In the recent Chinese Grand Prix, Formula 1 witnessed a range of performances from the drivers. Edd Straw has evaluated their performances and ranked them accordingly. The rankings are based on various criteria such as pace, racecraft, consistency, and avoiding key mistakes. It is important to note that these rankings reflect the drivers’ performance over the entire weekend and do not necessarily reflect their overall abilities. Additionally, the rankings will vary from weekend to weekend due to the different performance potentials of each car and external factors that can affect the outcome of the races.
Max Verstappen dominated the weekend, winning both races and showcasing his exceptional skills. Charles Leclerc had a decent weekend, finishing in fourth place twice, despite the challenges faced by the Ferrari team. Lando Norris displayed a strong performance, securing pole position in the sprint qualifying and finishing second in the race. Carlos Sainz had a similar performance to Leclerc, with little to differentiate between the two Ferrari drivers. Nico Hulkenberg faced some setbacks in the sprint but made an outstanding recovery in the main race. George Russell had a solid weekend, finishing in sixth place after a strong qualifying performance. Pierre Gasly had his best weekend of the season, despite facing some issues during the race. Esteban Ocon benefited from upgrades to his car and delivered a strong performance. Lewis Hamilton had a mixed weekend, with a strong sprint but a challenging grand prix. Alexander Albon did his best with the Williams car, despite struggling with tire degradation. Fernando Alonso had a decent performance, although he suffered a puncture during a battle with Sainz. Sergio Perez played a supporting role to Verstappen but missed out on a one-two finish for Red Bull. Valtteri Bottas had a disappointing weekend, with front-wing damage and retirement from the race. Daniel Ricciardo showed improvement throughout the weekend, although he faced some setbacks in the grand prix. Callum Ilott was not far behind Albon in terms of pace but struggled with a disconnected car. Yuki Tsunoda had a challenging weekend, with setup troubles and a collision with Kevin Magnussen. Lance Stroll had a solid pace but made a significant mistake by colliding with Ricciardo.