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The United States Grand Prix ended up being a far livelier affair than it looked like it might have been at the opening corner, when 2022 Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen scampered clear of the pack.
Verstappen ultimately ended up the winner after recovering to pass Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the final stint – but did any of those three receive the highest mark in Edd Straw’s Austin F1 driver ratings?
After each grand prix, The Race will rate each driver’s weekend with a mark out of 10.
An average mark is 5 out of 10, so that score is indicative of a decent drive given the high standard of drivers in F1.
For a more in-depth explanation, read our outline of the system.
Started: 2nd Finished: 1st
Qualifying
Ended up behind both Sainz and Leclerc in qualifying as Red Bull found it a little tricker than Ferrari to balance up the front/rear-axle tyre temperatures.
It was ultimately the final two corners that cost Verstappen, albeit leaving him within a tenth of pole.
Race
Another well-executed race from Verstappen, taking the lead at the start and always looking in control until a wheelgun problem cost him around nine seconds and dropped him behind Leclerc and Hamilton. But he recovered well and got back past Leclerc and Hamilton with relative ease.
Verdict: Made light of the time and track position lost at his second stop to take a well-executed win.
Started: 9th Finished: 4th
Qualifying
Perez was frustrated to go into qualifying with only three sets of soft tyres after “we played around too much” with experimentation in practice. That meant he always felt behind the curve in terms of fine-tuning the car, and despite showing decent pace through the first part of the lap compared to Verstappen the time leaked away in the final couple of sectors, albeit only putting Perez a couple of tenths behind.
Race
A five-place grid penalty for an engine change left Perez with some work to do, but it didn’t take him long to clear the leading midfielders – albeit after surviving contact with Bottas on the opening lap. Having escaped a black-and-orange flag when his flapping endplate flew off – the damage costing him pace throughout the race as the wing was never changed – he got up to third after passing Russell, but couldn’t keep Leclerc behind. He did catch Leclerc again in the final stint, but ran out of time to pass him.
Verdict: Did a solid support job for Verstappen, but had the machinery to be on the podium.
Started: 3rd Finished: 2nd
Qualifying
Cut it fine in his battle with team-mate Russell after a tricky final run on which the rear end proved a little loose and cost Hamilton one or two tenths. Being at the back of the queue for the final Q3 runs didn’t help as it compromised his prep lap.
Race
Jumped to second at the start, assisted by the Russell/Sainz collision, and would have undercut his way past Verstappen at the second stops even without the slow Red Bull stop. But either way, the Mercedes didn’t have the pace to stay ahead and given the 40km/h speed delta, the pass into Turn 12 was inevitable.
Verdict: Slightly underachieved in qualifying by a tenth or two, but superb in the race.
Started: 4th Finished: 5th
Qualifying
Ended up just 0.041s off Hamilton and could have been ahead but for a slide in the final corner. That represented a decent recovery after a confidence-sapping moment during Friday practice that almost resulted in a crash and left him on the back foot.
Race
Clouted Sainz at the first corner after a lockup combined with the Ferrari’s cutback set them on a collision course. That earned Russell a five-second penalty that effectively guaranteed he’d finish at the back of the lead group. A late stop allowed him to take fastest lap, which he took no joy in.
Verdict: Not quite at Hamilton’s level and compromised his race with the first corner mishap.
Started: 12th Finished: 3rd
Qualifying
A 10-place penalty for power unit component changes meant he was never really in the hunt for pole position, but he only missed out on top spot by 0.069s after being a little too aggressive on the throttle through the final corner and losing time to Sainz. Generally, Leclerc struggled a little bit more with the windy conditions than his team-mate.
Race
Made short work of clearing the midfield runners in the first stint, despite having to check up in the first corner because of his team-mate’s spin, and capitalised on the timing of the safety car to make his stop before passing Perez in the second. Although the Red Bull driver came back at him in the closing stages, Leclerc held on to take third.
Verdict: Not his best qualifying lap, but recovered well from his grid penalty in the race.
Started: 1st Finished: DNF
Qualifying
Sainz made the most of it being a little easier to nail the tyre prep in the Ferrari, and the fact he dealt better with the gusty conditions than Leclerc, to qualify fastest of all in the dry for the first time in F1. He was fractionally off Leclerc going into the final corner, but a tidier – albeit not perfect – run through the last turn allowed him to edge ahead, having swung the battle with Verstappen to his advantage through the penultimate corner.
Race
Lost out to Verstappen at the start, but was cutting back to attack at the exit of Turn 1 when he was hit by Russell. Retired with a water leak as a result of the impact.
Verdict: His excellent work in qualifying was undone by first-corner misfortune.
Started: 15th Finished: 16th
Qualifying
Missed FP1 with Alex Palou taking over the car, then suffered from a brake-glaze problem in FP3. That put Ricciardo on the back foot for qualifying and he failed to escape Q1 thanks to time lost at the first corner and to a snap of oversteer in Turn 7 that ensured he couldn’t break into the top 15 after lapping 0.581s slower than Norris in the first stage of qualifying.
Race
Ricciardo was shuffled back from an initial 13th place to 15th by Tsunoda and Zhou and was having to work hard to keep Schumacher behind when he came in for an early first stop on lap 10. The timing of the first safety car dropped him to the back, ahead only of Latifi, and he didn’t have the pace to recover much, only repassing Latifi late on after making his second stop on lap 35.
Verdict: Poor in qualifying and knew from early on that his race was going nowhere.
Started: 6th Finished: 6th
Qualifying
Norris was happy with the progress made in improving pace through qualifying with front-wing adjustments and tools usage, as well as finding gains as the wind conditions changed. There was an element of luck as only Zhou’s laptime deletion allowed Norris to make Q3, but he felt his final-run lap was a good one.
Race
The first stint didn’t go well as he was shuffled back from sixth to ninth, albeit with Gasly the only real midfield competitor to pass him. An early stop meant the safety car didn’t help him and he continued to run ninth in the middle stint before his final stop. From 14th, he climbed to sixth, passing Alonso on the penultimate lap.
Verdict: A strong performance on what wasn’t one of McLaren’s best weekends.
Started: Pitlane Finished: 10th
Qualifying
Ocon was the only Alpine driver to have the latest evolution of the Suzuka floor upgrade at Austin, but struggled for consistency throughout the weekend. The team found no problem with the car after his Q1 elimination when he lapped just over six tenths slower than Alonso in the first part of qualifying.
Race
Was always up against it starting from the pits in a car he wasn’t entirely comfortable with, but he got himself into points contention by pitting under the first safety car, which got him as high as 11th early in the second stint. Despite making gains after his second stop, he ended up only 11th on the road, which became 10th after his team-mate’s penalty.
Verdict: Couldn’t get on top of the Alpine or maximise its pace.
Started: 14th Finished: 15th
Qualifying
Alonso’s improvisational style worked well with the Alpine on a weekend where the car appeared very sensitive to the changing conditions. But he didn’t get the most out of the car in Q3 thanks to time lost through first corner, without which he could have been a couple of places higher. That ensured he was buried even deeper in the midfield for the race given he carried a five-place grid penalty.
Race
Gains in the first stint on top of stopping under the safety car got Alonso up to ninth, only for him to be fired into the wall by Stroll’s late move on the straight after the first safety-car restart. Having started on hards, that meant Alonso’s one set of the preferred mediums was barely used, and he ran to the end on hards.
Having dropped to 17th, he recovered to seventh on the road – passing Latifi, Ricciardo, Albon, Ocon (with the help of team orders) and Magnussen, and jumping the others when they stopped. But he couldn’t quite hold off Norris, who got ahead on the penultimate lap. A post-race penalty relegated Alonso to 15th.
Verdict: Conclusively the stronger Alpine driver and recovered brilliantly from his Stroll-induced crash.
Started: 11th Finished: 13th
Qualifying
Raged about a brake-glaze problem that previously hit in Canada and Suzuka in rain-affected conditions, which cost him significant time in Turn 1 and Turn 11 in particular. He set a slower time in Q2 than Tsunoda, but his team-mate having his laptime deleted put Gasly back ahead.
Race
The race started promisingly, with Gasly getting as high as eighth before pitting on lap 11. He ran seventh after the safety car, but a brake problem hobbled him, as did a penalty for dropping too far behind the safety car. After making his second stop, he dropped out of the points but finished 11th on the road, dropping to 13th when a second penalty was applied because the five-second hold at his second pitstop was too short.
Verdict: Quick, but combination of bad luck and fury added up to a pointless afternoon.
Started: 19th Finished: 9th
Qualifying
Had a laptime good enough for 13th in qualifying – two positions better than where he ended up – disallowed for exceeding track limits at Turn 9. That was slightly faster than what Gasly managed, although Tsunoda struggled with understeer on that final run.
Race
Ended his 12-race points drought with a well-executed run to ninth place, albeit after Alonso was penalised. He was among the earlier stoppers, then stayed out under the safety cars, meaning he had to charge after making his second stop, making the key pass on Albon to break into the top 10.
Verdict: Just what he needed – a good, solid weekend.
Started: 10th Finished: 7th
Qualifying
A poor first sector, with wheelspin off Turn 1 and a snap at Turn 3, likely caused by a gust of wind, cost him a place in Q3. “It wasn’t a great lap…there was more in the car” was Vettel’s summary, although the second half of the lap was more convincing.
Race
Vettel was on course for sixth place, having earlier jumped team-mate Stroll thanks to the timing of the first safety car, when he made his final pitstop – only for a problem with the front jack to cost him 14 seconds and drop him back to 13th. But he came back through to eighth-on-the-road after a last-lap pass on Magnussen, which became seventh when Alonso was penalised.
Verdict: Should have done better in qualifying, but did a great job on race day.
Started: 5th Finished: DNF
Qualifying
Achieved the best-possible result in qualifying by posting the seventh-fastest time with a strong lap, dealing well with a few moments on the first half of the lap then producing a good final sector to ensure he ended up ahead of the rest of the midfield.
Race
Jumped to third at the start thanks to the Sainz/Russell collision, but was soon shuffled back to de facto sixth place. He made his stop shortly before the safety car was deployed, dropping him to seventh behind Vettel. Stroll was then eliminated on the restart lap when he jinked left, colliding with Alonso and earning himself a three-place grid penalty for Mexico.
Verdict: Superb in qualifying, but his late move sealed his fate while battling with Alonso.
Started: 17th Finished: 17th
Qualifying
Sat out FP1 for Logan Sargeant, but showed potential Albon-beating pace in qualifying. But despite being the only driver to have three runs in Q1, he lost time with a messy final sector on his last lap and turned what could have been a Q2 slot into last in qualifying.
Race
A spin through the esses on lap five while running 15th forced him into the pits, although he recovered that ground when the safety car was deployed. He also made his second stop under the safety car, setting up a long run to the finish on hards, slipping behind Ricciardo to drop to last late on – also picking up a five-second penalty for forcing Schumacher off the track.
Verdict: Showed some promise but still ended up last in qualifying and the race.
Started: 8th Finished: 12th
Qualifying
Changes made after FP3 difficulties initially looked unpromising, but Albon found the car increasingly to his liking in qualifying. Despite the car being one of the more sensitive to the gusty winds, he surprised himself by ending up 0.027s off a Q3 place and reckoned it would have been possible “if I’d got my head down”.
Race
Briefly ran in the points early on and settled into 12th during the first stint. But he flatspotted his front tyres at the start, forcing him in for an early pitstop. That was compounded by the deployment of the safety car, which meant he took the restart 17th having made a second stop to switch to hards for a long stint to the end. He managed that well, only sliding out of the points late on and finishing only four seconds outside the top 10.
Verdict: Extracted good pace from the Williams, but the first-lap lockup compromised his race.
Started: 18th Finished: 11th
Qualifying
Despite only completing one flying lap in FP3 thanks to a hydraulics problem, Zhou outpaced Bottas by 0.125s in Q2 and should have made it to Q3 as a result. But he ran fractionally wide at Turn 12 and the lap was disallowed, having also lost a first-run laptime for the same reason in Q1. That left him 14th after qualifying, with a five-place grid penalty for using his fifth V6 engine of the year further costing him.
Race
Started 18th once the grid had shaken out and made some ground in the first stint, overtaking Ricciardo along the way. But he made an early stop to change from hards to mediums, then returned to hards under the second safety car in a strategic gamble that didn’t pay off given it left him to run most of the race on the slower compound. That meant he was never properly able to get into the points mix.
Verdict: Potentially quicker than Bottas, but track-limits violations, a grid penalty, and odd strategy hid it.
Started: 7th Finished: DNF
Qualifying
Executed qualifying well to put an Alfa Romeo into Q3 for the first time since the August break. He credited the team’s floor/diffuser upgrade for the upturn in form, although was a little puzzled that he wasn’t able to improve meaningfully on his Q2 pace (where he was ninth) having gained only two thousandths and set the slowest time of all Q3 runners.
Race
Bottas’s race came to an end on his 17th lap when he spun into the gravel at the esses, the result of a gust of wind 25km/h quicker than the norm. That was after running just inside the points early on after losing ground the start, including to Perez, who nudged the Alfa’s suspension geometry out of line when they made contact on the opening lap.
Verdict: Quick but spinning out was an uncharacteristic and hugely costly error.
Started: 13th Finished: 8th
Qualifying
Missed out on Q2 by 0.017s having lost three tenths on his final lap thanks to what he described as a “massive jump” when the car reacted more aggressively to the Turn 1 bump than it had previously. That lap was still a half-second improvement on his first run, but not good enough to advance.
Race
Magnussen was the only driver to pull off a one-stop strategy, stopping under the first safety car and then running a marathon stint to the end on medium tyres. That allowed him to run as high as sixth but he inevitably lost places late on, including one to Vettel after a thrilling last-lap battle.
Verdict: Underachieved in qualifying but turned an unpromising starting position into points.
Started: 16th Finished: 14th
Qualifying
Quicker than Magnussen and up in 12th on his first Q1 run – but he attempted to carry too much speed into Turn 1 on his final Q1 lap, unsettling the car on the bumps and spinning as a result.
Race
Schumacher had built a decent foundation for a push towards a points finish and was 12th after the first safety-car restart when the Stroll/Alonso accident happened in front of him. He picked up damage after hitting debris and was passed by Ocon and Magnussen and thereafter lacked pace thanks to the lost downforce.
Verdict:
Qualifying error was costly but unlucky in the race.
