F1 Driver Ratings from the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix

Each driver is scored out of ten with the rating being heavily weighted on their race day performance. Qualifying performance holds less weight when deciding the ratings

Max Verstappen (Qualified 1st, finished 1st) - 10

It was another flawless performance from Max Verstappen as he stormed to his seventh victory of the season. His Q3 lap was that good he didn’t need DRS on the run to the start-finish line to secure pole position ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen and Red Bull dealt with everything that was thrown at them by Mercedes. Undercuts, Valtteri Bottas, traffic - they managed the race perfectly to reclaim the lead of the championship.

Lewis Hamilton (Qualified 2nd, finished 2nd) - 10

Hamilton extracted the maximum from the Mercedes W12 in qualifying as he got within a tenth of Verstappen’s pole lap. After missing most of FP2 after his stoppage, it was a remarkable turnaround to have such a margin to teammate Bottas in third. Hamilton and Mercedes threw everything at Verstappen but it wasn’t enough.

Valtteri Bottas (Qualified 3rd, finished 3rd) - 8

As we’ve seen so many times over the past 18 months, Bottas couldn’t maintain his practice advantage over Hamilton into Q3. The Finn simply didn’t have the race pace to stick with the top two as Mercedes converted him to a one-stop strategy. He tried to hold up Verstappen in a bid to help his teammate, although his heavily degraded tyres meant he could only keep him behind for a single lap. A seventh podium of the season for Bottas - the sixth time he’s finished third. 

Pierre Gasly (Qualified 4th, finished 4th) - 10

A perfect performance from Pierre Gasly, who described his fourth-place finish as a “small win” for AlphaTauri. It was a lonely race for the Frenchman as he ran well clear of the Ferrari duo. The highlight of his race was a fine move around the outside of Fernando Alonso at Turn 1. 

Charles Leclerc (Qualified 5th, finished 5th) - 9

Charles Leclerc was disappointed to have lost out on fourth on the grid to Gasly. The reality was that AlphaTauri was in a different league at Zandvoort. As teammate Carlos Sainz struggled for pace, Leclerc managed the hard tyre well to finish a comfortable fifth.

Fernando Alonso (Qualified 9th, finished 6th) - 9

The Alonso magic continued at Zandvoort as he gained two places on the opening lap. Esteban Ocon complained that Alonso was too slow in the first stint, inferring that he wanted team orders. It was all part of the plan as the Spaniard picked up the pace as the race progressed, overtaking Sainz around the outside of Turn 1 late on. The perfect race for Alonso but still some work to do in qualifying.

Carlos Sainz (Qualified 6th, finished 7th) - 7

After crashing in final practice, Sainz recovered well to qualify within a tenth of Leclerc. He maintained position at the start but things started to unravel when Ferrari switched him to the hards. He had “zero pace” and was constantly “sliding around”. Sainz was perplexed by his lack of pace at the end of the race as he lost out to the Alpine of Alonso.

Sergio Perez (Qualified 16th, started pit lane, finished 8th) - 6

Sergio Perez blamed several factors for his surprise Q1 exit at Zandvoort but the fact is that he never pace throughout practice to contend with the leading trio. Perez’s progress was thwarted by Nikita Mazepin’s stern defence into Turn 1, flat-spotting his hard tyres in the process. The early pit stop proved to be a blessing as he cut his way through the midfield on his new mediums. A late switch to the softs saw him overtake both McLarens and Esteban Ocon to finish eighth.

Esteban Ocon (Qualified 8th, finished 9th) - 7

Ocon had the advantage over Alonso yet again in qualifying but couldn’t sustain it on race day as he lost out on the opening lap. “Fernando is extremely slow in front,” Ocon reported over team radio in the first stint as Alonso managed his soft tyres. The Frenchman maintained a four to five-second gap to Alonso before losing out to Perez’s soft-fitted Red Bull.

Lando Norris (Qualified 13th, finished 10th) - 7

Norris endured his worst qualifying performance of the season as he didn’t progress into Q3, leaving him 13th on the grid. He had to bide his time to get some clean air. A solid first stint nearly allowed him to nearly overcut Daniel Ricciardo until McLaren used team orders to get Norris ahead. He lost out to Perez as the pair collided on the exit of Turn 1 - Norris’ foot came off the throttle as his McLaren went airborne momentarily. 

Daniel Ricciardo (Qualified 10th, finished 11th) - 6

It was a rare win for Ricciardo in qualifying as he made Q3. He made one place at the start, getting past Giovinazzi but struggled for pace when he switched to the hards. A disappointing race for the Australian to lose out to his teammate having started three places ahead. 

Lance Stroll (Qualified 12th, finished 12th) - 6

Stroll was stuck behind Williams’ George Russell for the first half of the race meaning he wasn’t able to show his pace. When he switched to hards after a long first stint, Stroll dispatched Robert Kubica, then gained two more places due to unscheduled stops for Giovinazzi and Russell. Stroll had to defend from teammate Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps and given how far Stroll was ahead at one point, he shouldn’t have been in that position.

Sebastian Vettel (Qualified 17th, started 15th, finished 13th) - 5

Two Haas cars blocking the track in qualifying meant Vettel was unable to progress from Q1. An early pit stop to the hards proved costly as he lost significant time behind Nikita Mazepin and then Kubica. Vettel had a spin at Turn 3, nearly rolling into the path of Bottas’ Mercedes. The German’s poor qualifying ultimately proved costly.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qualified 7th, finished 14th) - 9

Giovinazzi starred in qualifying, putting his Alfa Romeo seventh on the gird. The Italian dropped to tenth at the start as he was on the receiving end of one of Alonso’s magical opening laps. He ran inside the top 10 until his pit stop and looked to be on course for his first points since Monaco. Six laps after his stop, Giovinazzi picked up an unexplained puncture.

Robert Kubica (Qualified 18th, started 16th, finished 15th) - 8

Considering this was Kubica’s first F1 start since 2019, the Pole performed exceptionally in the circumstances. Zero mistakes and even overtaking Nicholas Latifi in the closing laps, Kubica proved he’s still a fine racing driver. No doubt, if Kimi Raikkonen is unable to race in Monza, Kubica will take a sizeable step forward in performance.

Nicholas Latifi (Qualified 14th, started pit lane, finished 16th) - 4

Latifi progressed into Q2 but crashed as he looked to out-qualify teammate George Russell for the first time. Starting from the pit lane, Latifi had his work cut out. He got past the Haas pair but his progress didn’t go further than that. Latifi was overtaken by Kubica in the closing laps.

George Russell (Qualified 11th, finished 17th) - 7

Like teammate Latifi, Russell crashed in qualifying as he lost control of his Williams on the run to the banking. Russell was destined to finish 12th on track but a gearbox issue meant he had to retire prematurely. He completed 90 per cent of the race hence why he’s classified ahead of Mick Schumacher.

Mick Schumacher (Qualified 19th, started 17th, finished 18th) - 5

Schumacher once again had the advantage over teammate Mazepin in qualifying. The pair came to blows once again on the start-finish straight on the opening lap, with Mazepin’s aggressive defence ensuring he maintained track position. The German was forced to pit for a new front wing, although the reasons for doing so weren’t disclosed. He ultimately finished three laps down in 18th.

Yuki Tsunoda (Qualified 15th, started 14th, DNF) - 4

Once again, Yuki Tsunoda wasn’t anywhere near teammate Gasly on pure performance in qualifying. Running well outside of the top 10, Tsunoda was forced to retire after an issue with the power unit.

Nikita Mazepin (Qualified 20th, started 18th, DNF) - 5

Controversy aside, Mazepin was running 50s clear of teammate Schumacher before being forced to retire due to a hydraulics issue on Lap 43. Regardless, Mazepin’s defence against Schumacher on the opening lap was extremely aggressive but highlights the underlying rivalry between the Haas duo. Good luck Guenther!