In the recent Chinese Grand Prix, Formula 1 witnessed a variety of performances from the drivers. Edd Straw evaluated their performances and ranked them accordingly. The rankings are based on various criteria such as speed, racing ability, consistency, and avoiding crucial errors. It is important to note that these rankings reflect the drivers’ performance throughout the weekend and do not necessarily reflect their overall abilities. Furthermore, the rankings will vary from weekend to weekend due to the different performance potential of each car and external factors that may affect the race results.
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 had a strong performance, securing pole position in the sprint qualifying and finishing second in the race. Carlos Sainz had a performance similar to Leclerc, with little difference between the two Ferrari drivers. Nico Hulkenberg faced some setbacks in the sprint qualifying, but made an exceptional recovery in the main race. George Russell had a solid weekend, finishing in sixth place after a strong performance in qualifying. Pierre Gasly had the best weekend of the season, despite facing some issues during the race. Esteban Ocon benefited from improvements to his car and delivered a strong performance. Lewis Hamilton had a mixed weekend, with a strong sprint qualifying but a challenging race. 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 for Verstappen, but missed out on a second place for Red Bull. Valtteri Bottas had a disappointing weekend, with damage to the front wing and retirement from the race. Daniel Ricciardo showed improvement throughout the weekend, although he faced some setbacks in the race. Callum Ilott was not far behind Albon in terms of speed, but struggled with a disconnected car. Yuki Tsunoda had a challenging weekend, with setup issues and a collision with Kevin Magnussen. Lance Stroll had a solid pace, but made a significant mistake by colliding with Ricciardo.