The final round of F1’s longest ever season, it was hard not to feel as if some drivers were feeling the effects of accumulated fatigue in Abu Dhabi.
A weekend where many chapters came to an end, some produced performances to be proud of, while others appeared to let themselves down.
But while there was plenty of action and intrigue throughout the field in Yas Marina, the event was under the complete control of one driver across the three days.
Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A guide to RaceFans’ driver ratings system
RaceFans’ driver ratings system assesses driver performance across all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances during competitive sessions – qualifying, sprint races and grands prix – will carry the most weight to their rating.
However, practice performance can affect a driver’s weekend rating in the event of a major mistake, such as a crash, consistent errors throughout practice sessions or if a driver shows a notably impressive speed throughout all free practice sessions relative to their team mate.
The system attempts to take into account the relative performance of each driver’s car and the expected results from that, meaning that a driver who wins a race in a car clearly superior to the rest of the field may not necessarily score as highly as a driver who claims a low points finish in a midfield car.
Ratings also attempt to take into account mitigating factors outside of a driver’s control. If a driver is forced to miss considerable track time due to car problems, is the victim of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far lower than expected because of a heavily botched pit stop or suffers any other misfortune they cannot be reasonably expected to control, their rating should not be penalised.
RaceFans rates each driver’s weekend performance on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘5’ is considered to be a typically average weekend performance from a typically average Formula 1 driver.
Here is a rough guide to each possible score:
N/A – Not applicable – No rating is given as the driver did not sufficiently participate in the competitive sessions
0 – Disqualified – Only in the most extreme instance where a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation
1 – Appalling – An appalling display that brings a driver’s competency under immediate question
2 – Awful – A very, very poor performance of repeated errors with almost no redeeming qualities
3 – Very bad – Far more negatives than positives across the weekend which a driver should be very disappointed with
4 – Underperformance – Driver failed to achieve the base level expected for a Formula 1 driver
5 – Acceptable – The standard level of performance that should be expected from an F1 driver
6 – Good – A decent overall performance across the weekend, but not one of the best
7 – Very good – A strong performance across the weekend that any driver should be very pleased with
8 – Brilliant – A truly great weekend where the driver stood out as one of the very best of the field
9 – Exceptional – An outstanding performance that ranks as one of the best, if not the very best, of the entire season
10 – Legendary – One of the few all-time greatest performances by a driver in the history of Formula 1
Max Verstappen – 5/10
Qualified: 5th (+5 places ahead of team mate, -0.319s)
Grid: 4th (6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -7 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (+14 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Sat out first practice with Hadjar taking over his car
▶ Qualified fifth on the grid after losing two tenths with mistake on fastest lap
▶ Promoted to fourth after Hulkenberg’s penalty
▼ Clipped Piastri at first corner, sending both spinning down order
▼ Handed ten second penalty for causing collision
▶ Sat 11th after opening lap, then passed Stroll and Magnussen
▶ Pitted late for hard tyres, serving penalty, rejoining in 11th
▲ Overtook Hulkenberg and Gasly to gain sixth where he would finish
The final weekend of another remarkable, championship-winning season was among Verstappen’s worst of the season – although that says so much about the calibre of driver he has been in 2024. He should have qualified higher than he did but a mistake cost him, then he chose to make a risky move into turn one that could have worked out well but didn’t. Verstappen accepted the responsibility and the consequences and still managed to finish in sixth, but even if Red Bull were not in contention for victory in Abu Dhabi, he would have finished higher had he not cost himself on Saturday and Sunday.
Sergio Perez – 5/10
Qualified: 10th (-5 places behind team mate, +0.319s)
Grid: 10th (6 places behind team mate)
Finished: 20th (-14 places behind team mate)
▶ Qualified tenth after losing set of soft tyres with Q1 lap deletion confusion
▶ Suffered potential gearbox problems on opening lap, then hit by Bottas
▶ Told to pull off into retirement half way around opening lap
Among a season defined by underachievement, it would be unfair to be especially harsh on Perez for what should be his final drive in a Red Bull and possibly final race as a grand prix driver. His qualifying position was compromised by the confusion over temporarily-deleted first push lap, leaving him with only one set of fresh softs for Q3 rather than two for his team mate. There was not much he could be blamed for either in the race, with an apparent gearbox problem manifesting before being hit from behind and his almost immediate retirement after. A shame that it had to end this way.
Lewis Hamilton – 8/10
Qualified: 18th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.209s)
Grid: 16th (10 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ In top five for all three practice sessions
▶ Knocked out of Q1 after compromised out lap and running over loose bollard
▲ Only starter on hard tyres, moving up to 12th on opening lap
▶ Ran behind Verstappen until he pitted, then switched to mediums
▲ Overtook Hulkenberg and Gasly to gain fifth place
▶ Gained 14s on team mate over final 16 laps
▲ Pulled off excellent pass at turn nine on final lap to take fourth
After three frustrating seasons where Hamilton has, at times, looked as ineffective as he has ever been in a Formula 1 car, even his greatest detractors would have probably enjoyed watching Hamilton bow out of Mercedes on a high. His qualifying position was poor, but his team’s tactics and a wayward bollard were to blame. The only driver to attempt the alternative strategy of starting on hards, Hamilton coupled a strong opening stint with an excellent second, chasing down Russell before pulling off one of his best passes of the last three seasons to take fourth on the final lap. If his Q1 elimination was truly not his fault, then his race performance earns him a fittingly exceptional score.
George Russell – 6/10
Qualified: 7th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.209s)
Grid: 6th (10 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Secured seventh on the grid, “the best we could have hoped for”
▶ Moved up one spot to sixth after Hulkenberg’s penalty
▶ Picked up two places at start with spins ahead to run fourth
▶ Ran behind Gasly before he pitted, then made late stop for hard tyres
▶ Undercut by Leclerc but unable to close on him
▶ Caught by team mate over final stint, then overtaken on the final lap
Russell ended his season with a decent result, but nothing spectacular. He gained positions from Verstappen spinning himself and Piastri at the start rather than making any passes to make that happen and he ultimately finished behind a driver who started 19th and his team mate, who started 16th. But despite that, Russell certainly did not do anything wrong over the weekend and made no obvious errors. He just simply wasn’t among the fastest in the field.
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Charles Leclerc – 7/10
Qualified: 14th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.848s)
Grid: 19th (16 places behind team mate)
Start: +11 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate)
▶ Suffered bout of food poisoning on Thursday night
▼ Knocked out of Q2 after best time deleted for track limits
▶ Dropped to 19th on grid after penalty for third energy store
▲ Leapt from 19th to eighth in incredible opening lap
▲ Passed Magnussen, Alonso and Hulkenberg before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Undercut Russell, passed Gasly, then gained third when Hamilton pitted
▶ Largely matched team mate’s pace ahead despite much older tyres
▲ Never let Russell behind get close to take final podium place in third
Clearly the most outstanding drive of Sunday, Leclerc certainly looked like a driver who was fighting with everything he had for his team. His opening lap, passing cars and navigating through the chaos ahead, was among the very best of the season and from that point on he refused to let anyone stand in his way. Recovering to the podium from 19th was an excellent performance, but ultimately he can only blame himself for being so far down to begin with. And unlike Hamilton, Leclerc was not close to catching his team mate by the end of the race.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 7/10
Qualified: 3rd (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.848s)
Grid: 3rd (16 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
▶ Replaced by Arthur Leclerc for first practice
▲ Secured top three start behind McLarens
▶ Lost position to Verstappen off the line but gained second with clash ahead
▲ Only driver to maintain pace with Norris ahead before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Closed within two seconds of Norris after pitting but could not reach DRS range
▶ Faded slightly from Norris over second stint
▲ Finished deserving second place, 5.8s behind winner
Sainz’s tenure at Ferrari ended not with the result he would have wanted, but with a performance he could be proud of. Whether or not he truly had more pace than his team mate, Sainz avoided the error of his team mate and spearheaded Ferrari’s challenge against McLaren. Although he could not get close enough to battle Norris for the lead, he certainly pushed as hard as he could and there is no shame in losing to the faster team on the day. His move to Williams will be fascinating to see.
Lando Norris – 8/10
Qualified: 1st (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.209s)
Grid: 1st (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 1st (+9 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Inside top two in all three practice sessions
▲ Beat team mate to secure pole position
▲ Held lead at the start, maintaining small advantage over Sainz
▶ Pitted for hard tyres, rejoining still in lead
▲ Gradually grew lead over Sainz behind over second stint
▲ Took fourth win of the season after leading every lap
Norris produced a performance worthy of sealing the constructors’ championship for his team by dominating the weekend. He beat his team mate to pole, successfully kept the lead on lap one and then managed his advantage over Sainz throughout the entire race, even pulling away from his rival in the later laps. Reminiscent of Verstappen’s Abu Dhabi victory in 2020, before he began a challenge for the title the following season…
Oscar Piastri – 6/10
Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.209s)
Grid: 2nd (1 place behind team mate)
Start: -17 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 10th (-9 places behind team mate)
▶ Sat out first practice for Hirakawa to drive in his car
▶ Could not match team mate in qualifying but lined up on front row behind him
▶ Dropped to last after being hit into spin by Verstappen at turn one
▼ Earned 10s penalty for hitting Colapinto at restart, then pitted for hards
▶ Ran behind Alonso before making second stop for hard tyres
▶ Rejoined 15th, then passed Stroll and Tsunoda
▶ Could not catch Alonso before finish, taking final point in tenth
Piastri was in the process of delivering exactly what his team wanted from him for their most important race weekend in recent history until he was hit by Verstappen at the first corner, sending him to the back of the grid. From there, he managed to recover to tenth place despite no Safety Cars to bunch the field up, maintaining similar pace to his race leading team mate over the final stint. However, his penalty for hitting Colapinto was fully deserved.
Fernando Alonso – 7/10
Qualified: 8th (+5 places ahead of team mate, -0.516s)
Grid: 8th (5 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 9th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q3 to secure eighth on the grid
▶ Moved up to sixth at start after spins ahead, then overtaken by Leclerc
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and rejoined 12th, running behind Hulkenberg
▶ Made second stop for hard tyres to rejoin in 12th once again
▲ Overtook Tsunoda and Albon to claim two points in ninth
A solid end to his championship as Alonso enjoyed a strong triple header with an average finish of ninth across all three rounds. He took advantage of Hamilton and Leclerc failing to reach Q3 to qualify in eighth, then kept out of trouble at the start to give himself the best chance of a good result in the race. Finishing behind an Alpine and Haas was probably a fair reflection of Aston Martin’s performance at the weekend, suggesting he got the best he could out of the car.
Lance Stroll – 5/10
Qualified: 13th (-5 places behind team mate, +0.516s)
Grid: 13th (5 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 14th (-5 places behind team mate)
▶ Missed first practice to let Drugovich drive
▶ Could not follow team mate into Q3, eliminated 13th
▲ Jumped from 13th to ninth on opening lap
▶ Passed by Verstappen before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Ran between Piastri and Magnussen before making second stop for hard tyres
▶ Rejoined 14th, overtaken by Piastri but then passed Doohan
▲ Overtook Tsunoda to gain 12th late
▼ Finished 12th but dropped to 14th after track limits penalty
An unremarkable end to an unremarkable season. Stroll certainly had worse performances in 2024 than he did in Abu Dhabi, but he struggled to make any kind of impact on the weekend either, once again never looking on the same level as his team mate. He did not enjoy the same clean air as Alonso had, which explains the 20 seconds between them at the chequered flag, but he was the only driver commit four separate track limits breaches in the race.
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Pierre Gasly – 7/10
Qualified: 6th (+14 places ahead of team mate, -0.557s)
Grid: 5th (12 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 7th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Reached Q3 comfortably to secure sixth on the grid
▶ Promoted to fifth on the grid after Hulkenberg’s penalty
▶ Moved up to third at start after clash ahead of him
▶ Ran third ahead of Russell before pitting for hard tyres on lap 14
▶ Overcut by Russell, then passed by Hamilton and Verstappen
▲ Kept out of reach of Hulkenberg behind to finish seventh
Gasly’s excellent end to the 2024 season continued in Abu Dhabi. He clinched sixth place for his team in the constructors’ championship with the kind of professional, well executed weekend that his time are starting to expect from him. Although he did benefit from Hulkenberg’s grid penalty and did not have to get around anyone on track to gain his position, he deserves a very strong grade for how consistent he was over all three days.
Jack Doohan – 5/10
Qualified: 20th (-14 places behind team mate, +0.557s)
Grid: 17th (12 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 15th (-8 places behind team mate)
▼ Eliminated slowest in Q1 in first F1 qualifying session
▶ Gained one place at start with Piastri’s spin, then passed by Tsunoda
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and rejoined 18th
▶ Passed Bottas but overtaken by Stroll and Piastri
▶ Overtaken in closing laps by Zhou to finish debut grand prix in 15th
Doohan became the third different driver this season to make his grand prix debut when he lined up on the grid in the car that should have been driven by Esteban Ocon in Yas Marina. His first grand prix performance was the least impressive of the three, but given that he hasn’t raced for a year, he avoided any major mistakes and now knows exactly what to expect heading into his rookie campaign next year. While he was never close to matching Gasly for pace over the weekend, that can be excused in the circumstances.
Alexander Albon – 7/10
Qualified: 16th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.091s)
Grid: 18th (2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 11th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Sat out first practice for Browning to drive his car
▶ Just missed the cut for Q2 in 16th
▶ Demoted to 18th on grid after gearbox penalty
▶ Ran behind Zhou before early stop for hard tyres
▶ Rejoined ahead of Zhou and ran behind Magnussen
▶ Gained ninth when Alonso pitted, but then caught and passed by him
▶ Overtaken by Piastri to fall to 11th where he would finish
Albon has looked fallible and uncomfortable in his car at times since the summer break, but this final weekend in Abu Dhabi was not one of them. He deserved to start higher than he did were it not for his penalty, then Sunday’s race was another example of Albon’s ability to make his tyres last while keeping up a strong pace over a stint. Ultimately, just missing out on a point was an impressive result given where he started.
Franco Colapinto – 5/10
Qualified: 19th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.091s)
Grid: 20th (2 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 19th (-8 places behind team mate)
▼ Suffered floor damage running over kerb in practice
▶ Knocked out of Q1 in 19th, claiming to have lost “three tenths” with repaired floor
▶ Fell to last on the grid after gearbox penalty
▶ Picked up two places at start with Perez’s retirement and Piastri’s spin
▶ Hit by Piastri after VSC restart, suffering further damage to car
▶ Ran last until being called in to retire with power unit problem
Not how Colapinto wanted his time in Formula 1 – at least for now – to come to an end. Although he could not blame anyone but himself for causing the floor damage that compromised the rest of his weekend, any other team would have had the resources available to completely replace the floor. It wasn’t his fault he was thumped by Piastri along the back straight, nor that his race ultimately came to an end. Hard not to feel a little empty after what else he achieved in the early races of his brief stint with the team.
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Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10
Qualified: 11th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.053s)
Grid: 11th (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -6 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 12th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▶ Missed first practice, replaced by Iwasa
▶ Just pipped team mate to take 11th on the grid
▶ Dropped to 17th after falling into anti-stall at the start
▶ Passed Doohan then overtaken by Hulkenberg before pitting for hards
▶ Ran behind Zhou until he pitted, then passed by Alonso
▶ Overtaken by Piastri and then Stroll in closing laps to finish a lap down in 13th
Tsunoda’s season ended with a promising grid position coming to nothing after a suspected clutch problem meant all his hard work from Saturday immediately came undone at the start. Although he dropped out of contention for points, he did a decent job over the rest of the race, but nothing spectacular either.
Liam Lawson – 5/10
Qualified: 12th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.053s)
Grid: 12th (1 place behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 17th (-5 places behind team mate)
▶ Reached Q2 but knocked out right behind team mate
▶ Gained two places at start with spinners ahead, then passed by Verstappen
▶ Overtaken by Hamilton, then pitted for hard tyres
▶ Forced to pit again with loose wheel, then hit with 10s stop-go penalty
▶ Fell to last after serving penalty
▶ Matched team mate’s pace ahead and was quicker in closing laps
▶ Forced to pull off track on penultimate lap with brake problem, ending race
▶ Classified in 17th
Lawson’s final weekend of his second short stint in Formula 1 was not his best. He lost out in the qualifying battle to Tsunoda once again, then his race was destroyed through no fault of his own in the pits. But although he could not be blamed for being so far down the order as he was before his race ended, he also did not do much to stand out either.
Valtteri Bottas – 4/10
Qualified: 9th (+8 places ahead of team mate, -0.399s)
Grid: 9th (6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -4 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 18th (-5 places behind team mate)
▲ Reached Q3 to beat Perez to ninth on the grid
▼ Hit Perez into spin on opening lap, falling to 13th
▼ Earned 10s penalty for collision, which he served at first stop
▶ Ran behind team mate in 18th, then caught by Magnussen
▼ Suffered race-ending damage after colliding with Magnussen at turn six
▼ Earned second 10s penalty after retiring for Magnussen clash
After his early end to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Bottas insisted he was not finished in Formula 1 just yet. Hopefully for him that proves true, because this was not the way any driver would have wanted to go out. Everything looked excellent on Saturday and Bottas looked to have put himself within an outside chance of breaking his points drought, but while his lap one clash with Perez could be deemed forgivable, his incident with Magnussen was anything but. A shame.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 17th (-8 places behind team mate, +0.399s)
Grid: 15th (6 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H)
Finished: 13th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
▼ Could not follow team mate out of Q1 yet again, knocked out 17th
▶ Promoted to 15th on grid by penalties for rivals ahead
▼ Earned 5s penalty with false start
▶ Ran behind Hamilton before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Served penalty and rejoined behind Albon
▶ Made second stop for hard tyres, then fell a lap down in 15th
▲ Caught and passed Doohan in closing laps for 14th where he would finish
A frustrating end to a frustrating season for Zhou, which encapsulated so much about him as a Formula 1 driver. When in the mix with drivers he was on equal footing with, Zhou showed that he is competent as a racer and as a driver who can deliver a solid stint. However, his qualifying performance was again underwhelming and with his 68th career start, he got pinged for moving too early. He did about enough in the race to scrape back a passing grade, but his seat will now be filled next season by a driver who has definitely earned his first season in F1 more than Zhou has a fourth.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10
Qualified: 4th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -0.837s)
Grid: 7th (7 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 8th (+8 places ahead of team mate)
▲ Scored best qualifying of the season with second row start
▼ Demoted to seventh on grid for passing two cars on pit exit road
▶ Moved up to fifth at start after spins ahead, then passed by Leclerc
▶ Pitted for hard tyres and fell to 11th
▶ Overtook Tsunoda, then ran behind Gasly
▶ Passed by Hamilton and Verstappen to sit eighth behind Gasly
▶ Could not get within DRS range to challenge Gasly, finishing 3s off in eighth
Hulkenberg finished off a strong season for him with another top ten finish to see him end the season with the highest points tally for a Haas driver since Magnussen in 2018. But he perhaps did not make the most of his potential over the weekend. Although he was outstanding in qualifying, he lost that superb starting position with a blatant breach of the weekend’s rules. He should have probably beaten Gasly with the pair so evenly matched for race pace, but as he started behind rather than ahead, that likely proved critical.
Kevin Magnussen – 6/10
Qualified: 15th (-11 places behind team mate, +0.837s)
Grid: 14th (7 places behind team mate)
Start: +7 places
Strategy: Four-stop (M-H-H-S-S)
Finished: 16th (-8 places behind team mate)
▶ Suffered damage hitting bollard in Q1, leading to Q2 exit in 15th
▲ Gained seven places to run seventh after start
▶ Passed by Leclerc and Verstappen before pitting for hard tyres
▶ Suffered slow first stop which dropped him behind Piastri and Stroll
▶ Made second stop for second set of hards, then hit by Bottas
▶ Pitted again for soft tyres and rejoined a lap down in 16th
▶ Brought in with three laps remaining for final set of softs to enjoy last push laps
▶ Set the fastest lap and took chequered flag in 16th
If this was indeed Magnussen’s final grand prix, there was no way he would have been happy with the result but he honestly could hold his head high knowing that he left it all out on the track. His qualifying performance was compromised by damage when he tried to get out of Hamilton’s way at the end of Q1, then his race was ruined by a slow pit stop putting him into tragic and then when he was nerfed by Bottas. We’ll never know if he had the pace to match his team mate and fight for points, but he at least had the consolation prize of the fastest lap.
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2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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