2023 Qatar GP weekend F1 driver ratings

The Qatar Grand Prix sprint race weekend was always set to be one of the most challenging rounds of the 2023 season, but few expected just how much the drivers and teams would have to contend with.

From mandatory stint lengths being imposed due to tyre worries to the drivers battling with dehydration due to the heat, it was anything but a straightforward weekend for drivers. Naturally, some fared better than others, with some outstanding performances and some strikingly poor ones too.

Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen – 7/10

Sprint race start: 3rd
Sprint race finish: 2nd
Qualified: Pole (+12 places ahead of team mate, -0.979s)
Grid: Pole (+19 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: Winner (+9 places ahead of team mate)

• Fastest in practice, then took pole position despite mistake on final Q3 lap
• Took third in sprint qualifying after losing best SQ3 time for track limits
• Fell to fifth at start of sprint but rallied back to finish second, clinching championship
• Held lead of grand prix off the line running ahead of Piastri
• Led every lap of the grand prix to take victory by just under five seconds, setting fastest lap

On a weekend where Verstappen officially became a three-times world champion, he put on the kind of performance that has defined his 2023 season in Qatar. Taking pole on Friday and dominating the race on Sunday, Verstappen celebrated his most recent title in the best way possible in the grand prix. However, with his mistakes in both qualifying sessions, this was not a flawless weekend from the new world champion.

Sergio Perez – 3/10

Sprint race start: 8th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Crash – L11)
Qualified: 13th (-12 places behind team mate, +0.979s)
Grid: 20th (19 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (H-M-M-M)
Finished: 10th (-9 places behind team mate)

• Failed to reach Q2 after being eliminated in 13th
• Qualified eighth in sprint qualifying, then crashed out of sprint race in three-car collision
• Forced to start from the pit lane due to parc ferme violations
• Started on hards, picking up places as drivers pitted behind under Safety Car to restart 13th
• Passed by Russell, then sat behind Zhou until eventually overtaking him
• Hit with five second time penalty for fourth track limits violation
• Overtook Albon and Tsunoda, sitting 12th after second stop and serving penalty
• Hit with second penalty for fifth track limits strike, catching Gasly and Stroll in closing laps
• Overtook Gasly but was repassed to drop to 11th where he would finish
• Promoted to ninth with Stroll and Gasly’s penalties, but hit by third 5s penalty, falling to tenth

Over a weekend where this mathematical chances of the world championship title finally came to an end, Perez was again in awful form in Qatar. He failed to reach Q3 on Friday, for the eighth time this season, then could manage only eighth in sprint race qualifying. He wasn’t at fault in the racing incident that ended his sprint race, but he only had himself to blame for the fact he received three separate track limits penalties in the grand prix that left him extremely fortunate to score the single point that he took on Sunday.

Charles Leclerc – 6/10

Sprint race start: 6th
Sprint race finish: 12th
Qualified: 5th (+7 places ahead of team mate, -0.249s)
Grid: 5th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: 5th

• Had three lap times deleted in Friday qualifying but took fifth on the grid
• Qualified behind team mate in sprint qualifying to start sixth
• Finished seventh on softs in sprint race but demoted to 12th for four track limits strikes
• Passed by Piastri at start of Grand Prix, then ran in fourth until first stop
• Overtaken by Norris but gained place from Alonso after his turn two error to run fifth
• Gained on Russell in the closing laps, but finished five seconds behind in fifth

Leclerc has traditionally been one of the more consistent performers over previous sprint race weekends, but he wasn’t quite able to string together three faultless days of running in Qatar. He secured a decent enough grid position on Friday for the grand prix and ran close with his team mate in the sprint sessions, but threw away a couple of points by not keeping inside the track. However, he put in a solid performance in the grand prix to take a respectable fifth place after the “toughest race of his career” due to the heat.

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Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10

Sprint race start: 5th
Sprint race finish: 6th
Qualified: 12th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.249s)
Grid: 12th (-7 places behind team mate)
Finished: Did Not Start (Fuel leak)

• Failed to progress into Q2 on Friday and eliminated in 12th
• Received warning for erratic driving in front of Verstappen in qualifying
• Out-qualified team mate by one place in sprint qualifying, then finished sixth in sprint race
• Suffered fuel leak on his car one hour before grand prix start, forcing him to miss race

A frustrating weekend for Sainz who started off struggling to find a balance with his Ferrari on Friday and ended up missing the grand prix on Sunday, forced instead to watch it from the comfort of an air conditioned garage. Although he missed the opportunity to try and fight his way into the points from 12th on the grid, he at least earned something from the weekend with sixth in the sprint race. However, given his recent strong form, this wasn’t one of Sainz’s better weekends.

George Russell – 8/10

Sprint race start: 4th
Sprint race finish: 4th
Qualified: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.086s)
Grid: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -16 places
Strategy: Four-stop (M-M-M-H-S)
Finished: 4th

• Secured second on the grid on Friday after Norris’s fastest time was deleted
• Took fourth on the grid behind Verstappen in sprint qualifying
• Started sprint race on soft tyres and took the lead but faded to finish fourth
• Spun at first corner of the grand prix after being hit by team mate, dropping him to last
• Pitted for repairs and gained places when drivers ahead stopped under Safety Car
• Restarted 14th, passing Perez, Zhou, Sargeant, Albon, Lawson, Magnussen and Gasly to sit seventh
• Picked up more positions in pit cycle to run as high as second before final stop
• Rejoined in fourth and remained there until finish
• Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits strikes

One of the more outstanding performers of the weekend, Russell could come away from every session at Qatar rightly feeling happy with himself. Securing second in grand prix qualifying was the best realistic result and he followed that up with another solid performance to take fourth on the grid in sprint qualifying. Russell gambled on soft tyres for the sprint race and it appeared to have worked brilliantly when he dived by Piastri for the lead, but eventually his softs gave up the ghost. He wasn’t to blame for the clash at turn one with Hamilton, but despite falling almost to the back of the field he did an excellent job to climb up to fourth without any Safety Car interventions to assist him.

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Lewis Hamilton – 4/10

Sprint race start: 12th
Sprint race finish: 5th
Qualified: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate, +0.086s)
Grid: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate)
Finished: Retired (Crash – L1)

• Secured third on the grid in Friday qualifying, just behind team mate
• Knocked out in SQ2 on Saturday to line up 12th for sprint race
• Started sprint race on mediums and climbed up to finish behind team mate in fifth
• Fitted soft tyres for the grand prix start but retired after clashing with team mate into turn one

Hamilton endured a Qatar Grand Prix weekend to forget as the opportunity to take points out of Perez’s advantage over him in the championship went begging. Although describing his Friday qualifying performance as “average”, Hamilton still secured a decent starting position for Sunday. His sprint race qualifying performance was subpar, but he at least made up for it with a solid sprint race. Sadly, his misjudgement at the start of the grand prix cost him dearly as he failed to leave enough space to Russell, putting him out of the race. It was by no means an egregious error, but he rightly accepted that he had been in the wrong and suffered the consequences for it.

Esteban Ocon – 7/10

Sprint race start: 10th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Crash – L11)
Qualified: 8th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.21s)
Grid: 8th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: 7th (+5 places ahead of team mate)

• Followed team mate into Q3 on Friday to secure eighth on the grid
• Reached SQ3 on Saturday but failed to set a valid lap time, leaving him tenth
• Started sprint race on softs and climbed up to eighth before caught up in three car crash
• Picked up one place on track at start of grand prix to run fifth before early first stop
• Admitted to vomiting inside car around lap 15 due to conditions
• Worked through out-of-sequence rivals to rise back to eighth after final stop
• Picked up seventh when Zhou pitted and finished there, four seconds ahead of Bottas

Over a weekend where drivers throughout the field saw their performances fluctuate over the three days, Ocon was one of the most consistent. He was narrowly out-qualified by team mate Gasly on Friday but took his revenge in sprint qualifying. It would be harsh to hold him accountable for the crash that took him out of the sprint race as the stewards correctly called it a racing incident. In the grand prix, Ocon battled through the physical discomfort and executed his team’s strategy as well as they could reasonably ask him to. He secured six well-earned points for his efforts.

Pierre Gasly – 5/10

Sprint race start: 11th
Sprint race finish: 9th
Qualified: 7th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.21s)
Grid: 7th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: 12th (-5 places behind team mate)

• Secured seventh on the grid in Friday’s qualifying for best starting position since Monaco
• Only just failed to follow team mate into SQ3 to line up 11th for sprint race
• Warned for exceeding maximum lap time in sprint qualifying
• Started sprint race on softs, rising to eighth but fading to tenth, then gained ninth from Leclerc
• Fell behind team mate and Norris at grand prix start to run seventh
• Passed Lawson and Magnussen after pitting but overtaken by Russell
• Handed five second time penalty for fourth track limits violation
• Emerged 11th after final pit stop for mediums, catching and battling with Stroll and Perez
• Passed by Perez but overtook him with three laps left to finish tenth
• Hit with 10s of time penalties for six track limits violations, demoting him to 12th

Gasly had a decent weekend, pace wise, out-qualifying his team mate with a strong showing on Friday. His performance on Saturday was also respectable, despite the soft tyres not being the best option. His drive in the grand prix was also solid, except for the fact he sabotaged his chances of points by earning three separate time penalties for track limits violations – the most of any driver in the field. That takes away from the credit he would have earned for his solid performance up to that point.

Lando Norris – 6/10

Sprint race start: 2nd
Sprint race finish: 3rd
Qualified: 10th (-4 places behind team mate, -0.039s)
Grid: 10th (-4 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-M-H)
Finished: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate)

• Failed to set a legitimate time in Q3 due to track limits, leaving him down in tenth
• Secured second on the grid in sprint qualifying after mistake on final SQ3 lap
• Dropped to sixth at start of sprint race but recovered to third as soft runners faded
• Gained two places on track at grand prix start to run sixth, overcut Ocon, then passed Leclerc
• Overcut Alonso to move into third, then reeled in team mate
• Finished third, just over a second behind team mate

Despite securing his third consecutive podium appearance, Norris left Qatar ruing some small but critical mistakes that he felt cost him a lot more. He left himself in a hole on Friday when he failed to set a single valid time in Q3, then missed a golden opportunity to secure pole in sprint qualifying with a mistake in the final corner. But despite those errors, he managed to rise up the order in both races, making good use of his car’s race pace – especially on Sunday.

Oscar Piastri – 8/10

Sprint race start: Pole
Sprint race finish: Winner
Qualified: 6th (+4 places ahead of team mate, +0.039s)
Grid: 6th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-M-H)
Finished: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate)

• Lost final Q3 effort for track limits, leaving him down in sixth place
• Secured pole position for the sprint race with an excellent final flying lap
• Lost lead of sprint race to Russell but repassed him as his soft tyres faded to take victory
• Jumped into second at start of grand prix amid chaos at turn one, then ran behind Verstappen
• Maintained second place throughout the race, closing gap to leader in final stint
• Took career-best finish in second, under five seconds behind Verstappen

The best weekend performance of Piastri’s Formula 1 career to date. Piastri demonstrated his potential once again by becoming the first rookie driver to win a race in F1 while still not being a grand prix winner. He was the best driver in the field on Saturday as he converted sprint race pole into victory and he kept Verstappen as honest as possible over the grand prix, keeping his cool in the heat to stay ahead of his team mate. His only negative came from failing to stay within the lines in Friday’s Q3, but it’s fair to say he made up for that error over the next two days.

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Valtteri Bottas – 7/10

Sprint race start: 13th
Sprint race finish: 10th
Qualified: 9th (+11 places ahead of team mate, -1.394s)
Grid: 9th (+10 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Three-stop (S-M-H-H)
Finished: 8th (+1 place ahead of team mate)

• Reached Q3 on Friday for the first time since Hungary to secure ninth on the grid
• Knocked out in SQ2 in 13th place
• Rose to 11th in the sprint race but promoted to top ten after Leclerc’s penalty
• Dropped two places at the start, then pitted under Safety Car to restart 15th
• Ran a medium and two hard stints to sit in ninth before gaining eighth when team mate pitted
• Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits strikes
• Finished eighth, less than four seconds behind Ocon

A job well done for Bottas who secured four points with eighth place to help move his team ahead of Haas into eighth in the championship. He achieved this by delivering a strong Friday qualifying performance and then making his strategy work on Sunday to secure a top ten on merit. He achieved the same feat on sprint Saturday but the grand prix was where he truly shone to deliver a major morale boost for his team.

Zhou Guanyu – 6/10

Sprint race start: 15th
Sprint race finish: 14th
Qualified: 20th (-11 places behind team mate, +1.394s)
Grid: 19th (-10 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-H-S)
Finished: 9th (-1 place behind team mate)

• Eliminated slowest in Q1 on Friday, complained that Sargeant overtook him on final lap
• Squeezed through into SQ2 but knocked out after best lap was deleted for track limits
• Ran 15th in sprint race before pitting under SC for softs, but dropped to finish last
• Held position at grand prix start, then rose as high as fourth before first stop
• Maintained solid pace over both middle stints before late switch to softs
• Crossed the line 12th but promoted to points in ninth after penalties for cars ahead

Zhou’s weekend started off in underwhelming fashion but he ended it with his first points since Barcelona after a strong drive in the intense heat. He should have qualified better than he did on both Friday and Saturday but the soft tyres were not the right call in the sprint race. However, on Sunday, Zhou made up for his disappointing results over the first few days by showing excellent pace and executing his team’s strategy with skill. As he kept between the lines, he happily hoovered up two points from the drivers ahead of him.

Lance Stroll – 3/10

Sprint race start: 16th
Sprint race finish: 15th
Qualified: 17th (-13 places behind team mate, +1.122s)
Grid: 16th (-12 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: 11th (-5 places behind team mate)

• Eliminated from Q1 for the fourth consecutive round on Friday
• Just missed out on reaching SQ2 on Saturday
• Finished sprint race in 13th but demoted to 15th after 5s penalty for track limits
• Gained one place at the start and pitted under Safety Car, then passed Magnussen
• Rose to tenth, battling hard against Gasly and Perez in closing laps to finish ninth
• Demoted to 11th in final classification after ten seconds of track limits penalties
• Admitted to ‘blacking out’ at times in the car due to the intense heat

In a car that sits fourth in the constructors’ championship which scored nine points at the hands of his team mate, Stroll contributed nothing to his team’s points tally and very little of note throughout the weekend. The frustration was evident on Friday as he fell at the first qualifying hurdle once again, while he fared no better in sprint qualifying. While not on the level of his team mate in the races once again, he showed some heart by fighting Gasly and Perez in the closing laps. However, his inability to keep clean with track limits cost him positions on Saturday and points on Sunday, capping off a poor weekend.

Fernando Alonso – 5/10

Sprint race start: 9th
Sprint race finish: 8th
Qualified: 4th (+13 places ahead of team mate, -1.122s)
Grid: 4th (+12 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-M)
Finished: 6th (+5 places ahead of team mate)

• Secured first top four start since Canada in Friday’s qualifying
• Reached SQ3 but failed to set a legitimate lap time, leaving him ninth
• Ran seventh for much of sprint race on softs until passed late by Hamilton and Albon
• Took third at grand prix start after avoiding Mercedes, but could not keep pace with Piastri
• Complained of a burning seat from lap 15
• Made major mistake at turn two, losing positions to Russell and Leclerc
• Received warning for rejoining the circuit in an unsafe manner
• Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits strikes
• Ran in sixth for remainder of the race, finishing there ten seconds behind Leclerc

Not Alonso’s best weekend of the season by any means, but he would still have been happy to come away from Qatar with nine points from the weekend. Although his grand prix result was decent enough, he made a small error and a large error during the race which could have cost him at least one position. Similarly, his failure to set a clean lap in sprint qualifying is something a driver of his experience should not be doing. These untidy elements harm his rating.

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Kevin Magnussen – 5/10

Sprint race start: 19th
Sprint race finish: 13th
Qualified: 19th (-4 places behind team mate, +1.142s)
Grid: 18th (-4 places behind team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (S-M-H-H)
Finished: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate)

• First time racing at Qatar
• Eliminated 19th in Q1, significantly slower than team mate
• Knocked out 19th again in SQ2, but climbed to finish 13th in sprint race after pitting under SC
• Started on softs but pitted under Safety Car for mediums, then passed by Stroll to run 17th
• Ran ahead of Tsunoda for the majority of the race but was unable to catch Albon ahead
• Finished as the first car lapped in 14th, ahead of Tsunoda and team mate

Having never driven the Losail International Circuit prior to the weekend, Magnussen may not leave with a particularly favourable view of the track. He struggled for pace in both qualifying sessions, but made a decent go of the sprint race in the limited green flag laps available. While his grand prix wasn’t spectacular, he at least avoided any major errors or track limits penalties.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10

Sprint race start: 7th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Crash – L11)
Qualified: 15th (+4 places ahead of team mate, -1.142s)
Grid: 14th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +4 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-M-H)
Finished: 16th (-2 places behind team mate)

• Breezed into Q2 on Friday but was knocked out in 15th
• Secured an impressive seventh on the grid in sprint qualifying
• Ran ninth in sprint race before being caught up in three-car crash
• Lined up in wrong grid slot for grand prix and earned ten second penalty
• Passed Tsunoda after Safety Car restart but dropped to last after serving penalty
• Passed Lawson for 16th in the final stint to finish there, one lap down

A classic case of undoing so much of your hard work as a driver over a race weekend with one silly mistake. Hulkenberg was once again the stronger of the two Haas drivers over the Qatar weekend but torpedoed his prospects in the grand prix on Sunday by lining up in the wrong grid slot. After serving his penalty, he remained behind his team mate for the remainder of the race. At least his performance in the sprint session was strong, even if he was a victim of the racing incident that took out three cars.

Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10

Sprint race start: 18th
Sprint race finish: 11th
Qualified: 11th (+7 places ahead of team mate, -0.577s)
Grid: 11th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-H)
Finished: 15th (+2 places ahead of team mate)

• Almost reached Q3 on Friday but was eliminated in 11th
• Knocked out of SQ1 in sprint qualifying after best time deleted but rose to 11th in sprint race
• Moved up to eighth in grand prix start but dropped down the order as race progressed
• Ran in 15th over final stint, finishing eight seconds behind Magnussen but well ahead of team mate

Tsunoda’s weekend started strongly but as the days progressed he appeared to fade. His failure to keep within the reduced white lines on Saturday saw him unable to follow his team mate into the second round of sprint race qualifying but a decent showing saw him finish just outside the top ten. While Lawson struggled with his balance in the grand prix, Tsunoda enjoyed a more neutral car but was unable to keep his car in contention for points, finishing an unremarkable 15th.

Liam Lawson – 4/10

Sprint race start: 14th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Spun off – L1)
Qualified: 18th (-7 places behind team mate, +0.577s)
Grid: 17th (-6 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Three-stop (S-H-H-M)
Finished: 17th (-2 places behind team mate)

• First time racing in Qatar
• Eliminated from Q1, admitting he struggled with balance throughout Friday
• Reached SQ2 to line up 14th for the sprint race, but spun out at the second corner
• Held position at the start and pitted under Safety Car to restart last
• Ran at the back for the majority of the race, struggling with the balance of his car
• Finished last, one lap down and almost 20 seconds behind team mate
• Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits strikes

For the first time, Lawson truly looked like a rookie in what will likely be his final grand prix weekend in a Formula 1 car for at least the rest of the 2023 season. Likely a victim of the restrictive parc ferme rules limiting set-up changes, Lawson was fighting with his car all weekend. But in Formula 1, keeping the car on the road is a must and spinning off with an unforced error on lap two of the sprint race was the weakest moment of his stint with AlphaTauri. In the grand prix, he was at least able to match Tsunoda’s pace until fading heavily in the final stint.

Alexander Albon – 5/10

Sprint race start: 17th
Sprint race finish: 7th
Qualified: 14th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.092s)
Grid: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-H-H)
Finished: 13th

• Just reached Q2 at the expense of his team mate, then knocked out 15th after error
• Missed out on SQ2 berth on Saturday to line up 17th
• Gained ten places through the carnage of the sprint race to secure two points in seventh
• Ran tenth in the early laps, rising into the lead before pitting on lap 18
• Climbed back into tenth but struggled for pace in the middle stints
• Dropped to 13th on the road but hit with ten second penalty for five track limits offences
• Taken to medical centre after the race for acute heat exposure

A confusing performance from Albon at Losail. While he enjoyed great pace in the sprint race, to his own surprise, to secure an excellent finish, he could not seem to maintain that through the full grand prix itself. Once again, he struggled to stay within the white lines at a circuit where track limits bite and although it did not cost him any positions in the grand prix, he needs to do better than committing five infringements over a race.

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Logan Sargeant – 4/10

Sprint race start: 20th
Sprint race finish: Retired (Spun off – L2)
Qualified: 16th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.092s)
Grid: 15th (-2 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: Retired (Withdrew – L40)

• Only just failed to reach Q2 after being eliminated by team mate’s final lap
• Knocked out slowest in sprint qualifying after having both SQ1 times deleted
• Spun out of sprint race on the second lap into retirement
• Moved up to 12th during grand prix start and restarted in 11th after Safety Car
• Fell to the back of the field after second stop for hard tyres, catching Hulkenberg
• Complained of feeling unwell in the car but opted to push on
• Received black-and-white warning flag for three track limits strikes
• Eventually withdrew due to his physical condition on lap 40

Sargeant endured a more difficult weekend than most in Qatar. Recovering from an illness as the weekend began, he had a decent Friday showing where only his team mate prevented him from reaching Q2. But his Saturday was a typical Sargeant showing where small errors ruined both his sessions. His race pace on Sunday was respectable compared to his team mate but dehydration proved too much. His rating should not be punished for his retirement given the circumstances.

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