leaving him 11th

A frustrating weekend for Alonso who deserved to be the Aston Martin driver who claimed the final point, only for his team mate to cheekily pinch it from him at the end. He was not thrilled about his strategy and tried to make it work for his team by holding up rivals to benefit Stroll, but it ultimately did not work out. He ran out of tyres late to challenge Tsunoda and let Stroll have a turn, but his team mate reneged on the agreement to let him back by, leaving him out of the points.

Lance Stroll – 6/10

Qualified: 8th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.201s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-H)
Finished: 10th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Reached Q3 to qualify directly behind team mate
▶ Started on softs and ran behind team mate, then pitted on lap 14 for mediums
▶ Continued to run behind team mate, then held off Tsunoda before pitting for hards
▲ Passed Albon, Hulkenberg and Ricciardo, then allowed through by team mate
▶ Could not pass Tsunoda but refused to return position to Alonso, taking final point

All in all, Stroll had a perfectly decent weekend. Although he was not quite as fast as his team mate, he was at least able to back up Alonso for pace, rather than being significantly further behind as he has been so often over the last two seasons. Although he did a decent job of executing his team’s strategy, he was gifted the final point at the end of the race and had no interest in playing the team game and allowing Alonso back through at the finish.

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Pierre Gasly – 5/10

Qualified: 20th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.117s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: Retired (Hydraulic leak – L33)
▶ Knocked out slowest in Q1 after team failed to send him out in closing minutes
▶ Forced to start from pit lane after power unit change
▶ Started on hards and ran behind Perez until pitting for mediums
▶ Rejoined in 19th and passed Zhou
▶ Forced to retire with hydraulic leak

Another nothing weekend for Gasly, but one in which he could do little about it. Like his team mate, he could only watch on as his grid position plummeted in the closing minutes of Q1, then was forced to start from the pit lane. His opening stint was perfectly reasonable, showing decent pace on hards, but then it all came to an end. Sadly, there was little more he could do.

Esteban Ocon – 6/10

Qualified: 19th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.117s)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-H-S)
Finished: 18th
▶ Helplessly eliminated from Q1 after team’s tactical error
▲ Jumped four places on the opening lap on mediums before early switch to hards
▶ Lost a place to Bottas, then under pressure from Sargeant before second stop
▲ Held off Sargeant over 30 laps before pitting for softs with under ten laps to go
▶ Undercut by Sargeant but overtook Zhou on final lap to avoid finishing last

Although Ocon finished as one of the very last cars running, he could at least feel as though his result was more a reflection on his car and strategy than his own driving. Like his team mate, he was not to blame for being so far down on the grid, but he spent the bulk of the race in dirty air until his tyres fell off a cliff late on. His opening lap was one of the best in the field, however.

Alexander Albon – 6/10

Qualified: 13th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.114s)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 14th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q2 to secure respectable 13th on the grid
▲ Jumped four places at the start on softs to run ninth before pitting for hards
▶ Unable to pass Alonso for several laps, then passed by Stroll before second stop
▶ Ran in 15th on hards behind Hulkenberg, overtaken by Stroll again
▶ Finished 14th, three seconds behind Hulkenberg

Albon had another solid weekend in Hungary despite not expecting much from his Williams at the Hungaroring. He was not thrilled about his team’s strategy after he was encouraged to switch to a three-stop, then reverted back to a two-stop, meaning he had already taken more out of his tyres than he would have wanted. But despite that, he did what he could and beat a Haas to the chequered flag.

Logan Sargeant – 5/10

Qualified: 14th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.114s)
Start: -4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-H-S)
Finished: 17th (-3 places behind team mate)
▼ Suffered damage in Q1 by hitting barrier at turn one
▲ Reached Q2 to line up just behind team mate in 14th
▼ Lost four positions on the opening lap, then pitted early for hard tyres
▶ Ran 19th before pitting for second set of hards, then gained a place when Bottas pitted
▶ Stuck behind Ocon, pitted for softs late, undercut Ocon, then passed Zhou to finish 17th

Sargeant showed respectable pace through the Hungarian Grand Prix, matching his team mate’s lap times ahead for the most part and finishing just over 15 seconds behind at the chequered flag. However, he did himself few favours with an underwhelming opening lap and was lucky to progress into Q2 after his bizarre tag with the wall in qualifying. The major errors have stopped, but these minor errors must be ironed out also.

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Yuki Tsunoda – 7/10

Qualified: 10th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.03s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Suffered disruptive suspension problem that affected second practice
▼ Crashed heavily at turn five at end of Q3
▶ Ran 12th early but moved up as high as sixth before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Emerged in tenth and passed by Perez and Russell
▲ Ran 41-lap second stint on hards
▲ Held off both Aston Martin drivers late to claim two points in ninth

Tsunoda put in one of the best performances in the field on Sunday, earning a very well-deserved couple of points for ninth place after being the only driver in the field to run a one-stop strategy. Making his tyres work for as long as he did was a demonstration of skill and keeping his nerve under pressure late to keep the Aston Martins away was another positive. Although he did suffer a heavy crash in Q3, which must be considered in his rating, the fact that the FIA amended the part of the run off that launched him into the barriers before the race shows his punishment for going wide was not befitting his mistake. He certainly made up for his error on Sunday, however.

Daniel Ricciardo – 6/10

Qualified: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.03s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 12th (-3 places behind team mate)
▲ Joined team mate in Q3, then moved ahead of him with final lap
▼ Dropped two places at the start before pitting for hard tyres early
▶ Stuck behind Magnussen until pitting for second set of hards
▶ Passed Zhou and Bottas but lost a position to Stroll to sit 12th
▶ Finished 12th, 25 seconds behind points scoring team mate

Ricciardo was atypically angry after the Hungarian Grand Prix after feeling his team’s call to pit him from mediums to hards after only seven laps effectively ended his race as he was stuck in a DRS train. It is hard not to feel some sympathy for him, especially as his team mate showed what the RB was capable of in clear air. His qualifying performance was good, but his opening lap was not brilliant. He did what he could with the hand he was dealt, but it was hard for Ricciardo to extract more from his race.

Valtteri Bottas – 6/10

Qualified: 12th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.55s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 16th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Had full benefit of team’s new upgrades over weekend
▲ Just missed out on Q3 berth by less than a tenth
▶ Ran behind Tsunoda in early laps before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Continued to run behind Tsunoda in middle stint but passed by Alonso
▲ Fell to 18th ahead of team mate after final stop for hards and passed Sargeant
▶ Finished 16th, a tenth behind Magnussen

Bottas gave himself and his team a decent chance of trying to fight for an outside chance of points with a strong qualifying performance with his upgraded car for the weekend. However, when the race came, it was a usual story of Sauber just not having the race pace to make the difference. Still, Bottas could come away knowing he had put in a solid weekend’s work.

Zhou Guanyu – 5/10

Qualified: 18th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.55s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 19th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Did not have full upgrade
▶ Had dramatic spin in second practice running wide at turn four
▶ Failed to follow team mate into Q2
▶ Pitted early for hard tyres and fell to the rear
▶ Made second stop for hard tyres and returned to the back of the field
▶ Overtaken by Ocon on last lap, finishing 19th and last, one lap down

Zhou’s result was disappointing, but his performance over the weekend was perfectly passable – just unspectacular. Aside from his spin in practice – which he was cheeky enough to try and blame Perez for – he did not make any major errors. His team’s strategy did not work out and while he was behind his team mate on Saturday and Sunday, he did not seem to be running all the upgrades his team mate was. As a result, he shouldn’t be judged harshly.

Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10

Qualified: 11th (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.231s)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Missed first practice to allow Bearman to drive his car
▲ Compromised by having only used tyres for Q2, but only just missed out on Q3
▼ Lost multiple places at the start, then pitted for hard tyres on second lap
▶ Held off Alonso in second stint before pitting on lap 29 for final set of hards
▶ Ran 41-lap stint on hards, passed by Stroll and finishing 15s behind Ricciardo

A weekend where Hulkenberg would have hoped for more from where he started, but the pace of his Haas and his strategy did not pay off for him. He did a good job in qualifying given the circumstances to start just outside the points positions, but his start let him down. His very aggressive strategy helped him get ahead of some rivals, but he was unable to do much more than he could given the position he was in and tyres he was on as the race progressed. His race pace was fairly identical to his team mate’s behind.

Kevin Magnussen – 5/10

Qualified: 15th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.231s)
Start: +5 places
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-H)
Finished: 15th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Suffered braking problem in first practice
▼ Knocked out in Q2 after being caught up in rush at end of session
▲ Gained five places starting on softs before early stop for hard tyres
▶ Ran behind Albon for majority of race, undercut by Ricciardo
▶ Held off Bottas over final lap to finish 15th, 12 seconds behind team mate

Magnussen had a decent enough weekend in Hungary, limited by his team’s aggressive strategy which did not quite work out as they would have hoped. His soft tyres gave him a great advantage at the start, but, like Piastri, Magnussen lost time against his team mate by pitting multiple laps later for his second set of hard tyres. That was ultimately the difference as his lap times were largely identical to his team mate’s in clear air.

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