At the Formula 1 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz led Ferrari to a historic 1-2, making them the first team to deny Red Bull and Max Verstappen victory this season.
Verstappen’s early retirement ended both his 43-race winning streak and his run of race victories at the 10th attempt, and the Spaniard went on to lead for most of the race.
He finished ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, who achieved his second podium of the year, while Lando Norris achieved his 14th career podium finish after an outstanding qualifying effort.
The 19 drivers are rated in the F1 driver rankings by Total-Motorsport.com for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix based on their qualifying and race results at Albert Park.
Note that Logan Sargeant was withdrawn from the race prior, so he did not receive a rating.
Max Verstappen is not available for the Australian Grand Prix in 2024.
First-place qualifier – Race: DNF
Verstappen’s hopes of continuing his 43-race winning streak in Melbourne were dashed on Lap 2 when his car caught fire, much like his right rear brake pad. After some problems in FP2, Red Bull’s weekend wasn’t without incident, but Verstappen will find it tough to accept losing a race that he could have won.
Carlos Sainz (10/10)
Qualify: 2nd – Finish: First
After having appendix surgery two weeks prior, he was lying in bed watching Oliver Bearman drive his car in Saudi Arabia. Surprisingly, despite not feeling fully recovered, he managed to get back into the cockpit in Australia. Even though finishing second after accounting for all those factors is amazing, it is truly remarkable to beat Verstappen while staying on course, outpace Leclerc in speed, and win in Australia.
Lando Norris: 8.5 out of 10
Third in qualifying, third in race
When his teammate outwitted him, McLaren had to make the tough decision to tell Piastri to back off. Despite his best attempts, Norris was unable to catch up to Leclerc. Given Ferrari’s evident speed, that’s obviously not the easiest task, but a podium is still a welcome relief even if the hunt for an elusive race win continues.
Ranking: Fourth – Race: Second
After a lackluster qualifying effort, the Monegasque was the biggest winner from Sergio Perez’s grid drop, and he made the most of it. Even though Norris had fresher tires in the end, he managed to hold off the McLarens and look strong on the hard tyre thanks in part to Verstappen’s retirement.
8.5/10 for Oscar Piastri
Race: 4th – Qualifying: 5th
Many Melbourne supporters will argue that Piastri should have been given a podium instead of Norris after being told to move aside, but Piastri demonstrated his maturity by letting Norris pass when he was running faster tires. His ability to work well with others and his impressive speed throughout the weekend further reinforced why he is so well-liked in the paddock.
Perez Sergio 6 out of 10.
Race: 5th – Qualifying: 6th
It’s hard to look at this race as a disappointment for the Mexican. After Verstappen’s retirement, Red Bull would have been desperate for him to score some significant points, and the 34-year-old had a unique chance to get closer to his teammate. Rather, it was sheer speed that separated the Ferraris from the McLarens.
George Russell: 4.5 out of 10
7th place qualifier – Race: DNF
After executing a brilliant move on Perez on the first lap and pursuing Fernando Alonso toward the finish, Russell’s race was going extremely well. However, he lost control of the W15, which didn’t appear to be stable throughout the weekend, and crashed into the barrier, wasting eight crucial points. A terrible conclusion to Mercedes’s weekend.
Tsunoda Yuki 7.5/10
Race: 7th – Qualifying: 8th
Speaking of surpassing your vehicle’s speed, this is a significant accomplishment for Tsunoda. Not only did he look solid behind the wheel this weekend, scoring four points, but there was a noticeable difference between him and Daniel Ricciardo. He will be full of confidence after scoring four points ahead of his home race in Suzuka.
Lance Stroll: 7.5 out of 10
Race: 6th – Qualifying: 9th
The Canadian improved on his qualifying performance and had a reasonably consistent weekend in Australia, much like he did in Bahrain. The only minor annoyance is that Alonso beat him, even though it was mostly due to luck since Hamilton’s retirement created a virtual safety car.
Fernando Alonso score of 7 out of 10
Race: 8th – Qualifying: 10th
Another race where it’s obvious the 42-year-old Spaniard is getting the most out of the Aston Martin is this one. Although he used all of his experience to keep Russell at bay in the final moments before his tragic crash, his car had no chance of stopping Perez’s rocketship. The stewards’ decision to give him a 20-second post-race penalty was puzzling.
Lewis Hamilton: 6.5 out of 10
11th place qualifier – Race: DNF
After installing the soft tire, he followed instructions by overtaking Alonso early on, and he can then thank his team for outpacing Tsunoda in the pits. Though the 39-year-old had no fault of his own in leaving Australia without points, an engine failure ensured it would be another miserable day at work.
Alex Albon 5 out of 10
Race: 11th – Qualifying: 12th
After his crash in FP2, the Thai-British driver will be the first to acknowledge that he was fortunate to be racing at all. Williams ran just one car, giving Albon priority over Logan Sargeant. However, he found it difficult to move up the field and lost two positions on the opening lap, which led to him finishing behind both Haas cars. The gamble was a bust.
5/10 for Valtteri Bottas
13th in qualifying – 14th in race
A lot of attention was paid to Bottas’ arrival in Australia, which, considering how he has embraced his partner’s nation, almost felt like a home race for the Finn. But his anonymous display made it easy at times to forget he was even racing.
Magnus Kevin 7.5 out of 10
Race: 10th – Qualifying: 14th
The Dane secured the team’s first double points finish since Austria 2022, driving a brilliant race and maintaining a clean nose. It was his first point of the season.
Esteban Ocon: 4.0 out of 10
Race: 16th – Qualifying: 15th
It’s evident that Ocon took a step backwards in the Alpine this weekend, as he finished last of the 16 competitors after being passed by Sainz and defeated by his teammate.
Hulkenberg Nico 8 out of 10.
16th in qualifying – 9th in race
Despite Perez’s obvious interference during qualifying, the Haas driver managed to score some crucial points for his team again, proving that he enjoys driving around the Albert Park Circuit.
Gasly Pierre 6 out of 10
Race: 13th – Qualifying: 17th
Gasly deserves credit for literally moving the Enstone team up the running order with an extended run on the medium tyre, which saw him briefly run in the points, considering how bad Alpine has been so far this season.
Daniele Ricciardo 5.5 out of 10
Race: 12th – Qualifying: 18th
Due to track limitations, Ricciardo was unable to score this weekend after his qualifying lap time was removed; however, he still managed to salvage a respectable result with some strong midfield moves. But his problems at the wide receiver position won’t last long, especially if Tsunoda continues to score more points.
Zhou Guanyu is rated 5 out of 10
Race: 15th – Qualifying: 19th
Zhou never appeared to be competitive enough to catch up after Sauber decided to switch his power unit in parc ferme conditions, so the race began from the pitlane.
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