Hungarian GP driver ratings: Verstappen or Norris – who impressed more?
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Max Verstappen – 9.5Another exemplary weekend from the reigning F1 world champion. The main blemish on his weekend was his qualifying performance. Despite his criticism of the car’s handling, it was still capable of pole position.
Lando Norris – 9.5Norris continues to star in the upgraded McLaren. He lost out to his teammate on the opening lap as he was pinned in by the lead duo of Verstappen and Hamilton. However, his pace once he got ahead after the first round of stops was outstanding, fending Perez off late on.Sergio Perez – 6.5Ninth in qualifying for Perez was below-par yet again for the Mexican. To his credit, he looked more ‘on it’ during the race with some stunning overtakes on Piastri and Russell.Lewis Hamilton – 9A breathtaking qualifying performance handed Hamilton his first pole in 33 races. He threw it away with an average start, bullied by Verstappen into Turn 1 which meant he lost out to the two McLarens. His pace in the race was still strong though.Oscar Piastri – 7.5Not quite at his teammate’s level in Hungary, Piastri’s pace fell apart as the race progressed. CEO Zak Brown did reveal that he did sustain some damage in the race which explains his significant drop-off.
George Russell – 7A good recovery from Russell after yet another dismal qualifying – not all his fault given Mercedes poor planning in Q1.Charles Leclerc – 7The lead Ferrari driver this weekend. His rating is affected by his speeding penalty which cause him to lose a place to Russell.Carlos Sainz – 6.5Sainz failed to reach Q3 for the first time in F1 2023. Ultimately, he was a step behind his teammate’s pace.Fernando Alonso – 8Aston Martin were the fifth-fastest car in Hungary and Alonso got the most out of it. Related Hamilton “a broken record” as he urges Merc to copy Red Bull’s “direction” Norris questions Perez accolade: “He got driver of the day? What the hell”Lance Stroll – 6Another poor qualifying display from Stroll at the Hungaroring. However, he made amends on Sunday to finish behind his veteran teammate.
Alex Albon – 7Hungary was never going to suit Williams so Albon deserved plaudits for finishing 11th, defending heavily from the quicker Alfa Romeo of Bottas in the final stint of the race.Valtteri Bottas – 6.5Edged out by teammate Zhou in qualifying, Bottas’ race was undone by a poor Lap 1. His initial start wasn’t the issue but he lacked any speed in the run down to the first corner. 11th was the maximum for him in Hungary had he been more aggressive.Daniel Ricciardo – 7.5You can’t be too critical of Ricciardo’s F1 comeback. He out-qualified and out-raced teammate Tsunoda. His 40-lap stint on the mediums to finish 13th – having been at the back following a Lap 1 tangle – was mighty. Nico Hulkenberg – 6.5Another tidy weekend from Hulkenberg, who continues to have Magnussen at arm’s length in 2023. The Haas didn’t have the pace to contend for the points.Yuki Tsunoda – 5Given it was Ricciardo’s first weekend in the car, there’s no excuse for Tsunoda to have been out-performed by him. He needs to avoid many more of these weekends or he might find himself off the grid for 2024.
Zhou Guanyu – 5.5Alongside Hamilton, Zhou was the star of qualifying with fifth. His good work was completely ruined by his start, where he seemed to miss-time the lights and the start procedure. He clattered Kevin Magnussen – 5An anonymous weekend from K-Mag in Hungary. Never at Hulkenberg’s level, especially over one-lap.Logan Sargeant – 4.5A recurring theme at Williams is Sargeant lagging well behind the ever-impressive Albon. Like Magnussen, never a threat to his own teammate.Esteban Ocon – 6.5Ahead of Gasly in qualifying, Ocon’s race was completely ruined by an incident out of his control.Pierre Gasly – 6It looked like Gasly had the edge over Ocon in practice but he didn’t deliver when it mattered in Q2. He was ultimately faultless for the Lap 1 incident which put him out of the race.
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