Driver Ratings - Belgian Grand Prix

The race that wasn't a race. There's no perfect solution, but half points and podium celebrations were not the thing to do.

The scores below are based on qualifying listed in the finishing order from Sunday.

Max Verstappen – 9

With fans filling the banks and grandstands surrounding the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in a sea of orange, their man came out on top with a hugely impressive 1.59.765. This lap was enough for the win and goes to show the importance of going all out on Saturday

George Russell – 10

That lap will gown down in history as one of the best performances we've seen on a Saturday, and although it was the most 'George Russell' way of getting a podium, you can't say he doesn't deserve some reward for all of his work in the Williams.

Lewis Hamilton – 8

Hamilton has done just enough to keep hold of P1 in the championship standings, but he will feel let down by his final run in Q3. Thanks to the points being awarded, his lead is down to three points, and with Verstappen having 'home advantage' in Zandvoort, it'll be interesting to see how Mercedes respond.

Daniel Ricciardo – 9

Could Spa be a turning point for Ricciardo? P4 on Saturday could be the result he needs to get a big boost of confidence and make his way up the standings, something McLaren will desperately need in the fight with Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel – 9

Calling out the FIA, checking on fellow drivers and getting a seasons best performance in qualifying. Sebastian Vettel is one hell of a driver.

Pierre Gasly – 8

Another excellent drive from Gasly, the Frenchman is in top form and giving constant justification as to why the Frenchman is rated so highly.

Esteban Ocon – 7

A solid weekend for Ocon, bringing him level with teammate Fernando Alonso for qualifying results. The Frenchman has all of the qualities to be a top tier driver, and he's got the perfect mentor with a two time world champion alongside him.

Charles Leclerc – 7

Having missed out on Q3 alongside teammate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc finished Sunday’s ‘race’ in eighth due to penalties for Bottas and Norris, and Sergio Perez’s pre-race crash. So although the pace was not there for Ferrari, they will be grateful for the points.

Nicholas Latifi – 8

All the news was on George Russell for obvious reasons, but Latifi can be incredibly proud of his efforts. Driver errors meant the Canadian picked up a single point, but it pushes them further away from Alfa Romeo, and closer to more money come the end of the season.

Carlos Sainz – 6

Half a point is not a bad result, especially since he struggled for pace in practise. The crazy thing is, could half a point be the difference in winning or losing to McLaren.

Fernando Alonso – 6

Another driver, another average weekend. Alonso struggled to get out of Q1, ultimately qualifying in P14.

Valtteri Bottas – 4

Bottas needed to do much better, especially with a five-place grid penalty from the incident caused at the Hungarian Grand Prix. His time of 2.02.164 in Q3 was two seconds behind Hamilton, and P12 won't do much to help Mercedes win the constructors championship either.

Antonio Giovinazzi – 5

Giovinazzi managed to beat teammate Kimi Raikkonen by two seconds, and that's all there is to say. It'll be interesting to see if he manages to keep hold of his Alfa Romeo seat for next season.

Lando Norris – 7

Norris was super quick in Q1 and Q2, and was one of the favourites for pole position, but he got caught out by the weather going up Raidillon and into Eau Rouge. And with Max getting the race win ultimately for his qualifying lap, it shows the importance of pushing the car to the absolute limit, even on Saturday.

Yuki Tsunoda – 4

Another weekend, another frustrating display from Yuki Tsunoda. He needs to consistently make it into Q2/Q3 every weekend. Despite this, I don't think Alpha Tauri will drop him.

Mick Schumacher – 5

Out-qualified Nikita Mazepin again. That's about it.

Nikita Mazepin – 4

Out-qualified by Schumacher again. Not much else to say.

Kimi Raikkonen – 4

Not what we're used to seeing from Raikkonen, especially at Spa. I'm very surprised he actually decided to stick around through all of the delays though.

Lance Stroll – 4

A very poor weekend that was made worse thanks to his five-place grid penalty from causing a crash at Hungary. One to forget.

Sergio Perez – 2

A very average result in qualifying was not what Perez needed and things were only made worse when he binned it on the out lap. His mechanics deserve a 10 for getting the car ready again, but the team will be disappointed at missing out on a couple of points he could have given them from P7.