Spain F1 driver ratings: Midfield star steals the headlines in chaotic race

Oscar Piastri – 9.5

Oscar Piastri did what he had to do following a setback in Monaco. He delivered a near-perfect pole position lap and converted it into a race victory.

Lando Norris – 7.5

Lando Norris was simply second-best to Piastri at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A scruffy qualifying lap, combined with a poor Lap 1, meant another race victory wasn’t on the cards.

Charles Leclerc – 9

Charles Leclerc's gamble to focus on the race ultimately paid off. He was electric in the first half of the Spanish Grand Prix as he remained within touching distance of the lead trio. Lady luck was finally on his side, as the timing of the Safety Car allowed him to get ahead of Max Verstappen to come away with his third podium of the season.

George Russell – 8.5

George Russell put together another fine weekend to come away from Barcelona with fourth. Even without the Safety Car, Russell felt he had the pace to get back ahead of Leclerc.

Nico Hulkenberg – 9.5

Nico Hulkenberg was arguably the star of the race. A mighty start allowed him to make the most of the fresh tyres he had available throughout the race. Hulkenberg overtook Lewis Hamilton following the Safety Car, highlighting Sauber’s improved pace this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton – 6.5

After an encouraging qualifying display, Hamilton’s race-day performance was one to forget. He was off the pace and even lost out to Hulkenberg in the Sauber late on. Team boss Frederic Vasseur did hint that Hamilton might have sustained damage mid-race.

Isack Hadjar – 8.5

Isack Hadjar continues to impress in his rookie F1 season. While he didn’t get much airtime given how chaotic it was at the front, he produced another strong weekend to come away with a big haul of points.

Pierre Gasly – 8.5

A welcome return to form for Pierre Gasly. It’s been a tough campaign for Alpine so far. Like Hadjar, Gasly drove well and finished comfortably inside the top 10.

Fernando Alonso – 7.5

Fernando Alonso endured an up-and-down weekend in front of his home crowd. A trip through the gravel trap curtailed his early-race charge. However, Alonso didn’t give up, finishing ninth after Verstappen’s penalty.

Max Verstappen – 4

Up until the Safety Car, Verstappen threw everything at the McLarens. Red Bull went aggressive with a three-stop strategy in a bid to beat Piastri and Norris. It didn’t quite work out, with Verstappen on course to finish third. A late Safety Car forced the top six into the pit lane. With no soft tyres left, Red Bull put Verstappen on the unfancied hard tyre. It ultimately resulted in Verstappen’s messy end to the race, where he lost out to Leclerc and then Russell. He was hit with a 10-second time penalty for colliding with Russell.

Liam Lawson – 6.5

Liam Lawson looked good for a points finish in Barcelona. However, the timing of the Safety Car didn’t work in his favour. It was a hectic race for the Kiwi before that, with aggressive fights with Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 6.5

Gabriel Bortoleto produced the best F1 qualifying performance of his career, securing 12th on the grid. Bortoleto was encouraged by Sauber’s improved pace this weekend, even if it didn’t result in his first championship points.

Yuki Tsunoda – 3.5

Things seem to be getting worse and worse for Yuki Tsunoda. He qualified last and was mystified by his lack of pace, despite feeling that his final lap in Q1 was decent. Tsunoda struggled to make much progress in the race.

Carlos Sainz – 5.5

Lap 1 damage for Carlos Sainz meant it was a tough afternoon in front of his home crowd. Sainz rued that “nothing really went our way” as he battled an overheating engine.

Franco Colapinto – 5.5

Franco Colapinto’s weekend was ruined by an unfortunate issue in qualifying, which left him at the back of the field when he had the pace to qualify close to the top 10. Colapinto found it difficult to overtake and lamented a lack of pace on the medium tyres.

Esteban Ocon – 6.5

Haas probably had the slowest car this weekend in Barcelona. Esteban Ocon narrowly beat teammate Bearman.

Ollie Bearman – 6.5

Bearman explained that the timing of the Safety Car ultimately cost him a couple of positions. Before that, Bearman was involved in a heated scrap with Lawson. Still, points were never on the cards for the Ferrari junior.

Kimi Antonelli – 6.5

Kimi Antonelli’s run of bad luck continued with a technical failure forcing him out of the race. Antonelli was on course to finish seventh, running well behind teammate Russell.

Alex Albon – 5

A weekend to forget for Albon. He sustained damage twice and picked up a penalty for contact with Lawson.