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The 2024 F1 season is going through the customary summer break where the drivers and teams unwind before a 10-race stretch to the end of the season. In a 24-race calendar, breaks are difficult to come by, and hence this particular one is especially welcome.
It's also a good time to look back at the season and see how the drivers have performed. This F1 season, we rate the drivers' performance over a race weekend after every event to keep track of how well they're contributing.
With 14 races done, who are the top five performers of the season? To find out, we've taken the average ratings after each race and arranged them accordingly. So how do the top-five stack up? Let's take a look.
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#5 George Russell (Avg rating: 7.64) (Mercedes)
At No. 5, we have George Russell. The driver has an average rating of 7.64 and has been the benchmark at Mercedes.
In the standings, it might appear that Russell is behind Lewis Hamilton right now, but that has a lot to do with the fact that the driver has suffered two zero scorers in the last three races, winning one and being in contention to win in another.
Russell has more or less proved that he's ready to lead Mercedes, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of his season goes.
#4 Nico Hulkenberg (Avg Rating: 7.65) (Haas F1)
Nico Hulkenberg has been one of the surprises of the season, and he almost makes you question if one should be surprised by his performances.
The fact of the matter is that the German has been one of the few drivers on the grid limited in terms of performance by their cars. Whatever machinery he has had under him, he has gotten the best out of it, and that's true for this season as well.
The German has turned heads this season, but a part of the credit goes to the car under him as well.
#3 Charles Leclerc (Avg rating: 7.86) (Ferrari)
Charles Leclerc finds himself third in the championship, and this is a result of the driver learning how not to make as many mistakes as he tended to in the last few seasons.
The Ferrari driver has had a few races where he has found it tough to extract the best from the car. But he has kept things clean and finds close to the top drivers in the overall pecking order.
#2 Lando Norris (Avg rating: 8.25) (McLaren)
Lando Norris might just be F1's biggest villain right now. He might not be very high on the preference list of fans, but at the same time, the driver has been consistent and impressive.
Norris has admitted that the 2024 F1 season has shown that he's still not fully competitive to challenge for the title. But he's close and just needs to smooth out a few rough edges.
#1 Max Verstappen (Avg rating: 8.39) (Red Bull)
Max Verstappen has to be at the top. The Red Bull driver has used the 2024 season to break the "it's just the car" myth.
The Red Bull driver has made a few mistakes. His races in Hungary and Austria were not the best. Overall, though, he continues to be the benchmark in F1, and there's not much to dispute that.
