Las Vegas GP driver ratings: Carlos Sainz shows Ferrari what they're missing

Max Verstappen is firmly back in the 2025 F1 title race after taking a commanding win at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

After a shock double disqualification for the two McLarens, he's just 24 points off the lead with two races to go.

Here's how we rated every driver's performance in Vegas...

Max Verstappen - 9.5 

Max Verstappen delivered another masterclass in Las Vegas to claim his sixth victory of the 2025 F1 season. Verstappen took the lead at the start and didn’t look back from there.

George Russell - 8 

George Russell was far from his best in Las Vegas. He struggled to manage his tyres, leaving him vulnerable at the end of the race. Still, another podium in what has been a strong season for the British driver.

Kimi Antonelli - 8 

Kimi Antonelli drove an incredible race to finish fifth. He recovered from his Q1 exit and a false start to claim the spot. His form in recent rounds has shown why he’s deserving of another season at Mercedes - and why Toto Wolff continues to have faith in him.

Charles Leclerc - 8.5 

Charles Leclerc got the most out of the Ferrari once again in Vegas. He wasn’t helped by the Ferrari pit wall, which allowed him to be undercut by Piastri. Due to a lack of straight-line speed, he couldn’t challenge the McLaren driver again during the second stint. He deserved more than fourth.

Carlos Sainz - 9.5 

Carlos Sainz was arguably the star of the weekend. Third in qualifying was brilliant, and he followed it up with a very strong race drive.

Isack Hadjar - 8.5

Another driver who shone in F1’s midfield was Isack Hadjar. His qualifying was hampered by a yellow flag for Leclerc’s off-track excursion. Hadjar made up for it in the race, finishing sixth.

Nico Hulkenberg - 8.5

Nico Hulkenberg’s late-season resurgence continued at the Las Vegas GP, finishing seventh. A long stint on the hards allowed Hulkenberg to remain in the top 10 when he eventually switched to mediums.

Lewis Hamilton - 5 

Another weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton. He was slow and made several errors throughout the race, locking up and making needless mistakes. He was promoted to eighth after McLaren’s double DSQ.

Esteban Ocon - 7.5 

A better weekend for Esteban Ocon. He edged out teammate Ollie Bearman in qualifying and finished ahead of him in the race, making the most of a longer first stint. He narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish to Hamilton.

Oliver Bearman - 6.5

A scrappy race for Bearman following a poor qualifying display, where he brushed the wall. Bearman lost out to his teammate in the race after an earlier pit stop.

Fernando Alonso - 7.5 

Fernando Alonso continues to get the most from Aston Martin. Q3 was probably an over-performance, given their pace in dry conditions. He didn’t have the race pace to stay in the top 10, picking up minor front-wing damage as well.

Yuki Tsunoda - 4 

RB boss Laurent Mekies blamed incorrect tyre pressures for Yuki Tsunoda’s poor qualifying in Las Vegas. Starting from the pit lane, Tsunoda couldn’t make any progress up the order in the grand prix.

Pierre Gasly - 6.5 

Pierre Gasly’s race was ruined on Lap 1 after being hit by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who divebombed into the first corner. It ruined Gasly’s impressive qualifying display, where he had qualified in the top 10 again.

Liam Lawson - 5 

Liam Lawson threw away his strong qualifying performance with a misjudged move at Turn 1, hitting Piastri. It resulted in damage for Lawson, effectively ending his chances of a points finish. A missed opportunity.

Franco Colapinto - 4.5 

An anonymous weekend for Franco Colapinto overall. He was not at his teammate’s level, finishing last of the classified runners.

Alex Albon - 4.5 

Another driver who will be looking forward to Qatar is Alex Albon. He clattered the wall in qualifying, putting him out in Q1. A poor race ended early, and he picked up a penalty for contact with Hamilton.

Gabriel Bortoleto - 3 

A poor weekend for Gabriel Bortoleto, whose reckless Turn 1 lunge resulted in a grid penalty for Qatar. A disaster for the Brazilian rookie.

Lance Stroll - 6 

Lance Stroll’s Las Vegas GP weekend unravelled due to a strange gamble on the intermediates in qualifying, leaving him out of Q2. Stroll was forced to retire after the first lap following Bortoleto’s Turn 1 divebomb.

Both McLaren drivers were disqualified from the Las Vegas GP due to excessive plank wear. Their ratings have been judged based on their own personal performance - not the end result.

Lando Norris - 9 

After a poor opening lap, Lando Norris drove a fine race to come away with second—at least so we thought. Norris was forced to back off in the closing laps as he tried to save fuel. It transpired that he - and teammate Oscar Piastri - were investigated for excessive plank wear after the race. It resulted in both drivers being excluded from the final race results.

Oscar Piastri - 6.5 

Assessing his performance alone, Piastri was once again a step behind teammate Norris. The Australian made a mistake when running ahead of Leclerc, losing track position. McLaren’s aggressive pit strategy allowed him to pass Leclerc and Sainz. However, his charge was thwarted by Antonelli, who drove a spectacular race on the hard tyre.