The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is commonly one of the vital tough and harmful for drivers to take care of all season lengthy.
The right location, due to this fact, for 2 rookie drivers to make their second grand prix begins of their younger careers.
However whereas the inexperienced drivers within the area made their errors in follow, a few of the sport’s veterans waited till when it mattered most to make some poor judgements.
These are the RaceFans driver scores for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A information to RaceFans’ driver scores system
RaceFans’ driver scores system assesses driver efficiency throughout all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances throughout aggressive periods – qualifying, dash races and grands prix – will carry essentially the most weight to their ranking.
Nevertheless, follow efficiency can have an effect on a driver’s weekend ranking within the occasion of a significant mistake, corresponding to a crash, constant errors all through follow periods or if a driver exhibits a notably spectacular velocity all through all free follow periods relative to their staff mate.
The system makes an attempt to bear in mind 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 could not essentially rating as extremely as a driver who claims a low factors end in a midfield automotive.
Scores additionally try to bear in mind mitigating components exterior of a driver’s management. If a driver is compelled to overlook appreciable monitor time on account 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 every 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 usually common weekend efficiency from a usually common Formulation 1 driver.
Here’s a tough information to every doable rating:
N/A – Not relevant – No ranking is given as the driving force didn’t sufficiently take part within the aggressive periods
0 – Disqualified – Solely in essentially 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 virtually no redeeming qualities
3 – Very unhealthy – Way more negatives than positives throughout the weekend which a driver needs to be very disenchanted with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to attain the bottom stage anticipated for a Formulation 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 the most effective
7 – Superb – A powerful efficiency throughout the weekend that any driver needs to be very happy with
8 – Good – A really nice weekend the place the driving force stood out as one of many absolute best of the sphere
9 – Distinctive – An excellent efficiency that ranks as the most effective, if not the perfect, of the complete season
10 – Legendary – One of many few all-time biggest performances by a driver within the historical past of Formulation 1
Max Verstappen – 5/10
Certified: sixth (-2 locations behind staff mate, +0.21s)Begin: +1 placeStrategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)Completed: fifth (+12 locations forward of staff mate)
▶ Outqualified by staff mate for first time in 33 rounds to begin sixth▲ Gained one place over Russell initially to sit down fifth▶ First of the leaders to pit for laborious tyres▼ Misplaced sixth when overtaken by Russell, then caught and handed by Norris▶ Pitted late for quickest lap try on softs however misplaced likelihood 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 vehicles for the weekend. It’s not uncommon for Verstappen to wrestle along with his automotive’s dealing with, however it’s uncommon for him to wrestle as a lot as he did all through the Baku weekend. The slower of the 2 Purple Bull drivers on Saturday and Sunday, Verstappen regarded unusually extraordinary in Azerbaijan.
Sergio Perez – 6/10
Certified: 4th (+2 locations forward of staff mate, -0.21s)Begin: +1 placeStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Categorized: seventeenth (-12 locations behind staff mate)
▼ Obtained a warning for impeding in third follow▲ Beat staff mate in qualifying to line up fourth however disenchanted to not be increased▲ Handed Sainz initially to sit down 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 effectively 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 superb 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 just a little 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 staff mate, +0.415s)Grid: nineteenth (-14 locations behind staff mate)Begin: +2 placesStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: ninth (-6 locations behind staff mate)
▶ Certified seventh after scuffling with tyre temps all through the session▶ Compelled to begin from pit lane with an influence unit change▶ Handed two vehicles in two laps on mediums earlier than pitting for laborious tyres▲ Overtook Stroll, Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo, Gasly and Bottas to sit down twelfth▲ Handed Hulkenberg legally after yellow flag zone on penultimate lap to achieve ninth
Yet one more weekend the place Hamilton appeared uncomfortable over the weekend – far much less blissful than his staff mate – and by no means appeared to seek 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 staff mate Russell forward within the race, it’s laborious to not really feel barely underwhelmed by ninth.
George Russell – 7/10
Certified: fifth (+2 locations forward of staff mate, -0.415s)Grid: fifth (+14 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: -1 placeStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: third (+6 locations forward of staff mate)
▶ Misplaced operating in second follow after a PU change▼ Obtained a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in qualifying▼ Dropped behind Verstappen initially▲ Pitted early for laborious tyres, then caught and overtook Verstappen▶ Confirmed sturdy tempo by second half of stint to step by step shut on leaders▶ Picked up closing podium place in third after late crash
Not for the primary time in 2024, Russell was the most important beneficiary from a dramatic late-race crash involving two vehicles forward of him. This time he solely gained a podium out of it somewhat than a win, nevertheless it 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 staff mate, -0.44s)Grid: Pole (+2 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: 2nd (+16 locations forward of staff mate)
▼ Crashed out of the primary follow session at flip 15▼ Obtained a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement in third follow▲ Comfortably took pole place by three tenths▲ Held onto the lead initially till pitting on lap 16▼ Misplaced the lead of the race to Piastri at flip one▶ Unable to move 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 sturdy opening stint however misplaced just a little an excessive amount of time within the pit cycle, which allowed Piastri to make the move that Leclerc was very accommodating of. He tried all the pieces to chase down Piastri however couldn’t, however second was nonetheless a powerful end result. After his Friday crash, reprimand and the fashion through 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 staff mate, +0.44s)Begin: -1 placeStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Categorized: 18th (-16 locations behind staff mate)
▶ Warned for impeding Perez in second follow▶ Certified third however half a second slower than staff mate▼ Misplaced a spot to Perez initially 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 follow▼ Obtained a warning for a purple flag infringement within the grand prix
At a circuit he freely admits shouldn’t be his strongest venue, Sainz was pretty stable in Baku exterior of shedding out to Perez initially within the cramped rush to show two. He managed his tyres very effectively to catch the leaders and put himself right into a podium place. The stewards agreed he was as a lot accountable 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 staff mate, +0.576s)Grid: fifteenth (-13 locations behind staff mate)Begin: +3 placesStrategy: One-stop (H-M)Completed: 4th (-3 locations behind staff mate)
▶ Eradicated from Q1 after abandoning his closing 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 staff mate▲ Rejoined seventh, then caught and handed Verstappen for sixth▶ Gained fourth after late crash to complete 11 locations increased than he began
Though many mocked McLaren’s introduced “bias” to Norris when he was eradicated from Q1, you may make an argument that Norris’ weekend was virtually nearly as good as his staff mate’s. His solely actual ‘mistake’ was to desert his closing push lap in qualifying after seeing a yellow flag warning on his sprint – hardly an egregious error. Within the race, he did an amazing job to work his manner up the order with none Security Automobiles to assist him and end forward of rival Verstappen. Allow them to chortle – Norris has little to be embarrassed about.
Oscar Piastri – 8/10
Certified: 2nd (+15 locations forward of staff mate, -0.576s)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: Winner (+3 locations forward of staff 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 stress from Leclerc for over 20 laps earlier than breaking clear▲ Secured second profession victory beneath Digital Security Automobile
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 move him after switching to laborious tyres, then by no means regarded possible to surrender the lead as soon as forward. He did profit from his staff mate’s assist and didn’t move Leclerc initially, however does his move 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 staff mate, -0.978s)Grid: seventh (+6 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: sixth (+13 locations forward of staff 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 had 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 somewhat lonely race, however he’s beginning to separate himself from his staff mate once more.
Lance Stroll – 4/10
Certified: fifteenth (-7 locations behind staff mate, +0.978s)Grid: thirteenth (6 locations behind staff mate)Begin: -7 placesStrategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)Categorized: nineteenth (-13 locations behind staff mate)
▼ Did not observe staff 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 laborious tyres earlier than becoming second set▶ Handed Bottas however retired late after drawback with brakes
Listening to Stroll’s staff 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 staff mate Alonso, however his automotive’s steadiness had nothing to do with him making a badly-judged transfer on Tsunoda initially, which broken his automotive and successfully ended his race. Not a great weekend.
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Pierre Gasly – 7/10
Certified: thirteenth (+7 locations forward of staff mate, -1.416s)Grid: 18th (+2 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: +3 placesStrategy: One-stop (H-S)Completed: twelfth (+3 locations forward of staff mate)
▶ Knocked out of Q2 in thirteenth however disqualified for gas movement infringement▲ Began 18th on laborious tyres, gaining three locations on lap one▲ Confirmed superior tempo to his staff mate on similar technique behind▶ Sat 14th earlier than pitting on closing 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 along with his staff’s technique than his staff 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 staff mate, +1.416s)Begin: +1 placeStrategy: One-stop (H-S)Completed: fifteenth (-3 locations behind staff mate)
▶ Suffered technical issues in first and third follow▼ Eradicated slowest in Q1 after hitting wall on closing lap▶ Compelled to begin from pit lane altering elements beneath parc ferme▶ Began on laborious tyres and ran extraordinarily lengthy first stint▶ Couldn’t match staff 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 overlook for Ocon however it will be harsh to be too crucial of him. Certainly, his solely actual unfavourable was to puncture his wheel hitting the wall in Q1 – an error however by no means as unhealthy as these made by others. He lacked the tempo of his staff mate within the race, however how a lot of that was right down to his restricted runs in follow is an effective query.
Alexander Albon – 8/10
Certified: tenth (-1 place behind staff mate, +0.329s)Grid: ninth (-1 place behind staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (H-M)Completed: seventh (+1 place forward of staff mate)
▶ Reached Q3 however denied lap on new tyres as staff left cooler in air field▲ Began on laborious tyres and confirmed sturdy early tempo▶ Pitted for mediums from fifth and rejoined eleventh▲ Let by by staff 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 realizing this is able to be an amazing alternative to attain factors and he delivered. He simply reached Q3 however by no means acquired the possibility to set a lap on new tyres after his staff’s near-calamitous error, however within the race he delivered the precise form of efficiency Williams have gotten used to from him. Possibly the very best weekend within the area.
Franco Colapinto – 7/10
Certified: ninth (+1 place forward of staff mate, -0.329s)Grid: eighth (+1 place forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: eighth (-1 place behind staff mate)
▼ Crashed in follow at flip 4▲ Reached Q3 for first time to line up ninth on grid▶ Held place initially till changing into first to pit for laborious tyres▶ Caught and overtaken by Hulkenberg, then let staff mate by▲ Held off Bearman, then Hamilton earlier than overtaking Hulkenberg late▲ Was tenth and 10s behind staff 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 staff principal James Vowles for his work. He deserved it too, preserving his focus after his first follow shunt and by no means making one other mistake over the remainder of the weekend to say 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 staff mate, -0.21s)Grid: eleventh (+3 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: Retired (Harm – L14)
▲ Out-qualified staff mate however annoyed to overlook out on Q3▶ Suffered extreme harm hit by Stroll initially▶ Slid down the sphere till being known 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 move on him. However whereas he was understandably annoyed, he had been the faster RB driver for a lot of the weekend and regarded pretty snug.
Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10
Certified: sixteenth (-4 locations behind staff mate, +0.21s)Grid: 14th (-3 locations behind staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (H-S)Completed: thirteenth
▼ Knocked out of Q1 having “left time on the desk”▶ Began on laborious tyres, operating behind Hulkenberg early▶ Ran extraordinarily lengthy stint hoping for Security Automobile which by no means got here▶ Suffered from extreme graining which price a number of seconds▶ Pitted in closing laps for mediums, choosing up thirteenth after crash forward on the end
RB by no means regarded like they had 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 every other driver within the area. However rolling the die on a method that required a Security Automobile that by no means got here, it’s not a shock that he completed barely increased than he began.
Valtteri Bottas – 5/10
Certified: 18th (+1 place forward of staff mate, -0.628s)Grid: sixteenth (+1 place forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: sixteenth (-2 locations behind staff mate)
▶ Certified forward of staff mate however benefited from slipstream▶ Suffered heavy tyre put on on mediums, forcing him to pit for hards early▶ Ran behind the sphere till staff mate pitted forward of him▶ Caught and handed by staff mate to fall again to final the place he would end
A reasonably boring weekend for Bottas. He struggled with graining along 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 possibility. 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 staff mate, +0.628s)Grid: seventeenth (-1 place behind staff mate)Begin: -1 placeStrategy: One-stop (H-M)Completed: 14th (+2 locations forward of staff mate)
▶ Out-qualified by staff mate as soon as once more however sacrificed closing lap to offer staff mate tow▶ Began from again of the grid after becoming new energy unit▶ Began on laborious tyres and prolonged opening stint till lap 35▲ Rejoined final, then made up seven seconds on staff mate to move him▲ Caught and overtook Ocon in closing laps to complete 14th
Considered one of Zhou’s finest weekends for some time, though it’s simple to miss. He performed the staff recreation in qualifying after which made good work of his various technique to complete forward of his staff mate in a good 14th place in what’s clearly nonetheless the slowest automotive. He might be happy along with his efforts, if not his end result.
Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10
Certified: 14th (-3 locations behind staff mate, +0.223s)Grid: twelfth (-2 locations behind staff mate)Begin: -1 placeStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: eleventh (-1 place behind staff mate)
▼ Outqualified by staff mate with slower Q2 time than Q1▶ Let by by staff mate early on earlier than pitting for laborious 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 staff mate▼ Handed formal warning after race for passing beneath VSC after chequered flag
Hulkenberg’s personal staff principal described Baku as “considered one of Nico’s worst tracks”, so being so near factors was not a foul displaying. Nevertheless, he was crushed by his rookie staff 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 sturdy, so he earns a mean grade.
Oliver Bearman – 6/10
Certified: eleventh (+3 locations forward of staff mate, -0.223s)Grid: tenth (+2 locations forward of staff mate)Begin: Held positionStrategy: One-stop (M-H)Completed: tenth (+1 place forward of staff mate)
▼ Crashed in closing follow at flip one▶ Nearly reached Q3 however admitted a mistake on closing push lap▼ Over-managed his tryes over first stint, requested to let staff mate by▲ Handed Ocon, Zhou, Ricciardo and Gasly to sit down in twelfth earlier than▶ Unable to move Colapinto earlier than overtaken by Hamilton▲ Confirmed good situational consciousness to move Hulkenberg legally after crash▲ Claimed closing level in tenth forward of staff mate
Bearman’s second cameo look of the season and first outing for his 2025 staff could not have been as spectacular as his first, nevertheless it was nonetheless one he might take loads of positives from. He cheekily pinched the ultimate level from his staff mate on the penultimate lap and confirmed sufficient uncooked tempo to have Haas really feel optimistic about his arrival subsequent 12 months. Nevertheless, his follow crash, over-caution in his opening stint and leaving time on the desk in qualifying means he can not rating increased.
Over to you
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