F1 Driver Ratings: 2024 Japanese Grand Prix

A guide to RaceFans’ driver ratings system

RaceFans’ driver ratings system assesses driver performance across all three days of a grand prix weekend. Naturally, performances during competitive sessions – qualifying, sprint races and grands prix – will carry the most weight to their rating.

However, practice performance can affect a driver’s weekend rating in the event of a major mistake, such as a crash, consistent errors throughout practice sessions or if a driver shows a notably impressive speed throughout all free practice sessions relative to their team mate.

The system attempts to take into account the relative performance of each driver’s car and the expected results from that, meaning that a driver who wins a race in a car clearly superior to the rest of the field may not necessarily score as highly as a driver who claims a low points finish in a midfield car.

Ratings also attempt to take into account mitigating factors outside of a driver’s control. If a driver is forced to miss considerable track time due to car problems, is the victim of being blocked in qualifying, finishes far lower than expected because of a heavily botched pit stop or suffers any other misfortune they cannot be reasonably expected to control, their rating should not be penalised.

RaceFans rates each driver’s weekend performance on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘5’ is considered to be a typically average weekend performance from a typically average Formula 1 driver.

Here is a rough guide to each possible score:

N/A – Not applicable – No rating is given as the driver did not sufficiently participate in the competitive sessions

0 – Disqualified – Only in the most extreme instance where a driver’s conduct disqualifies them from participation

1 – Appalling – An appalling display that brings a driver’s competency under immediate question

2 – Awful – A very, very poor performance of repeated errors with almost no redeeming qualities

3 –…