ANOTHER pulsating Formula 1 season has come to an end in Abu Dhabi this afternoon. Early in the season, it looked like it might be another procession for Max Verstappen and Red Bull but McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes bounced back to make this one of the most competitive seasons in recent history. Let’s take a look at how each of the drivers performed:

Max Verstappen – 10

It must be ten out of ten for Verstappen. The Dutchman won a fourth consecutive title in convincing fashion despite having the third fastest car at certain points during the season. It was a little bit ugly at times as Norris threatened – Verstappen using his elbows in Austin and Mexico City to defend from the challenger – but ultimately Max proved once more that he was the class act in the field.

Charles Leclerc – 8

I would love to see Leclerc in a title battle. Many consider him the fastest qualifier on the grid and, at 27, he should be reaching maturity in terms of race craft. Leclerc will no doubt consider his season a ten out of ten after finally securing a victory in his hometown of Monaco and the team’s home at Monza. Three victories in a Ferrari that rarely looked the fastest car is nothing to be sniffed at. It will be fascinating to see how he compares to Lewis Hamilton next year.

Lando Norris – 8

If Norris never wins a world championship, he may well be left rueing what might have been. After his first victory in Miami, it was expected that the floodgates would open. However, the Brit was only able to secure two more victories – in The Netherlands and Singapore – during that middle period where they had the fastest car on the grid. That’s hardly title winning form. Nevertheless, Norris deserves credit for taking the title race deep against a Max Verstappen at the peak of his powers.

Carlos Sainz – 8

Sainz’s last season at Ferrari saw him take two victories. Having withdrawn from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he returned in Melbourne to record a stunning victory. More recently, he won the Mexican Grand Prix, taking his overall total to four. It is unsurprising that Ferrari have decided to move on, with Hamilton available and Sainz having been overshadowed by Leclerc for a long period, but it is surprising that Sainz wasn’t a target for the other top teams. He has been remarkably consistent.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8

It’s been a wonderful season for Haas and for Nico Hulkenberg in particular, who frequently appeared in Q3 and threatened the points during race weekends. Back-to-back sixth place finishes in Austria and Britain secured the German’s place in the mid-table and Haas’s, whose new leadership have done a fantastic job to see them rise up the standings. 

Oscar Piastri – 7

The Australian’s second season in Formula 1 saw him take his first race victory in peculiar circumstances at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a team orders debate which caused some controversy. There was nothing controversial about his second victory though, an emphatic drive around Baku. That victory took McLaren to the top of the constructors’ standings, which goes to demonstrate Piastri’s consistently strong performances. He will not be regretting his decision to sign for the Papaya over Alpine. 

Fernando Alonso – 7

Aston Martin failed to hit the heights of the 2023 season which saw them on making numerous appearances on the podium, but Alonso’s performances have continued to be stellar. The ageless Spaniard finished comfortably ninth in the driver’s championship, making him the ‘best of the rest’ driver this season. He will be hoping that a partnership with Adrian Newey can give him one last stab at the title.

Yuki Tsunoda – 7

If we never see Tsunoda in the senior Red Bull team, he can consider himself pretty unlucky. Since Pierre Gasly’s departure, he has consistently outperformed his teammates, including Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson who are both highly rated by the team’s management. There is no doubt that he has been the second-best Red Bull driver this year, albeit some might argue that the others have been weak.

Lewis Hamilton – 6

It’s been an odd season for Hamilton, who by his own admission has failed to reach the high standards set for him by himself and the team. Nonetheless, he leaves Mercedes having recorded two victories from the fourth fastest car. The highlight was, of course, his stunning victory in his home race at Silverstone. The second win was bizarre, having crossed the line at Spa behind teammate Russell only to be awarded the win later that evening. Patchy performances in qualifying have often scuppered the Brit’s chances to compete for podiums, but it’s been a solid season for the seven-time champion.

George Russell – 6

It is perhaps harsh to give Russell the same mark as Hamilton given that he has scored more points than his decorated teammate, but I feel that their performances have been largely comparable. Russell also took two victories (and was denied a third after his car was found to be too light) and he has been far more consistent in qualifying than Hamilton. However, at times during races Russell has looked the slower of the two Mercedes. Regardless, it’s been a solid season for the Brit who will be hoping that the team can deliver a championship calibre car in the near future. 

Kevin Magnussen – 6

It has been a patchy season for Magnussen. A series of incidents and penalties led to a suspension for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which allowed Ollie Bearman to deputise. There were good races too, though. Despite a messy start Magnussen held off much of the field to allow teammate Hulkenberg to score points in Saudi Arabia. Other notable performances include an eighth-place finish in Austria and a seventh in Mexico. Overall though he was consistently outperformed by his teammate and, consequently, he won’t have a seat next season.

Oliver Bearman – 6

The highly rated youngster was given three opportunities during 2024 and has secured a permanent seat at Haas for next season as a result of his strong performances. He scored points on debut in Saudi Arabia for Ferrari with a driver-of-the-day performance. In the Haas, he came tenth in Baku, again excelling on a difficult street circuit. His performance in wet conditions in Sao Paolo was scrappy and showed that he remains a little bit of a raw talent. We look forward to seeing grow him week in, week out through 2025.

Liam Lawson – 6

Lawson has had a solid if not spectacular start to his career as a permanent F1 driver. Despite that, there are strong rumours that he will be afforded an opportunity in the second Red Bull seat. He has even less experience than Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly when they were fed to the lions by Horner and his staff. Hopefully, Lawson can keep his head above ground. In his short career so far, he has shown that he can handle himself. A tangle with Sergio Perez was certainly one way to get noticed.

Pierre Gasly – 6

For much of the early season the Alpines were competing with the Saubers for the wooden spoon. Given that form, Pierre Gasly’s mid-table placement looks remarkable. His recent performances in Qatar and, most notably, Brazil where he earned a podium in testing conditions, have been exceptional. But a couple of good drives does not a season make, and it can’t be denied that this has been a frustrating season for team and driver alike.

Alex Albon – 6

In hindsight, Albon may have had it very easy as he did not have to drive at his best to outperform his inexperienced teammate, Logan Sargent. Since Colapinto joined in Italy, the performance of the two Williams has been more comparable. Albon continued to deliver though, scoring points at back-to-back races at Monza and Baku despite the team’s struggles for pace. Overall, it was another solid season for the Thai-British driver but he is at the stage of his career where he needs to kick on. 

Franco Colapinto – 6

The Argentine has earned lots of plaudits for his performances since joining the struggling Williams team. He scored points twice in his first four races and his tenacious style led to many a rumour that he would be able to gain a permanent seat for next year. Since then, he has failed to score a point t but that is probably more a symptom of the car. His permanent seat is yet to materialise, but the winter is young. I’m sure we will see him again at some point. 

Esteban Ocon – 5

Ocon suffered from the same trials and tribulations as teammate Gasly but, unlike his compatriot, failed to pick up points consistently throughout the season. He was similarly successful in Sao Paolo, though, where he kept pace with Verstappen for long periods of the race and ultimately finished second. Despite that showing, it has been a disappointing end to his tenure at Alpine which saw him take a maiden victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021. Haas will expect the Frenchman to be threatening the top ten next year. 

Daniel Ricciardo – 4

It was a disappointing end for Ricciardo after such a decorated career. The likeable Australian was finally let go by RB after the Singapore Grand Prix. Before then, he managed to score points in just three races which was dwarfed by Tsunoda’s seven. After leaving Red Bull, Ricciardo never reached the heights again, except for that fateful day in Italy which saw him take the chequered flag first. This time, he may have really left.

Lance Stroll – 4

Aston Martin failed to build upon the progress they made in 2023 and Stroll’s results have suffered as a consequence. In a car that can best be described as middling, Stroll was regularly towards the back of his field, and he was shown up by his classy teammate Alonso. The team’s ambition remains high but despite the Canadian’s weak performances it doesn’t look like father Lawrence will give up on his son just yet. 

Zhou Guanyu – 4

It’s hard to gauge the performance of the Sauber drivers. The team are clearly in transition and, to an extent, waiting for the Audi investment. Zhou will not be on the team next year, so it was great to see him score points in Qatar. Those were the first scored by the team in the horrible green livery this year. I’m sure Audi will leave that behind as well as Zhou. 

Valtteri Bottas – 3

Bottas must be enormously frustrated having driven in a successful Mercedes for so many years. The Kick Sauber just didn’t have the pace to compete this year. Bottas’ performances have been largely comparable to his teammate Zhou Guanyu, which may go some way to explaining why Bottas has also been dropped by the team going forward. Unless an unlikely opportunity materialises, he will likely be a reserve driver for 2025. He may have more chance of scoring points that way.

Sergio Perez – 2

What a torrid season for the Mexican. Just four podiums and they all came in the first five races of the season where the Red Bull was utterly dominant. Serious questions will be asked in the forthcoming weeks about his place on the grid. He has consistently qualified poorly and fought for the minor placings as a result. Perez’s underperformance has led to a hugely disappointing constructors’ season for the team. How important is the Mexican market to Red Bull?

Logan Sargent – 1

Logan Sargent was finally put out of his misery after the Dutch Grand Prix, having scored zero points and failed to out-qualify teammate Alex Albon even once. That lack of competitiveness can demotivate his teammate and the factory staff and he was bound to be relieved of his duties at some point. Many will argue it came too late.

Jack Doohan – not rated

It’s unfair to judge a driver on one race, regardless of how good or bad that race was (look at Nyck de Vries’ debut). The Australian has been highly rated at Alpine for a couple of years now and they will be hoping that he will be able to help the team challenge at the top of the standings consistently. The French team famously missed out on Oscar Piastri a couple of years ago, could his compatriot help to soften the blow by being even better?

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By Leon Parrott