The 2024 season has fast become one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, with seven separate race winners already as we reach the summer break.
With 14 rounds down and 10 to go, SPORTbible have ranked the 20 Formula 1 drivers on their performance so far this season.
20th- Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing)
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It has been far from the season Sergio Perez would have hoped for following his baron run against Max Verstappen in 2023, but somehow the Mexican entered the summer break with a two-year contract extension.
With the Red Bull car far from as dominant as it was in the previous two seasons, Perez has been consistently out-performed by both McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers. While Perez has put in some decent overtaking performances in the race, it's qualifying where he has been costing his team by failing to make it to Q3 (first round of qualifying) on five separate occasions.
The decision to keep Perez in the team after the summer break shocked many, and with an average grid position of 8.7 and a championship standing of 7th despite being in the leading constructor, it is easy to see why.
19th- Logan Sargeant (Williams)
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With Carlos Sainz announcing his move to Williams, Logan Sargeant's Formula 1 career looks all but done after just one and a half years in the sport. The American was fast-tracked into F1 after impressing in F2, but he has never managed to get into any kind of form and has still only scored one point to date.
Sargeant is 13-0 down to his teammate Alex Albon in qualifying, and is yet to string together a successful weekend for Williams this year with crashes and mistakes consistently interrupting his running. In Sargeant's defense, the 23-year-old has been rarely running a fully updated car, with Albon getting priority for performance upgrades. Sargeant was even forced to give up his own car to Albon in Melbourne after Williams couldn't replace the Thai driver's chassis following a crash.
18th- Zhou Guanyu (KICK Sauber)
After a promising start to his Formula 1 career, Zhou Guanyu has been very limited in what he can achieve in his third season largely due to the performance of the Sauber.
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Sauber have been consistently the slowest car in 2024 and continuous issues with pitstops have meant they have never really threatened the points. While Zhou has a higher 'best finish' compared to his teammate Valtteri Bottas (P11), he has been considerably off the pace when compared to the former Mercedes driver, particularly in qualifying (13-1 in favour of Bottas).
17th Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1)
Despite being so low down in the ranking, it's been far from an uneventful season for Kevin Magnussen. The Danish driver made the headlines a fair amount throughout the first half of the season, mainly due to the amount of penalty points he was picking up.
Magnussen has already accumulated 10 penalty points in 2024, just two away from a race ban. In fairness, some of these cautions are forgivable such as in Saudi Arabia where K-Mag helped his teammate gain a free pitstop by slowing down cars behind. However, the majority of these incidents are simply down to driver error and a lack of judgment from Magnussen.
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With Magnussen only scoring five of Haas' 27 points this season, it is no surprise the Dane has been replaced by Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman for 2025.
16th- Valterri Bottas (KICK Sauber)
It's fair to say a driver like Valterri Bottas does not deserve to be driving a car as bad as this season's Sauber, but that's the position he is in and is doing a pretty good job considering. Sauber are the only team to not score a point in the first 14 races, and with a highest race finish of 13th Bottas doesn't look like he will break that duck anytime soon.
Bottas boasts an impressive 13-1 record in qualifying against Zhou, and has somehow managed to push his Sauber into the second round of qualifying in the previous two rounds before the summer break. However, despite his recent form the 34-year-old is still not confirmed on the 2025 grid with his contract coming to an end.
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15th- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
It's actually been a pretty decent season for Lance Stroll all things considered, and for once the Canadian hasn't made it too obvious that his billionaire father owns the team and will keep him at any cost.
That being said, Stroll has still been slightly behind Fernando Alonso throughout the season, but some positive performances in qualifying and a P6 in Australia have certainly sugar-coated his season.
Stroll is also at the mercy of a rather underwhelming Aston Martin, which has been significantly slower than the leading four teams up to the summer break.
14th- Daniel Ricciardo (RB Racing)
While the Daniel Ricciardo we have seen at RB has been a notable improvement from his final season with McLaren, the Aussie is still far from the driver he once was at Red Bull and Renault.
Ricciardo put in one of the performances of the entire season in the Miami sprint race, where he sensationally qualified and finished fourth. Ricciardo finished ahead of Carlos Sainz and all four McLaren and Mercedes cars in a superb defensive performance. However, after such a strong sprint race Ricciardo only managed 15th in the Grand Prix, which pretty much summed up his season to date. Moments of magic, but just not the same.
13th- Alex Albon (Williams)
Although Alex Albon has 'Max Verstappen-like' stats when it comes to beating his teammate Logan Sargeant, the Williams project has been slowed down in 2024. With just four points scored thus far (all by Albon), Albon and team principal James Vowels have a serious job on their hands to drag Williams up the standings.
Albon has grown into the season with his two points-finishes coming at Monaco and Silverstone, however, Albon's early season crashes were the last thing Williams needed. Particularly in Melbourne where his FP1 crash on the Friday left his chassis and car unusable for the remainder of the weekend.
12th- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
The battle of the Alpines could be a documentary in itself, as Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon continue to lock horns week in and week out on track despite being teammates. While Gasly appears to have won the war due to the release of Ocon to Haas for 2025, his fellow Frenchman may slightly have the edge this year.
Gasly sits above Ocon in the standings but is trailing his teammate 9-5 (race) and 10-4 (qualifying) in the season's head-to-head statistics.
11th- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
You could genuinely flip a coin between the two Alpine drivers for their performances so far, but after being essentially sacked for a lap one crash in Monaco, I believe Ocon deserves a bit of credit.
The Frenchman has been the more consistent Alpine driver throughout the first half of the season, and the previously mentioned head-to-head stats tell that story. Although Ocon is certainly more of a loose cannon when compared to Gasly, sometimes when you're fighting for every last point in the midfield that's exactly what you need.
10th- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
As long as Fernando Alonso is in the sport of Formula 1 he will always be regarded as one of the grid's top drivers, but it has been a pretty subpar 2024 so far for the Spaniard.
Alonso sits 9th in the standings with 49 points, one place above his Aston Martin counterpart Lance Stroll who has scored 24 points after 14 races. While Alonso's race pace and management are still far superior to Stroll, the qualifying domination he has enjoyed in previous years has significantly faded in 2024 with Alonso currently 10-7 up in both GP and sprint race qualifying.
The fact the 43-year-old is still competing at this level is an achievement in itself, but even with the limitations of the Aston Martin, Alonso will have hoped to have had a more successful first half of 2024.
9th- Yuki Tsunoda (RB Racing)
It's been another impressive season from the Red Bull junior, who never seems to be in the conversation for a seat at the main team despite delivering consistently since Pierre Gasly's exit to Alpine.
Tsunoda has scored double the number of points when compared to his more experienced teammate Ricciardo in 2024 (24 points compared to 12 points). The 24-year-old has an impressive seven points-finishes so far this season in Grand Prix compared to three for Ricciardo.
With Sergio Perez under serious pressure to keep hold of his Red Bull seat next season, Tsunoda has surely done enough to warrant the nod over his veteran teammate if Perez is to leave the senior team.
8th- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz provided one of the best moments of the season when he returned from appendix surgery to win the Australian Grand Prix, after being forced to miss the previous round in Jeddah. However, Sainz's heroics in Melbourne remain the highlight of his season, as the Spaniard has failed to capitalize on his early season momentum.
After beating his teammate Charles Leclerc in all three of his first races, Sainz went on a rather damning streak of being beaten by Leclerc in every competitive session (sprint, qualifying, race) until the Austrian Grand Prix in round 11. With Sainz now officially signed to Williams for 2025, we might get to see more of what we expect from the 'Smooth Operator' with the uncertainty of his future behind him.
7th- Nico Hulkenberg (Haas F1)
The highest-ranked of the midfield drivers, Nico Hulkenberg is quietly enjoying an outstanding season at Haas. The German has been head and shoulders above his teammate Kevin Magnussen this year and has even enjoyed back-to-back P6 finishes.
Hulkenberg has been particularly impressive in qualifying, averaging a grid slot of 12.3 compared to his teammate's 16.0. It is fair to say he has more than earned his move to Sauber next season, a team that will become Audi in 2026.
6th- Lando Norris (McLaren)
2024 has undoubtedly been Lando Norris' best season to date in F1, as he finally secured his first win after five years in the sport thanks to a convenient safety car in Miami. Norris currently sits 2nd in the championship, which demonstrates his consistency in always being towards the front of the field. However, the season so far simply has to be viewed as a catalog of missed opportunities.
It would be fair to say McLaren have had the quickest car in the sport since Miami, and despite seeming to have the upper hand on his teammate Piastri, Norris has consistently failed to deliver the wins McLaren would have expected. It is important to note McLaren needs to hold a significant amount of blame themselves, as they consistently seem to care more about Lando's opinion on strategy, rather than their paid professionals.
Norris does also need to do his part if he is to mount a serious title challenge after the summer break, particularly during race starts. Norris is the only driver on the grid to not gain a single position on the opening lap in all 17 races this season (including sprints). The Brit also has a 100% record of losing pole position by the first corner, which as comedic as it sounds simply has to change as soon as physically possible.
5th- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
F1's newest winner is next up, and Oscar Piastri has certainly upped his game in his second season as a Formula 1 driver. While Piastri is not at Lando Norris' level just yet, he is certainly getting close and I don't think it should be an unpopular opinion to suggest the Aussie has had a better season than his teammate all things considered.
Piastri is the only other driver on the grid apart from Lewis Hamilton to outscore Max Verstappen since Spain, with 83 points compared to Verstappen's 81. The 23-year-old's cool, calm presence in the car is a stark contrast from the stress (often provoked by his own team) we often hear from the cockpit of Norris, and his victory in Hungary possessed everything you want to see in a future World Champ.
4th- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Like every single Charles Leclerc season 2024 has been full of ups and downs, but the Ferrari driver has been consistently delivering the best possible results for his team. After not winning a race last season, Leclerc finally stood on the top step of the podium at his home race in Monaco.
Leclerc dominated the entire weekend in Monte Carlo and finally broke his Monaco curse and converted pole position to victory in one of Formula 1's most iconic victories. With Ferrari now probably the 4th fastest team on the grid, the fact Leclerc sits third in the driver standings shows exactly how well he has done. With six podiums and two pole positions so far, the 26-year-old has maximised his car's potential 99% of the time and has been a cut above his teammate Carlos Sainz in most cases.
The Monegasque driver's form did falter slightly following his race win, particularly in Silverstone where an early exit from qualifying and a disastrous Ferrari strategy saw him a lap down on the leaders. However, a pole and podium in Spa set him up well for the second half of the season.
3rd- George Russell (Mercedes)
One of the most criminally underrated drivers on the grid, George Russell slots in third. After winning his second-ever F1 Grand Prix in extremely fortuitous circumstances, Russell quickly became the unluckiest driver on the grid in Spa.
Russell was disqualified by the FIA in Belgium for his car being underweight despite winning the race in extraordinary circumstances. The one-stop strategy that Russell pulled off was one of the most impressive drives ever seen in the modern era, and to successfully defend against Hamilton on much quicker tires at a track like Spa deserved a whole lot of credit.
Russell has also secured two pole positions this year at Canada and Silverstone and looked a serious contender for victory before a technical problem forced him to retire from the race. The Brit's head-to-head record with Lewis Hamilton should also be praised significantly more than it is, particularly in qualifying where he has been destroying his teammate (who just happens to have 104 pole positions).
2nd- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
After a slow start to his 2024, Sir Lewis Hamilton looks like he is finally back driving at the level which has seen him win seven World Championships. Hamilton only sits 6th in the driving standings with 150 points but has scored more points than ANY driver since the Spanish GP with 88 (seven more than WC leader Verstappen).
After growing into the season and starting to achieve consistent results, it was the British Grand Prix that really catapulted Hamilton back to where we all knew he could be. The 39-year-old drove an exceptional race, particularly the final stint which saw him undercut race-favourite Lando Norris. With just 10 races left at Mercedes, Hamilton will be looking to step onto the top step a few more times in black overalls following his wins at Silverstone and Spa.
1st- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
It is no surprise to see the man leading the World Championship at the top of the list, with seven victories and nine podiums the Dutchman has continued to show his class in 2024. With Red Bull dominating the 2022 and 2023 seasons many were unsure if Verstappen would be ready when the other teams eventually caught up, but he has proved the doubters wrong.
Despite no longer having the fastest car on a regular basis, the 26-year-old has come out victorious on several occasions when it seemed unlikely. Fending off Lando Norris in Imola and Spain, as well as picking up the scraps in Canada showed exactly why he's the man to beat.
However, with competition now far higher than in previous seasons we have started to get a glimpse of why he earned the 'Mad Max' reputation. His race-shattering collision in Austria and his dive bomb on Hamilton in Budapest are examples of where the World Champ needs to improve if he is to secure his 4th consecutive title.
Topics: Formula 1, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Oscar Piastri
Tom Jenkins