2024 F1 midseason driver rankings: Lewis Hamilton’s mixed bag, Oscar Piastri ascends

It hasn’t fairly been the dominant Max Verstappen of 2022 or 2023 when F1 Sundays turned routine: lights out, wait 90 minutes, and listen to the Dutch nationwide anthem. But he has remained on the very prime of his sport, making up for Crimson Bull’s slip in efficiency in comparison with its rivals.

The early part of the season adopted the well-worn script, as Verstappen gained at a canter at Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China. However because the begin of F1’s European season, he’s been pressured to dig deep and produce some terrific shows to maintain successful. Profitable at Imola and Barcelona regardless of the specter of Lando Norris within the McLaren required Verstappen to be at his absolute best; he didn’t miss a beat. Even a race like Spa, the place he may solely end fourth, took a mighty effort from eleventh on the grid.

It hasn’t been a spotless season up to now by any means. Verstappen’s conflict with Norris in Austria and his transfer on Lewis Hamilton in Hungary confirmed that his aggressive edge, not required prior to now two years, continues to be there—not all the time to his profit.

Regardless of Crimson Bull’s current efficiency dip and McLaren’s emergence, Verstappen has prolonged his factors lead in 5 of the final six races. He could not have the outright quickest automobile, however Verstappen stays remarkably arduous to beat.

5 seasons, greater than 100 grands prix, practically 1,900 days. Lando Norris waited a very long time for his first F1 win since becoming a member of the grid in 2019, lastly coming on the Miami GP this yr.

Since that second, the McLaren driver has taken the battle to Verstappen. The expertise is clear, and the automobile is robust. He ought to have a couple of win to his identify this yr. There’s been just a few shut calls, like on the Spanish GP when he felt “I ought to have gained. I f—d the beginning.” Extra just lately, he additionally dropped firstly of the Belgian GP after beginning fourth, dropping a number of spots after misjudging the exit of Flip 1.

“I’ve given away numerous factors during the last three or 4 races simply due to silly stuff—errors and unhealthy begins,” he mentioned after the race. “I do not know why. It is simply foolish issues, it is not even troublesome stuff. It is simply Flip 1, making an attempt to remain out of hassle, making an attempt to verify there is a hole and never get hit.”

Norris can battle for wins, however small errors and iffy begins have proved pricey, points-wise. Solely 78 factors separate the McLaren driver and Verstappen. As a result of the Dutchman operates at a excessive stage, these little particulars matter.

Watching Piastri this yr, you’d be astonished to be taught that is solely his second season on the F1 grid. The Australian takes every part thrown at him gracefully and calmly, whilst McLaren’s surge places him amid a constructors’ title battle going into the rest of the season.

Piastri hasn’t fairly been on Norris’s stage this season, trailing 11-3 of their qualifying head-to-head, however the hole is usually marginal. He was the one driver able to difficult Charles Leclerc via the Monaco weekend, ending up P2, and eventually bought the victory he deserved in Hungary regardless of McLaren’s greatest efforts to make a large number of the scenario.

McLaren’s perception that it has the most effective driver lineup in F1 has been justified up to now this yr. We all the time knew how good Norris was, however Piastri’s means to duke it out on the entrance was one thing we had but to see in F1. Now, it’s abundantly clear simply how good he’s. Piastri’s errors are uncommon, and if he can discover that additional tenth, then it could be a extra even break up between him and Norris via the closing 10 races.

In true Charles Leclerc vogue, the Monegasque’s season has been one in all dizzying highs and gutting lows, hardly ever leveling out into any sustained, constant kind. Not that it is fully his fault.

The emotional residence victory in Monaco, delivered via the tears in his eyes within the closing laps as he achieved the childhood dream he shared together with his father, appears to be like set to kickstart Leclerc’s season. Ferrari gave the impression to be again in competition on the entrance, constructing on a gentle begin to the yr.

Nevertheless, the upgrades on the SF-24 automobile have but to work as anticipated. Even when the group can see extra efficiency within the automobile, it’s a) not sufficient relative to Mercedes, McLaren or Crimson Bull and b) arduous to harness, significantly with a return to the bouncing for the primary time in years.

Leclerc admitted after Silverstone that the current races had been “worse than a nightmare,” however he has continued to carry out. His lap at Spa was a big achievement. He took pole after Verstappen’s penalty earlier than ending third in what’s at the moment the fourth-fastest automobile. Leclerc stays Ferrari’s greatest asset, even when luck has not been with him just lately.

That is George Russell’s strongest season, with fewer errors than in 2023.

As soon as once more, the yr didn’t begin easily for Mercedes, which appeared to nonetheless battle with its automobile idea. Nevertheless, it introduced an improve to Monaco that got here alive on the following race in Canada, the place George Russell put the W15 on pole place.

However after main for 20 laps and holding a bonus, the Briton misplaced it on the straight when Norris breezed previous and to Verstappen moments later when Russell misjudged the ultimate chicane. Later within the race, because the observe was drying following some rain, Russell was searching down the lead once more. Nonetheless, he went huge at Flip 8, permitting Norris to slide previous him once more for second.

“For me, it was only one too many errors at key moments that price us a shot of preventing with these two in direction of the tip of the race,” Russell mentioned after securing his first 2024 podium end. Errors do occur, however drivers want to have the ability to seize a second when the chance presents itself. Russell had the prospect to take action two races later at Austria. When Verstappen and Norris tangled, the Mercedes driver zipped previous into the lead and held off Piastri, giving Mercedes its first win because the 2022 season.

Even with just a few errors this season, Russell has stayed forward of his teammate, outqualifying and ending forward of Lewis Hamilton in most races. However he has endured heartbreaking moments, like a DNF at Silverstone because of a suspected water system challenge and disqualification after successful the Belgian GP because of an underweight automobile.

Carlos Sainz’s season has been an absolute curler coaster.

It began earlier than Bahrain when information broke that Hamilton would be a part of the Prancing Horse in 2025, throwing Sainz’s F1 future into query. This query adopted him all through the primary half of the season, and the hypothesis ran rampant. It wasn’t till after Spa that he introduced he’d be a part of Williams subsequent season. However on prime of the rumor mill, the Spaniard missed a race after being sidelined with appendicitis in Saudi Arabia, with Ollie Bearman competing in his place.

In Spa, Sainz admitted that “it hasn’t been straightforward having to take care of, to start with, having to overlook a race, however primarily with all of the discussions about my future happening within the background.” However he nonetheless has proven up and carried out decently properly, contemplating the circumstances. Sixteen days after surgical procedure, Sainz gained the Australian GP, capitalizing on the second after Verstappen retired early.

Ferrari had a aggressive automobile early within the season, however Sainz’s outcomes started falling away as others progressed greater than the Italian crew. However within the teammate battle, Leclerc outqualified Sainz, 8-5, and completed forward of the Spaniard, 7-5, in races they’ve been categorized.

Seventh could seem harsh. In any case, Hamilton has gained two of the final three races and ended a two-and-a-half-year-old win drought. However this hasn’t been his best season.

Russell has remained the faster of the 2 Mercedes drivers, main their qualifying head-to-head 10-4. He’s additionally 7-4 up on Hamilton in races, and each have been categorized.

Hamilton has been open about his struggles, even because the Mercedes automobile has improved, admitting that it looks like it’s on extra of a knife-edge in comparison with what Russell has reported. That is partly as a result of Hamilton’s driving fashion hasn’t fairly gelled with this era of automobiles, resulting in extra time to regulate and adapt. As Hamilton put it at Spa, “I simply preserve making an attempt to drive the way in which I wish to drive, however then I understand it doesn’t all the time work.”

However Silverstone was an emphatic reminder of Hamilton’s enduring high quality and sophistication. He made the a lot of the tough situations to win on benefit, capitalizing on Crimson Bull’s struggles and McLaren’s technique miscue. He’ll wish to harness extra of these shows via the second half to log off from his time at Mercedes on a excessive.

Nico Hülkenberg made essentially the most of his full-time return in 2023 to indicate he’d misplaced none of his edge in his years away from F1. However this season has made it unthinkable that he was ever with out a seat.

Haas by no means anticipated to be an everyday points-scorer this yr, owing to the late improvement of its automobile and the low season modifications. However with a automobile that’s really raceable, not chewing via its tires, Hülkenberg has flourished, going underneath the radar as one in all this yr’s most spectacular performers.

Hülkenberg has scored 22 of Haas’s 27 factors, together with two sixth-place finishes. He’s additionally completed eleventh on 5 events and, remarkably, reached Q3 extra occasions than he’s gone out in both Q2 or Q1, preventing greater up the grid than he or Haas ought to be. See Hülkenberg’s last-lap move on Sergio Pérez (who did have harm) in Austria to seize P6.

Sauber and Audi could have missed out on Carlos Sainz, their prime goal for subsequent yr, however the first half of this season exhibits that by already signing Hülkenberg, they’ll have a high quality driver prepared for the beginning of the manufacturing facility program in 2026.

Yuki Tsunoda enters the summer time break with a contract for subsequent yr (introduced in June) and outperforming his RB teammate, veteran Daniel Ricciardo.

He began the season sturdy, securing the group’s first factors in Australia with an eighth-place end, which was later upgraded to seventh after Fernando Alonso’s penalty. These six factors pushed RB forward of Haas for sixth within the constructor standings. RB stays forward of Haas throughout the summer time break, partly due to Tsunoda scoring 22 out of the group’s 34 factors.

Tsunoda has superior to Q3 eight occasions this season and secured seven-point finishes, the best being P7 at Melbourne and Miami. Between the Australian GP and Monaco on the finish of Could, Tsunoda completed within the prime 10 in 5 of these six races. He is likely one of the stronger drivers out of the midfield this yr however has made errors. Take the Canadian GP, for instance. He was in factors competition earlier than he locked up and spun, ultimately ending the race P14.

Williams’ 2024 may be very totally different from final season, and but Alex Albon nonetheless has managed to squeeze 4 Q3 appearances and two prime 10 finishes, amounting to 4 factors, out of the FW45. This pattern continues from 2023, when Albon continued to place collectively high-level performances and extract the utmost out of the automobile. He’s out-qualified teammate Logan Sargeant, 14-0.

A few of his races have been affected by no fault of his personal, just like the wheel nut challenge and penalty at Imola and Carlos Sainz spinning in Canada. Throughout that latter race, Albon pulled off a powerful double overtake on Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, and he was within the battle for factors earlier than the Ferrari driver spun and made contact with Albon.

One large second, although, that’ll stand out from the primary half of the yr is what occurred in Australia. The heavy crash in follow resulted in important harm. As a result of Williams didn’t have a spare chassis at that race, it needed to withdraw the automobile. And the group opted to provide the remaining automobile to Albon, leaving Logan Sargeant on the sidelines.

Albon can extract the utmost from the automobile, even underneath stress from higher-performing opponents. However what he must be a constant top-10 contender and compete alongside the highest groups is simply that—that sort of automobile.