Spanish Formula 1 Driver Rating: Midfield Star Stole Confused Race Headlines

Oscar Piastry-9.5

Oscar Piastri did what he had to do after a set-off in Monaco. He delivered a near-perfect pole position lap and turned it into a race victory.

Lando Norris -7.5

Rand Norris was second best at Piastri on the circuit in Barcelona Catalña. The sloppy qualifying lap, combined with poor lap one, meant that another race victory was not on the card.

Charles Leclerc-9

Charles Leclerc’s gambling ultimately paid off. He was on electricity in the first half of the Spanish Grand Prix. The timing of the safety car allowed him to go ahead of Max Verstappen to score the third podium of the season, so Luck Luck was finally by his side.

George Russell – 8.5

George Russell has put together another great weekend to move away from Barcelona fourth. Without a safety car, I felt that Russell had a pace to go back ahead of Leclair.

Nico Halkenberg – 9.5

Nico Halkenberg was definitely a race star. A strong start allowed him to make the most of the fresh tires available during the race. Hulkenberg overtook Lewis Hamilton following his safety car, highlighting Sauber’s improved pace this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton – 6.5

After a promising qualifying display, Hamilton’s race day performance was something to be forgotten. He was out of pace and lost to Halkenberg at Sauber late. Team boss Frederick Vasser gave hints that Hamilton may have been damaged during the race.

Isack Hadjar -8.5

Isack Hadjar continues to be impressed with his rookie Formula 1 season. He didn’t get much airtime given how chaotic it was, but he produced another strong weekend to score big points.

Pierre Guthrie-8.5

Pierre Guthrie’s welcome return to form. So far, it’s been a tough campaign for Alpine. Like Hadjar, Gasly drove well and finished comfortably in the top 10.

Fernando Alonso-7.5

Fernando Alonso endured the weekends up and down in front of the crowds of his house. Travelling through gravel traps reduced the fees for his early races. However, Alonso did not give up and finished in ninth place after a Verstappen penalty.

Max Verstappen -4

Up to the safety car, Verstappen threw everything to the McLarens. Red Bull became aggressive with a three-stop strategy to beat Piastri and Norris. Verstappen finished third on the course but it didn’t go well. The slow safety car pushed the top six into the pit lane. With no soft tires left, Red Bull placed Verstappen on a mercilessly stiff tire. In the end, it brought a nasty end to Verstappen’s race, where he lost to Leclerc, and then Russell. He was hit with a 10-second penalty to collide with Russell.

Liam Lawson – 6.5

Liam Lawson looked good in his point finish at Barcelona. However, the timing of the safety car did not work in his favor. With an aggressive battle with Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon, it was a busy race for Kiwis before that.

Gabriel Boltreto-6.5

Gabriel Boltreto produced the best F1 qualifying performance of his career, taking 12th place on the grid. Boltreto was encouraged by improving Southern pace this weekend, even though he wasn’t his first championship point.

Yuki Tsunoda – 3.5

Things seem to be getting worse for Tsunoda Yoke. He was qualified at the end, and despite his last rap in the first quarter felt decent, his lack of pace was a mystery. Tsunoda struggled to make great progress in the race.

Carlos Sainz -5.5

One damage to Carlos Sainz’s rapped meant it was a tough afternoon in front of the crowds of his house. Sainz said when he fought the overheated engine, “nothing really went down our path.”

Franco Frapent-5.5

Franco Colapinto’s weekend was ruined by unfortunate issues in qualifying, leaving him behind the field when there was a pace to qualify near the top 10.

Esteban Ocon-6.5

Haas probably had the slowest car in Barcelona this weekend. Esteban Ocon narrowly beat his teammate Bearman.

Ollie Bearman – 6.5

Bearman explained that the timing of the safety car would ultimately cost him some positions. Before that, Bareman was involved in a heated scrap with Lawson. Still, there were no points on the Ferrari Junior card.

Some Antonelli-6.5

Kimi Antoneri’s unlucky run continued with technical failures that drove him out of the race. Antoneri came in seventh on the course and ran behind his teammate Russell.