The weather at Silverstone over the British Grand Prix weekend made life particularly challenging for drivers with both qualifying and the race itself affected by rain.
But despite the changeable conditions seeing several drivers staying out on a damp track with slick tyres, there was not a single yellow flag incident or Safety Car intervention throughout the grand prix – showing just how skilled these drivers are.
At the end of the weekend, there were some very strong performances to look back on and one driver in particular who earned themselves a result they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
These are the RaceFans driver ratings for the British 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 – 7/10
Qualified: 4th (+15 places ahead of team mate, -7.006s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-H)
Finished: 2nd (+15 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Damaged floor running off in Q1 but still qualified fourth
▲ Passed Norris on opening lap to run third early on
▼ Overtaken by Norris and Piastri to fall to fifth before pitting for inters
▶ Ran third before pitting for hard tyres once the track dried
▲ Caught and passed Norris for second but could not catch Hamilton for the win
Another weekend where Red Bull may not have been the fastest package, but where Verstappen was in the fight for the victory right until the end of the race. Not for the first time this season, this was a race where he was happier to have finished second than he was to have missed the victory – although who’s to say what could have happened if the race was a lap or two longer. However, he does get penalised for his mistake in Q1 that left his car damaged, even if he did well to qualify where he did in spite of that.
Sergio Perez – 4/10
Qualified: 19th (-15 places behind team mate, +7.006s)
Grid: 20th (-16 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Four-stop (H-I-I-M-S)
Finished: 17th (-15 places behind team mate)
▶ Sat out first practice to let Hadjar participate in session
▶ Did not have latest floor but team said difference was minor
▼ Spun out of Q1 with slick tyres on damp track, leaving him 19th
▶ Forced to start from pit lane after changing power unit parts
▲ Moved up to 15th place before making very early switch to inters
▶ Had to make a second stop for fresh inters, leaving him down in 17th
▶ Switched to mediums when the track dried, then made fourth stop for softs
▶ Finished 17th, two laps down
At this point, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the temptation to just copy and paste the assessment of Perez’s performance from his previous weekends. Once again, his team mate was fighting for the win and Perez was never a factor. However, while his Sunday result could be excused by being one of many drivers whose early gamble for intermediates did not pay off, he cannot be excused for spinning off on his out lap in Q1 on slick tyres when multiple rivals did the same before him without falling off track. Yet another bad weekend.
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Lewis Hamilton – 8/10
Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.171s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: Winner
▲ Just missed out on pole by a tenth from team mate
▲ Ran behind team mate before taking the lead on lap 18
▶ Fell behind McLarens on damp track before pitting for inters
▶ Ran second behind Norris before undercutting him with earlier switch to slicks
▲ Managed his rapidly wearing softs brilliantly to keep Verstappen away and win
Hamilton’s British Grand Prix victory delighted him, his team and his many fans, but it was also very pleasing to see the Hamilton looking like his old self again through Sunday. Although he narrowly missed out on pole on Saturday, he was the stronger of the Mercedes drivers when it mattered most and when the pressure was at its highest in the closing laps with Verstappen in pursuit, he looked every bit like the seven-times world champion he is as he broke the longest winning streak of his career.
George Russell – 7/10
Qualified: Pole (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.171s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-I)
Finished: Retired (Water system – L34)
▲ Secured pole position to head all-Mercedes front row
▲ Held the lead over the early laps from pole
▼ Passed by team mate in damp conditions, then overtaken by both McLarens
▶ Pitted for intermediates to run fourth, then called in to retire just after half distance
One of the most disappointing races Russell will probably ever have given that he had a genuine shot at winning his home grand prix and was forced out through no fault of his own. Did a brilliant job in qualifying to beat Hamilton and Norris to pole but did not seem to do as good a job at managing his tyres as those behind and was eventually caught by them. Sadly, he never got the opportunity to fight back as the race progressed, but can definitely hold his head high.
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Charles Leclerc – 5/10
Qualified: 11th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.254s)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-I-I-S)
Finished: 14th (-9 places behind team mate)
▼ Knocked out of Q2 after failing to fully prepare tyres before final push lap
▲ Gained several places on the opening lap, then passed Stroll for seventh
▶ Made ill-judged switch to inters too early, forcing him to pit a second time for inters
▶ Fell a lap down and pitted for soft tyres when track dried out
▶ Caught and passed Bottas late to finish 14th
Another weekend of absolute frustration for the Ferrari driver. Things started to go off track on Saturday when he was eliminated from Q2 but he at least went a way towards making up for that with a good start. However his gamble to fit inters earliest of anyone was the wrong call and that single decision doomed his race. But without a Safety Car or other intervention, there was little he could do to make up all of that time lost early on.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 7/10
Qualified: 7th (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.254s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-I-H-S)
Finished: 5th (+9 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Beaten by a Haas to line up seventh on grid
▲ Passed Hulkenberg at the start to run sixth before pitting for inters
▶ Got ahead of Piastri before being undercut through transfer back to slicks
▲ Pitted late for softs to take fastest lap and finish fifth
Sainz enjoyed another very solid weekend at Silverstone and came away with a result as good as he could have expected given the relative performance of Ferrari’s rivals. He race was often a lonely one, ahead of Hulkenberg but unable to challenge the Mercedes, Verstappen and McLarens ahead. But it was difficult for Ferrari to have expected or asked for more from him.
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Lando Norris – 6/10
Qualified: 3rd (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.207s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 3rd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Beaten to pole by Mercedes after admitting error on final push lap
▶ Lost a place to Verstappen at the start but re-passed the Red Bull early on
▲ Passed Russell and Hamilton to take the lead, then pitted for inters
▶ Held the lead during the wet stint but lost it to Hamilton with slow stop for softs
▼ Could not keep Verstappen behind, falling to third where he would finish
Norris was disappointed to miss out on a genuine opportunity to win his home grand prix and for McLaren having let another chance of victory go begging, but this time he does share some responsibility. A mistake on his final Q3 lap opened the door that the Mercedes walked through, then he dropped behind Verstappen at the start and missed his marks during his final stop. Even with all that, had McLaren fitted his untouched set of mediums for his final stint, he could’ve won.
Oscar Piastri – 7/10
Qualified: 5th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.207s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-M)
Finished: 4th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Qualified fifth on the grid after being caught in rush to the line at end of Q3
▲ Ran fifth early but passed Verstappen and both Mercedes to gain second
▶ Remained out on slicks one lap longer than rivals, losing 18s and falling to sixth
▶ Gained fifth back switching for mediums a lap before Sainz
▶ Reeled in team mate over final laps to finish just off podium in fourth
Another race, another result where Piastri could feel he probably deserved better and maybe even have been in the fight to win. He likely could and would have qualified higher had he not been caught up in the rush to reach the line before the chequered flag at the end of Q3, leaving him behind his team mate. Then, in the race, McLaren’s choice not to double-stack him when switching to inters was the defining moment of his grand prix. He was just as strong as his team mate was when it mattered and maybe even slightly faster.
Fernando Alonso – 6/10
Qualified: 10th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.332s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-M)
Finished: 8th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Reached Q3 but compromised by traffic at end of session as last car over line
▲ Ran tenth over early laps before overtaking team mate for eighth
▶ Pitted for inters a lap later than team mate to fall behind him before pitting for mediums
▶ Matched team mate’s pace over final laps to claim eighth behind team mate
Alonso played his part in giving Aston Martin some reason for cheer in their home grand prix, even if their ambitions are higher than seventh and eighth position. His starting position was impacted by factors he couldn’t control and he snatched a place from his team mate before losing it with an extra lap on the wet on slicks. But he was never able to get back ahead of Stroll in the second half of the race and finished seven seconds behind at the flag.
Lance Stroll – 6/10
Qualified: 8th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.332s)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-M)
Finished: 7th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▲ Secured spot in Q3 to secure eighth on the grid
▶ Passed Hulkenberg at the start but overtaken by Leclerc and Hulkenberg
▶ Overtaken by team mate, then pitted lap earlier for inters, jumping back ahead
▶ Ran ahead of team mate on inters, then pitted for mediums a lap later
▶ Maintained gap to team mate in final stint and finished within second of Hulkenberg
Stroll got back into the points in Silverstone with a very solid weekend in his team’s home grand prix. The Aston Martin was clearly in a better place at Silverstone than it had been in recent rounds and Stroll did good work to be as fast as Alonso through the weekend. However, Stroll did get overtaken by Alonso only to regain the place by pitting earlier for intermediates which was the right call. Given how the pair’s performance was pretty even overall, Stroll gets the same grade as his team mate.
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Pierre Gasly – N/A
Qualified: 20th (-2 places behind team mate, +5.24s)
Grid: 19th (1 place behind team mate)
Finished: Did Not Start (Gearbox)
▶ Missed first practice as Doohan ran in his car
▶ Hit with ‘back of grid’ penalty before qualifying due to power unit usage
▶ Pulled into pits on formation lap with gearbox problem, putting him out of race
Gasly might as well have not bothered showing up at Silverstone. He knew he would start last because of factors out of his control, so did not need to put in a representative time in qualifying. Then, his race ended before the lights went out because of a gearbox problem. As he did not complete any representative running in the weekend, his performance cannot be judged.
Esteban Ocon – 5/10
Qualified: 18th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -5.24s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Four-stop (S-I-M-I-M)
Finished: 16th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Knocked out of Q1 after confusion with team over final lap
▶ Started on softs but quickly faded before early gamble on inters
▶ Forced to fit second set of inters when heavier rain came, running 18th
▶ Continued to sit second-to-last before gaining 16th from Perez’s fourth stop
If this was a matter of grading how much fun a driver had in a race weekend, then Ocon would be barely earning a two. Nothing seemed to go his way at Silverstone and any chance of a decent result was thrown away by every strategy call seeming to be the wrong one. It’s hard to be too critical of him given the circumstances around his lowly finish, but he did not hit anyone, spin off or earn any penalties, so he certainly does not deserve less than an average grade.
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Alexander Albon – 7/10
Qualified: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.242s)
Grid: 9th (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-M)
Finished: 9th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Progressed into Q3 to secure ninth on the grid
▼ Lost places off the line, then front wing damaged in crush at Village
▶ Ran within DRS range of Tsunoda before pitting for inters
▶ Lost time with slightly slow stop, running 11th in the wet
▲ Caught and passed Tsunoda after switching to mediums to finish ninth
A very good result for Albon and Williams at their home grand prix. The car had the potential for a good showing at Silverstone and Albon duly delivered, even despite suffering front wing damage on the opening lap. He managed his tyres well throughout the race and passed Tsunoda to claim an extra point in ninth. Given his consistent pace through the weekend, Albon gets a strong grading.
Logan Sargeant – 6/10
Qualified: 12th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.242s)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 11th (-2 places behind team mate)
▶ Missed first practice to allow Colapinto to drive car
▶ Followed team mate into Q2 but eliminated, two tenths slower in 12th
▶ Dropped behind Tsunoda at the start, then passed by Magnussen on lap 22
▶ Lost time stacking behind team mate for inters, then ran behind Magnussen
▲ Passed Magnussen for 11th after switching to softs late, finishing just outside points
Sargeant was satisfied with his driving across the Silverstone weekend and he should be. He avoided major errors in conditions that would have been easy to do so and was not that much slower than his team mate until the final stint on softs, while Albon had mediums. He managed to catch and pass Magnussen in what was clearly a quicker car that weekend, so this easily counts as a good weekend for the Williams driver.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10
Qualified: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.68s)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 10th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Spun out of opening practice session
▶ Out-qualified team mate but eliminated 13th in Q2
▲ Passed Williams at start to run 11th before pitting for intermediates
▶ Kept out of reach of Albon in wet conditions before pitting for softs
▶ Overtaken by Albon in later laps but held onto final point in sixth
Although he was undoubtedly helped by Leclerc and Perez not being in the points to take the final one in tenth, Tsunoda had a decent enough showing in Silverstone. After his embarrassing start to the weekend on Friday, he got his act together and was the team’s better driver from that point forward. Ultimately, he only gained one position on merit from start to finish, but it still counts. Added to the fact he beat his team mate, he earns a decent score.
Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10
Qualified: 15th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.68s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 13th (-3 places behind team mate)
▼ Reprimanded for weaving in the pit lane in third practice
▼ Knocked out slowest in Q2 complaining of dirty air behind Zhou
▶ Passed ailing Zhou early but overtaken by Magnussen and Perez
▶ Pitted for intermediates to run in 14th
▶ Fitted softs for final stint, finishing 20s behind team mate
Ricciardo did not have the best weekend at Silverstone, but it was more ‘underwhelming’ than bad. He did not have the ideal run in qualifying which resulted in a disappointing grid position and he made no major errors in the race, but just seemed to be lacking the same pace as his team mate. An incredibly ‘mid’ weekend.
Valtteri Bottas – 5/10
Qualified: 16th (-2 places behind team mate, +1.241s)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 15th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Failed to follow team mate through into Q2 but just missed out in 16th
▼ Lost two places at the start, then passed by Perez
▶ Overtook team mate and Ocon on softs before switching to intermediates
▶ Ran between Ricciardo and Leclerc before pitting for softs
▶ Passed by Leclerc in closing laps to finish 15th
Although he finished well ahead of his team mate, Bottas did not deserve to, all told. He could not beat his younger team mate in qualifying and lost two places at the start but then was limited by his car’s performance through the rest of the race. He did not make any mistakes, however, and did not have his race compromised by bad strategy calls, so he earns an average grade.
Zhou Guanyu – 6/10
Qualified: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -1.241s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Four-stop (S-M-I-I-S)
Finished: 18th (-3 places behind team mate)
▲ Progressed into Q2 then beat Ricciardo to line up 14th on the grid
▶ Started on softs but dropped down the order, forced to pit for second set of slicks
▶ Gambled on early switch to inters which did not pay off, having to pit for second set
▶ Already a lap down before switching over to slicks, falling two laps down to finish last
Zhou had the worst afternoon of anyone on Sunday in Silverstone, but in truth it was hardly his fault. Every strategy decision made in the race seemed to go against him, which left him making four pit stops over the race, from which he had no chance to recover. He out-qualified his team mate and once his race had stabilised with all the blue flags, he was actually a little quicker than Bottas. As such, he gets rewarded for his efforts.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7/10
Qualified: 6th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.976s)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 6th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q3 and beat Sainz to qualify sixth on the grid
▼ Lost multiple places through opening corners
▶ Pulled off excellent pass on Stroll at Copse, then pitted for intermediates
▶ Ran behind Piastri before switching to softs
▲ Held off Stroll in closing laps to equal best result of season in sixth
There’s no doubt Hulkenberg had a very good weekend in Silverstone, but his performance was slightly flattered in a few ways. The upgrades for the weekend clearly had an instant impact, although Magnussen’s Q1 exit made that less clear. He also clearly benefited from Leclerc and Perez being well out of the picture and his opening lap was bad, but he held his nerve well in the closing laps to hold onto sixth. He falls just short of an even higher mark.
Kevin Magnussen – 6/10
Qualified: 17th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.976s)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-I-S)
Finished: 12th (-6 places behind team mate)
▶ Stepped aside in first practice to allow Bearman to drive car
▶ Did not have latest car update
▼ Knocked out of Q1 after running off at Copse
▲ Overtook Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo and Sargeant before pitting for intermediates
▶ Almost spun exiting Stowe in wet running behind Albon, then pitted for softs
▼ Lost time to Albon in pits, then passed by Sargeant, finishing 12th
Once again, Magnussen was out-shone by his team mate in a grand prix weekend. He does deserve credit for a series of passes he made as he made his way up the order in the race, but he cost himself a serious chance at points by failing to escape Q1 and suffered more graining in the race. But for his recovery work, he gets a passing grade.
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