F1 driver ratings | Piastri masterclass as F1 title rivals have a dip

F1 News

16 September at 12:00

Nicole Mulder

Oscar Piastri produced a masterclass in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite high pressure from Charles Leclerc behind him. For Red Bull Racing, the Formula 1 race ended in disappointment after Max Verstappen's fifth-place finish and Sergio Perez's retirement. These are the ratings given to the F1 drivers by GPblog.

McLaren went into the race weekend at the Baku City Circuit as the strong favourites. The British team lived up to that status, but not - as perhaps expected - with Lando Norris. Instead, it was his teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri overtook Leclerc through a bold move and managed to keep the Monegasque's Ferrari, which stayed within DRS distance for the majority, behind him until the finish. A perfect score for the race winner.

Meanwhile, title contenders Verstappen and Norris had a down weekend. Norris didn't escape Q1 during qualifying after making a mistake in his second run and then abandoning his attempt due to a yellow flag. Verstappen got no further than sixth on the grid due to a wrong choice in his set-up.

Eventually, the Dutchman gained another place in the race because of Perez and Carlos Sainz's crash. Up to that point, Perez was driving an excellent weekend, but both he and Sainz could have avoided the crash, and at least one of them could have made the podium. Rookies Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto both drove a fine second F1 race.