2021 Season - Rate the Drivers

[Penfold]

Three races, good grief, can barely remember what I had for dinner last night....

Qatar:

Merc:
Hammy - 10 - Masterclass!
Val - 5 - Back of the class! Or at least the middle

Red Bull:
Surger - 7 - Must try to make Q3
Max - 10 - Damn that speedy Mercedes, looking scarily unbeatable in Hamilton's hands

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 5 - Tough to score what with all the fuel saving, but didn't exactly shine in quali or at start of race
Chuck Norris - 8 - Shone somewhat

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 7 - Curse of qualifying in top ten
Speedy Stroller - 8 - Benefit of not. Still good driving mind

Alpine:
Alonso - 10 - Drove his aged little heart out, as he always does
OffOn - 8 - Top marks for impeding Perez best he could, did not expect him to try a move after being passed!

Ferrari:
'It is I' - 7 - Ended up right on teamy's chuff
Rally Guy's Son - 5 - Not a classic showing

Boris Johnson (aka Alpha Tory):
Greasy Peril - 5 - Great qualifying, hideous race.  Please end this cretinous Q2 tyre rule!
Tsunoda - 6 - Tear-off trapped in rear wing brought him in early

Alfauber:
Kimi - 5 - Ummm
Adam Ant - 5 - Errrr

Haas:
Massivespin - 5
Mickey Boy - 7

Williams:
Latifi - 5 - Forgotten where these guys were running before the punctures hit
Jack Russell - 5


Damn my memory is terrible for races now, think all these years of F1 has filled it up. I'll don a thinking cap early this week for other two races.

[Penfold]

Brazil:

Hammy - 9
Val - 7

Red Bull:
Surger - 7
Max - 8

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 7
Chuck Norris - 5

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 6
Speedy Stroller - X

Alpine:
Alonso - 8
OffOn - 7

Ferrari:
'It is I' - 8
Rally Guy's Son - 7

Boris Johnson (aka Alpha Tory):
Greasy Peril - 8
Tsunoda - 4

Alfauber:
Kimi - 8
Adam Ant - 6

Haas:
Massivespin - 5
Mickey Boy - 5

Williams:
Latifi - 5
Jack Russell - 6

Just Mexico to go....

[Chrill]

Hamilton getting a 9 in Brazil after winning from 25th is quite something.

[Penfold]

Ahh yes, meant to say Sunday's race only, seeing as I don't watch the sprint stuff... and I still feel kind of mean about a nine

[Penfold]

Mexico (finally!):

Hammy - 8
Val - 5

Red Bull:
Surger - 8
Max - 9

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 5
Chuck Norris - 7

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 9
Speedy Stroller - 4

Alpine:
Alonso - 8
OffOn - 7

Ferrari:
'It is I' - 8
Rally Guy's Son - 8

Boris Johnson (aka Alpha Tory):
Greasy Peril - 9
Tsunoda - X

Alfauber:
Kimi - 8
Adam Ant - 7 - Stuffed by stupidly early tyre stop?

Haas:
Massivespin - 4
Mickey Boy - X

Williams:
Latifi - 5
Jack Russell - 7

Better late than never, perhaps...

[Chrill]

Can I even digest Saudi Arabia into 1-10s? I'll try.

Template? Template!

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 10/10 | Lost out at the first red flag, was then punished repeatedly by unfortunate or even incorrect stewards calls before suddenly being gifted the lead by what I can only assume was a very confused Verstappen.
Valtteri Bottas - 8/10 | Caught out by the red flag too, but fought back to the podium. Unsportsmanlike to slow down behind the SC to give Lewis room to pit, but in the end it did not matter because they red flagged it anyway.

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - X/10 | Wasn't at fault for crashing with Leclerc (and Russel+Mazepin), the track was just too stupid.
Max Verstappen - 6/10 | I really don't know how to rate him. From finishing position alone, he's maybe an 8-9. If I deduct for all the absurd things he did, he'd lose 3 points (Overtaking outside the track on restart 1, forcing Hamilton wide after the VSC, and brake testing Lewis). So how about a 5-6? I'll round up to 6, thanks to the amazing 2nd restart where he went from 3rd to 1st very cleanly with hot mediums.

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 8/10 | Fell off significantly once Bottas got past, but a solid 5th from outside the top ten is always a high score.
Lando Norris - 7/10 | Very unfortunate with the red flag, just like the Mercedes cars, but got back from way down to salvage a point.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 4/10 | Really messy race, and never fast enough to contend with anyone bar the bottom five.
Lance Stroll - 6/10 | The opposite of Vettel in terms of mess, but the same in terms of pace. Finished 11th, but the only driver behind him not tangled up in messes was Latifi.

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 5/10 | Spun on his own accord, no? I feel like more than that went wrong for him here, but I struggle to recall.
Esteban Ocon - 9/10 | Almost the 2nd Alpine podium in a row, but 4th is still great. Lucky with the red flag for sure, but he used it well.

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 6/10 | Somehow invisible despite starting near the front and finishing in the packed midfield. Like Alonso, I struggle to recall what he actually did.
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 7/10 | Somehow invisible despite starting near the front and finishing in the packed midfield. Like Alonso, I struggle to recall what he actually did. At least he started way back so that was nice

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 7/10 | Kept it clean, chasing Ricciardo for 5th at the end but not finding his way past
Yuki Tsunoda - 5/10 | Almost collided with Ocon at the start, then dropped way back through turns 2-3 after simply getting out of rhythm with the others. Crashed with Vettel, but I disagree with Tsunoda getting the blame.

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 5/10 | Tried passing Vettel where he could not. Ended badly.
Antonio Giovinazzi - 9/10 | Made it to Q3 on mediums, then ran a clean race in a car too slow to finish any higher than 9th really. Very impressive.

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - X/10 | Unfortunate to bin a car behind Russell.
Mick Schumacher - 3/10 | I blame him for crashing on his own. It started all the madness.

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 7/10 | Kept it clean, which is impressive enough in this mess.
George Russell - X/10 | Smacked across his butt after Perez went Tokyo Drift all over Jeddah.

[Chrill]

With a few days of distance to Abu Dhabi, I feel better about rating a bit more neutrally.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 9/10 | Did pretty much everything right, including an amazing start on a slower compound. Could not pit due to the Red Bull's being in his window, which ultimately cost him the championship.
Valtteri Bottas - 4/10 | Poor showing at the end, and in that final lap alone let several cars by to drop down to 6th. Not good enough.

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 9/10 | Sacrificed in both quali and race for the benefit of Verstappen, but played that part so well. Had Verstappen won without the controversy, we would all be talking about Perez's magnificent defence which cost Lewis something like 7 seconds in less than two laps. Great stuff. Why did he retire the car at the very end?
Max Verstappen - 7/10 | Dropped the ball at the start, and was slower even on new tyres. A strong final lap on smoking hot softs ensured he won the championship, but his racing in Abu Dhabi looked nervous and desperate.

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 6/10 | Was prevented from unlapping himself at the end, which gave him no chance to beat Vettel and the others ahead
Lando Norris - 7/10 | Was the first of drivers to unlap, and that saved a P7 but he was on course to finish best of the rest before a puncture brought him into the pits.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 7/10 | The Aston Martin has looked real bad at the end, but with several cars retiring and things happening they should have been able to luck into a points finish.
Lance Stroll - 5/10 | Among the last drivers on track

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 7/10 | Also one of the drivers unlapped at the end, but followed Norris home.
Esteban Ocon - 7/10 | Followed Alonso

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 7/10 | Followed Ocon
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 9/10 | Kept out of trouble, so much so that when Latifi ended up crashing Sainz was on the lead lap. Managed to grab a podium after Perez boxed under SC.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 8/10 | Also managed to keep himself on the lead lap, which benefitted him at the end and he managed to pass Bottas for 5th at that very last lap
Yuki Tsunoda - 10/10 | Very close to taking the last podium position from Sainz. Probably would, had all lapped cars been moved away. At least got past Bottas for 4th, a definite career best. Tsunoda was clearly better than Gasly this weekend.

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 4/10 | Yeah, about time to retire Kimi. The car lost brake power and he could do nothing but retire
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5/10 | I think hydraulics failed? Well well, he'll do fine in Formula E but he never had the pace for F1.

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - X/10 | Covid.
Mick Schumacher - 8/10 | Fought hard but fair with Latifi, the Canadian then going off on his own. Must be nice for Mick to end the season winning a proper battle with a driver from another team.

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 5/10 | Drove an ok race, deducting one point for crashing due to underestimating the lack of grip after getting dirt on his tyres
George Russell - 6/10 | Was doing pretty well actually, running ahead of his team mate, before his car too gave up. Managed to bring it into the pits.



Driver of the race? Yuki Tsunoda.
Driver of the weekend? I mean, Verstappen won the championship so probably him.
Driver of the year? Well, we'll see when the scores are added up but I think maybe Lewis Hamilton. He had the better car for the last 4 races, but the rest of the year he was in what appeared a slower car compared to Red Bull.

[Chrill]

I reckon it's about time to close shop on this years ratings, so I'll be compiling it all tomorrow and then post our 2021 Drivers Ratings.

[Penfold]

Yeah, a couple of no shows from me at the end....

Thanks in advance for whacking all the numbers into your spreadsheet

[Chrill]

I reckon it's about time to close shop on this years ratings, so I'll be compiling it all tomorrow and then post our 2021 Drivers Ratings.

Well that was a lie. In my defense, I contracted Covid and haven't been feeling great. Recovering now though so I'll get back to it soon.

[Penfold]

Ahh fine, I guess that's an acceptable reason... just don't let it happen again!

[Chrill]

I think the general gist of viral infections is that you build up immunity. So I'll probably be safe for another six months, or at least until the Pi or Rho variant strikes

[Chrill]

Our summarized 2021 ratings!

Code Select Expand

Pos.  Driver             Average   Diff. to Leader   Last Year's Rating
01.  Max Verstappen     8.829                       +3 (4th)
02.  Lando Norris       8.474     -0.355            +3 (5th)
03.  Lewis Hamilton     7.829     -0.999            -2 (1st)
04.  Charles Leclerc    7.676     -1.153            +7 (11th)
05.  Carlos Sainz, Jr.  7.366     -1.463            -3 (2nd)
06.  Pierre Gasly       7.294     -1.534            +1 (7th)
07.  George Russell     7.171     -1.658            +1 (8th)
08.  Sergio Pérez       7.000     -1.829            -5 (3rd)
09.  Fernando Alonso    6.951     -1.877            N/A
10.  Daniel Ricciardo   6.725     -2.104            -4 (6th)
11.  Esteban Ocon       6.462     -2.367            +1 (12th)
12.  Sebastian Vettel   6.268     -2.560            +5 (17th)
13.  Lance Stroll       6.098     -2.731            -3 (10th)
14.  Kimi Räikkönen     5.974     -2.854            -5 (9th)
15.  Mick Schumacher    5.878     -2.951            N/A
16.  Yuki Tsunoda       5.833     -2.995            N/A
17.  Antonio Giovinazzi 5.829     -2.999            +3 (20th)
18.  Valtteri Bottas    5.732     -3.097            -5 (13th)
19.  Nicholas Latifi    5.293     -3.536            +0 (19th)
20.  Nikita Mazepin     3.324     -5.504            N/A

Best climber:
1. Charles Leclerc, +7 (11th -> 4th)
2. Sebastian Vettel, +5 (17th -> 12th)
3. Max Verstappen, +3 (4th -> 1st)

Biggest drop:
1. Valtteri Bottas, -5 (13th -> 18th)
2. Kimi Räikkönen, -5 (9th -> 14th)
3. Sergio Pérez, -5 (3rd -> 8th)

Most improved vs. previous season:
1. Max Verstappen, +1.223 (7.606 -> 8.829)
2. Lando Norris, +1.149 (7.325 -> 8.474)
3. Charles Leclerc, +1.136 (6.540 -> 7.676)

Most decrease vs. previous season:
1. Kimi Räikkönen, -0.935 (6.909 -> 5.878)
2. Sergio Pérez, -0.778 (7.778 -> 7.000)
3. Lance Stroll, -0.702 (6.8000 -> 6.098)

Best rookie:
1. Mick Schumacher, 16th
2. Yuki Tsunoda, 17th
3. Nikita Mazepin, 20th

All stats here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PGqNyT0O6eH1NZd0hC-e9zJ0wzLDMYPkST0BvU0PxBU/edit#gid=512518002

[Penfold]

Comprehensive as ever. And congrats to Hazaspin for grasping the wooden spoon by such an impressive margin, I look forward to more of the same from him this year!

[Chrill]

I have taken the opportunity to do some thinking, and tinkering, regarding the ratings. So here is my amended top 20, compared to our combined ratings.

1. Max Verstappen | (=)
2. Lewis Hamilton | (+1)
3. Lando Norris | (-1)
4. Pierre Gasly | (+2)
5. Carlos Sainz | (=)
6. Charles Leclerc | (-2)
7. George Russell | (=)
8. Fernando Alonso | (+1)
9. Esteban Ocon | (+2)
10. Mick Schumacher | (+5)
11. Valtteri Bottas | (+7)
12. Sebastian Vettel | (=)
13. Sergio Pérez | (-5)
14. Daniel Ricciardo | (-4)
15. Nicholas Latifi | (+4)
16. Lance Stroll | (-3)
17. Yuki Tsunoda | (-1)
18. Kimi Räikkönen | (-4)
19. Antonio Giovinazzi | (-2)
20. Nikita Mazepin | (=)

So, essentially:
1. I'm dropping both Perez and moving Bottas up, because they simply failed to even get close to their team mates but Bottas got closer than the Mexican (Even though those team mates are the defining drivers of the current era)
2. Alfa Romeo drivers both underperformed heavily
3. Schumacher destroyed their team mate like nobody else, and deserves some recognition for it
4. Ricciardo was nowhere compared to Norris for so many races, remember Norris lapping him in Monaco?