After 13 races, we find ourselves in the Summer Break and that means a review of the drivers first half of the season. I have been rating drivers results out of 10 for both Qualifying and the Grand Prix. There have also been 2 sprint races that have also been ranked. I have added up the total points for each driver and then averaged it out as not every drive has taken part in the sessions, and some have had simply ungradable races. You may not agree with their final positions and that’s fine because I don’t agree with some of them either.
P20: Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Latifi has had a pretty poor season and shouldn’t be on the grid next season. I’ve found him particularly disappointing considering the fact that I’ve praised him a lot more than others in the past. He has only scored 38 points in Qualifying which is the joint worst of anyone on the grid and has only beat that in the races by 10 which isn’t great considering that includes the sprint points. I’ve given him six 1’s and only one 10. His best race weekend was in Silverstone where I gave him 17 points which he deserved as he was really good that weekend and was unlucky not to score points. The worst part for Latifi is over Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada and Hungary, he only scored 11 points. Nicholas was a long way behind the driver ahead of him in these standings.
Total Points: 86
Average: 3.07
P19: Lance Stroll
It’s an all-Canadian back row in these rankings as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll comes in next. I am a massive fan of Lance, but he has been poor this season however, I was surprised that he was this low. He has the same number of points as Nicholas Latifi in Qualifying, but he has made up for it in the races. Lance’s race grades aren’t always the most accurate as if he finishes 7 places above where he started, he’s most likely going to get a decent grade. Lance also matched Latifi with being graded 1 out of 10 six times and 10 out of 10 once. Miami was Lance’s best weekend of the season for me as he scored a nearly maximum total of 19. He also had the worst possible score of 2 in Azerbaijan. Lance will need to improve in the second half of the year.
Total Points: 124
Average: 4.43
P18: Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda has struggled this year. He has been off the pace at times but that is down to his car as well. I would say he has improved from this time last year though. He has been pretty even in Quali and race performance, with only two points between them. He has only scored 108 points which is the second lowest but has only taken part in 24 sessions including Jeddah where he wasn’t able to get a lap in during Quali due to an engine issue and then the car stopped on the way to the grid for the race. Yuki has received three 1’s and no 10’s so far this season. His best weekend was Imola where he got 17 points but remember it was a sprint weekend. His worst weekend was in Hungary where he received only 4 points. Pressure on Yuki for the second half of the season.
Total Points: 108
Average: 4.5
P17: Pierre Gasly
Alpha Tauri lock out the 9th row of the grid which about sums up their season. It’s been a massive fall for the Gasman, I ranked him 5th at the end of last season. His car hasn’t helped him one bit, but it also hasn’t felt like the same Gasly with seen for the past couple of seasons. Funnily enough, his average is the same as his teammate, but I put higher on the list due to him having 5 more World Championship points. I’ve given Pierre four 1’s and three 10’s. His best and worst weekends came back-to-back with him scoring a perfect 20 at Baku with a 6th place finish in Quali before a Top 5 result in the race whilst his worst weekend was in Canada where he only received 3 points. Hopefully both Pierre and Alpha Tauri will have a better second half of the season.
Total Points: 126
Average: 4.5
P16: Mick Schumacher
I will be honest, I was surprised Mick was this high up, I expected him to be in P19, but he is only 5 points ahead, so it was pretty close. He has struggled this season and he needs to perform in the second half of the season if he is to guarantee his place on the 2023 grid. Mick has received five 1’s and three 10’s this season. Mick’s strangest weekend was in Silverstone where he received both a 1 and a 10. His worst weekend came in Baku where he only received 2 points whilst his best weekend came on the Austria sprint weekend where he received 27 points. Even though there are extra points available for the sprint weekends, that weekend was easily his best and his P6 finish solidified that. Even though he didn’t take part in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, I still counted it because it was his fault why he wasn’t driving in it. He needs more Austria weekends in the second half of the season.
Total Points: 129
Average: 4.61
P15: Daniel Ricciardo
There’s no getting around the fact that Daniel Ricciardo has been really poor again this season. It’s getting to the point where he is costing McLaren comfortably finishing 4th place in the constructors. The 8-time grand prix winner has only received a 1 grade once but has failed to get a 10 grade. His highest grade this season has actually been an 8. His worst weekend came in the season opener in Bahrain where he received 4 points. His best weekend came in the Imola sprint weekend where he scored 17 points. He received 8 for both Qualifying and the Sprint but only received 1 point in the race after taking Carlos Sainz out in turn 2. Daniel needs to improve so that if McLaren decide to get rid of him, he has somewhere else to go.
Total Points: 131
Average: 4.68
P14: Zhou Guanyu
I have been really impressed with Zhou this year. I was a bit sceptical of his ability to be any good in Formula 1 but he has definitely proven me wrong with some great drives. This guy has also had so much bad luck as otherwise he probably could have been higher. He has received two 1’s and only one ten so far this season. I have only ranked 26 sessions for Zhou as he was taken out of both the Emilia Romagna Sprint and the British Grand Prix in first lap incidents that weren’t his fault. Zhou’s worst weekends have been Monaco and France where he only received 3 points whilst his best weekend came in both Bahrain and Canada where I gave the Chinese driver 17 points. Canada was perhaps the better weekend for Zhou as his Bahrain grade was affected by my surprise of just how good he is. Very impressive start to Zhou’s Formula 1 career.
Total Points: 126
Average: 4.85
P13: Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel has had a strange year. It hasn’t been particularly great, but it also hasn’t been poor. I have given Seb three 1’s and no 10’s. His worst points weekend came in Australia where he received 3 points. This feels a bit harsh considering it was his first race of the season due to him missing the first two rounds due to covid. His best weekend came in the Imola Sprint weekend where he scored 19 points, but his best weekend was probably Baku where he scored 18. This is going to be Sebastian’s last season in the sport so hopefully, he can have a few mega races to end his career on a high.
Total Points: 117
Average: 4.88
P12: Alex Albon
Alex Albon has had a good first half of the season with Williams. He’s had a point to prove after failing to secure a seat for the 2021 season, but he has already shown why he deserves to be on the F1 grid for future years. Alex has received only a 1 grade once whilst he was received a 10 grade twice. His worst weekend points wise was Silverstone where he received 4 points but there’s an Asterix next to this stat because he was taken out in the first corner so I couldn’t give him a grade. His best weekend came a week later at Austrian Sprint Weekend where Albon received 17 points. In my opinion, his drive in the Australian Grand Prix was his highlight. If Williams improve, Albon will regularly fight for a points paying position.
Total Points: 141
Average: 5.42
P11: Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen has been really impressive this season. When I did my predictions in March, he wasn’t even on the grid, crazy how things have turned out. To be honest, K-Mag should never have lost his seat in the first place but that’s a discussion for another day. I haven’t given Kevin a single 1 but have given him four 10's. His worst weekend came in Miami where he received 5 points. His highest points weekend came in Austria as the Danish driver received 26 points. His best weekend came in the season opener in Bahrain, where he received a perfect 20. He managed to qualify 7th and finish the race in an incredible P5. What a statement that was.
Total Points: 156
Average: 5.57
P10: Lewis Hamilton
Wow, this feels low. The 7-time World Champion certainly hasn’t had the greatest of seasons, but he has still been really good, particularly recently. The main reason why he is so low is because his results at the start of the season where nowhere near last season's which probably hurt him in these standings. Lewis received four 1’s and only three 10’s. A massive reason why he is so low down also comes down to his Imola weekend, where Lewis received a total of 3 points out of a possible 30 which is perhaps the worst weekend of any driver all season. His best weekend came at France with a score of 19 meaning Lewis hasn’t had a perfect weekend yet. Lewis has been getting much better results recently and if he keeps it up, his average will much higher come the end of the season.
Total Points: 177
Total average: 6.32
P9: Esteban Ocon
I’ve been really impressed with Ocon this year, it feels like he keeps on improving every season. He’s been so good Alpine wanted to keep him over either Fernando Alonso or promoting Oscar Piastri. Esteban hasn’t received any 1’s whilst he has picked up three 10’s. His lowest points weekend came at Silverstone where he received 8. That’s an impressive lowest total. His best weekend came at Austria where he was simply brilliant and received 28 points. He also received 19 at Jeddah in round 2. Ocon was so, so close to being ahead of his teammate in these rankings but should comfortably stay in the top 10 if he keeps his performances up.
Total Points: 172
Average: 6.62
P8: Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso has drove really well this season but has also received a lot of bad luck. Alonso has been graded 1 once, whilst he has received four 10’s. In his home race, he received both a 1 and a 10. Fernando’s worst weekend was in Miami where he received 8 points whilst his best weekend came in Silverstone where he received 19 points. He was superb that weekend. Alonso will be driving the second half of the season knowing he is leaving to go to Aston Martin at the end of the season which could cause an interesting dynamic.
Total Points: 180
Average: 6.66
P7: Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez has had a pretty good season but has dropped off in recent races. He is also the furthest away from his teammate when it comes to World Championship points. Checo has only received a 1 grade once whilst he has had three 10 grades and was ranked 4th in points from races. Sergio’s worst weekend came in Canada where he only received 4 points whilst his best weekend saw him score 21 points during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend. Checo has done well but will need to drive like he started the season if he doesn’t want to get left behind in the championship standings.
Total Points: 184
Average: 6.81
P6: Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas has been really impressive this season. He has moved to Alfa Romeo after a 5-year stint at Mercedes and has shown that he is a very solid driver. Valtteri hasn’t received any 1’s but has received five 10’s which is the highest of anyone so far. He is also 5th when it comes to earning points in the race. Valtteri’s worst weekend came at Baku where he received 6 points whilst his highest points scoring weekend came at Imola where he received 25 points. Bottas also had a perfect 20 points in the season opener at Bahrain. Let's see if Valtteri can keep this up in the second half of the year.
Total Points: 192
Average: 6.86
P5: George Russell
This feels harsh. George has been so good this year. To have matched and maybe even bettered his hype is a really impressive feat. George hasn’t received any 1’s but has only received three 10’s. His worst race weekend came at Silverstone where he only received 4 points. He was upgradeable in the race after a first corner collision. His highest points scoring weekend came at Austria where he received 21 points. He also received 19 points at both Spain and Baku meaning both Mercedes drivers haven’t quite had a perfect weekend. George is third best in scoring points in races. I will be intrigued to see if George can stay ahead of Lewis by the end of the season.
Total Points: 189
Average: 7
P4: Lando Norris
2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg makes it very clear that he believes that Lando is a future world Champion and if he eventually gets in a championship winning car, he could definitely do it. Lando has received a 1 grade once whilst he has earnt six 10 grades. His worst weekends came in Bahrain and Canada where he received 5 points. His best weekend came in Imola where he received 29 points out of a possible 30 in a weekend where he finished on the podium. He has also received 19 points in Australia, Monaco, Britain and Hungary. Norris is joint 4th best in Qualifying points. Lando is turning into a top, top driver.
Total Points: 197
Average: 7.04
P3: Carlos Sainz
I am a big fan of Carlos and was so happy that he won in Silverstone but honestly, I am very surprised he is this high up. He has struggled at times this year and has been comfortably beaten by his teammate. To be fair, the gap between him and Charles this season has been reflected in these points standings. Carlos has received a 1 grade once whilst he has been given four 10’s. Sainz Is also third highest when it comes to qualifying points. Carlos’ worst weekend came at Austria where he received 5 points and crashed out early on in the race. His best weekend came where he received 24 points in Austria. He also received a perfect 20 at Silverstone which even though he did make a mistake in the race, both a maiden pole and victory deserves the highest rating. Carlos has been getting better in recent races so his average should be higher come the end of the season.
Total Points: 198
Average: 7.33
P2: Max Verstappen
Anyone who knows me or knows about Formula 1 would have fully expected Max to be first but somehow, he isn’t. Don’t see this as a disrespect to the World Champion though as he has been truly brilliant. Unsurprisingly, he hasn’t received any 1’s but has received a massive 12 10’s. He is ranked second in Qualifying and is only one of two drivers to score over a hundred points in Qualifying. He is also comfortably the best driver in races. Max’s lowest points scoring weekend came at Monaco where he still managed to score 12 points. His best weekend came at Imola where he received a perfect 30, the only driver to do so this season. He also received a perfect 20 points at Canada where he got both Pole and the Win. Max is surely going to win the World Championship this year and I am certain it won’t be his last.
Total Points: 230
Average: 8.21
P1: Charles Leclerc
Charles has been really, really great this year. If reliability and strategy calls where better, Charles would probably be leading the championship. His qualifying is unmatched as he is comfortably the highest points scorer whilst he is ranked second in points during races. Charles received a 1 grade once due to his crash in France and has also received eleven 10’s with seven of them coming in Qualifying. His lowest points scoring weekend came in Canada with 10 points but remember that Charles didn’t compete in Qualifying. His highest points scoring weekend came at Austria where he received 27 points. Leclerc also managed to receive two perfect 20’s at both Bahrain and Australia. I will be really intrigued to see who ends up on top in these standings come the end of the season.
Total Points: 226
Average: 8.37
Teams Standings
Just for a bit of fun, I have added up the total between the two drivers and then divided it by the number of participated sessions to see which teams have the best performing drivers:
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