Austria F1 driver ratings: Has this under pressure midfield star saved his career?

Lando Norris - 9.5

Lando Norris produced an inch-perfect weekend to cut teammate Oscar Piastri’s championship lead down to 15 points. Norris delivered a masterclass in qualifying to take pole by over 0.5s. He demonstrated world-class wheel-to-wheel combat to his credit, ultimately allowing him to stay ahead of Piastri and win the race. It was a big weekend for Norris ahead of his home race at Silverstone.

Oscar Piastri - 8

It wasn’t too surprising to see Piastri be out-qualified by Norris. However, on race day, the McLaren pair were evenly matched. Piastri, crucially, got ahead of Charles Leclerc on Lap 1 before attacking his teammate for the subsequent 20 laps. Piastri was unable to make a move stick on Norris. After the first round of pit stops, it would always be an uphill task for Piastri to take the victory.

Charles Leclerc - 9

The Austrian Grand Prix was another professional weekend from Leclerc. He stuck it on the front row and converted it into his fourth podium finish of the year. Given how dominant the two McLarens were, you can’t ask for much more.

Lewis Hamilton - 7.5

Lewis Hamilton is making steps forward with this year’s Ferrari, especially over one lap. By his own admission, Hamilton has to improve his performance in race trim. The gap to Leclerc is greater in races, which is unusual for the seven-time world champion.

George Russell - 8

George Russell continues to extract the maximum from the Mercedes W15. They were nowhere pace-wise. During the middle stint, Russell was running just two seconds ahead of Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, highlighting how much Mercedes struggled in sweltering conditions.

Liam Lawson - 9.5

Liam Lawson was arguably the driver of the weekend. He starred in qualifying to out-qualify Max Verstappen and converted it into a top-six finish. The race was far from straightforward as he lost crucial ground on Lap 1 due to the Kimi Antonelli clash with Verstappen. A big result for Lawson, given his poor start to the year.

Fernando Alonso - 9

Fernando Alonso continued his impressive streak of out-qualifying Lance Stroll in the previous 23 races. One a one-stop strategy, Alonso put together a strong race to come away with seventh.

Gabriel Bortoleto - 9.5

Another driver who shined in F1’s midfield in Austria was Bortoleto. He qualified eighth and backed it up with a strong race drive. Sixth was possible, but Lawson and Alonso executed the one-stop to perfection.

Nico Hulkenberg - 8

Nico Hulkenberg bounced back from a shocking qualifying to give Sauber their first double-points finish since the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon - 7.5

Esteban Ocon’s one-lap pace relative to Ollie Bearman has been underwhelming. However, when it comes to race day, Ocon is making the most of any opportunity where a top 10 finish is on the table. A mature drive.

Ollie Bearman - 7

Once again, Bearman was unable to convert his better qualifying position into a points finish. Bearman’s pace is there, so it’s a matter of time before points come his way again.

Isack Hadjar - 6

This weekend was probably Isack Hadjar’s weakest as an F1 driver. He was comprehensively out-paced by teammate Lawson, finishing outside the top 10.

Pierre Gasly - 6.5

Pierre Gasly ran as high as sixth but plummeted as the race went on. Starting on the softs didn’t work out in the long run. Gasly was adamant there was something wrong with his Alpine.

Lance Stroll - 5.5

A weekend where you’d forget Stroll was even on the grid. Anonymous and no points for the Canadian.

Franco Colapinto - 5

It was an underwhelming display from Colapinto, who was in the wars on race day. He was tagged by Yuki Tsunoda and ran Piastri off the track when he was getting lapped. Still, the Alpine didn’t have the race pace to finish in the top 10, looking at how Gasly fared.

Yuki Tsunoda - 3.5

Another shocker for Tsunoda, who admitted after the race that it was like he’d never driven in F1 before - a fair assessment.

Alex Albon - 7.5

Alex Albon was in the hunt for points before a technical issue put him out of the race.

Max Verstappen - 7.5

A weekend to forget for Verstappen. His final run in Q3 was ruined by yellow flags caused by a spin from Gasly. Verstappen was then punted out the race by Antonelli.

Kimi Antonelli - 3

Antonelli was entirely to blame for his misjudgement on Lap 1, which put him and Verstappen out of the race.

Carlos Sainz - N/A

Sainz didn’t start the race after a brakes issue