2021 Season - Rate the Drivers

[Penfold]

Italy tomorrow. My scores for the race that is, sadly not where I'll be....

[Penfold]

Italy:

Merc:
Hammy - 7
Val - 9

Red Bull:
Surger - 4
Max - 6

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 10
Chuck Norris - 10

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 5
Speedy Stroller - 7

Alpine:
Alonso - 7
OffOn - 6

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

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

Alfauber:
Kubica - 6
Adam Ant - 4

Haas:
Massivespin - 2
Mickey Boy - 5

Williams:
Latifi - 7
Jack Russell - 8

Something like that, memory is starting to fade....

[Chrill]

Cheers. Let's hope you get the Turkey scores done faster!

[Penfold]

What, faster than that? Be realistic man!

[Penfold]

Will do Dutch one tomorrow, pretty sure I missed it....

[Penfold]

...and pretty sure I can't really remember it, bugger.  Have to skip it I'm afraid, but no more missed races from me!

[Chrill]

I'll get right on Turkey while it's still fresh!

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 8/10 | Struggled with Tsunoda at the start, but then found his way past a lot of supposedly difficult to overtake cars. Close to keeping his inters alive all race long, but pitted at the end which removes a point
Valtteri Bottas - 10/10 | Took the start, won the race, and scored fastest lap. He almost scored a Grand Slam, if not for Leclerc running deep into his first stint. Bottas was actually unstoppable

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 7/10 | Good to see a podium from him again, but he wasn't fast enough to challenge his team mate despite getting a great start and running close behind from the go
Max Verstappen - 8/10 | Unable to match Bottas, but at least fast enough to keep Leclerc and Hamilton behind despite almost not stopping

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 5/10 | Didn't manage to fight his way through traffic very well
Lando Norris - 7/10 | Finished where he started. Looked fast at the end, but pretty much never else

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 4/10 | Gambled on slicks. Gambled very very wrong indeed
Lance Stroll - 6/10 | Didn't gamble on slicks. Scored points. Last driver not lapped!

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 4/10 | Got squeezed by Gasly, then divebombed Schumacher for good measure. Never able to recover
Esteban Ocon - 9/10 | Was he incredibly slow at the end? Yes. Did he score points? Yes. Did he pit? No. Incredible, but those inters were DEAD as shown by pictures after the race

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 8/10 | Genuinely looked able to win for a while there, but he just lost pace and pitting was surely the right thing.
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 9/10 | Couldn't quite repeat what Verstappen did in Russia, but last to 8th is still pretty damn good. Especially compared to Ricciardo.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 8/10 | I don't fully agree with the lap 1 incident on Alonso, Gasly had Perez on the inside and with poor visibility wasn't sure how tight he could turn in. I would've called it a race incident. Without that penalty, Gasly would have forced Hamilton to pit much sooner and could perhaps have finished ahead of him
Yuki Tsunoda - 5/10 | Fought really well with Hamilton, but then... uh, was he even in the race?

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 6/10 | Unusually not able to beat his team mate, despite starting next to him
Antonio Giovinazzi - 7/10 | Unusuablly able to beat his team mate, despite not starting way ahead of him

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - 4/10 | Almost took Hamilton off, but we have come to expect this sort of behaviour
Mick Schumacher - 8/10 | Was punted off, but still beat Mazepin to the line. What else can he do in that horrid car?

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 4/10 | Spun on his own, and could only beat the Haases and the gambling Vettel
George Russell - 6/10 | Clearly neither Williams driver was able to achieve much with that car in the wet


Driver of the day? For me it's Bottas!

[Penfold]

Turkey, not so fresh:

Merc:
Hammy - 8
Val - 9

Red Bull:
Surger - 7
Max - 9

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 5
Chuck Norris - 8

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 3
Speedy Stroller - 6

Alpine:
Alonso - 3
OffOn - 8

Ferrari:
'It is I' - 8
Rally Guy's Son - 9

Boris Johnson (aka Alpha Tory):
Greasy Peril - 9
Tsunoda - 4

Alfauber:
Kimi - 6
Adam Ant - 7

Haas:
Massivespin - 3
Mickey Boy - 7

Williams:
Latifi - 3
Jack Russell - 6

[Chrill]

I thought you had beat me to the Americas. But of course, you just did Turkey late.

[Penfold]

Me rate first, ha, that'll be the day!

[Penfold]

U.S.A.

Merc:
Hammy - 9
Val - 7

Red Bull:
Surger - 8
Max - 10

McLaren:
Ricky Hairdo - 9
Chuck Norris - 7

A team called Aston Martin:
My Fault Again - 8
Speedy Stroller - 6

Alpine:
Alonso - 4
OffOn - 5

Ferrari:
'It is I' - 9
Rally Guy's Son - 6

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

Alfauber:
Kimi - 5
Adam Ant - 6

Haas:
Massivespin - 6
Mickey Boy - 6

Williams:
Latifi - 5
Jack Russell - 6

[Chrill]

See you did beat me!

[Chrill]

US of A:

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 9/10 | Drove what looked like the lesser car, and came very close to winning. Nice run into T1 to fend off Verstappen.
Valtteri Bottas - 6/10 | As always penalised by engines, and as always unable to move through traffic.

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 8/10 | Very close in quali, distanced a fair bit in race, but stayed ahead of the surprisingly swift Ferraris. Pretty safe podium.
Max Verstappen - 9/10 | Shouldn't have let it get this close, but kept his cool lap after lap to preserve some rather tired tires. Heh, a pun. Impressive drive, deserved win.

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 8/10 | Almost able to match the Leclercyboy, definitely the stronger McLaren.
Lando Norris - 6/10 | Not a brilliant result, but at least he scored points and at least he wasn't lapped by anyone.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 9/10 | 18th to points? That's impressive. The Aston Martin isn't all the Racing Point was in 2020.
Lance Stroll - 5/10 | Finished where he started, and lost out to his team mate who started far back. Not strong enough.

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 4/10 | Messy race, forcing drivers off-track then moaning about it. Glad he ended up retiring.
Esteban Ocon - 6/10 | Not as messy as Alonso, but the Alpines surely did not enjoy the uneven surfaces of COTA.

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 9/10 | It is I, as Penny calls him, had a great race. Tried to keep up with Red Bull, not quite able, but way clear of the rest of midfield.
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 7/10 | Got caught up in battles with McLaren, beat one and lost to another. Had to surrender to Bottas in the end too.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - X/10 | Retired too early to rate.
Yuki Tsunoda - 8/10 | Not bad at all! We know the car is capable of points, but this time Tsunoda himself was capable too.

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 6/10 | Potentially on course for points, but messed up on his own.
Antonio Giovinazzi - 7/10 | Very nearly able to grab that point, but Vettel stole it in the end.

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - 2/10 | He is just ridiculously slow compared to Schumacher. He is. Either Schumacher is now driving at the level of his father, or Mazepin is just the worst driver to enter F1 for several years
Mick Schumacher - 7/10 | Not a great race because he failed to keep up with Williams, but he finished 90 seconds ahead of Mazepin and almost lapped him himself

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 6/10 | Not a great race for Williams, but close to matching Russell. Latifi has definitely stepped up in the last few races.
George Russell - 6/10 | Like Latifi. Unable to match those in front, fairly far clear of the Haases behind.

[Chrill]

WE'VE HAD A TRIPLE HEADER?! Ugh. So much racing to remember. Let's get all 3 in the bag. I'll skip most comments on the two older races.

MEXICO!
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 8/10 |
Valtteri Bottas - 4/10 | Kind of caused the start incident himself no?

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 8/10 |
Max Verstappen - 9/10 | Great start, easy race

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 5/10 |
Lando Norris - 6/10 |

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 8/10 |
Lance Stroll - 5/10 |

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 7/10 |
Esteban Ocon - 7/10 |

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 9/10 |
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 7/10 |

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 9/10 |
Yuki Tsunoda - X/10 |

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 8/10 |
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5/10 |

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - 5/10 |
Mick Schumacher - X/10 |

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - /10 |
George Russell - /10 |



BRAZIL!

WE'VE HAD A TRIPLE HEADER?! Ugh. So much racing to remember. Let's get all 3 in the bag.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 10/10 | The tennest of 10s.
Valtteri Bottas - 7/10 |

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 7/10 |
Max Verstappen - 7/10 | Actually 8, but deducting 1 for pushing Hamilton off-track

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 8/10 | Ran well before retiring
Lando Norris - 5/10 | Looking rather uninspiring

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 6/10 |
Lance Stroll - X/10 | Hurt badly by Tsunoda's dive

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 8/10 |
Esteban Ocon - 8/10 |

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 9/10 | Hunting Red Bull now
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 8/10 | Hunting Red Bull now

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 7/10 |
Yuki Tsunoda - 5/10 |

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 7/10 | Pit lane to ahead of Giovinazzi. Funny how this old man always finishes ahead
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5/10 |

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - 5/10 |
Mick Schumacher - 5/10 |

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 5/10 |
George Russell - 7/10 |



I'll do Qatar separately, it's a more proper rating anyway.

[Chrill]

Qatar! They may not have human rights, they may have thousands of dead migrant workers (slaves) to build awesome arenas for some winter football. But they also have drivers with LGBTQ+ helmets. That brings me some joy.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
Lewis Hamilton - 10/10 | Is he absolutely unstoppable? Looks that way. Perez needs to crash him out in Saudi Arabia, or this championship looks Mercedesy.
Valtteri Bottas - 4/10 | Poor getaway put him back, and the unability to work his way through the field brought him in too late which made his car go punctureparty.

Red Bull Racing Honda:
Sergio Pérez - 8/10 | Pretty impressive drive to 3rd, then a safety pit stop before he almost recovered. Pretty good
Max Verstappen - 10/10 | Definitely drove his heart out to catch but was not able to. Left literally nothing on the table, he was simply 25 seconds behind because that's the limit of both cars and they are both operating at 100% now.

McLaren F1 Team:
Daniel Ricciardo - 6/10 | Hampered by fuel saving issues which weren't true, so he simply drove too slow even though the car had more
Lando Norris - 8/10 | Got real lucky with a late puncture and lost no more than a regular pit stop. Still dropped him back.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team:
Sebastian Vettel - 7/10 | P10 to P10. That's acceptable.
Lance Stroll - 9/10 | Guys, P6 in the Aston Martin is not bad at all.

Alpine F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso - 9/10 | Am I being harsh? The Alpine car does not belong on a podium, yet I am awarding a 9 because it was gifted repeatedly. He was not as fast as Perez or Bottas, but issues out of their control moved them behind him. 5th (or 4th) is still good enough for 9 points
Esteban Ocon - 8/10 | Came from further back and probably helped Alonso a bit. He made Perez lose at least 1-2 seconds, right?

Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc - 7/10 | Nice recovery after a fairly broken car gave him no favours on the Saturday, but we've come to expect the 2 places right behind the top two teams for Ferrari now
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 6/10 | Should have finished higher than this considering he started 5th

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
Pierre Gasly - 4/10 | Really bad race. Front row to no points? Ugh!
Yuki Tsunoda - 5/10 | Like Gasly, but not from as far up front.

Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen:
Kimi Räikkönen - 6/10 | Very anonymous race
Antonio Giovinazzi - 6/10 | Very anonymous race

Uralkali Haas F1 Team:
Nikita Mazepin - 6/10 | I honestly feel sorry for him. What a miserable preparation for this race
Mick Schumacher - 7/10 | Beat Russell! That's something!

Williams Racing:
Nicholas Latifi - 6/10 | Puncture city up in here
George Russell - 6/10 | Puncture city up in here