So who starred and who struggled in a Formula 1 season that produced no end of dramatic, unpredictable and controversial moments in 2024? Running through the grid in final Drivers’ Championship order, see how the sport’s stars rated for their performances this year…

(Drivers with at least five race starts in the season included)

Max Verstappen – 9.5

Championship position: 1st – 437 points (9 Grand Prix wins, 8 poles)

World champion for a fourth successive season, but Verstappen was finally pushed again for the first time since claiming his maiden title in 2021.

The Dutchman was more than equal to the task, responding to McLaren matching and then bettering Red Bull’s pace a quarter of the way into the season by claiming a series of hard-fought crucial victories at Imola, Montreal and Barcelona.

From there on it was damage limitation as he showed remarkable consistency to maintain an advantage over the hard-chasing Lando Norris, with some of the performances to take second places perhaps more impressive than his dominant early-season victories.

The finishing touches to his superb campaign were applied with a stunning win in the wet at Interlagos from 17th on the grid and a first dry-weather victory since June in Qatar to send a reminder to his rivals that beating him will remain a formidable challenge in 2025.

Verstappen’s campaign wasn’t far from perfect, but he let himself down in Mexico with a reckless, over-aggressive and unsporting approach to battling Norris.

Lando Norris – 8.5

Championship position: 2nd – 374 points (4 Grand Prix wins, 8 poles)

McLaren’s unexpected jump to contending for race wins thrust Norris into a spotlight that the hugely popular Brit hadn’t experienced before.

He largely coped well, pouncing to claim a richly deserved maiden F1 win in Miami before going toe to toe with Verstappen throughout the summer.

Norris repeatedly showed he possesses the speed to match Verstappen but made too many mistakes to apply the Drivers’ Championship pressure that McLaren’s pace advantage over Red Bull probably merited.

His biggest issue was the start. On six of the eight occasions he started on pole, he had lost the lead by the end of the first lap. His dominant win from pole to seal the Constructors’ Championship for McLaren in Abu Dhabi did at least suggest progress has been made.

The other concern is that, given Verstappen appears to be the biggest obstacle to any of his rivals winning a drivers’ title, Norris has so far appeared unwilling to commit to the level of ferocity in on-and-off track combat that is required to overcome the Dutchman.

Charles Leclerc – 8.5

Championship position: 3rd – 356 points (3 Grand Prix wins, 3 poles)

As he prepared to go head to head with Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc certainly showed signs of growth in 2024.

He memorably overcame his ‘Monaco curse’ to finally win his home race in fine style, and generally cut down the mistakes that have led some to previously question his status as Ferrari’s chosen one.

Any frustrations the tifosi may have developed were undoubtedly eroded when he triumphed for the second time in his career in Monza, and he also added a third victory of the season in Austin.

Leclerc was often left frustrated, most notably in Qatar, over a perception he was being unfairly treated by Sainz and the team, which may have been true. Going up against the wily Hamilton next year, becoming more tactically aware is perhaps the next key development step Leclerc needs to take.

Oscar Piastri – 7.5

Championship position: 4th – 292 points (2 Grand Prix wins)

In his second season in F1, the Australian showed more of the qualities that have led many to earmark him as a future world champion.

He remained largely unable to match Norris for pace over both one lap and race distance, but at times upstaged his team-mate in terms of racecraft.

Piastri’s maiden grand prix victory, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, was unfortunately overshadowed by a team orders soap opera that took to the gloss of what should have been a special moment.

He would put that right with a superb victory in Azerbaijan as he came out on top in a thrilling battle with Charles Leclerc, which came shortly after he had perhaps mis-stepped in costing both Norris and McLaren with an overly aggressive early pass on his team-mate.

The question going into season three is whether Piastri can consistently find that extra tenth or two that would make him a genuine 2025 drivers’ title contender.

Carlos Sainz – 7.5

Championship position: 5th – 290 points (2 Grand Prix wins, 1 pole)

After starting the season having received the bombshell that Hamilton would be replacing him in 2025, Sainz delivered the best possible response by remarkably rising from his sickbed just two weeks after an appendectomy to win the Australian Grand Prix.

That moment would be difficult to top but he did claim what would prove to be his final Ferrari victory, for now, in Mexico.

More generally, Sainz showed his class by regularly matching Leclerc’s prodigious one-lap speed in qualifying.

Perhaps importantly for whatever follows his move to Williams, Sainz showed remarkable professionalism and consistency throughout a campaign where it would have been easy to do otherwise.

George Russell – 8

Championship position: 6th – 245 points (2 Grand Prix wins, 4 poles)

The new top dog at Mercedes made a statement with his qualifying dominance over Lewis Hamilton and a couple of excellent victories.

Russell was rewarded for getting everything out of his W15 in Austria as a Verstappen-Norris collision gifted him victory. Another almost followed in Belgium, but an underweight car cancelled out another wonderful drive.

The Brit would cash in on Mercedes’ Las Vegas dominance to win from pole, but was unable to repeat the trick as he gave up the lead at the start a week later in Qatar amid what would turn into an almighty feud with Max Verstappen.

Russell provided plenty of evidence to suggest he belongs among the top tier of F1’s current field, but perhaps still has another gear to find on Sundays if he is to back up his talk.

Lewis Hamilton – 6.5

Championship position: 7th – 223 points (2 Grand Prix wins)

It was always going to be a strange one after the seven-time world champion’s move to Ferrari for 2025 was announced shortly before the start of the season.

Once the shock had worn off, the next biggest surprise was Hamilton’s sudden loss of qualifying form, which saw him dominated by team-mate Russell over one lap. There will be major focus at the start of 2025 on whether this was a blip, caused by the W15, or whether he is in for a tough time against Leclerc.

What wasn’t left in any doubt is that Hamilton remains a match for anyone when he is zoned in on a Sunday, with his hugely emotional victory at Silverstone undoubtedly one of the moments of the season.

A slightly strange win – after his team-mate’s disqualification – in Belgium followed, while superb comeback drives after poor qualifying efforts in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi will prevent anyone from writing off the man who turns 40 in January just yet.

Sergio Perez – 3.5

Championship position: 8th – 152 points

The Mexican’s fall from grace has been tough to watch. After a strong start to the season, he completely capitulated and appears set to pay the ultimate price with the loss of his seat.

It’s clear that the RB20 was nowhere near as dominant as its predecessors, but Perez was able to produce impressive results at times earlier in his career without having the best car on the grid.

His qualifying form was atrocious, with nine failures to reach Q3 leaving him too much work to do on Sundays.

The fact he survived until the end of the season said more about Red Bull’s lack of alternatives and perhaps embarrassment around the misstep of giving Perez a contract extension in June just as form was beginning to spiral.

Fernando Alonso – 6.5

Championship position: 9th – 70 points

After the carrot was dangled to the veteran in 2023 with Aston Martin appearing to be on the verge of gatecrashing the battle at the front, this season was extremely sobering.

Alonso largely maintained his own high standards and unsurprisingly continued to comprehensively outperform team-mate Lance Stroll.

However, some previously unseen errors did creep in, while a late-season health issue may have the 43-year-old Spaniard considering how much longer he cares to remain on the grid for.

Pierre Gasly – 7

Championship position: 10th – 42 points

Through little fault of his own, Pierre Gasly’s first 18 months with Alpine were thoroughly underwhelming as the French driver struggled to make an impact in a poor car.

Whether it was improvement to the car or the mid-season news that his team-mate Esteban Ocon was leaving in 2025, Gasly came to life in the closing stages of his campaign.

Both he and Ocon drove superbly in Alpine’s remarkable double podium in Brazil, but Gasly was then able to turn in a series of great performances in the dry, taking fifth in Qatar and seventh in Abu Dhabi, to get the team over the line for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Nico Hulkenberg – 7.5

Championship position: 11th – 41 points

The Hulk continued to show why Audi were keen to snap him up for their 2026 entry to the sport. He produced more eye-catching performances in qualifying and was regularly able to back that up by scrapping for points.

He finished five of the last seven races in the points and at the age of 37, appears to be maturing like a fine wine.

Ultimately, if it weren’t for Alpine’s slightly fortunate double podium at Interlagos, Hulkenberg would have spearheaded Haas to a hugely impressive sixth in the constructors’ standings.

Yuki Tsunoda – 6.5

Championship position: 12th – 30 points

The Japanese driver appeared to win what was meant to be a shootout with Daniel Ricciardo for a Red Bull seat but then still didn’t get the prize.

He claimed three seventh-place finishes in an RB car that performed below expectations, and was as committed as ever.

It was steady rather than spectacular from the 24-year-old, but enough to convince most in the paddock that he deserves a shot at being Max Verstappen’s team-mate.

Lance Stroll – 4

Championship position: 13th – 24 points

It was another underwhelming season for the Canadian, who did little to dispel the notion he is only keeping hold of his seat by virtue of his father being the team owner.

Not only did Stroll’s performances disappoint once more, but he continued to give off the impression that he would rather be anywhere else in the world but the F1 paddock.

It’s hard to see what the end game is for Stroll, and with rumours Aston are in the mix to sign Max Verstappen further down the line, things don’t seem likely to get any easier for him.

Esteban Ocon – 5.5

Championship position: 14th – 23 points

A slightly strange end to Ocon’s five-year tenure with Alpine was at least punctuated by his superb second in the wet at Interlagos.

It was otherwise a forgettable campaign for the notoriously fierce competitor, who will hope to benefit from a change of scenery at Haas next year.

Kevin Magnussen – 6

Championship position: 15th – 16 points

As he bids farewell to F1 for what is most likely the final time, the Dane went out on his sword with several reminders of his uncompromising style.

That actually cost him a race as he picked up a ban for amassing too many penalty points over a year period, but Magnussen wasn’t changing his style for anyone, not even the rulebook.

His most memorable drives of the year actually didn’t yield any points for him, as he magnificently backed up and fended off rivals to allow his team-mate to score points in Saudi Arabia and Miami.

Alex Albon – 5.5

Championship position: 16th – 12 points

It was a gruelling season for Albon as Williams failed to continue on the positive trajectory they appeared to be on in 2023.

The British-born Thai driver appeared to become bogged down in the team’s struggles and let his own standards slip, with four DNFs coming from accidents.

Going up against new team-mate Carlos Sainz next year could ultimately define whether Albon will ever get another shot towards the front of the grid – the pressure is on.

Daniel Ricciardo – 5

Championship position: 17th – 12 points

It was an awkward farewell for the popular Australian as he was once more only able to produce pace in flashes.

The fact he was unable to outperform Tsunoda persuaded the Red Bull hierarchy that there was more value in getting a look at Liam Lawson before the season was over, than persisting with him.

Whether it was a lack of suitability to this generation of cars or a simple loss of speed, Ricciardo’s F1 career appears to be over for good this time around.

Franco Colapinto – 5.5

Championship position: 19th – 5 points

There was so much drama during Colapinto’s nine-race cameo that you could make a Hollywood movie about the Argentine’s F1 story.

He burst on the scene with impressive speed, two points finishes in his first four races and a huge fan following, leading many to believe he was on the verge of earning an RB seat for 2025.

However, a series of costly crashes altered the paddock’s perception of the 21-year-old and he’ll now have to wait until at least 2026 to get a full-time seat in F1.

Zhou Guanyu – 4.5

Championship position: 20th – 4 points

Formula 1’s first Chinese driver saved face by scoring Sauber’s only points of the season by finishing eighth in the penultimate race in Qatar.

Otherwise, it was a poor campaign for the 25-year-old with no signs of progress, leaving him out of the picture for a drive next year.

Zhou is rumoured to be in line for a Ferrari reserve role in 2025, by that might be as good as it gets for him in F1.

Liam Lawson – 6

Championship position: 21st – 4 points

As was the case with his 2023 cameo, Liam Lawson showed confidence and potential after replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the final six rounds of the season.

The New Zealander appears to be set to be fast-tracked into a Red Bull seat, but concerningly has yet to show enough pace to suggest he can get anywhere near Max Verstappen.

Valtteri Bottas – 5

Championship position: 22nd – 0 points

The fact that the most memorable achievement of Bottas’ campaign was completing an Ironman triathlon in his own home tells you everything you need to know about what occurred on track.

The Finn was the only full-season driver to end the year pointless, which feels a little harsh as on the whole he was clearly much faster than his Sauber team-mate, Zhou.

Bottas insists he still has something to give to the sport, but he didn’t show enough to convince a top team he is worthy of a seat.

Logan Sargeant – 3

Championship position: 23rd – 0 points

It was a sad end to Sargeant’s time with Williams as he continued to look way out of his depth before being let go by James Vowles two thirds of the way through the season.

The 23-year-old American went pointless and it would be a major surprise if he were to be seen in F1 again.

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