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The 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP was a thriling race that saw Oscar Piastri establish himself as one of the best in the sport. The driver fended off Charles Leclerc after pulling off an ambitious move on him earlier in the race.
There were other notable performances put together by rookies Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman, both of whom scored points and impressed everyone. However, there were also drivers who did not have a successful race in the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
With that being said, let's take a look at how each driver fared during the F1 Azerbaijan GP.
Criteria
- Performance in both qualifying and races is judged
- Results achieved compared to the potential of the car
- Mistakes made over the weekend
- Relative performance against their teammate
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2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP: Rating the drivers
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Rating: 6
Arguably the worst overall race from Max Verstappen this season. He didn't have the pace to outqualify Sergio Perez. Then in the F1 Azerbaijan GP, he didn't have the pace to be anywhere near as competitive as his teammate was. A weekend to forget for the Dutch driver.
Sergio Perez
Rating: 8
Arguably a perfect weekend for Sergio Perez until the last two laps, where the Mexican completely lost the plot and crashed with Carlos Sainz. Irrespective of whoever was at fault there, it could have been prevented by both drivers.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
Rating: 5
Another stinker from Lewis Hamilton who struggled throughout the F1 Azerbaijan GP. The driver has found it very hard to find a sweet spot in a car that his teammate appears to extract a lot out of.
While he may express frustration on the team radio, he should eventually reflect on his recent qualifying performances and try to identify the reasons for his struggles.
George Russell
Rating: 8.5
Except for a compromised qualifying final lap in Q3, which was a result of Alex Albon's Williams, this was a very impressive weekend from Russell. A podium is a surprise, but he surely wouldn't mind it one bit.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Rating: 9
If Charles Leclerc were to honestly evaluate his performance in the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he might conclude that he lost the race to Oscar Piastri due to a potentially overly cautious driving style.
Unlike his usual belligerent self, Leclerc didn't take the McLaren threat seriously enough and was almost surprised when Piastri lunged into turn 1. With that being said, this was a performance of a very high level from Leclerc as he continues to shine at Baku.
Carlos Sainz
Rating: 8
Carlos Sainz almost finished the race on the podium at the F1 Azerbaijan GP, but the crash late in the race cost him big time. While his performance was not as strong as his teammate's this weekend, a promising race was ultimately ruined by the collision. Sainz will be aiming to bounce back in Singapore, a race he won last year.
McLaren
Lando Norris
Rating: 8
The starting position was not his fault, but Norris made the most of what was available to him. The McLaren driver ran a brilliant and measured race, securing a brilliant P4. It could and should have been more, but he should be happy after the F1 Azerbaijan GP, especially having started at P17.
Oscar Piastri
Rating: 10
Oscar Piastri has officially arrived now. Everyone knew he had the pace and performance to do a brilliant job, but the fact that he nailed everything to win the F1 Azerbaijan GP, that too on a weekend where McLaren told him to play second fiddle to Lando Norris for the rest of the season, is a testament to his exceptional abilities.
It is evident that Oscar was the one who desired the last bit more than Leclerc, as evidenced by their differences on Sunday.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Rating: 8
Since Adrian Newey's announcement of joining Aston Martin, Alonso has returned to his dominant form. It was a flawless weekend, which further highlighted his teammate's inconsistency. This was a strong result, aided by a double DNF ahead of him.
Lance Stroll
Rating: 5
Not the best of days for Strol. With Newey joining soon, questions would be raised on how much of a liability the Canadian could be for a team with the fastest car.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
Rating: 7
Gasly looked decently competitive and very feisty throughout the F1 Azerbaijan GP race weekend. It's just that the DSQ from qualifying and an overall lack of pace of the car were too much to overcome.
Esteban Ocon
Rating: 6
Esteban Ocon apparently ran the entire F1 Azerbaijan GP nursing a car that didn't have any practice and hence was just not dialed in. A weekend to forget for the French driver.
Williams
Alex Albon
Rating: 8
Alex Albon displayed maturity and brought home valuable points for Williams. While Colapinto challenged him for a period, Albon ultimately executed a solid performance and secured a strong result.
Franco Colapinto
Rating: 8
Williams might have struck gold with Colapinto, as the driver was just brilliant around Baku. Now whether this was a case of the driver being fast around the track or a case of the driver being a genuine talent is something we'll find out in the upcoming races, but for now, congratulations to the Argentinian for his first points as he tries to chart a path in F1 in 2025.
V-Ca-RB
Daniel Ricciardo
Rating: 5.5
Daniel Ricciardo's performance in the RB at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was limited. Whether due to a lack of pace, as demonstrated in qualifying, or a suboptimal car, Ricciardo had a relatively anonymous race.
Yuki Tsunoda
Rating: 6
A respectable qualifying performance was followed by a first-lap collision, prematurely ending Yuki Tsunoda's race.
Stake F1 Sauber
Valtteri Bottas
Rating: 5.5
Sauber appeared to be struggling in Baku, with both Bottas and Zhou facing limitations in their respective cars. Bottas managed to secure a slightly better position in qualifying, but it seems to be a futile effort given the team's overall performance.
Guanyu Zhou
Rating: 5
Zhou Guanyu's performance remained consistent with his overall F1 form. Another weekend where neither driver could do anything in the car underneath them.
Haas F1
Ollie Bearman
Rating: 8
Ollie Bearman got a chance to show his skills at a track that he thrives on, and it was nice to see. He's ready for the step-up, and the F1 Azerbaijan GP made it clear.
Nico Hulkenberg
Rating: 7.5
An overall strong weekend for Nico Hulkenberg, which lost its sheen as he suffered front wing damage by running over something at the late stages of the race.
