As the competition towards the front of the field has closed up in recent months, it has become increasingly hard to separate many of the drivers in the top teams and recognise truly excellent performances.
But that was not the case last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, where there were several genuinely impressive performers who earned their praise.
But after one driver appeared to have pulled off one of the best drives of the season on Sunday, it turned out to all be for nothing as they were disqualified from the final results.
However, that was far from the only eye-catching performance on a weekend where the standard of driving was especially high. Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Belgian Grand Prix.
A guide to RaceFans’ driver ratings system
RaceFans’ driver ratings system assesses driver performance across all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances during competitive sessions – qualifying, sprint races and grands prix – will carry the most weight to their rating.
However, practice performance can affect a driver’s weekend rating in the event of a major mistake, such as a crash, consistent errors throughout practice sessions or if a driver shows a notably impressive speed throughout all free practice sessions relative to their team mate.
The system attempts to take into account the relative performance of each driver’s car and the expected results from that, meaning that a driver who wins a race in a car clearly superior to the rest of the field may not necessarily score as highly as a driver who claims a low points finish in a midfield car.
Ratings also attempt to take into account mitigating factors outside of a driver’s control. If a driver is forced to miss considerable track time due to car problems, is the victim of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far lower than expected because of a heavily botched pit stop or suffers any other misfortune they cannot be reasonably expected to control, their rating should not be penalised.
RaceFans rates each driver’s weekend performance on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘5’ is considered to be a typically average weekend performance from a typically average Formula 1 driver.
Here is a rough guide to each possible score:
N/A – Not applicable – No rating is given as the driver did not sufficiently participate in the competitive sessions
0 – Disqualified – Only in the most extreme instance where a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation
1 – Appalling – An appalling display that brings a driver’s competency under immediate question
2 – Awful – A very, very poor performance of repeated errors with almost no redeeming qualities
3 – Very bad – Far more negatives than positives across the weekend which a driver should be very disappointed with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to achieve the base level expected for a Formula 1 driver
5 – Acceptable – The standard level of performance that should be expected from an F1 driver
6 – Good – A decent overall performance across the weekend, but not one of the best
7 – Very good – A strong performance across the weekend that any driver should be very pleased with
8 – Brilliant – A truly great weekend where the driver stood out as one of the very best of the field
9 – Exceptional – An outstanding performance that ranks as one of the best, if not the very best, of the entire season
10 – Legendary – One of the few all-time greatest performances by a driver in the history of Formula 1
Max Verstappen – 8/10
Qualified: 1st (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.606s)
Grid: 11th (-9 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 4th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Secured ‘pole’ by six tenths of a second
▶ Demoted to 11th with penalty for taking fifth ICE
▲ Gained two places at the start, then passed Alonso on lap two
▶ Pitted early for hards, undercutting Norris
▶ Ran behind Russell before pitting for second set of mediums
▶ Let through by team mate into fifth, then caught up to Leclerc
▶ Unable to pass Leclerc, finishing fifth, just ahead of Norris
▶ Promoted to fourth after Russell’s post-race disqualification
Spa-Francorchamps is almost certainly the track Verstappen most excels at. And he proved it again this weekend by being comfortably the quickest driver in the field on Saturday. Starting from 11th, his prospects of emulating his victories in 2022 and 2023 looked slimmer with the competition ahead and so it proved to be. But aside from finding a way by Leclerc at the end – which would have earned him a rare ‘nine’ as well as a podium finish, there was little more Verstappen could have done better this weekend.
Sergio Perez – 5/10
Qualified: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate, +0.606s)
Grid: 2nd (+9 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-S)
Finished: 7th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Reached Q3 for first time since Austria to take second on the grid, 0.6s off team mate
▼ Lost second to Hamilton at the start and ran third before pitting for mediums
▶ Undercut by Piastri to sit fifth before second stop for hards
▼ Allowed team mate through, then lost sixth to Norris
▼ Faded away from team mate’s pace in final stint, then lost seventh to Sainz
▶ Pitted late for soft tyres, claiming fastest lap point on final lap to finish seventh
While Perez avoided any embarrassing blunders over the weekend at Spa, he was just not quick at all when it mattered most on Sunday. Falling from second on the grid to eighth – the lowest-placed driver of the top four teams – was not what Red Bull would have hoped. Especially as his team mate beat him despite starting nine places behind him on the grid. However, the only thing that saves Perez from a lower score – aside from his passable qualifying performance – is that he may well have been strategically sacrificed by his team to benefit Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton – 8/10
Qualified: 4th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.349s)
Grid: 3rd (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: Winner
▲ Out-qualified both McLarens and team mate to line up third on grid
▲ Passed Perez at the start, then took lead from Leclerc on lap three
▶ Regained his lead after pitting for hard tyres, then stopped a second time to cover Leclerc
▶ Fitted second set of hard tyres, then chased down team mate ahead
▶ Caught Russell with five laps remaining but could not find a way by
▶ Finished six tenths behind team mate in second, but handed victory after his DSQ
In many ways, Hamilton was always the deserving winner of the Belgian Grand Prix. He had put together a strong Saturday, then got ahead of Perez at the start before taking the lead from Leclerc. He looked comfortable out front, but he never would have anticipated his team mate deciding to risk a one-stop strategy that seemed unfathomable before the race. Although he couldn’t find a way to get around his team mate in the closing laps despite much younger tyres, it can’t be ignored that Russell did have an illegal advantage – however slight. With that considered, he only just earns an excellent score.
George Russell – 7/10
Qualified: 7th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.349s)
Grid: 6th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Disqualified (Finished as winner)
▶ Seventh-fastest in Q3 to line up sixth on grid
▶ Picked up a place from Norris running wide at turn one to run fifth early
▶ Pitted first of the leading cars for hard tyres, then ran behind Perez
▶ Committed to a one-stop strategy as cars around him pitted twice
▲ Demonstrated excellent pace and tyre management on used hards after inheriting lead
▲ Held off team mate under intense pressure for final laps to take chequered flag first
▶ Disqualified after the race for having underweight car
What should have been Russell’s best day in a Formula 1 car ended up becoming perhaps even more painful than that lost win in Sakhir four years ago. Russell appeared to have pulled off one of the best-executed strategic wins of recent memory at Spa, making the bold call to stay out on his hard tyres and attempt to run to the end of the race as others one stopped. He appeared to have pulled it off too, not putting a foot wrong as Hamilton filled his mirrors on much fresher tyres. But it turned out to be for nothing as he was disqualified after the race.
Although Russell could not be reasonably expected to control whether or not he had 1.5kg of missing weight that cost him his win, it must be recognised that he did gain a performance advantage for racing with an illegally underweight car. While Hamilton and Leclerc were not punished in their ratings last year in CoTA for their disqualifications for excessive plank wear, the advantage Russell gained has to be factored into his score.
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Charles Leclerc – 8/10
Qualified: 2nd (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.723s)
Grid: Pole (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 3rd (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Stunned himself and rivals by taking ‘pole’ ahead of Perez
▶ Held the lead at the start before passed by Hamilton
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and rejoined behind Hamilton
▶ Attempted undercut on Hamilton stopping for hards but rejoined behind
▶ Tried to hold off Piastri but lost third at Les Combes
▲ Held off Verstappen over the final six laps despite him being in DRS range
▲ Finished fourth but promoted onto the podium after Russell’s disqualification
Arguably, no driver did a better job of exceeding their expected results on Friday and Saturday as
Leclerc did. He couldn’t have done any better in qualifying, realistically, held onto the lead at the start and only lost positions to cars that were unquestionably faster than him, finishing ahead of at least three drivers in faster cars and managing to keep Verstappen at bay in the closing laps. A podium place in third was a very much deserved reward for his efforts over the weekend.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6/10
Qualified: 8th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.723s)
Grid: 7th (-6 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-H)
Finished: 6th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Slowest of the top eight drivers in qualifying
▶ Started on hard tyres and picked up a place from Norris at the start
▼ Ran a long opening stint but lost 2s with off at Stavelot before pitting for mediums
▶ Pitted again for hards after very short middle stint, rejoining eighth
▲ Caught and passed Perez to finish seventh, promoted to sixth after race
Sainz had a decent enough weekend, given that his Ferrari was probably not on the same level as the Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull. However, he was not on the same level as his team mate over the weekend. He did what he could with his strategy and managed to beat Perez to not be the last finisher of the top four teams – but that is hardly anything to write home about at this point. A reasonable result.
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Lando Norris – 6/10
Qualified: 5th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.046s)
Grid: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 5th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Qualified fifth feeling he got the best result he could out of car
▼ Lost multiple places at turn one by “stupidly” running wide
▶ Extended his opening stint before pitting for hards, rejoining eighth
▶ Unable to pass Verstappen, then pitted for second set of hards
▲ Passed Perez for sixth, but unable to challenge Verstappen ahead
▶ Finished sixth but promoted to fifth after Russell’s disqualification
Norris was not happy with his performance at his second home grand prix of the season and it’s easy to understand why. He failed to convert a decent qualifying position into fighting for a podium, finishing behind his team mate, a Ferrari and Verstappen, who started seven places behind him. Although his Saturday performance was decent, he gave away too many positions at the start needlessly and did not look like he was really comfortable in the car all weekend. A low ‘six’.
Oscar Piastri – 7/10
Qualified: 6th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.046s)
Grid: 5th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 2nd (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Out-qualified by team mate but only by half a tenth
▲ Passed team mate at start to run fourth early on, then pitted for hard tyres
▶ Undercut Perez, then extended middle stint longer than rivals around him
▲ Pitted for second set of hards, then passed Leclerc with strong move at Les Combes
▶ Hunted down Mercedes but could not catch them before finish, taking podium in third
▶ Promoted to second following Russell’s disqualification
It’s difficult to assess just how good Piastri’s performance was in Spa. While he was out-qualified on Saturday, it was by very little. After the first corner, Piastri was McLaren’s lead driver throughout the rest of the race. He pulled off an excellent move on Leclerc to move into a podium position and might have won the race if it was a few laps longer. But finishing less than a second behind the eventual winner, who he started behind, was a very good result. The only season he misses out on a higher score is because the McLaren is still expected to be one of, if not the, best car in on the grid at present.
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Fernando Alonso – 7/10
Qualified: 9th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -1.458s)
Grid: 8th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Reached Q3 to line up eighth on the grid
▶ Passed by Verstappen early, then made relatively late stop for hard tyres
▼ Lost a place to Ocon, then committed to a one-stop
▲ Maintained a decent, consistent pace to keep away from two-stoppers behind
▲ Claimed ‘best of the rest’ honours in ninth, promoted to eighth after race
Alonso started and finished the Belgian Grand Prix in the best position he reasonably could have expected given that none of the eight drivers from the ‘top four’ teams retired from the race. Like Russell, he also successfully made a one-stop strategy work for him, the only difference being he did so with a legal car. While close to earning an ‘eight’, it feels like this was a weekend where his car was strong enough to make ninth a ‘very good’ but not ‘great’ result.
Lance Stroll – 4/10
Qualified: 15th (-6 places behind team mate, +1.458s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
▼ Crashed out of final practice in wet at Raidillon
▼ Knocked out slowest in Q2
▶ Ran behind Ricciardo early until pitting for hard tyres
▶ Rejoined last, then ran behind Bottas for 20 laps
▶ Committed to one stop, then passed by Ricciardo and Ocon
▶ Finished 12th, 14 seconds behind team mate, but promoted to 11th after race
Not a strong weekend for Stroll who was the only driver in the field to crash when the rain came on Saturday, then never really looked on the same level as his team mate on Sunday. His race was saved by a one-stop strategy, which was ultimately the best option on the day, but while he gained places to just miss out on a point in the race, Alonso’s pace suggested that Stroll should have beaten the Alpine and RB ahead of him.
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Pierre Gasly – 5/10
Qualified: 12th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.175s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 13th (-4 places behind team mate)
▶ Unable to follow team mate into Q3
▶ Ran behind team mate in early laps but pitted earlier for hards
▶ Passed by team mate and ran behind Alonso before second stop for hards
▶ Overtook Tsunoda but had progress halted behind Magnussen
▲ Eventually passed Magnussen in later laps to claim what would be 13th
▶ Later claimed to have been managing temperature issues during race
Gasly was not happy with his Belgian Grand Prix weekend and it is understandable why. Not only was he racing as the inferior Marvel superhero in Spa, his parents were in attendance in the Alpine garage to watch him be out-performed across both days by his team mate. Gasly was by no means bad in Spa, but he looked unremarkable, even if he was dealing with power unit problems in the race.
Esteban Ocon – 8/10
Qualified: 10th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.175s)
Grid: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 9th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Effectively missed first practice with water leak
▲ Progressed into Q3 to line up ninth
▼ Dropped behind Verstappen and Albon on opening lap, then pitted for hard tyres
▲ Passed Bottas, Gasly, Hulkenberg and Alonso in quick succession
▶ Pitted for second set of hards and rejoined 14th
▲ Overtook Albon and Stroll, then passed Ricciardo in closing laps to earn ninth
Ocon sported a Deadpool-themed racing suit at Spa this weekend – which was fitting, given that he looked pretty invincible out on track. Despite missing out on opening practice, he probably maximised his results on both Saturday and Sunday and came away with a point in tenth, which was doubled after the race. He pulled off more on-track passes than anyone, including overtaking Ricciardo in the later laps. On a Sunday full of strong performances, his was among the best.
Alexander Albon – 7/10
Qualified: 11th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -1.508s)
Grid: 10th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 12th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Just missed out on Q3 by 0.003s but promoted to tenth on grid
▶ Ran behind Alonso but was second driver in to fit a second set of mediums
▶ Undercut Alonso to run ninth ahead of Ricciardo before second stop for hards
▶ Lost a position undercut by Ricciardo, then overtaken by Ocon
▶ Finished within a second of Stroll to be 12th in final classification
Albon may not have been able to snatch a top ten at a track that has tended to suit Williams more than most in the past, but he put in a solid performance over the weekend. He was less than a blink of an eye away from Q3, then was beaten by two one-stopping Aston Martins which he had been ahead of during his middle stint. Although he finished 13th, which became 12th, it was hard for Williams to ask for more from their driver than what he gave them.
Logan Sargeant – 5/10
Qualified: 19th (-8 places behind team mate, +1.508s)
Grid: 18th (-8 places behind team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 17th (-5 places behind team mate)
▼ Could not follow team mate through into Q2, eliminated 19th
▼ Dropped to last at the start, then committed to two stop early
▶ Undercut Tsunoda and Magnussen, then dropped to last pitting for hards
▲ Ran last but caught and passed Hulkenberg on penultimate lap to finish 17th
Another event where Sargeant did not make any major errors and kept his car in one piece, but while his team mate was in with an outside chance of fighting for the last point, Sargeant was nowhere near, fading to over 20 seconds behind his team mate in a race that ran entirely green throughout. Mistake-free, but just not fast.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Qualified: 18th (-5 places behind team mate, +1.142s)
Grid: 20th (-7 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 16th (-6 places behind team mate)
▼ Failed to join team mate in Q2, knocked out 18th
▶ Forced to the start from back of grid due to power unit penalty
▲ Gained a place over Sargeant at the start, then ran long opening stint on mediums
▶ Fell to the back, then passed by Gasly and Bottas after their stops
▶ Finished 17th but promoted to 16th in final results
▶ Suggested the team implied he had been dealing with car problem during race
A tough weekend for Tsunoda who went the event knowing that he would start from the back of the grid due to taking his fifth complete power unit of the season. He matched his team mate’s pace largely through the first stint, but he could not seem to make the one stop work as well as those ahead of him who tried it. Although his team suggested his pace may have been limited by factors out of his control, it’s difficult to be more generous with his score without knowing what those factors were.
Daniel Ricciardo – 6/10
Qualified: 13th (+5 places ahead of team mate, -1.142s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-H)
Finished: 10th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Reached Q2 but felt run plan left him unable to do better than 13th
▼ Lost a place to Bottas starting on softs, then pitted early for mediums
▶ Ran behind Albon in middle stint before pitting for hards
▲ Passed Sargeant and Magnussen, then chased down and passes Stroll
▶ Lost tenth place to Ocon late, but promoted to final point after race
Any weekend where a RB driver comes away with a point is a good weekend. Ricciardo probably could have qualified higher than he did, likely reaching Q3, but the team admitted they hadn’t put him in the best position to succeed. He probably should have gained places starting on softs, rather than losing one, but his pace over his second and final stints was impressive. He thought he’d lost out on a point passed by Ocon on fresh tyres, but gained it back when Russell was disqualified.
Valtteri Bottas – 7/10
Qualified: 14th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -2.244s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 15th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Enjoyed full benefit of team’s upgrades for weekend
▲ Reached Q2 but knocked out 14th
▲ Got ahead of Ricciardo at the start, then ran behind Gasly before pitting for hards
▶ Overtook Hulkenberg, then ran a long middle stint before pitting late for mediums
▲ Rejoined in 17th, then passed Tsunoda to be classified 15th in final results
Once again, Bottas put his team in a promising position where they could begin to hope of finally fighting for points, only to find out on Sunday that Sauber simply just do not have the car to compete for a top ten. Bottas likely could have finished higher than he did if he had followed Russell by staying out, but even so he was never in contention for points. But finishing ahead of a RB, a Williams and a Haas with the potential to have maybe been higher with a different strategy is a very decent effort that should be recognised.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 20th (-6 places behind team mate, +2.244s)
Grid: 19th (-5 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Finished: Retired (Electrical – L5)
▶ Ran without same range of upgrades as team mate for second straight weekend
▼ Knocked out slowest of all in Q1
▶ Hit with three-place penalty for impeding Verstappen after misinformation from team
▲ Gained a place over Sargeant at the start
▶ Lost power on lap three with electrical problem that forced him into retirement
A weekend to forget for Zhou, whose race never really got going due to factors outside of his control. He did not have the same specification of car as his team mate once again in Spa, which must be considered when comparing the performance of the two, but he was still the slowest of all in the wet qualifying session. As his penalty for impeding Verstappen was deserved, but not his fault, it does not factor into his rating.
Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10
Qualified: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.192s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 18th (-4 places behind team mate)
▶ Failed to reach Q2 but felt he had achieved the best from car
▶ Ran ahead of team mate before being first to stop for hard tyres
▼ Caught and passed by both Alpines, then Bottas’s Sauber before second stop for mediums
▶ Ran 18th over final stint but struggled to manage his tyres
▼ Overtaken by Sargeant on penultimate lap to finish last car on track
Did Haas accidentally bring their 2023 car to Spa-Francorchamps? Hulkenberg struggled with tyre wear more than most and fell backwards in the race as he struggled to keep the pace up and his tyres alive. But despite out-qualifying his team mate, Hulkenberg was unable to cope as well as Magnussen in the race. But at least he kept his car on track and made no major mistakes.
Kevin Magnussen – 6/10
Qualified: 17th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.192s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 14th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Eliminated from Q1 but right behind team mate
▶ Ran behind team mate, then extended opening stint to lap 17
▶ Fitted hard tyres and rejoined 18th, then passed Sargeant
▶ Lost places to Ricciardo and Albon on fresher tyres to sit in 15th
▶ Gained a place when Bottas pitted but overtaken by Gasly
▲ Finished 15th well ahead of team mate but promoted to 14th
The other driver to successfully make a one-stop strategy work, Magnussen could be pleased with his efforts, even if they proved ultimately proved fruitless. Although out-qualified by his team mate, his pace on the hards was far superior to Hulkenberg’s and he gained two places over his team mate and Bottas from his starting position, so deserves a positive score.
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