While the Spanish Grand Prix didn’t provide a slew of spicy on-track moments, the Formula 1 race was a compelling one from a strategy perspective and that, in turn, provided some compelling drives.
Though we had a familiar face on the top step of the podium, the gaps in the field are beginning to whittle down.
Driver ratings for the F1 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
Max Verstappen – 9.5
Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen may not have had a perfect race in Spain, but he was perfectly poised to take advantage of the competition’s missteps in order to launch to the lead and stay there.
Verstappen survived Lando Norris pushing him into the grass at the start, then overtook George Russell’s Mercedes two laps later before building up a decent lead as the race progressed. It was by no means an ultra-dominant display — Verstappen’s lead never exceeded 10 seconds — and Norris carved that gap down at the end of the race, but the Dutch driver responded admirably under pressure to take another win in 2024.
Lando Norris – 8
Lando Norris was understandably disappointed with his performance after almost immediately losing out on his impressive pole position, but the McLaren driver certainly made up for that poor start.
Norris instructed his McLaren team to put him on a strategy that could challenge leader Max Verstappen rather than merely settle for a lowly podium position, and the team followed suit by calling him in for soft tyres just after Verstappen’s final stop.
The maneuver meant Norris exited the track ahead of both Mercedes drivers and enabled him to slice down the gap to Verstappen to a mere two seconds. However, he’s still prone to making the kind of minor mistakes that can lose a race to the dominant Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton – 9
Things haven’t been easy for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton lately, but the Spanish Grand Prix felt to be a return to form for the Mercedes driver thanks to his first podium since Mexico City last year.
In the post-race press conference, Hamilton admitted that he feels the Mercedes has closed the performance gap, but that it’s operating at its peak. Still, his late-race pass on his teammate for a podium position was a reminder of a Hamilton we haven’t seen in a while.
George Russell – 8.5
George Russell stunned at the race start when he swept from fourth to first position as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris battled for the lead, but his presence at the start of the field didn’t last long.
His later swap to the hard tyres for the final stint of the race failed to result in any shocks; Russell lamented that the tyre “does not feel good,” simultaneously offering some feedback for other teams looking to swap to the hard rubber, as well as opening himself up to a pass by Hamilton.
Still, it was a decent race for Russell, and he should be pleased with his quick reaction at the start of the race.
Charles Leclerc – 7.5
Despite a suite of performance upgrades, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. both still struggled with basic drivability. It also appeared that the two men struggled to manage their emotions toward each other.
Sainz damaged Leclerc’s front wing while making an audacious pass ahead of the third lap of the race, leaving the Monegasque driver miffed until well after the checkered flag.
Leclerc maintains that the damage prevented him from mounting any significant challenge on Russell for fourth place — but he did manage to pass his own teammate without making contact later in the race.
Carlos Sainz Jr. – 7
Carlos Sainz Jr. is driving for his future, but unfortunately, that left him making mistakes and succumbing to frustration.
After his early race run-in with teammate Leclerc, Sainz also found himself involved in a scuffle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton later in the race. Sainz maintained that Hamilton ran him off track when Hamilton’s W15 squeezed Sainz at Turn 1.
Sainz wondered after the race why stewards didn’t require Hamilton to return the position.
He wasn’t able to maintain fifth place, ultimately relinquishing it to his teammate who could better pursue the Mercedes of George Russell.
Oscar Piastri – 6.5
Nothing about Oscar Piastri’s performance at the Spanish Grand Prix screamed “look at me.” The young Australian has looked promising behind the wheel of the MCL60 all season, but this outing in Spain was quite nondescript.
He did manage to work from a 10th-place start to finish in seventh, but Piastri’s race was mostly ‘just fine’.
Sergio Perez – 5
Perez’s Spanish Grand Prix was marred before it even began thanks to a three-place grid penalty lingering from Montreal, but his performance all weekend long left much to be desired.
The Mexican racer is unquestionably piloting one of the most dominant cars on the grid, and yet he still struggles to get anywhere close to his teammate’s pace. While he finished in eighth position, his most impressive moves in the race came as he battled it out with some of the lower-midfield drivers further down the field.
Pierre Gasly – 8
Alpine found a modicum of success in Spain after a frankly dismal 2024 so far, and Pierre Gasly represented the best of the French duo. His ninth-place finish is especially impressive, considering his first pit stop dragged on for a miserable 6.7 seconds before he was launched back into action.
That matches his season-best finish of ninth in Canada.
Esteban Ocon – 7
Though Esteban Ocon did fall behind his teammate, his 10th-place finish is worth a point for Alpine and also represents a promising step forward for the French outfit heading into the next two races at Austria and Silverstone.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6
Haas struggled to find pace this weekend in Spain, but Nico Hulkenberg’s 11th-place finish is about as close to points as the team could expect. However, his five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane muted what perhaps could have been a battle for a point.
More reactions from the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
👉 Lando Norris makes two notable admissions after losing latest Max Verstappen battle
👉 Lewis Hamilton ‘ran me off the track’ judgement leaves Sainz questioning FIA rules
Fernando Alonso – 6
Fernando Alonso’s performance at his home race was limited by the pace of the Aston Martin. He was clear with assembled media after the race that he felt he “did not deserve to score any points,” and that Aston Martin needs to go back to the drawing board — to talk less and deliver more.
Zhou Guanyu – 6
Zhou Guanyu joined Yuki Tsunoda on lap 10 to become the first two drivers to swap soft tyres for mediums, and the gamble worked out better for the Kick Sauber driver than it did for his competition.
A 13th-place finish may not be the most impressive on the grid, but it did represent a two-position jump from this qualifying position.
Lance Stroll – 5.5
In a weekend where Aston Martin wasn’t expected to do much, Lance Stroll put in a decent, if unremarkable, on-track performance with the equipment he had. He started and finished in 14th position.
Daniel Ricciardo – 6
Team RB’s upgrades package left a lot on the table, but Daniel Ricciardo actually did well to finish in 15th. As the Australian mentioned earlier in the weekend, the team will have a lot of work to do in the next few races in order to find the necessary pace.
Valtteri Bottas – 6
Valtteri Bottas managed an impressive qualifying on Saturday to start from 12th on the Spanish Grand Prix grid, but Kick Sauber’s aggressive soft-soft-hard strategy left a lot to be desired on race day thanks to an elongated final stint.
Kevin Magnussen – 5
Kevin Magnussen’s race ended before it even really began thanks to a false start and a subsequent penalty. Haas wasn’t on anyone’s favorites list when it came time to score points, but Magnussen’s performance gap to his teammate is striking.
Alex Albon – 4
Alex Albon started the race from pit lane, and unfortunately for the Thai-British racer, his most distinctive moment came courtesy of a lap 61 jaunt through the gravel. Frustrated, Albon called into the team to ask, “What the hell was that?” He wasn’t pleased with the response that everything was fine, arguing, “No, it’s not OK. Don’t just say that.”
The snappy response indicates that all is not well in the Williams camp.
Yuki Tsunoda – 3.5
Tsunoda’s pre-race confidence in Team RB’s updated floor seemed particularly ill-placed after he finished a measly 19th, losing two positions from his starting position. He only managed to outperform a struggling Logan Sargeant.
Logan Sargeant – 2
Williams racer Logan Sargeant qualified last, secured a three-place grid penalty, and ultimately started in 19th when his teammate Alex Albon started from pit lane. Despite all that, he still finished last after a clumsy performance.
It’ll be a weekend to forget for Sargeant.
Read next: Spanish GP: Max Verstappen withstands Lando Norris charge as Lewis Hamilton ends long podium drought