Ratings 2021 | Verstappen and Norris clearly the best drivers

1. Max Verstappen: 9.2

Max Verstappen gets first place. The Dutchman missed the podium three times, through little fault of his own. He arguably could've left more room in the crash with Hamilton but had a tyre blowout in Baku and was part of a shunt in Hungary. Verstappen is not entirely faultless, but so far he is having his best season ever, and that in a year when he has a championship car at his disposal. 

2. Lando Norris: 8.4

Most people might have expected Lando Norris to be outclassed by Daniel Ricciardo this year, but nothing could be further from the truth. Norris is perhaps the revelation of the season, with three podiums to his name already and until the Hungarian Grand Prix the only driver to have scored points in every race. That streak was broken by a mad move from Valtteri Bottas.

3. Lewis Hamilton: 7.7

Under the pressure of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton has made more mistakes than usual this season. In Imola, he crashed into the wall, and in Azerbaijan, he went straight on the restart. Still, the Briton is back on top of the championship, and he showed in Hungary and also in Spain and Portugal that he's still got what it takes to race.

4. Fernando Alonso: 7.4

It took him a while to settle in, but since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Fernando Alonso has put in a great run with continuous finishes in the points. He also showed his old racer side again in the battle with Lewis in Hungary. Of course, he was happy that Esteban Ocon could take the victory, but how he would have liked to do that himself after such a good series.

5. George Russell: 7.3

George Russell is increasingly being linked to Mercedes, and now that he's finally scored points for Williams, the opportunity can't be left out. Where Bottas at Mercedes keeps making one mistake after another, Russell is leading Williams back into the points. If he doesn't get a promotion by now, you might wonder what he's still doing in that set-up?

6. Pierre Gasly: 7.2

Pierre Gasly has become a stable force in the midfield. In qualifying, Pierre is in Q3 more than once, and almost single-handedly puts AlphaTauri in the midfield battle. His adventure at Red Bull Racing was soon over, but when you see these performances you wonder if he doesn't deserve a second chance.

7. Charles Leclerc: 7.1

Charles Leclerc has had an inconsistent season. In England, the Monegasque finished second, but in Austria, he was a bit of a hothead again. Leclerc will need to become more consistent if he is to fight for the world title for Ferrari and beware of being passed by his teammate.

7. Carlos Sainz: 7.1

Leclerc is the fastest in qualifying, but Carlos Sainz showed on Sunday that he is a great driver for Ferrari. Leclerc was on the podium once, but Sainz has done so twice already this season. The Spaniard. Has adapted particularly quickly at Ferrari, and in any case, is not showing himself to be an instant second fiddle.

7. Sebastian Vettel: 7.1

Sebastian Vettel failed to win in Hungary but has since taken control at Aston Martin. He's yet to win in qualifying by as large a margin from Lance Stroll as Sergio Perez did, but the German is doing what's expected of him. The fact that his second place in Hungary was taken away from him was not his fault, but really one of the team's faults.

10. Esteban Ocon: 6.7

Esteban Ocon is going on holiday with a victory in his pocket, having already signed a three-year contract with Alpine earlier this year. For the first time, he has some security in Formula 1, although people were quick to criticise early in the season. Alpine has faith in their pupil though, and that seems to be paying off.

10. Sergio Perez: 6.7

Sergio Perez has had an excellent run, including a win in Azerbaijan. In the last few races, the Mexican has been on a downward trend. In qualifying he still hasn't closed the gap to Verstappen, making it very difficult for himself on Sunday. He's still not the dream second man to Max though.

12. Lance Stroll: 6.5

Lance Stroll is actually continuing the streak of recent years. He's making fewer and fewer mistakes, but (apart from some qualifying in the rain) he hasn't been able to find any spectacular moments. After losing duels to Felipe Massa, Sergey Sirotkin and Sergio Perez, he now threatens to lose a duel to Sebastian Vettel as well. One wonders how many times he can lose duels within his team without losing his seat.

13. Daniel Ricciardo: 6.4

Daniel Ricciardo has often been in the top five in these kinds of lists in recent years, but the form he had at Red Bull and Renault, hasn't been seen at McLaren. If he drives a good result, Norris will be seconds away from him. It must be frustrating for Ricciardo that it's been six months now, where his teammate has already managed three podiums, and his old team was on the top step of the podium in Hungary.

14. Antonio Giovinazzi: 6.3

Antonio Giovinazzi has scored a pass on his performance at Alfa Romeo this season. In qualifying, he has the old Raikkonen under his thumb, but in the races, he still lags too often. Now that Fred Vasseur has given carte blanche in choosing his drivers, Giovinazzi might have to find an extra gear to not lose his spot.

15. Mick Schumacher: 6.1

Nikita Mazepin was laughed at a lot in the beginning of the season for his spins, but where the Russian (still not fast) has somewhat disappeared from the picture, it is now Schumacher who is (too) often in the wall. With his last name, he doesn't have to fear for his spot right away, but the first year in a new class is proving to be another tough learning curve for the German.

16. Kimi Raikkonen: 6.0

It really seems to be over for Kimi Raikkonen now. The Finn has lost speed in qualifying and is unable to perform miracles with his Alfa Romeo on Sunday. Raikkonen also makes some remarkable blunders, such as the crash with his teammate in Portugal and the crash with Vettel at the end of the Austrian GP. He's not quite there anymore and would be wise to quit at the end of this season.

16. Yuki Tsunoda: 6.0

Yuki Tsunoda really does have the speed to succeed in Formula 1, but was perhaps thrown to the lions a little too quickly in Formula 1. At the end of this season, he showed some progression with two points finishes. Will he be able to continue this way, or will Helmut Marko end his career already?

18. Valtteri Bottas: 5.9

Valtteri Bottas is under pressure at Mercedes, and it shows in his way of racing. While he occasionally finishes on the podium and qualifies right behind Hamilton, he has failed to show up too often this season. In Azerbaijan and Styria he simply didn't have the speed, and on top of that he makes huge blunders like his last one during the GP in Hungary.

19. Nicholas Latifi: 5.6

Nicholas Latifi scored his first points in Formula 1 in Hungary, finishing in seventh place. However, that result doesn't take away from the fact that he has been trailing his teammate for a whole year now, and has shown no signs of coming anywhere near that level. Still, he was there when he needed to be, and that should be seen.

20. Nikita Mazepin: 4.8

He was a bit of a laughing stock at the beginning of the season because of his spins, but a spinning Mazepin has been less and less in the picture in recent weeks. He's making positive progress in that respect. His speed, however, is still below par. In qualifying, he's way behind Schumacher (who is also just a rookie), and in the races, he's often far behind. It's hard to prove yourself in such a bad car as Haas', but when you're so far behind your teammate, it's a good thing your father is the main sponsor of the team.