Formula One heads into the upcoming summer break in fine fettle after a number of enthralling races to conclude the first half of the 2024 season.
George Russell looked to have secured his third F1 win with a stellar drive at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday before his shock disqualification handed Lewis Hamilton his second victory in three races following his home triumph at Silverstone.
Despite four races without a win, Max Verstappen has a healthy 78-point margin to Lando Norris in the world championship with 10 rounds left.
Ahead of the four-week break prior to the next race at Zandvoort on August 25, The Independent ranks the 21 drivers in reverse championship order.
See The Independent’s full ratings below:
21. Valtteri Bottas – 3/10 (0 points)
It has been a torrid season so far for the experienced Finn. Sauber have, by some distance, the worst car on the grid and have rarely threatened the top-10 positions. It has forced incoming Audi to make changes, hiring Mattia Binotto and ditching Andreas Seidl, while Bottas’ future in F1 is uncertain with a drive for 2025 far from sealed.
20. Logan Sargeant – 2.5 (0 pts)
It has been difficult for Williams and particularly for Sargeant, whose time in the sport is winding down now. Team principal James Vowles had made no secret of his desire to sign Carlos Sainz and the signature was announced on Monday afternoon . After 18 months where he has fallen short of Alex Albon’s performances, Sargeant can’t have too many complaints.
19. Zhou Guanyu – 3.5 (0 pts)
Much like Bottas, Zhou has been armed with a car in no man’s land. Racing in front of home fans in China for the first time was the obvious highlight, but positionally it has only got worse since an 11 th -place finish at the opening race in Bahrain. His future in F1 also looks precarious for next year.
18. Alex Albon – 5 (4 pts)
Compared to Vowles’ impressive first season in charge last year, Williams have taken a step backwards in their development this year and it is testament to Albon’s elite level of performance that he has any points to show for the first 14 races of the season. A ninth-place qualifying result in Monaco saw finish the race in the same position while he matched that at his home grand prix at Silverstone.
17. Esteban Ocon – 5 (5 pts)
Alpine looked a long way back at the start of the season but have made gradual improvements. Four top-10 finishes is credit to Ocon’s persistence, amid the chaos swirling around the team. Still, he will have one eye now on next year and a new opportunity at Haas .
16. Kevin Magnussen – 4 (5 pts)
Given the 17-point gap to his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, Magnussen will be disappointed with just five points from the first 14 races. Haas have surprised many with their position as the seventh-best car, but Magnussen hasn’t taken advantage in the same way as Hulkenberg. A seat for 2025, with Ollie Bearman and Ocon’s arrival, looks very unlikely.
15. Pierre Gasly – 5.5 (6 pts)
A near-identical record to his team-mate: four top-10 finishes, but one more point. Unlike Ocon, Gasly has opted to stay the course with Alpine for next year – and will assume the role of team leader.
14. Ollie Bearman – 8 (6 pts)
Honourable mention to the British teenager, who filled in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia in March. After qualifying a respectable 11 th , he came home seventh and beat Lewis Hamilton in a stunning drive which secured his 2025 seat at Haas. He was granted a dream opportunity and boy did he take it.
13. Daniel Ricciardo – 6 (12 pts)
After the first few races, it was looking very gloomy for the Australian. While his team-mate picked up regular points, it took Ricciardo until race nine in Canada to finish in the top-10 in a grand prix, though a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint was a performance to be proud of. Intriguingly, from looking on the cusp of losing his spot in F1 to RB reserve Liam Lawson, he is now being touted as an immediate replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull; the second chance at a top team that he has been craving for.
12. Yuki Tsunoda – 7.5 (22 pts)
It is hard to know what more Tsunoda could realistically have done to persuade Christian Horner that he deserves a shot with Red Bull. The Japanese driver, now in his fourth season with Red Bull’s sister team, scored points in five out of six races from Australia in March to Monaco at the end of May. He is guaranteed a seat with RB next year – but will his time alongside Max Verstappen ever actually come?
11. Nico Hulkenberg – 7.5 (22 pts)
The German’s career renaissance has been remarkable. After three years out of F1, Hulkenberg was handed a route back in with Haas last year and after three top-10 finishes in the first five races in 2024 – courtesy largely due to his brilliant qualifying displays – the ‘Hulk’ earned a prestigious spot with Sauber next year, soon to be Audi in 2026. Much deserved, too.
10. Lance Stroll – 5 (24 pts)
Aston Martin have not hit the heights of 2023 but the Canadian – son of team owner Lawrence Stroll – still needs more than double his tally to catch Fernando Alonso. A careless crash into Daniel Ricciardo in China was a particular low-point.
9. Fernando Alonso – 6.5 (49 pts)
After six top-10 finishes in a row (but a best of only fifth place), Alonso’s performance has fallen away in correlation with his team. A few surprising errors and poor qualifying displays leaves Alonso clear of the bottom of the pack but a long way short of eighth place. It makes you think: did he commit too early in signing a new contract with Aston Martin, especially when Mercedes still have a seat free for 2025?
8. George Russell – 6.5 (116 pts)
What a mixed bag it has been for Russell so far. Only two podiums to his name but he capitalised on Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’ tangle to win in Austria . Yet mechanical failures in Australia and Silverstone from leading positions will have hurt and his disqualification in Spa after the best drive of his career will have been a major blow. Despite impressive showings, a lot of points have been left on the table.
7. Sergio Perez – 4 (131 pts)
His F1 future is hanging by a thread. Following four podiums in the first five races, the subsequent nine have seen the Mexican finish in the top-six just once. The Mexican is in the midst of a wretched run of form and regular Q1 exits. It really is 50/50 as to whether we’ll see him in the car after the summer break, despite signing a new contract just two months ago.
6. Lewis Hamilton – 7.5 (150 pts)
A dream win at Silverstone ended a 945-day streak without a victory, dating back to 2021 , and he was the beneficiary of another triumph with Russell’s DSQ at Spa. When Mercedes have given him a car to compete in the last month, Hamilton has stepped up – as we have so often seen in his career. The torrid start to the year – when he didn’t record a top-five finish until Canada in June – seems a distant memory now.
5. Carlos Sainz – 7.5 (162 pts)
Sainz should be applauded for his professionalism and consistency in a period where speculation has swirled over his future. A win in Melbourne gave a nod to Ferrari of what they will miss next year though as the Scuderia lost their way in the last two months, Sainz’s results have inevitably fallen away too. On Monday, the Spaniard finally announced his next destination as Williams for 2025 and beyond.
4. Oscar Piastri – 8 (167 pts)
The Australian, in just his second season in F1, has taken the sport by storm in the last few weeks. His first win in Hungary – and fully deserved, despite the team orders controversy – and second place in Belgium caps off a terrific few weeks for Piastri. He now only trails his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by 32 points in the drivers’ standings.
3. Charles Leclerc – 7.5 (177 pts)
Much like Hamilton, a fairytale home victory in Monaco has been the highlight for Ferrari’s star driver, as well as five podiums. However, Leclerc will be frustrated that a potential title challenge has been curtailed by the Scuderia’s rapid decline in the last few months. He’s had some horror shows too, languishing right at the back in Canada and Austria.
2. Lando Norris – 8.5 (199 pts)
A long, five-year wait for a grand prix victory ended in tremendous fashion in Miami and, since then, the Brit has taken the fight to Max Verstappen out in front as McLaren seemed to have been the first team to finally catch Red Bull with his generation of car. The only blemish is a big one: Norris should be on more than one win and will regret a host of near-misses in recent weeks.
1. Max Verstappen – 9 (277 pts)
Verstappen looked to be coasting to a fourth-straight world championship after winning four of the opening five races. However, he has been challenged by Norris and, in more recent weeks, Mercedes. It is to his credit and immense racing talent that he won in Imola, Canada and Spain but four races without a win to end the first half of the season will irritate him. Still, his lead is healthy and it seems only retirements would lead to that title not being secured again.
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