Crash.net F1 journalist Connor McDonagh runs through his driver ratings for the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen – 9
Verstappen claimed his 50th career victory at the Circuit of the Americas. It wasn’t a perfect weekend by any means as a track limits violation cost him pole position. The race wasn’t a breeze either as a recurring brake issue compromised his pace, allowing Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to remain within touching distance.
Lando Norris – 9.5
Norris enjoyed another starring weekend at the Circuit of the Americas as he picked up his sixth podium in nine races. The McLaren driver extracted the most out of it across all the various sessions, even leading the race for the opening 20 laps or so. McLaren’s poor tyre degradation ultimately meant he dropped behind Hamilton – who was later disqualified for a technical infringement.
Carlos Sainz – 7
Given his lack of pace in Austin relative to teammate Charles Leclerc, Sainz was very fortunate to finish on the podium. He was given the favourable two-stop strategy – rather than the slow one-stop Leclerc was put on – allowing him to beat his teammate. Ultimately, he was slower than Leclerc all weekend which is reflected in his overall rating.
Sergio Perez – 6.5
Perez’s pace in Austin was acceptable but given the close competition – Mercedes and Ferrari – he wasn’t able to fly through the field from his lowly grid position of ninth.
George Russell – 6.5
In terms of pure performance, it was one of Russell’s weakest weekends of the year. Never close to Hamilton’s level, he struggled particularly on the hard tyre in the middle of the race. Strangely, his pace at the end of the medium was as quick as Hamilton’s.
Pierre Gasly – 9.5
Gasly enjoyed an incredible weekend in the Alpine. There’s not much more he could have got out of it given he made Q3 in both qualifying sessions – and scored points in both races. He clearly had the edge over teammate Esteban Ocon and deserves great credit with how he’s performed in his first year with the French manufacturer.
Lance Stroll – 7.5
It was a welcome return to the points for Stroll in Austin. Starting from the pit lane after a raft of setup changes following an abysmal start to the weekend, Stroll enjoyed a solid race. It was his first points since the summer break and a tidy Sunday afternoon for him overall.
Yuki Tsunoda – 8
Tsunoda scored AlphaTauri’s best result of the year on Sunday. While he did make the most of the misfortune of others, it’s about time he’s been rewarded given the number of P11 finishes he’s had to his name in 2023. AlphaTauri had a substantial gap to the cars behind which allowed him to pit for new tyres and secure the fastest lap.
Alex Albon – 7
Another weekend where Albon was Williams’ lead driver. He did pick up a time penalty for track limits but was promoted into the points after the DSQs for Hamilton and Leclerc.
Logan Sargeant – 6.5
Sargeant scored his maiden F1 points on home soil following the two aforementioned disqualifications. Lucky? Perhaps, but he did finish behind his teammate on the road and ahead of some of Williams’ nearest rivals.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7
Haas’ decision to start from the pit lane proved to be the correct one but it wasn’t enough to turn it into a points finish.
Valtteri Bottas – 6.5
Sluggish over one-lap, Bottas fared slightly better in the race, beating his teammate with the benefit of team orders, who struggled.
Zhou Guanyu – 6.5
Very impressive in qualifying, Zhou struggled to convert a strong Lap 1 into a good finish.
Kevin Magnussen – 6
Magnussen fought hard – like he always does in Austin – but struggled for overall performance yet again.
Daniel Ricciardo – 6.5
Understandably, Ricciardo was “rusty” on his second comeback after five races away. He showed flashes of pace but was forced into an unscheduled pit stop after sustaining front-end damage.
Fernando Alonso – 8
Like teammate Stroll, Alonso enjoyed a strong recovery drive from the pit lane. He was on course to finish ahead of Gasly before picking up suspected suspension damage – forcing him out of the race.
Oscar Piastri – 6
It was a poor weekend for Piastri, unsurprisingly given his lack of experience at COTA. He struggled in the sprint with tyre degradation before retiring from the race with a technical issue caused by a collision with Ocon on Lap 1.
Esteban Ocon – 6
Ocon was never at his teammate’s level in Austin. He was then forced to retire early on due to contact with Piastri. A weekend to forget.
Lewis Hamilton – 10
There’s no doubt that Hamilton was the star of the weekend in Austin. Had Mercedes put him on a better strategy – with slightly better pit stops – it’s likely he would have been able to beat Verstappen to the win. Of course, that’s inconsequential after he was disqualified from the race due to a technical infringement. However, judging his own personal performance, it was a 10/10 weekend.
Charles Leclerc – 9
Another driver who deserved better was Leclerc. He was brilliant in qualifying – like he usually is. Ferrari’s decision to put him on a one-stop was baffling, costing him a comfortable fourth on track Like Hamilton, it didn’t ultimately matter.
Keyword: United States GP driver ratings: A DSQ doesn't stop Lewis Hamilton getting 10/10 rating