{"id":320887,"date":"2025-12-01T16:36:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/320887\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:36:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:36:13","slug":"f1-driver-ratings-2025-qatar-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/320887\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Driver Ratings: 2025 Qatar Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Qatar Grand Prix was the usual procession between pit stops, which meant the qualifying sessions was where the drivers could make a difference.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our verdict on the full field.<\/p>\n

Lando Norris<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 3rd
Sprint race finish: 3rd
Qualified: 2nd (1 place behind team mate, +0.108s)
Grid: 2nd (1 place behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 4th (2 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Missed final lap in sprint race qualifying after letting Albon through
\u25b6 Finished where he started in sprint race as most drivers did
\u25bc Error on final Q3 lap cost him a shot at pole for the grand prix
\u25b6 Lost place to Verstappen on dirty side of track at start
\u25b6 Couldn\u2019t match Piastri\u2019s pace in grand prix
\u25bc Potentially damaged car with error at turn 14
\u25b6 Took advantage of Antonelli\u2019s mistake for fourth but couldn\u2019t pass Sainz for last podium place<\/p>\n

6\/10: Team\u2019s error was costly but he made several of his own<\/p>\n

Oscar Piastri<\/p>\n

\"Oscar<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 1st
Sprint race finish: 1st
Qualified: 1st (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.108s)
Grid: 1st (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 2nd (2 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Revelled in high-grip Losail track and converted sprint race pole to victory
\u25b2 Excellent final lap in Q3 took pole off his team mate
\u25b6 Kept his lead at the start
\u25b6 Pushed hard to pull out gap over Verstappen after not pitting under the Safety Car
\u25b6 Fell to second through final pit stop<\/p>\n

9\/10: Consistently excellent pace squandered by team\u2019s poor strategy<\/p>\n

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Charles Leclerc<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 9th
Sprint race finish: 13th
Qualified: 10th (8 places ahead of team mate, -0.343s)
Grid: 10th (7 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 8th (4 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Frustrated by Sainz\u2019s sprint race qualifying tactics as he fell to ninth
\u25bc First-lap mistake ended slim hope of points in sprint race
\u25b2 Dragged his evil-handling car into Q3
\u25bc Had to settle for 10th on grid after high-speed double spin
\u25bc Lost a place to Hulkenberg as lap two began
\u25b6 Promoted to eighth by problems for drivers ahead<\/p>\n

7\/10: Battled valiantly in a difficult car<\/p>\n

Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 18th
Sprint race finish: 17th
Qualified: 18th (8 places behind team mate, +0.343s)
Grid: 17th (7 places behind team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (S-M-M)
Finished: 12th (4 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Eliminated in first round of sprint qualifying
\u25b6 Made almost no progress in sprint race where overtaking was largely impossible
\u25bc Missed the cut for Q2 again for grand prix
\u25b2 Used soft tyres well at start to gain three places
\u25b6 Delay at first pit stop cost him two places and ended his chance of points
\u25b6 Couldn\u2019t make any progress after first pit stop, though this was true of almost everyone<\/p>\n

4\/10: Leclerc showed what the Ferrari could do, which wasn\u2019t much<\/p>\n

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Max Verstappen<\/p>\n

\"Max<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 6th
Sprint race finish: 4th
Qualified: 3rd (13 places ahead of team mate, -0.289s)
Grid: 3rd (12 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 1st (9 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Struggled with car\u2019s handling in sprint race qualifying and was unusually out-qualified by Tsunoda
\u25b6 Tsunoda eased his way into fourth at the start of the sprint race, where he finished
\u25b2 Set-up improvements for grand prix qualifying helped him beat Russell to third
\u25b6 Passed Norris at the start and took the lead thanks to McLaren\u2019s strategy
\u25b6 Excellent pace on hard tyres ended McLaren\u2019s hopes of victory<\/p>\n

8\/10: Rebounded from a difficult start to the weekend to capitalise on McLaren\u2019s error<\/p>\n

Yuki Tsunoda<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 5th
Sprint race finish: 5th
Qualified: 16th (13 places behind team mate, +0.289s)
Grid: 15th (12 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 10th (9 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Easily his best qualifying performance of the season so far in sprint race qualifying
\u25bc Fortunate not to lose a place after penalty for track limits breaches in race
\u25bc Resumed normal service in qualifying for the grand prix, dropping out in the first round
\u25b6 Gained four places through his first pit stop and collected final point when Hadjar retired<\/p>\n

5\/10: Pity he couldn\u2019t duplicate his Friday qualifying performance<\/p>\n

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 7th
Sprint race finish: 6th
Qualified: 5th (1 place behind team mate, +0.184s)
Grid: 5th (1 place behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 5th (1 place ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Scraped into final round of sprint race qualifying after Hadjar\u2019s penalty
\u25b2 Qualified seventh and produce race\u2019s only pass of note to overtake Alonso
\u25bc Missed chance to gain a place from Tsunoda by collecting a track limits penalty of his own
\u25b6 Passed Russell at the start but dropped behind Sainz in the pits
\u25bc Made a mistake under pressure from Norris which cost him fourth<\/p>\n

6\/10: Good pace in qualifying but race errors cost him<\/p>\n

George Russell<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 2nd
Sprint race finish: 2nd
Qualified: 4th (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.184s)
Grid: 4th (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 6th (1 place behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Superb run in sprint race qualifying allowed him to split the McLarens
\u25b6 Converted front row start into second place finish
\u25b6 Doing an extra preparation lap at end of Q3 appeared not to pay off and left him fourth
\u25bc Made a particularly poor getaway from the dirty side of the grid, losing three places
\u25b6 Lost another place when he pitted
\u25b6 Gained places from Alonso (spin) and Hadjar (retirement) to finish sixth<\/p>\n

7\/10: Q3 tactics look very costly in hindsight<\/p>\n

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Lance Stroll<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 17th
Sprint race finish: 19th
Qualified: 19th (11 places behind team mate, +0.46s)
Grid: 18th (10 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-M-M-S)
Finished: 17th (10 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Qualified 13 places behind Alonso for sprint race
\u25b6 Started sprint race from the pits and finished 19th after pitting for softs
\u25bc Almost half a second slower than Alonso when he went out in Q1
\u25b6 Tried to break the mould with three-stop strategy in race but dropped back in final stint on softs<\/p>\n

4\/10: Was never going to recover qualifying losses in race at Losail<\/p>\n

Fernando Alonso<\/p>\n

\"Fernando<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 4th
Sprint race finish: 7th
Qualified: 8th (11 places ahead of team mate, -0.46s)
Grid: 8th (10 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 7th (10 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Beat the Red Bulls to fourth on the grid for the sprint race
\u25bc Struggled with tyre degradation in sprint race and couldn\u2019t stay close enough to Antonelli to benefit from his penalty
\u25b2 Reached Q3 but ran out of new soft tyres which left him eighth on the grid
\u25b2 Picked up two places at the start to run sixth
\u25bc Costly lap 40 spin dropped him to eighth<\/p>\n

7\/10: Was on course for a superb result before spinning<\/p>\n

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Franco Colapinto<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 20th
Sprint race finish: 20th
Qualified: 20th (11 places behind team mate, +0.624s)
Grid: 20th (11 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-M)
Finished: 14th (2 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Damaged his floor in practice and qualified last for the sprint race
\u25b6 Unsurprisingly couldn\u2019t make any gains from there
\u25bc Went off twice in Q1 as he dropped out in the first round again
\u25b6 Started the grand prix from the pit lane after suspension changes
\u25b6 Was happier with car\u2019s balance and picked up a couple of places from delayed rivals<\/p>\n

5\/10: A few too many off-track excursions but kept it clean in the race<\/p>\n

Pierre Gasly<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 19th
Sprint race finish: 18th
Qualified: 9th (11 places ahead of team mate, -0.624s)
Grid: 9th (11 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Finished: 16th (2 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Struggled for grip on Friday and joined Colapinto on the back row of the sprint race grid
\u25b6 Finished 18th from the pits in the sprint race
\u25b2 Excellent qualifying effort netted ninth on the grid for the grand prix
\u25bc Tangled with Hulkenberg early in race and dropped to rear of field<\/p>\n

6\/10: A fine Saturday performance but should have been more circumspect with Hulkenberg<\/p>\n

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Esteban Ocon<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 15th
Sprint race finish: 15th
Qualified: 17th (4 places behind team mate, +0.316s)
Grid: 16th (3 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-M-H)
Finished: 15th\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Dropped out in the first round of sprint race qualifying, lacking confidence in the car\u2019s high-speed balance
\u25b6 Collected 15th in uneventful sprint race
\u25b6 Eliminated in Q1, saying the car still felt too loose on entry
\u25b6 Baffled by penalty for allowing his car to move before the start
\u25b6 Dropped to last after delayed first pit stop<\/p>\n

5\/10: Bearman showed slightly better pace in the Haas<\/p>\n

Oliver Bearman<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 12th
Sprint race finish: 12th
Qualified: 13th (4 places ahead of team mate, -0.316s)
Grid: 13th (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: Not classified\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Beat Ocon into Q2 but couldn\u2019t get in contention for sprint race points
\u25b6 Seventh in Q1 but couldn\u2019t repeat it in Q2, taking 13th on the grid
\u25b6 Was on course for final point before team\u2019s error at his final pit stop<\/p>\n

7\/10: Deserved to keep his points run going<\/p>\n

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Isack Hadjar<\/p>\n

\"Isack<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 11th
Sprint race finish: 9th
Qualified: 6th (6 places ahead of team mate, -0.083s)
Grid: 6th (6 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 18th (9 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Turn eight track limits penalty cost him a top 10 start in the sprint race
\u25b6 Started well but lost out in first-lap scrap with Antonelli and Sainz, leaving him ninth
\u25b2 Turn 10 error spoiled his final lap in Q3 but he was still quick enough for sixth
\u25b6 Another driver who lost places from the dirty side of the grid
\u25b6 Moved ahead of Russell through first pit stop
\u25b6 Gained another place when Alonso spun ahead of him
\u25b6 Cruelly lost sixth place when bodywork failure caused a puncture<\/p>\n

7\/10: Pace was great, errors were minor, luck was absent<\/p>\n

Liam Lawson<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 16th
Sprint race finish: 14th
Qualified: 12th (6 places behind team mate, +0.083s)
Grid: 12th (6 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 9th (9 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Made a big change to his set-up between practice and sprint race qualifying but was eliminated in first round
\u25b6 Passed Leclerc off-track in the sprint race and returned the position on his way to 14th
\u25b6 Said set-up was better in grand prix qualifying but couldn\u2019t join Hadjar in Q3
\u25b6 Passed by Bearman at the start but regained the place when his rival retired
\u25b6 Team mate\u2019s misfortunate promoted him to ninth<\/p>\n

6\/10: Never looked quite as settled in his car as his team mate<\/p>\n

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Alexander Albon<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 10th
Sprint race finish: 10th
Qualified: 15th (8 places behind team mate, +0.378s)
Grid: 14th (7 places behind team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-H)
Finished: 11th (8 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Claimed 10th on the sprint race grid after unexpectedly strong start to weekend for Williams
\u25b6 One of many drivers who finished the sprint race where he started
\u25b6 Reproduced his Q1 time to within a thousandth of a second in Q2 and dropped out
\u25b6 Lost three places at the start on hards
\u25b6 Early Safety Car ruined his strategy and ensured he wouldn\u2019t score points<\/p>\n

6\/10: Not quite on Sainz\u2019s pace this weekend<\/p>\n

Carlos Sainz Jnr<\/p>\n

\"Carlos<\/a><\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 8th
Sprint race finish: 8th
Qualified: 7th (8 places ahead of team mate, -0.378s)
Grid: 7th (7 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-H)
Finished: 3rd (8 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Aggravated Leclerc with his tactics on his way to eighth on the sprint race grid
\u25b6 Claimed the final point in the sprint race
\u25b6 Went one better in qualifying for the grand prix
\u25b2 Gained two places at the start to run fifth
\u25b6 Got ahead of Antonelli and Russell through the pits
\u25b6 Out-ran Antonelli despite a problem developed on his car late in the race<\/p>\n

9\/10: Did a terrific job to deliver Williams\u2019 second podium this year<\/p>\n

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Nico Hulkenberg<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 14th
Sprint race finish: 16th
Qualified: 11th (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.181s)
Grid: 11th (8 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Finished: Not classified\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Had a touch of oversteer on his final lap as he qualified 14th on Friday
\u25b6 Dropped back two places in the sprint race to finish 16th
\u25b6 Happier with his car in grand prix qualifying and narrowly missed a place in Q3
\u25b2 Passed Leclerc soon after the start
\u25b6 He and Gasly could have given each other more space to avoid costly contact<\/p>\n

6\/10: A missed opportunity in the grand prix<\/p>\n

Gabriel Bortoleto<\/p>\n

Sprint race start: 13th
Sprint race finish: 11th
Qualified: 14th (3 places behind team mate, +0.181s)
Grid: 19th (8 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-M-S)
Finished: 13th\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Pipped Hulkenberg to 13th on the grid for the sprint race
\u25b6 Gained two places at the start of the sprint race and finished 11th
\u25b6 Qualified 14th for the grand prix but took five-place penalty from Las Vegas
\u25b6 Patiently worked his way up to 13th in a race of few opportunities<\/p>\n

7\/10: Needed a solid, calm weekend and produced one<\/p>\n

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Over to you<\/p>\n

Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:<\/p>\n

2025 Qatar Grand Prix
\nBrowse all 2025 Qatar Grand Prix articles<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Qatar Grand Prix was the usual procession between pit stops, which meant the qualifying sessions was where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[167097,64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-320887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-2025-qatar-grand-prix","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}