Verstappen virtually flawless in China, Stroll the clown

Max Verstappen humiliated the competition at the Chinese Grand Prix. Verstappen was in a class of his own and that is reflected in GPblog's ratings. Where every driver could be caught with several mistakes throughout the race weekend, Verstappen was virtually faultless.

Verstappen: 9

Max Verstappen gets a '9' for his near-perfect performance. The Red Bull Racing driver struggled in the sprint shootout but recovered with a great sprint race. In the subsequent qualifying and Grand Prix, nobody could get close to Verstappen, who won for the first time in China.

Norris: 8

Lando Norris drove a strong qualifying and Grand Prix, keeping one Red Bull behind him. Yet, on Saturday, it also became clear why Norris is not yet at Verstappen's level. He was outsmarted too easily by Hamilton in the sprint race, and by not giving up at the first corner, he threw away points for the team. The Briton has yet to learn to maximise every weekend.

Perez: 6

Sergio Perez was unstoppable in China. In qualifying, he set the second-fastest time, but in the first sequence of corners, he let Fernando Alonso pass him. Perez did not come close to Verstappen's pace, however, and therefore had to leave victory to his teammate. Still, the fact that he came third and not second will hurt him. The safety car did not help, but with his RB20, he should've done better.

Leclerc: 7

Charles Leclerc slid into the wall once again on Friday. Of course, more drivers slid off the track in difficult conditions during the sprint shootout, but once again, the Monegasque found the wall. Leclerc recovered with a good sprint race, qualifying and also had a solid Grand Prix.

Sainz: 6

Carlos Sainz was not comfortable this weekend. The Spaniard was stuck behind his compatriot in the sprint race, got past, but was then treated to a divebomb that ended his podium aspirations. Sainz then hit the wall in qualifying and never had the same pace as his teammate in the race.

Russell: 7

A solid performance from George Russell. In the sprint shootout, the young Brit fell a little short, but in qualifying and the race, he maximised the result for Mercedes.

Alonso: 6

A messy weekend for Fernando Alonso. His action in the sprint race was simply too wild and prevented him from adding any points there after a great performance in the sprint shootout. In qualifying, Alonso was at the front again, but in the race, he fell way back, partly due to a remarkable strategy by his team.

Piastri: 6

Oscar Piastri has yet to reach top form. Where his teammate shines, the Australian has to watch from behind. Piastri does not lose to his teammate by a large margin, but it's happened often this season.

Hamilton: 6

Lewis Hamilton was back to his old self in the sprint shootout and sprint race, resulting in an impressive second place. After a setup change, things went all wrong. Hamilton did not get out of Q1 in qualifying, and in the race, he complained about his car. Perhaps a bit too much experimentation again?

Hulkenberg: 7

Another point for Nico Hulkenberg. The man who has already benefited most often this year from points missed by the top teams.

Ocon: 7

Esteban Ocon fell just short of this season's first point for Alpine, but if any Alpine driver has a claim to that point, it is Ocon. He stands as the leader of the faltering French racing team this year.

Albon: 6

It was a fine weekend for Alexander Albon, who drives for a team that took a backward step in 2024.

Gasly: 5

Pierre Gasly has been a major disappointment at Alpine this season, losing to his compatriot again in qualifying and the race.

Zhou: 5

It was all very emotional for Guanyu Zhou, but the Chinese's performance at home was quite disappointing. He still had a decent ninth place in the sprint race, but in qualifying and the race, he did not come close to teammate Bottas.

Stroll: 1

Everyone in F1 is done with Lance Stroll. His performance was already embarrassing compared to Alonso, but he made it worse by driving into Daniel Ricciardo behind the safety car. By now, it is no surprise that he blames the drivers in front of him instead of taking the blame himself.

Magnussen: 4

Kevin Magnussen was again behind his teammate this weekend and caused a stir with a remarkable overtaking attempt. This time, Yuki Tsunoda was the victim of the Dane's ambitious move.

Sargeant: 4

Logan Sargeant did not manage a final lap in Q1, just when the track was at its fastest. Indeed, the American had spun once again. It says it all about the season of the Williams driver, who also failed to make a mark in the race.

Ricciardo: 6

Daniel Ricciardo finally drove a good weekend for Visa Cash App RB. There were no points scored, though. Lance Stroll took that chance away, but this was the kind of weekend Ricciardo will want to have more often.

Tsunoda: 5

Magnussen's action ended Yuki Tsunoda's race early, but Tsunoda himself had not performed well up to that point either. Ricciardo really outclassed him in Shanghai.

Bottas: 6

A solid performance for Valtteri Bottas, whose race ended with a smoking engine. However, in the sprint shootout and qualifying, the Finn again showed that he can still perform quite well over one lap.

GPblog Rankings after the Chinese Grand Prix