2025 United States Grand Prix Weekend F1 Driver Ratings

The United States Grand Prix was potentially a pivotal weekend for the championship fight due to the crash at the start of the sprint race.

But with two Safety Car periods during Saturday’s race, and drivers largely unable to pass on Sunday, the two qualifying sessions strongly influenced the results.

Here’s how all the drivers performed last weekend.

Lando Norris

Sprint race start: 2nd
Sprint race finish: Not classified
Qualified: 2nd (4 places ahead of team mate, -0.283s)
Grid: 2nd (4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 2nd (3 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Fastest in practice, SQ1 and SQ2 – but pipped to pole by Verstappen
▶ Taken out at start of sprint race
▶ Rebounded well in qualifying to claim second for the grand prix
▶ Couldn’t stop Leclerc overtaking him on softer tyres at the start
▶ Had to tread carefully after picking up three early strikes for track limits
▶ Carefully passed Leclerc – twice – to regain second

8/10: Unlucky in sprint race, patient in grand prix, needed a little more in qualifying

Oscar Piastri

Sprint race start: 3rd
Sprint race finish: Not classified
Qualified: 6th (4 places behind team mate, +0.283s)
Grid: 6th (4 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 5th (3 places behind team mate)

▼ Three-tenths off Norris in sprint race qualifying
▶ Trying to cut back to the inside of Norris at turn one was a risk which was unlikely to pay off – and backfired spectacularly
▼ Struggled again in qualifying for the grand prix
▶ Gained one place from slow-starting Russell
▶ Never looked likely to move up from sixth

6/10: Can’t afford any more indifferent performances like this

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Charles Leclerc

Sprint race start: 10th
Sprint race finish: 5th
Qualified: 3rd (2 places ahead of team mate, -0.105s)
Grid: 3rd (2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 3rd (1 place ahead of team mate)

▶ Lost time at the end of practice with a technical problem
▶ Narrowly out-qualified by Hamilton for sprint race
▶ Took brilliant advantage of the first-corner melee to claim fourth
▼ Made a mistake which allowed Hamilton to pass him in the sprint race
▲ Strong qualifying performance secured third on the grid
▲ Put up a good fight starting on soft tyres but didn’t quite have the pace to contain Norris

7/10: Excellent performance in grand prix, sub-par in sprint race

Lewis Hamilton

Sprint race start: 8th
Sprint race finish: 4th
Qualified: 5th (2 places behind team mate, +0.105s)
Grid: 5th (2 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 4th (1 place behind team mate)

▶ Out-qualified Leclerc for sprint race when team used softs for the first time
▲ Dropped behind Leclerc in first-corner mess but re-passed him for fourth
▶ Took fifth on the grid for the grand prix, a tenth of a second behind Leclerc
▶ Gained a place from Russell at the start
▶ Pressured his team mate before Leclerc pitted
▶ Began to struggle with soft tyres late in stint then suffered apparent puncture on final lap
▶ Still out-ran Piastri for fourth place

7/10: Fought well in sprint race, less good in final stint of grand prix

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Max Verstappen

Sprint race start: 1st
Sprint race finish: 1st
Qualified: 1st (12 places ahead of team mate, -0.765s)
Grid: 1st (12 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 1st (6 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Snatched pole position off Norris at the end of sprint race qualifying
▶ Untroubled by dramas behind him in sprint race and saw off attack from Russell
▲ First Q3 run was good enough for pole which proved vital as team sent him out too late for another
▶ Kept his lead at the start
▶ Never threatened from behind as Norris grappled with Leclerc
▶ Managed his tyres a lot during the grand prix even with benefit of clear air

9/10: Looked like a return to 2023-specification Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda

Sprint race start: 18th
Sprint race finish: 7th
Qualified: 13th (12 places behind team mate, +0.765s)
Grid: 13th (12 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 7th (6 places behind team mate)

▼ Wasn’t quick enough on his first lap in sprint race qualifying then team sent him out too late for last run
▼ Went into turn one very hot at the start of the sprint race and hit Hadjar but avoided damage or a penalty
▶ Moved up to seventh due to the carnage and held it until the end
▼ Angrily blamed Lawson and Gasly after dropping out in Q2
▲ Passes Lawson and Alonso at the start, then took Hulkenberg on the outside of turn 11
▲ Passed Bearman early in grand prix, then picked up two more positions when Sainz hit Antonelli
▼ Clearly swerved in reaction to Bearman’s turn 15 attack but stewards took no notice

6/10: Scored welcome points but fortunate to avoid penalties in both races

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Sprint race start: 11th
Sprint race finish: 8th
Qualified: 7th (3 places behind team mate, +0.288s)
Grid: 7th (3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 13th (7 places behind team mate)

▼ Admitted he made mistakes on his final SQ2 lap after missing final round by a few thousandths
▲ Put a good move on Bearman in the sprint race but the Haas driver kept him behind by going off
▶ Qualified further up the grid for the grand prix and held seventh place at the start
▶ Knocked off the track by Sainz and fell to last place
▶ Recovered to 13th place but points never looked likely after the contact

7/10: Not on a par with Russell but undoubtedly deserved more from the grand prix

George Russell

Sprint race start: 5th
Sprint race finish: 2nd
Qualified: 4th (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.288s)
Grid: 4th (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 6th (7 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Didn’t run softs until SQ3 but qualified fifth, albeit behind Hulkenberg
▶ Avoided the first corner dramas to move up to second in the sprint race
▶ Bold lunge on Verstappen at turn 12 didn’t pay off
▶ Decent run in qualifying left him two-hundredths off the front row
▶ Tight line at turn one cost him two places at the start
▶ Didn’t have the pace to move forwards from there

8/10: Feisty in the sprint race, thwarted in the grand prix

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Lance Stroll

Sprint race start: 14th
Sprint race finish: 17th
Qualified: 18th (8 places behind team mate, +0.799s)
Grid: 19th (9 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 12th (2 places behind team mate)

▼ Aborted his second flying lap in SQ2 after a mistake at turn six and went out
▼ Ill-judged lunge at Ocon in sprint race put both out and earned him a penalty
▼ Went off in Q1 and cost himself a place in Q2
▶ Started on softs and got past the hard-shod Albon and Ocon by lap three
▶ Ran the longest opening stint of any driver on softs, passing the medium-shod Alpine drivers as he did

4/10: Being within four seconds of Alonso at the flag was a creditable, but poor weekend until then

Fernando Alonso

Sprint race start: 6th
Sprint race finish: Not classified
Qualified: 10th (8 places ahead of team mate, -0.799s)
Grid: 10th (9 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 10th (2 places ahead of team mate)

▲ Excellent sprint race qualifying performance netted sixth on the grid
▶ First-corner move on Hulkenberg was not wildly optimistic but resulted in a multi-car crash
▲ Another solid job in qualifying for the grand prix put him 10th on the grid
▶ Tight line at turn one cost him places to Tsunoda and Hulkenberg
▶ Regained 10th when Sainz hit Antonelli

7/10: Didn’t get the results his qualifying performances merited

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Franco Colapinto

Sprint race start: 17th
Sprint race finish: 14th
Qualified: 15th (1 place behind team mate, +0.393s)
Grid: 15th (1 place behind team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 17th (2 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Dropped out in SQ1 but this was the second-closest team mate battle on the grid
▶ Collected a puncture at the start of the sprint race
▶ Tidy laps in Q1 paid off and got him into second round
▶ Passed by Bortoleto and Ocon (on hards) at the start, but re-passed the latter on lap two
▶ Ran five laps longer than Gasly in opening stint
▼ Was told not to pass Gasly for 17th at end of race but did so anyway

7/10: Almost nothing to choose between him and Gasly – team should have let them race

Pierre Gasly

Sprint race start: 13th
Sprint race finish: 10th
Qualified: 14th (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.393s)
Grid: 14th (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 19th (2 places behind team mate)

▶ Did well to claim a place in SQ2 but got no further
▶ Picked up four places at the start of the sprint race but couldn’t keep Antonelli and Lawson behind
▶ Got through the first phase of qualifying again to line up 14th for grand prix
▶ Kept his place at the start
▶ Was the first driver to switch from medium to soft tyres but struggled at the end as a result
▶ Hadjar, Colapinto and Bortoleto relegated him to last place

7/10: Wrung the most from his car but grand prix strategy was clearly too optimistic

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Esteban Ocon

Sprint race start: 19th
Sprint race finish: 16th
Qualified: 17th (9 places behind team mate, +0.215s)
Grid: 17th (9 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-S)
Finished: 15th (6 places behind team mate)

▼ Made a mistake on his first lap in SQ1 and didn’t start his final lap time in time
▶ Taken out by Stroll in the sprint race
▶ Lacked confidence in high-speed corners and failed to progress beyond Q1
▲ Gained two places at the start, despite being on hards…
▼ …but lost them on the next lap
▶ Pitted earlier than anyone to get off his hard tyres
▶ Struggled at the end of long stint on softs and was passed by Antonelli and Albon

5/10: Didn’t seem to click with new package but hard-soft strategy was potentially the worst option

Oliver Bearman

Sprint race start: 16th
Sprint race finish: 15th
Qualified: 8th (9 places ahead of team mate, -0.215s)
Grid: 8th (9 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 9th (6 places ahead of team mate)

▶ Didn’t use Haas’s upgrade until sprint race qualifying and only got one lap in due to the team’s timing
▼ Deserved his penalty for going off the track at turn 15 to keep Antonelli behind
▲ Capitalised on Haas’s upgrades in qualifying for eighth on the grid
▼ Lost places to Sainz and Tsunoda in the opening laps
▶ Spun while trying to pass Tsunoda due to rival’s late change of line
▶ Salvaged points for ninth after dropping behind Hulkenberg

7/10: Silly move in sprint race but drove well given he practised with the old aerodynamics

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Isack Hadjar

Sprint race start: 12th
Sprint race finish: 12th
Qualified: 20th (8 places behind team mate)
Grid: 20th (8 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-M)
Finished: 16th (5 places behind team mate)

▶ Did a single lap in SQ2 but found car very difficult to drive and dropped out
▶ Hit by Tsunoda at turn one and couldn’t avoid the mess in front of him as a result
▼ Furious with himself again after crashing in qualifying
▶ Was the only driver to run a hard-medium strategy
▶ Picked up three track limits strikes within the first few laps but avoided a penalty
▶ Passed Gasly to finish 16th
▶ Blamed a ride issue for his struggles with the car

5/10: Only had himself to blame for poor grand prix after sprint race misfortune

Liam Lawson

Sprint race start: 15th
Sprint race finish: 9th
Qualified: 12th (8 places ahead of team mate)
Grid: 12th (8 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 11th (5 places ahead of team mate)

▼ Track limits error in SQ2 ended his chances of qualifying higher
▶ Rose four places to 12th due to the first-lap pile-up
▶ Passed Gasly after the restart and was promoted to ninth by Bearman’s penalty
▶ Qualified 12th for the grand prix but said a gust of wind compromised his final lap
▶ Lost a place to Tsunoda at the start
▶ Kept his position from there on to finish 11th

6/10: Points looked possible but he was one place away in both races

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Alexander Albon

Sprint race start: 9th
Sprint race finish: 6th
Qualified: 19th (10 places behind team mate, +0.951s)
Grid: 18th (9 places behind team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-S)
Finished: 14th

▶ Joined his team mate in SQ3
▶ Rose to sixth due to the first-lap melee in the sprint race, and finished there
▶ Found his car’s handling difficult due to changes to fix a differential problem
▼ Track limits breach in Q1 prevented him advancing further
▶ Tapped Bortoleto on the first lap and spun
▶ Recovered to finish 14th

5/10: Set-up challenges notwithstanding he should have qualified and raced better for grand prix

Carlos Sainz Jnr

Sprint race start: 7th
Sprint race finish: 3rd
Qualified: 9th (10 places ahead of team mate, -0.951s)
Grid: 9th (9 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Finished: Not classified

▲ Shrugged off lost running in practice to out-qualify Albon with his first run on softs
▶ Moved up to third when several drivers ahead of him collided
▲ Resisted Leclerc to keep his sprint race podium finish
▲ Was the only Williams driver to get beyond Q1 and qualified ninth
▶ Passed Bearman at turn 15 but hit Antonelli when attempting the same move later and retired

6/10: Saturday hero, Sunday zero

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Nico Hulkenberg

Sprint race start: 4th
Sprint race finish: 13th
Qualified: 11th (5 places ahead of team mate, -0.574s)
Grid: 11th (5 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 8th (10 places ahead of team mate)

▲ On it from the word go on Friday and took a superb fourth on the grid
▶ Lost any chance to benefit from it when he collided with Alonso and Piastri at the start
▶ Couldn’t get the Sauber into Q3 but came close
▶ Benefited from Sainz, Antonelli and Bearman hitting trouble to claim eighth

8/10: Much better qualifying set him up for his best weekend since Silverstone

Gabriel Bortoleto

Sprint race start: 20th
Sprint race finish: 11th
Qualified: 16th (5 places behind team mate, +0.574s)
Grid: 16th (5 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-S)
Finished: 18th (10 places behind team mate)

▼ Track limits error in SQ1 cost him dearly when team failed to get him out on time for another lap
▶ Gained seven places at the start but then passed by Stroll after the restart
▶ Narrowly missed the cut for Q2, said he felt he needed more laps on the unfamiliar circuit
▶ Only driver to run a two-stop strategy but slow pit stop under VSC badly compromised his grand prix
▶ Passed Gasly for 18th on final lap

5/10: A tough weekend for him, made more difficult by pit stop problems

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Over to you

Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:

Vote for your 2025 United States Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

2025 United States Grand Prix

Browse all 2025 United States Grand Prix articles