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The 2023 F1 Japanese GP is now done and dusted. We have Red Bull walking away as the constructors' champions and Max Verstappen putting on another masterclass. This feature is however not about all of that. We're not here to talk about what happened in the race.
What we're here to do is rate how the superstars of the grid, the drivers, fared during the 2023 F1 Japanese GP. So without further ado, let's take a look.
Criteria for rating: When we rate the drivers, there are a few things that we take into consideration.
These are:
- Performance in both qualifying and race
- Results achieved compared to the potential of the car
- How many mistakes were made over the weekend
- Relative performance against their teammate
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2023 F1 Japanese GP: Rating the drivers
Red Bull
Max Verstappen (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)
Rating: 10
He came to the 2023 F1 Japanese GP with a chip on his shoulder. After telling the doubters to go 'suck an egg,' he went ahead and completely demolished the competition. A perfect weekend for a driver who didn't like a P5 finish in Singapore.
Sergio Perez (Started: 5th, Finished: DNF)
Rating: 4
If Sergio Perez's performance does not improve by the end of the season his seat will be in danger. The driver is not only far off the pace of his teammate but the crash-prone nature has become just too much. The 2023 F1 Japanese GP was another race that showed Perez needed to do a better job at Red Bull.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (Started: 4th, Finished: 4th)
Rating: 8.5
A perfect reply from Charles to his doubters. After the race in Singapore where he was truly outclassed by his teammate, Leclerc made sure he bounced back. Throughout the weekend he was the faster Ferrari and it showed in the result as well.
Carlos Sainz (Started: 6th, Finished: 6th)
Rating: 8
The 2023 F1 Japanese GP was a bit of a blip in performance for Carlos. He was slower than Leclerc all weekend and that did ultimately cost him a position in the end to Hamilton.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (Started: 7th, Finished: 5th)
Rating: 8
A statement-making weekend for Lewis Hamilton on his own team. With staunch defense against an arguably quicker teammate, Hamilton overcame the challenge and beat George. It was also capped by a subtle "we're not close" jab when talking about the points standings for the two drivers.
George Russell (Started: 8th, Finished: 7th)
Rating: 7.5
A weekend where George should have realised that if he wants to win at Mercedes he needs to be more assertive. The cute strategies are fine but when push comes to shove, Lewis continues to get the better of him. Strong performance overall but he will be disappointed.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly (Started: 12th, Finished: 10th)
Rating: 7.5
Pierre Gasly completely lost it at the end of the 2023 F1 Japanese GP when he was told to give the position back to Esteban Ocon. The expletive-filled team radio and gestures were a bit over the top but this one was on the team, not the driver.
Esteban Ocon (Started: 14th, Finished: 9th)
Rating: 7.5
A point finish almost seemed like a miracle for the Alpine driver as he made his way through the field. A strong performance where he finished ahead of his teammates, even though the miscommunication from the team played a role.
McLaren
Lando Norris (Started: 3rd, Finished: 2nd)
Rating: 9
Impressive weekend overall from Norris as he secured another P2 finish. He's now level with George Russell on points and looking at the form guide one might even favour him to get ahead. A strong weekend overall but Norris might need to start keeping an eye out for his teammate.
Oscar Piastri (Started: 2nd, Finished: 3rd)
Rating: 8.5
First career podium at the 2023 F1 Japanese GP for Oscar. The Australian started the race on the front row and did an impressive job of holding on to P3. The race pace is surely an area where he needs to work on but the driver seems ready to be a frontrunner. First of many for Oscar!
Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas (Started: 16th, Finished: DNF)
Rating: 5
A race cut short by the silly accident with Logan Sargeant. The 2023 F1 Japanese GP was another race where the driver was limited by the car. Alfa Romeo has been a major disappointment this season and continues to be one.
Guanyu Zhou (Started: 19th, Finished: 13th)
Rating: 5
A disappointing qualifying followed by a race where not much was possible for Zhou as the car was just too limited. In the end, Zhou brought the car home but there was no reward in place for the driver.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso (Started: 10th, Finished: 8th)
Rating: 8
Fernando Alonso is back to dragging the best possible result from the cars that Aston Martin is giving him. The driver did lose his patience a little in the 2023 F1 Japanese GP but that's understandable. As a driver, Alonso extracted whatever was on offer from the car.
Lance Stroll (Started: 17th, Finished: DNF)
Rating: 3
Another disappointing weekend for Lance Stroll as the driver found himself eliminated in Q1 once again. He made decent progress at the start of the race but the problem with the wing ended his 2023 F1 Japanese GP early.
Haas F1
Kevin Magnussen (Started: 15th, Finished: 15th)
Rating: 6
A decent race for Magnussen as he had the pace in qualifying to a better laptime than Hulkenberg. The race saw Magnussen drop behind his teammate but overall there wasn't much on offer for either of the drivers and he finished the race last.
Nico Hulkenberg (Started: 18th, Finished: 14th)
Rating: 6
Nico once again did not have the pace of his teammate in qualifying. In the 2023 F1 Japanese GP however, he got the jump on Kevin early in the race. It didn't matter though as the car's poor race pace meant points were never on the table.
AlphaTauri
Liam Lawson(Started: 11th, Finished: 11th)
Rating: 8.5
A strong statement for Lawson as he got the better Yuki over the weekend. The driver was disappointed at not getting a seat in F1 and used the Japanese GP weekend to show the grid what it was missing.
Yuki Tsunoda (Started: 9th, Finished: 12th)
Rating: 8
A story of two halves for Yuki. A good qualifying where he made Q3 but a somewhat disappointing race as he was beaten by Liam Lawson. The Japanese driver just cannot afford this, especially with fans upset at Liam losing out on a seat.
Williams
Alex Albon (Started: 14th, Finished: 11th)
Rating: 6
A weekend that was majorly curtailed by a poor first lap. Albon was unlucky to suffer from contact and a damaged car. He could have been a contender for a point or two in the 2023 F1 Japanese GP.
Logan Sargeant (Started: 18th, Finished: 14th)
Rating: 3
Every time Logan Sargeant makes an appearance on the television, it is for some mistake he makes. The 2023 F1 Japanese GP was no different for Logan. First the shunt in Qualifying then the clash with Bottas in the race, the driver is on thin ice at the moment.
