Imola challenged Formula 1 drivers with its rapid corners and limited run-off, amplified by the extension of gravel traps at several key corners which meant mistakes were punished more than usual.
Some drivers, including multiple world champions, found themselves struggling to keep their cars on the road over the weekend, even though conditions were near-perfect across the three days.
Throughout the field, there were some drivers who put in some stand out performances during the race. Although there’s no surprise as to who was the most outstanding of them all.
Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend.
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: Pole (+10 places ahead of team mate, -0.53s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: Winner (+7 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Used slipstream from Hulkenberg to snatch pole position from McLarens
▲ Escaped DRS range of Norris on opening lap to hold lead over opening stint
▶ Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits violations
▲ Absorbed pressure from Norris as tyres wore down late to secure tight victory
Max Verstappenhas won many, many races over recent years. However, this will sure rank as one of his better victories of his career. After struggling for balance across practice, he likely only secured pole with the benefit of a tow from Hulkenberg. But although McLaren appeared quicker at times at Imola, Verstappen found a way to hold on and secure a very satisfying win.
Easily deserving of an ‘8’, but at a track as tough to pass on as Imola and his help from Hulkenberg in qualifying, it’s hard to justify a higher grade.
Sergio Perez – 3/10
Qualified: 11th (-10 places behind team mate, +0.53s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 8th (-7 places behind team mate)
▼ Crashed at Variante Alta at end of final practice
▼ Eliminated from Q2 in 11th
▶ Highest starting car on cars, running long first stint
▼ Ran off into gravel into first Rivazza, losing several seconds
▲ Passed Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Tsunoda after pitting to finish eighth
For the first quarter of the 2024 season, Perez appeared to have made a significant step forward in his form. But at Imola, it was as if he had fully reverted to his woeful 2023 self. Not only was he nowhere near the pace of his race winning team mate on Saturday or Sunday, he also crashed his car in final practice and lost time with an error in the race that a veteran like him should not be committing.
While his results alone would typically warrant a ‘4’ at best, having his weekend blighted by three major mistakes across the five sessions means he must lose another mark.
Lewis Hamilton – 5/10
Qualified: 8th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.27s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Out-qualified by team mate and Tsunoda to line up eighth on grid
▲ Passed Tsunoda at start to run behind team mate in first stint
▼ Ran off track at Acque Minerali, losing around five seconds
▶ Gained a place when team mate pitted, finishing ahead of him in sixth
Hamilton may have finished as the leading Mercedes in Imola, but he was not the better performer in the team again. Sixth was probably the best result he could have achieved given the performance of the Mercedes at Imola, but he should not have been out-qualified by a RB and only finished ahead of Russell thanks to his extra pit stop.
Although his race pace was level with that of Russell’s and he successfully passed Tsunoda at the start, he loses credit with his unforced race error. All in all, a ‘5’ feels like a fair grade.
George Russell – 6/10
Qualified: 6th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.27s)
Grid: 6th (-2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 7th (-1 place behind team mate)
▲ Took a respectable sixth on the grid behind McLarens and Ferraris
▶ Held position over the first stint before slightly early stop for hards
▶ Called in for a late stop for mediums as tyres began to wear excessively
▶ Finished behind team mate in seventh, claiming fastest lap point
Russell should have been the first Mercedes to the chequered flag after being ahead of his team mate practically the entire weekend. However, the state of his tyres meant Mercedes chose to pit him to try and defend from Perez behind, sacrificing his personal result for the team.
You could argue he should have done a better job at managing his tyres, but he was the earliest of the leading group to pit. Overall, a ‘6’ feels earned for being largely better than his team mate.
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Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Qualified: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.263s)
Grid: 3rd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Quickest in both Friday practice sessions
▶ Just beat team mate to line up on second row of the grid
▶ Ran third in opening stint on mediums before pitting later than cars ahead for hards
▼ Fell out of DRS range of Norris with mistake into chicane
▲ Remained out of reach of Piastri behind to claim final podium place
Leclerc achieved one of the many dreams for a Ferrari driver of standing on the podium at Imola for the first time last weekend, but he admitted he could not be satisfied with third. It was likely the best result he could have hoped for, however, given the performance of the car relative to Red Bull and McLaren, and he was the quicker of the two Ferraris all weekend.
Although a ‘6’ might seem a little low, it feels fairer than a ‘seven’ when he threw away a chance to possibly fight for second place with Norris after his mistake at Variante Alta.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10
Qualified: 5th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.263s)
Grid: 4th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Two tenths slower than team mate but lined up one place behind him
▶ Held position through long opening stint before being one of the last to pit
▶ Fell behind Piastri after pitting, gradually dropping back from cars ahead
▶ Finished fifth, eight seconds behind Piastri
A fairly underwhelming weekend for Sainz but also one where he did not make any major errors of note or appear to be especially struggling for pace. He was just ‘there’, running in a position that his team could be satisfied with given the relative better pace of their rivals.
Given that he achieved pretty much what the team could have asked of any driver at Imola, the average rating of a ‘5’ feels appropriate for this weekend – one lower than his team mate who was above him all weekend.
Lando Norris – 7/10
Qualified: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.017s)
Grid: 2nd (-3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Beaten by team mate in qualifying but gained second after Piastri’s penalty
▶ Ran behind Verstappen in early laps but without falling too far behind
▲ Managed his hard tyres well over the start of his second stint
▶ Put Verstappen under pressure over the closing laps but missed out on win by 0.7s
As the newest member of the grand prix winners club, Norris was perhaps just one lap away from back-to-back wins in Imola. He managed his hard tyres superbly to give himself a chance to challenge Verstappen for victory at the end and was probably one DRS zone from snatching a win from the Red Bull driver.
Although he was one of the strongest drivers on Sunday, with no errors to note over the weekend, he was out-qualified by his team mate on Saturday and was ultimately beaten by a likely slower car. For that, a ‘7’ seems an accurate assessment of his overall performance.
Oscar Piastri – 6/10
Qualified: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.017s)
Grid: 5th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Received team’s full raft of upgrades for first time
▲ Out-qualified team mate to take second behind Verstappen
▶ Hit with three-place grid penalty for impeding Magnussen, dropping him to fourth
▲ Undercut Sainz to gain fourth place
▶ Got within DRS range of Leclerc for one lap but faded to finish six seconds behind
It’s fair to say Oscar Piastri would not have left Imola as the biggest fan of Haas from last weekend. He likely lost his first career pole position thanks to Verstappen gaining a tow from Hulkenberg, then dropped three places after his team failed to inform him Magnussen was approaching at the end of Q1. He went from being on the front row to fifth, only managing to pass Sainz in the pits, but was surprisingly unable to challenge Leclerc ahead on the hards.
A ‘6’ might seem slightly harsh, but given that he didn’t same to have the same race pace as his team mate, he does not deserve the same mark as Norris. As Piastri was not at fault for impeding Magnussen, but McLaren were, his rating is not affected by his grid penalty.
Fernando Alonso – 4/10
Qualified: 19th (-6 places behind team mate, +0.459s)
Grid: 20th (-7 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-M-S)
Finished: 19th (-10 places behind team mate)
▼ Crashed out in final practice after spinning at second Rivazza
▼ Eliminated 19th from Q1 after suffering ‘issue’ late on
▶ Made to start from pit lane after breaking parc ferme
▶ Started on softs gambling on SC which never came
▶ Ran a ‘test session’ using various compounds to finish late in 19th
A rare bad performance for Alonso whose Imola weekend pivoted with a crash in final practice. He was knocked out of Q1 after setting his best time with high fuel and then headed into Sunday having effectively given up hopes of recovering into the points. He made three stops after an early gamble on softs didn’t pay off and was more concerned with data gathering than gaining places.
Although he appears to have vastly underperformed given his results, the wider circumstances make his performance seem more excusable than someone like Perez, which is why he gets a ‘4’ rather than the Red Bull driver’s ‘3’.
Lance Stroll – 7/10
Qualified: 13th (+6 places ahead of team mate, -0.459s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (+10 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Reached Q2, unlike team mate, but eliminated 13th
▲ Passed Ocon for 12th, then extended first stint on mediums until lap 37
▲ Overtook Bottas, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Tsunoda after fitting hards
▲ Claimed two points in ninth, behind Red Bulls, McLarens, Ferraris and Mercedes
Stroll’s 150th grand prix start was probably one of the better ones of his entire career. While Alonso let the team down, Stroll executed his team’s strategy brilliantly to finish ninth – likely the best result Aston Martin could have expected from a race with no retirements among their rivals ahead. A reminder of the talent that Stroll possesses, even if he is unable to tap into it more regularly.
While it may seem generous given a failure to reach Q3, the prowess Stroll showed on Sunday makes him worthy of a strong grade. Demonstrating excellent tyre management in the first stint and the ability to overtake several rivals in the second to gain four places from his starting position over a race with no Safety Cars, that deserves a ‘7’.
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Pierre Gasly – 5/10
Qualified: 15th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.475s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-M)
Finished: 16th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Quicker than team mate in Q1 but eliminated slowest in Q2
▶ Pitted early for hard tyres before making a second stop for mediums
▶ Ran behind Zhou for entirety of final stint
▲ Passed Bottas on penultimate lap to finish six seconds behind team mate
Another frustrating and fruitless weekend for Gasly in a season full of frustrating and fruitless weekends, but at least he could say he did not let himself down over the course of the grand prix. His team’s attempt at an alternative strategy did not seem to pay off and his later laps were plagued with having to move out of the way of leaders because of blue flags.
Although there was little to stand out about Gasly’s weekend, he did not make any major errors of note or do anything particularly wrong. Given that and that he was behind his team mate in both competitive sessions, a ‘5’ seems a reasonable rating for an average weekend.
Esteban Ocon – 6/10
Qualified: 12th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.475s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Out-qualified team mate to line up 12th
▼ Passed by Stroll in early laps before switching to hard tyres
▲ Overtook Alonso, then Bottas late to move up into 14th
▶ Finished 14th, six seconds ahead of team mate
After taking points in Miami, Alpine were not in contention for a top ten finish in Imola. But Ocon still put in a respectable performance. A finish of 14th was probably a fair reflection of where his car was around the Italian circuit over the weekend and he was at least quicker than his team mate on both Saturday and Sunday.
While there was little to shout about for Ocon in Imola, he was the better of the two Alpine drivers over the weekend. As he was likely more limited by the car than himself, a ‘6’ feels like the right reward
Alexander Albon – 5/10
Qualified: 14th (+6 places ahead of team mate
Start: Held position
Strategy: Four-stop (M-H-M-M-M)
Finished: Retired (Withdrawn – L50)
▶ Suffered car stoppage in opening practice
▶ Reached Q2 but eliminated 14th
▶ Lost a lap after being released with loose wheel after pit stop
▶ Hit with ten second stop/go penalty
▶ Brought in by his team to be race’s only retirement
A weekend to forget for Albon and Williams. He was in a relatively good position in 14th with only faster cars ahead of him before his race was ruined by his botched pit stop. At the very back of the field, he used the race as a test session to try out different techniques and settings, relaying his findings for the team to pass on for his team mate before they called him in to save his components.
Although he was unable to complete the race, Albon had a decent performance across the weekend, especially having lost track time in the opening practice session. On balance, a ‘5’ feels about the only grade for him and his rivals given the circumstances.
Logan Sargeant – 4/10
Qualified: 20th (-6 places behind team mate
Grid: 19th (-5 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 17th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Failed to set a single legal lap time in Q1 after errors and track limit infringements
▶ Started on hard tyres, running long opening stint before switching to mediums
▶ Passed by Alonso to drop to the final car running
▲ Overtook struggling Bottas on penultimate lap to finish 17th
Sargeant’s Imola weekend followed a similar pattern to many of those in his F1 career. Although he kept his car on track over the three days, he was slower than his team mate but underperformed in qualifying yet again by failing to complete a single legitimate lap time.
Although his Sunday performance was reasonable and would be worthy of a passing ‘5’ grade, his inability to keep the car on track in Q1 cannot be ignored. For that, he falls to a ‘4’.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 7/10
Qualified: 7th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.209s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 10th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Inside top five in Q1 and Q2 before qualifying seventh on the grid
▼ Dropped two places with a less than ideal launch off the grid
▲Undercut Hulkenberg, then pulled off excellent pass on Sargeant into Tamburello
▶ Fell to eighth when passed by Perez
▶ Passed by Stroll on fresher tyres but pulled away from Hulkenberg to secure final point
Tsunoda continues to be one of the more outstanding drivers outside of the top five teams with another impressive performance at his team’s home circuit of Imola, bringing home another top ten finish. He was quicker than his team mate across the weekend and with Alonso out of contention, he happily grabbed the sole ‘spare’ point available with a mature drive.
The only negative for Tsunoda’s weekend was his underwhelming start, but even without it, tenth was probably the best he could have hoped for. For that, he deserves a ‘7’ for his very good weekend performance.
Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10
Qualified: 9th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.209s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 13th (-3 places behind team mate)
▲ Followed team mate into Q3 to qualify two places behind him
▼ Lost two places at the start to run 11th early on
▶ Ran behind Hulkenberg for lengthy second stint
▶ Passed by Magnussen late as tyres degraded to finish 13th
Although Ricciardo was unable to fight for a point at Imola and was not on the same level as his team mate again, it would be wrong to say he was struggling over the weekend either. He put in a good qualifying performance, but after losing places at the start his race seemed to be defined by dirty air and an inability to get by cars ahead. He may have lost a place late, but there was little shame in losing out to a car on 20+ lap newer tyres.
Given that he had no major negatives from the weekend but failed to gain any places or overtake anyone during the race either, a ‘5’ seems a fair reflection for an average outcome.
Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Qualified: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.208s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 18th (-3 places behind team mate)
▶ Knocked out of Q1 in 16th but ahead of team mate
▶ Started on mediums but pitted very early for hards
▶ Ran behind Gasly for several laps until Gasly pitted
▼ Faded on his old hard tyres, losing four places in closing laps to finish 18th
Bottas’s performance in Imola was probably better than his result suggested. He was the quickest Sauber in every single session over the weekend except for the race, where his strategy for a very long second stint of over 50 laps on hards failed to pay off and he dropped behind his team mate and many others at the end.
It is difficult to make a strong impression when you’re driving a car incapable of escaping Q1, but Bottas ran a clean weekend and was a victim of his strategy failing to pay off more than anything, so a ‘6’ overall feels about right.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 17th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.208s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 15th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Knocked out of Q1 just behind team mate
▶ Started on hard tyres, running 33 lap opening stint
▶ Emerged 17th but lost a place to Magnussen
▶ Ran behind Ocon for several laps but unable to pass
▶ Overtook fading team mate late to finish behind Ocon in 15th
Zhou had a very typical ‘Zhou’ like weekend in Imola where he made virtually no errors but also failed to do anything to attract attention, even if that is hard to do in a Sauber. He did a pretty respectable job making a hard-medium strategy work for him, but probably should have found a way by Ocon with quicker and newer tyres.
Although Zhou finished ahead of his team mate, it’s hard not to put that down to Bottas’ extremely long second stint failing to pay off for him. Looking at the total weekend, he was the slower of the two, so is graded lower.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7/10
Qualified: 10th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -1.013s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q3 to line up tenth on the grid
▲ Picked up two places at the start to run in eighth
▶ Pitted relatively early for hard tyres but undercut by Tsunoda
▶ Fell away from Tsunoda gradually but kept out of reach of Ricciardo
▲ Finished just outside the points in 11th, ahead of team mate
Alongside Tsunoda, Hulkenberg continues to be one of the midfield’s more consistently impressive performers in 2024. It was the same again last weekend in Imola, where he gave his team another decent chance of scoring a point, even if he wasn’t able to beat the RB driver to it this time around. He did a better job than others at keeping his tyres healthy over the course of the second stint and just needed a retirement ahead of him to record another top ten.
Although a finish towards the top of the midfield in this car might be worthy of a ‘six’, typically, his qualifying performance, start and consistent race pace make him easily worthy of better.
Kevin Magnussen – 7/10
Qualified: 18th (-8 places behind team mate, +1.013s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 12th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Missed FP1 to allow Oliver Bearman to participate in session
▶ Eliminated from Q1 but was impeded by Piastri on final push lap
▲ Picked up two places off the line, then ran long first stint on mediums
▲ Fell to 17th after pitting for hards, then passed Zhou, Ocon and Bottas
▲ Overtook Ricciardo in closing laps to finish just behind team mate in 12th
It was easy to overlook what a good Sunday Magnussen had in Imola as he rose from 18th on the grid to 12th to be just a second away from his team mate at the chequered flag in a race without any Safety Car interventions. Although he started far lower than his team mate, he at least had Piastri as an excuse for that. After many races on the defensive, it was good to see Magnussen show he knows how to attack, too.
Although Hulkenberg was ahead of him across the weekend, Magnussen genuinely did suffer from being impeded in qualifying. But his race pace was probably superior to that of Hulkenberg on Sunday, so all things considered, he likely deserves the same overall rating, especially having missed first practice.
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