Emilia Romagna GP ratings: Max Verstappen shows why it's not just down to the car

Max Verstappen - 10

Max Verstappen showed why he’s the best driver in F1 currently with his performance across the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It’s fair to say that McLaren had the edge in one-lap pace at Imola but it was Verstappen who was the one to claim pole. It was a similar story in the race with Red Bull better on the medium tyre, while McLaren fared well on the hards.

Lando Norris - 9

Another mighty weekend from Lando Norris as he finished just 0.7s behind Verstappen at the chequered flag. Norris’ rating has been marked down slightly after he was out-qualified by Piastri. 

Charles Leclerc - 9

Charles Leclerc’s remarkable consistency continues, ensuring he’s finished all seven races inside the top four. Ferrari appeared to lack a little bit compared to the top two teams, forcing Leclerc to settle for third.

Oscar Piastri - 8

Oscar Piastri’s podium chances were effectively ruined after he picked up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in qualifying. He managed to gain one place in the race, undercutting Carlos Sainz through the pit stop phase.

Carlos Sainz - 7.5

It was clear that Sainz was a step behind teammate Leclerc in pace terms at Imola. Perhaps fourth could have been on the cards had Ferrari responded to Piastri’s pit stop quicker. 

Lewis Hamilton - 7.5

While Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying performances continue to be underwhelming, it’s hard to criticise him on race day. Yes, he was running behind George Russell for much of the race, but he still would have likely finished ahead regardless of if his teammate made a second pit stop. 

George Russell - 7.5

Russell was very impressive in qualifying to get within a tenth of the second Ferrari. It seemed that Hamilton had the edge on race pace, particularly with tyre degradation, forcing Russell into a second pit stop.

Sergio Perez - 5.5

A disastrous weekend for Sergio Perez as he was knocked out in Q2. The race didn’t prove to be any better as he struggled to finish eighth. 

Lance Stroll - 7

A tidy weekend from Stroll in the Aston Martin. He out-qualified teammate Fernando Alonso, who to be fair, endured a shocker. Good strategy choices from Aston Martin allowed him to move up the order, pulling off some decent overtakes in the process.

Yuki Tsunoda - 8

Another impressive performance from Tsunoda who starred in qualifying to split the Mercedes duo. A sluggish start combined with some traffic in the form of Logan Sargeant hampered his progress. 

Nico Hulkenberg - 7.5

Nico Hulkenberg enjoyed another strong weekend as he progressed into Q3 yet again. He dropped out of points contention when Stroll charged back through the field.

Kevin Magnussen - 6.5

Magnussen’s chances of a strong weekend were ruined when he was impeded by Piastri, leading to his Q1 exit. The Dane fought hard to fight his way through the midfield to come away with a respectable result.

Daniel Ricciardo - 6.5

Ricciardo continues to trail teammate Tsunoda. While he did make Q3, he dropped out of points contention following an early stop.

Esteban Ocon - 7

Ocon continued his impressive start to the year in uncompetitive Alpine machinery. Points were never on the cards but he had the edge on Gasly overall.

Zhou Guanyu - 6

Zhou was beaten by Bottas in qualifying for the seventh time this year. On the alternate strategy, the Chinese driver managed to get back ahead of his teammate.

Pierre Gasly - 6

Up until Q2, it looked like Gasly had the edge over teammate Ocon. Starting on the softs, and an early pit stop, didn't quite work out.

Logan Sargeant - 5.5

Sargeant failed to set a time in qualifying as his dismal start to the season continued at Imola. He endured a fairly anonymous race.

Valtteri Bottas - 6.5

Bottas is on a remarkable qualifying streak against Zhou, out-qualifying him in 15 of the last 16 races. The Finn dropped down the order late on as he struggled with tyre wear. 

Fernando Alonso - 5

Quite possibly the worst weekend of Alonso’s F1 career. He crashed out in FP3 before getting knocked out in Q1. The race was effectively a test session.

Alex Albon - 6 

Albon's race was ruined by an unsafe release from Williams. He was then ultimately the only DNF.