The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is commonly one of the tough and harmful for drivers to take care of all season lengthy.
The proper location, subsequently, for 2 rookie drivers to make their second grand prix begins of their younger careers.
However whereas the inexperienced drivers within the discipline made their errors in apply, a few of the sport’s veterans waited till when it mattered most to make some poor judgements.
These are the RaceFans driver rankings for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A information to RaceFans’ driver rankings system
RaceFans’ driver rankings system assesses driver efficiency throughout all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances throughout aggressive classes – qualifying, dash races and grands prix – will carry probably the most weight to their ranking.
Nevertheless, apply efficiency can have an effect on a driver’s weekend ranking within the occasion of a serious mistake, equivalent to a crash, constant errors all through apply classes or if a driver reveals a notably spectacular velocity all through all free apply classes relative to their group mate.
The system makes an attempt to take into consideration the relative efficiency of every driver’s automotive and the anticipated outcomes from that, that means {that a} driver who wins a race in a automotive clearly superior to the remainder of the sphere might not essentially rating as extremely as a driver who claims a low factors end in a midfield automotive.
Scores additionally try and take into consideration mitigating components exterior of a driver’s management. If a driver is compelled to overlook appreciable monitor time as a consequence of automotive issues, is the sufferer of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far decrease than anticipated due to a closely botched pit cease or suffers some other misfortune they can’t be fairly anticipated to manage, their ranking shouldn’t be penalised.
RaceFans charges every driver’s weekend efficiency on a scale of 0 to 10, the place ‘5’ is taken into account to be a sometimes common weekend efficiency from a sometimes common System 1 driver.
Here’s a tough information to every potential rating:
N/A – Not relevant – No ranking is given as the driving force didn’t sufficiently take part within the aggressive classes
0 – Disqualified – Solely in probably the most excessive occasion the place a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation
1 – Appalling – An appalling show that brings a driver’s competency beneath fast query
2 – Terrible – A really, very poor efficiency of repeated errors with nearly no redeeming qualities
3 – Very dangerous – Way more negatives than positives throughout the weekend which a driver needs to be very dissatisfied with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to attain the bottom stage anticipated for a System 1 driver
5 – Acceptable – The usual stage of efficiency that needs to be anticipated from an F1 driver
6 – Good – An honest general efficiency throughout the weekend, however not probably the greatest
7 – Excellent – A powerful efficiency throughout the weekend that any driver needs to be very happy with
8 – Sensible – A really nice weekend the place the driving force stood out as one of many perfect of the sphere
9 – Distinctive – An impressive efficiency that ranks as probably the greatest, if not the easiest, of your entire season
10 – Legendary – One of many few all-time biggest performances by a driver within the historical past of System 1
Max Verstappen – 5/10
Certified: sixth (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.21s)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Completed: fifth (+12 locations forward of group mate)
▶ Outqualified by group mate for first time in 33 rounds to start out sixth
▲ Gained one place over Russell at first to take a seat fifth
▶ First of the leaders to pit for exhausting tyres
▼ Misplaced sixth when overtaken by Russell, then caught and handed by Norris
▶ Pitted late for quickest lap try on softs however misplaced probability with VSC
▶ Completed fifth after gaining two locations from late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing beneath VSC after chequered flag
In Baku, it was as if Verstappen and Perez had swapped helmets and automobiles for the weekend. It’s not uncommon for Verstappen to battle together with his automotive’s dealing with, however it’s uncommon for him to battle as a lot as he did all through the Baku weekend. The slower of the 2 Crimson Bull drivers on Saturday and Sunday, Verstappen regarded unusually peculiar in Azerbaijan.
Sergio Perez – 6/10
Certified: 4th (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.21s)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Categorised: seventeenth (-12 locations behind group mate)
▼ Obtained a warning for impeding in third apply
▲ Beat group mate in qualifying to line up fourth however dissatisfied to not be greater
▲ Handed Sainz at first to take a seat third
▶ Pitted early to undercut Piastri however held up by Norris
▶ Sat third for bulk of second stint behind Leclerc
▼ Crashed out of the race after contact with Sainz on penultimate lap
For 99% of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, the ‘King of Baku’ was having fun with his finest efficiency for properly over a 12 months. He was faster than Verstappen on benefit on Saturday and Sunday – a uncommon sentence to learn certainly – and was preventing for what would have been a wonderful second place end. However then, his penultimate lap crash with Sainz meant it will all go unrewarded. The stewards accurately noticed it a racing incident, even when it felt a bit bit like he had extra room to keep away from the conflict. Regardless of this, he confirmed extra battle than he had for a while.
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Lewis Hamilton – 5/10
Certified: seventh (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.415s)
Grid: nineteenth (-14 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +2 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: ninth (-6 locations behind group mate)
▶ Certified seventh after combating tyre temps all through the session
▶ Compelled to start out from pit lane with an influence unit change
▶ Handed two automobiles in two laps on mediums earlier than pitting for exhausting tyres
▲ Overtook Stroll, Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo, Gasly and Bottas to take a seat twelfth
▲ Handed Hulkenberg legally after yellow flag zone on penultimate lap to achieve ninth
One more weekend the place Hamilton appeared uncomfortable over the weekend – far much less blissful than his group mate – and by no means appeared to search out the candy spot. Hamilton managed to battle from the pit lane to the factors over the course of the grand prix, however did want two of his rivals to crash out so as to take action. In comparison with Norris’ comeback drive and the tempo of group mate Russell forward within the race, it’s exhausting to not really feel barely underwhelmed by ninth.
George Russell – 7/10
Certified: fifth (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.415s)
Grid: fifth (+14 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: third (+6 locations forward of group mate)
▶ Misplaced operating in second apply after a PU change
▼ Obtained a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in qualifying
▼ Dropped behind Verstappen at first
▲ Pitted early for exhausting tyres, then caught and overtook Verstappen
▶ Confirmed robust tempo via second half of stint to regularly shut on leaders
▶ Picked up last podium place in third after late crash
Not for the primary time in 2024, Russell was the largest beneficiary from a dramatic late-race crash involving two automobiles forward of him. This time he solely gained a podium out of it fairly than a win, but it surely was nonetheless a good end result after a weekend that was not the smoothest for Mercedes.
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Charles Leclerc – 7/10
Certified: Pole (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.44s)
Grid: Pole (+2 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: 2nd (+16 locations forward of group mate)
▼ Crashed out of the primary apply session at flip 15
▼ Obtained a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in third apply
▲ Comfortably took pole place by three tenths
▲ Held onto the lead at first till pitting on lap 16
▼ Misplaced the lead of the race to Piastri at flip one
▶ Unable to go Piastri regardless of over 20 laps inside DRS vary
▶ Repelled Perez’s late problem to complete second
Leclerc might have been the very best performer of the weekend even when he misplaced out on claiming victory from his pole place. He had a really robust opening stint however misplaced a bit an excessive amount of time within the pit cycle, which allowed Piastri to make the go that Leclerc was very accommodating of. He tried all the pieces to chase down Piastri however couldn’t, however second was nonetheless a robust end result. After his Friday crash, reprimand and the type during which he misplaced the lead, nevertheless, a ‘seven’ is the very best he can get.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6/10
Certified: third (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.44s)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Categorised: 18th (-16 locations behind group mate)
▶ Warned for impeding Perez in second apply
▶ Certified third however half a second slower than group mate
▼ Misplaced a spot to Perez at first to run fourth earlier than pitting final of leaders of mediums
▶ Step by step reeled in main trio over lengthy second stint
▼ Crashed out on penultimate lap throughout battle with Perez
▼ Obtained a warning for impeding in second apply
▼ Obtained a warning for a pink flag infringement within the grand prix
At a circuit he freely admits isn’t his strongest venue, Sainz was pretty stable in Baku exterior of dropping out to Perez at first within the cramped rush to show two. He managed his tyres very properly to catch the leaders and put himself right into a podium place. The stewards agreed he was as a lot in charge for his race ending crash as Perez was and that could be a truthful evaluation. Dropping a podium was greater than sufficient punishment and it doesn’t really feel proper to grade him harshly for it within the circumstances.
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Lando Norris – 7/10
Certified: seventeenth (-15 locations behind group mate, +0.576s)
Grid: fifteenth (-13 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +3 locations
Technique: One-stop (H-M)
Completed: 4th (-3 locations behind group mate)
▶ Eradicated from Q1 after abandoning his last flying lap for a yellow flag
▲ Began on hards and three locations on opening lap
▶ Prolonged opening stint till lap 37, holding up Perez strategically for group mate
▲ Rejoined seventh, then caught and handed Verstappen for sixth
▶ Gained fourth after late crash to complete 11 locations greater than he began
Though many mocked McLaren’s introduced “bias” to Norris when he was eradicated from Q1, you might make an argument that Norris’ weekend was nearly pretty much as good as his group mate’s. His solely actual ‘mistake’ was to desert his last push lap in qualifying after seeing a yellow flag warning on his sprint – hardly an egregious error. Within the race, he did a fantastic job to work his approach up the order with none Security Vehicles to assist him and end forward of rival Verstappen. Allow them to snort – Norris has little to be embarrassed about.
Oscar Piastri – 8/10
Certified: 2nd (+15 locations forward of group mate, -0.576s)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: Winner (+3 locations forward of group mate)
▶ Secured entrance row begin however three tenths off pole place
▶ Held second place behind Leclerc in opening stint
▲ Pitted for mediums after which handed Leclerc for lead with aggressive flip one transfer
▲ Absorbed strain from Leclerc for over 20 laps earlier than breaking clear
▲ Secured second profession victory beneath Digital Security Automotive
After Hungary, this was a victory Piastri might savour with none caveats or controversies. Though he couldn’t get round Leclerc within the opening stint, he confirmed nice racing intuition to go him after switching to exhausting tyres, then by no means regarded possible to surrender the lead as soon as forward. He did profit from his group mate’s assist and didn’t go Leclerc at first, however does his go for the lead and driving afterwards earn him an ‘eight’? On this event, it nearly does.
Fernando Alonso – 7/10
Certified: eighth (+7 locations forward of group mate, -0.978s)
Grid: seventh (+6 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: sixth (+13 locations forward of group mate)
▲ Secured prime eight grid place, then promoted to seventh by Hamilton’s pit begin
▶ Held place earlier than pitting for hards
▶ Rejoined in thirteenth, shifting again as much as eighth behind Norris
▶ Picked up two locations from penultimate lap crash to complete sixth
One other weekend the place Aston Martin have been out on an island of their very own between the main groups and the remainder of the sphere, Alonso largely maximised his automotive’s potential throughout the weekend. A fairly lonely race, however he’s beginning to separate himself from his group mate once more.
Lance Stroll – 4/10
Certified: fifteenth (-7 locations behind group mate, +0.978s)
Grid: thirteenth (6 locations behind group mate)
Begin: -7 locations
Technique: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Categorised: nineteenth (-13 locations behind group mate)
▼ Did not observe group mate into Q3, going slower in Q2 than Q1
▼ Suffered a puncture from opening lap contact with Tsunoda at flip 4
▶ Pitted on the finish of the opening lap and ran on exhausting tyres earlier than becoming second set
▶ Handed Bottas however retired late after drawback with brakes
Listening to Stroll’s group radio feed over the Baku weekend was miserable. He by no means appeared proud of the automotive’s dealing with, which might clarify the deficit to group mate Alonso, however his automotive’s steadiness had nothing to do with him making a badly-judged transfer on Tsunoda at first, which broken his automotive and successfully ended his race. Not a superb weekend.
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Pierre Gasly – 7/10
Certified: thirteenth (+7 locations forward of group mate, -1.416s)
Grid: 18th (+2 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: +3 locations
Technique: One-stop (H-S)
Completed: twelfth (+3 locations forward of group mate)
▶ Knocked out of Q2 in thirteenth however disqualified for gasoline movement infringement
▲ Began 18th on exhausting tyres, gaining three locations on lap one
▲ Confirmed superior tempo to his group mate on identical technique behind
▶ Sat 14th earlier than pitting on last lap for softs
▶ Moved as much as twelfth after late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing beneath VSC after chequered flag
Gasly in all probability deserved extra reward from his Azerbaijan weekend than he acquired. He didn’t let his disqualification from qualifying get him down and did a greater job together with his group’s technique than his group mate to climb as much as twelfth on the chequered flag with a protracted first stint on hards.
Esteban Ocon – 5/10
Certified: twentieth (-7 locations behind group mate, +1.416s)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (H-S)
Completed: fifteenth (-3 locations behind group mate)
▶ Suffered technical issues in first and third apply
▼ Eradicated slowest in Q1 after hitting wall on last lap
▶ Compelled to start out from pit lane altering elements beneath parc ferme
▶ Began on exhausting tyres and ran extraordinarily lengthy first stint
▶ Couldn’t match group mate’s tempo forward earlier than pitting on lap 49
▶ Rejoined seventeenth however gained fifteenth after late crash
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing beneath VSC after chequered flag
A weekend to neglect for Ocon however it will be harsh to be too important of him. Certainly, his solely actual unfavourable was to puncture his wheel hitting the wall in Q1 – an error however under no circumstances as dangerous as these made by others. He lacked the tempo of his group mate within the race, however how a lot of that was right down to his restricted runs in apply is an efficient query.
Alexander Albon – 8/10
Certified: tenth (-1 place behind group mate, +0.329s)
Grid: ninth (-1 place behind group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (H-M)
Completed: seventh (+1 place forward of group mate)
▶ Reached Q3 however denied lap on new tyres as group left cooler in air field
▲ Began on exhausting tyres and confirmed robust early tempo
▶ Pitted for mediums from fifth and rejoined eleventh
▲ Let via by group mate, then handed Hulkenberg
▶ Gained two locations after late crash to attain finest end of the season in seventh
Albon headed into the Baku weekend figuring out this may be a fantastic alternative to attain factors and he delivered. He simply reached Q3 however by no means obtained the prospect to set a lap on new tyres after his group’s near-calamitous error, however within the race he delivered the precise sort of efficiency Williams have gotten used to from him. Possibly the very best weekend within the discipline.
Franco Colapinto – 7/10
Certified: ninth (+1 place forward of group mate, -0.329s)
Grid: eighth (+1 place forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: eighth (-1 place behind group mate)
▼ Crashed in apply at flip 4
▲ Reached Q3 for first time to line up ninth on grid
▶ Held place at first till changing into first to pit for exhausting tyres
▶ Caught and overtaken by Hulkenberg, then let group mate by
▲ Held off Bearman, then Hamilton earlier than overtaking Hulkenberg late
▲ Was tenth and 10s behind group mate earlier than late crash forward handed him first factors in eighth
After crossing the road in eighth place in his second grand prix, Colapinto acquired excessive reward from race engineer Geaten Jego and group principal James Vowles for his work. He deserved it too, holding his focus after his first apply shunt and by no means making one other mistake over the remainder of the weekend to assert the next factors end than his predecessor managed in a 12 months and a half.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10
Certified: twelfth (+4 locations forward of group mate, -0.21s)
Grid: eleventh (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: Retired (Harm – L14)
▲ Out-qualified group mate however pissed off to overlook out on Q3
▶ Suffered extreme harm hit by Stroll at first
▶ Slid down the sphere till being referred to as in to retire on lap 14
For the second spherical in a row, Tsunoda’s grand prix ended due to harm sustained after being hit by a rival making an attempt an ill-advised go on him. However whereas he was understandably pissed off, he had been the faster RB driver for a lot of the weekend and regarded pretty comfy.
Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10
Certified: sixteenth (-4 locations behind group mate, +0.21s)
Grid: 14th (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (H-S)
Completed: thirteenth
▼ Knocked out of Q1 having “left time on the desk”
▶ Began on exhausting tyres, operating behind Hulkenberg early
▶ Ran extraordinarily lengthy stint hoping for Security Automotive which by no means got here
▶ Suffered from extreme graining which price a number of seconds
▶ Pitted in closing laps for mediums, selecting up thirteenth after crash forward on the end
RB by no means regarded like they have been clear candidates for factors over the Baku weekend, however particularly not in Ricciardo’s case. His Saturday was unremarkable and his Sunday was outlined by extreme tyre graining that appeared to have an effect on him greater than some other driver within the discipline. However rolling the die on a technique that required a Security Automotive that by no means got here, it’s not a shock that he completed barely greater than he began.
Valtteri Bottas – 5/10
Certified: 18th (+1 place forward of group mate, -0.628s)
Grid: sixteenth (+1 place forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: sixteenth (-2 locations behind group mate)
▶ Certified forward of group mate however benefited from slipstream
▶ Suffered heavy tyre put on on mediums, forcing him to pit for hards early
▶ Ran behind the sphere till group mate pitted forward of him
▶ Caught and handed by group mate to fall again to final the place he would end
A reasonably boring weekend for Bottas. He struggled with graining together with his medium tyres within the first stint and ran a protracted, lonely second stint ready for one thing to occur to offer him a chance. It will definitely did when the dramatic crash occurred proper in entrance of him, however by then it was far too late.
Zhou Guanyu – 6/10
Certified: nineteenth (-1 place behind group mate, +0.628s)
Grid: seventeenth (-1 place behind group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (H-M)
Completed: 14th (+2 locations forward of group mate)
▶ Out-qualified by group mate as soon as once more however sacrificed last lap to offer group mate tow
▶ Began from again of the grid after becoming new energy unit
▶ Began on exhausting tyres and prolonged opening stint till lap 35
▲ Rejoined final, then made up seven seconds on group mate to go him
▲ Caught and overtook Ocon in last laps to complete 14th
One among Zhou’s finest weekends for some time, though it’s simple to miss. He performed the group recreation in qualifying after which made good work of his various technique to complete forward of his group mate in a good 14th place in what’s clearly nonetheless the slowest automotive. He could be happy together with his efforts, if not his end result.
Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10
Certified: 14th (-3 locations behind group mate, +0.223s)
Grid: twelfth (-2 locations behind group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: eleventh (-1 place behind group mate)
▼ Outqualified by group mate with slower Q2 time than Q1
▶ Let via by group mate early on earlier than pitting for exhausting tyres
▲ Handed Ricciardo, Gasly and Colapinto to achieve tenth place
▼ Hit the wall with two laps remaining, struggling harm
▼ Misplaced two locations to Bearman and Hamilton after the late crash scene
▶ Completed simply out of the factors behind group mate
▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing beneath VSC after chequered flag
Hulkenberg’s personal group principal described Baku as “one among Nico’s worst tracks”, so being so near factors was not a nasty displaying. Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by his rookie group mate who had by no means raced the automotive earlier than, had an underwhelming qualifying and hit the wall within the closing laps. Regardless of all that, his race tempo appeared fairly robust, so he earns a median grade.
Oliver Bearman – 6/10
Certified: eleventh (+3 locations forward of group mate, -0.223s)
Grid: tenth (+2 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: tenth (+1 place forward of group mate)
▼ Crashed in last apply at flip one
▶ Virtually reached Q3 however admitted a mistake on last push lap
▼ Over-managed his tryes over first stint, requested to let group mate by
▲ Handed Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo and Gasly to take a seat in twelfth earlier than
▶ Unable to go Colapinto earlier than overtaken by Hamilton
▲ Confirmed good situational consciousness to go Hulkenberg legally after crash
▲ Claimed last level in tenth forward of group mate
Bearman’s second cameo look of the season and first outing for his 2025 group might not have been as spectacular as his first, but it surely was nonetheless one he might take loads of positives from. He cheekily pinched the ultimate level from his group mate on the penultimate lap and confirmed sufficient uncooked tempo to have Haas really feel optimistic about his arrival subsequent 12 months. Nevertheless, his apply crash, over-caution in his opening stint and leaving time on the desk in qualifying means he can not rating greater.
Over to you
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