2024 F1 Qatar Grand Prix driver ratings

The Qatar Grand Prix offered up a chaotic and at times controversial final sprint round of the F1 season.

There was plenty to take away and number of talking points that will roll across the border and into the year-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

But who set themselves apart at the Lusail International Circuit and who had a weekend to forget?

Check out the full RacingNews365 driver ratings from the weekend in Lusail below.

The top five

Max Verstappen - 9

What a turnaround from the Dutchman over the course of the weekend, winning in emphatic style. He willed taking the lead at the first corner into happening after his unconventional grid penalty and it seldom looked in doubt from there.

Only at the second restart did he look under threat from Lando Norris behind, and that was in part due to the issues with the safety car lights.

It gets to a point where you start to run out of superlatives to describe Max Verstappen, but performances like these underpin why he won the F1 drivers' championship this season. He does, however, lose a point for his lacklustre sprint where Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas had the edge on him.

Pierre Gasly - 9

This is prime, quintessential Pierre Gasly. We're talking 2020 and 2021-level performances of late from the Frenchman here.

On a weekend where other Alpine talking points will dominate headlines, the 28-year-old made good on the disappointment of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, dragging his team back in front of Haas in the fight for sixth-place in the constructors' championship.

I said in this very column last week that if Team Enstone pull it off it will on Gasly's coattails, and I stand by it wholeheartedly.

Zhou Guanyu - 8.5

The feel-good story of the Qatar Grand Prix was undoubtedly the 24-year-old's plucky and unpredictable charge to eighth place.

The Lusail International Circuit was always going to present Stake's best and likely only chance of the season to score points, but Zhou Guanyu capitalised on that when the - cough, excuse me and my pun - stakes were high. 

The Chinese driver has endured a torrid year and car issues aside, he has not done enough to thrust himself into contention for race seats. However, results like these remind everyone that he does have pace.

Ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things, it is nevertheless only right to hand Zhou his flowers for an exceptional performance.

Kevin Magnussen - 8

On the one hand, Kevin Magnussen only equalled Nico Hulkenberg's output for the weekend, and the German has not made this list. However, on the other, the Danish driver was strong throughout and his team-mate had a calamitous main qualifying and grand prix.

On an evening where Alpine did considerable damage in the hunt for sixth position in the constructors' standings, Magnussen's two points were extremely valuable. He keeps the American team alive heading into Abu Dhabi.

As chaos broke out around him, the king of chaos persevered, kept his nose clean and delivered what had to be done. Can he go one step further at the Yas Marina Circuit in what will likely be his final grand prix?

George Russell - 7.5

Perhaps a controversial inclusion, given his antics over the weekend. This is no comment on that, but his conduct has certainly riled some people up, not to mention Verstappen.

Regardless, the Mercedes driver put together a strong weekend, finding pace in his W15 when none was expected to be found and handily beating Lewis Hamilton in the process.

Penalties aside, two front-row starts is nothing to be scoffed at and he would likely have secured a second podium of the weekend had it not been for misfortune during the grand prix.

The bottom five

Alexander Albon - 4.5

A below average weekend for the 28-year-old, as reflected in his rating. He out-performed Franco Colapinto, yes, but that is the baseline for a driver of Alexander Albon's experience and ability.

The bright spot was sprint qualifying, but it was pretty much all downhill from there. A Q1 knock-out in the main grid-setting session set up a messy grand prix that saw him incur a 10-second time penalty and two points on his FIA super licence. I will concede he was unlucky to get tangled up with Lance Stroll, who easily could have made this list himself.

He was the only driver lapped at the Lusail International Circuit on what was an uncharacteristically underwhelming and under-performed weekend for him.

Sergio Perez - 4

The end is nigh for Sergio Perez and it does not come as even a slight surprise at this point. Another early qualifying elimination and utterly anonymous sprint did the 34-year-old no favours, not to mention the bizarre incident at pit exit when he got mugged by Colapinto.

He was unlucky to retire during the grand prix whilst running in the points, a significantly better showing than he has produced of late, but the delta to Verstappen remains unacceptably large.

You could fill an entire book with statistics to underline how painful Perez's season has been, but even in races he is closer to his team-mate, he is still nowhere near close enough.

Liam Lawson - 4

A bit of a 'meh' weekend for Liam Lawson and not at an ideal time for the New Zealander with a Red Bull seat on the line.

He was a shade off Yuki Tsunoda throughout and his Qatar Grand Prix was punctuated by his clumsy penalty-inducing spin into Valtteri Bottas.

The 22-year-old is still in prime position to replace Perez, if that comes to pass, but he is not home and dry just yet - nor is he close to the finished product, something that was more than evident during the Qatar Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon - 3.5

Last week I said Lando Norris' championship challenge went out not with a bang, but with a whimper, and the same rings true of Esteban Ocon's Alpine tenure.

Two Q1 exits and a thoroughly forgettable final weekend with the French team for the 28-year-old. He has not been at the races for some weekends now and hopefully Haas provides him the change of scenery and the fresh start he so desperately needs.

Talk of unequal machinery does nothing to enamour himself within the F1 paddock, and in particular his next employer, I would imagine. He is undeniably quick, let us hope he re-finds that form next season.

Lewis Hamilton - 3

Utterly bizarre. Well off form and significantly down on Russell all weekend. His apathetic approach to his final days with Mercedes is difficult to watch and disappointing hear.

In one breath, you feel for Hamilton. He has not got to grips with the contemporary ground-effect era of F1, but in another, he does not appear to have the requisite motivation to perform at the level required - both sides were on show at the Lusail International Circuit.

He has been an enigma throughout the year and is another driver who really just needs pastures new now. Mystifying.