Dutch GP driver ratings: Hamilton clanger, Hadjar’s heroics, Piastri domination

Oscar Piastri gained a commanding lead over his teammate Lando Norris after the latter retired from the Dutch GP with engine issues.

The Australian did not put a foot wrong as he went from pole to race winner. Here’s how the Australian, and the other 19 drivers, were rated.

Dutch Grand Prix driver ratings

Oscar Piastri – 9.5

There was a lot of chaos behind him but Oscar Piastri seemed undisturbed throughout.

Securing pole was decisive as he was able to move over and block Norris, pushing his teammate to P3, and after that, Piastri was always a step ahead.

Safety Cars came and went but there was never a moment when it looked like anyone other than the Australian would win.

Max Verstappen – 9

You could tell from the first few corners that Verstappen knew his best chance at victory would come early on in the race and you can’t say he didn’t go for it.

He got past Norris but very nearly binned it at Turn 3, somehow saving it and getting the overtake done through the low side of the banked corner.

In the end, it meant little with McLaren’s superior race pace allowing Norris to get by, but he was the best of the rest, earning a promotion when Norris’ engine gave out.

Got the maximum he could out of the car.

Isack Hadjar – 9.5

A first podium for Isack Hadjar, and it was a deserved one.

Of course, it comes with the asterisk that Norris DNFed ahead of him but even before then, Hadjar did incredibly well to keep quick cars behind him.

With elbows that Alonso would be proud of, both Russell and Leclerc were frustrated behind the Racing Bulls and the Frenchman got his rewards.

George Russell – 8.5

Russell was driving well until his race-defining contact with Leclerc. The Mercedes man will argue Leclerc overtook off track, the Monegasque driver will say Russell gave him no choice but it impacted the Silver Arrows car more than its Italian counterpart.

Despite some initial shock, he did let Antonelli pass but once the Italian had his own issues, Russell passed once more on his way to a P4 finish.

Alex Albon – 9

10 places gained for Albon, who did a great job of navigating the chaos unfolding around him.

A great start saw him fly up the grid and always made him a contender for the points but retirements around him pushed him further up the order.

With Sainz’s issues, Albon’s points were valuable for Williams in Zandvoort.

Oliver Bearman – 9

Starting from the pit lane gives any driver the tactical flexibility to go for it and Haas duly did that with Bearman.

His first stint was 53 laps long and when a Safety Car gave him a cheap stop, he was able to use fresh rubber to move up the order and secure his joint best result in F1.

Lance Stroll – 8.5

Until race day, it was an awful weekend for Stroll with crashes impacting him both in practice and quali and yet, his low starting spot gave Aston some room to work with.

He was a beneficiary of some well-timed Safety Cars but his offset strategy to the rest of the grid allowed him to finish P7 and it was well executed by the Canadian.

Fernando Alonso – 7.5

A day when Fernando Alonso probably should have scored more as he always looked like he had pace.

The problem was Aston’s strategy put him in traffic and it was only once Safety Cars began to jumble up the order that he was able to make some progress.

It’s P8 but could have been more.

Yuki Tsunoda – 6.5

A good race in which he was defending from Antonelli again but ultimately it was Tsunoda’s quali pace that let him down.

Starting 12th at a difficult-to-overtake track means that had it not been for other drivers retiring, he would have finished outside the points.

Esteban Ocon – 7

Like Bearman, Ocon benefited from Haas going long with his strategy but could not make the most of it in the same way his team-mate did.

Still, starting from 18th and finishing in the points is a good day out for the Frenchman.

Franco Colapinto – 7

For a driver that had previously not finished higher than 13th this season, it was an improved showing for Colapinto in Zandvoort.

He got past Gasly on pace but could not crack the top 10.

More reaction from the Dutch GP

👉 Lewis Hamilton describes ‘painful’ Zandvoort crash after Ferrari double DNF nightmare

👉 Isack Hadjar suffers trophy casualty after maiden F1 podium

Liam Lawson – 6

If Sainz was doing this rating he may well give Lawson a 1 but the clash looked like a racing incident more than anything.

The New Zealander had the corner and Sainz risked it all by going round. The result was almost terminal for both drivers.

A Safety Car allowed them to unlap themselves but P12 will be frustrating for Lawson when the car was quick.

Carlos Sainz – 5.5

A very scrappy performance from Sainz who has not scored a point since Canada.

P9 on the grid suggested he could contend but he made contact with Lawson and, even if the penalty was harsh, Sainz was the one who was more at fault of the two.

From there, he had to try and compose himself but could not make significant inroads up the order.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5

Like a trophy made out of Lego, Hulkenberg’s form has crumbled since his Silverstone podium.

The main problem has been in quali with him starting no higher than 14th in the last three races and in Zandvoort, he was 17th on the starting grid.

From there, and with the Sauber car seeming to struggle, he could not do much but he at least finished ahead of his team-mate.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 5

Bortoleto said he had an issue with his clutch at the start of the race which saw him plummet down to 19th.

It was damage limitation from there and he could only rise to 15th.

Kimi Antonelli – 4

If we gave Antonelli the benefit of the doubt for his crash with Verstappen, it is hard to do so again this time around.

Maybe it was a symptom of the pressure on him but there was just no need to go for that overtake and he was lucky his car was not destroyed along with Leclerc’s.

Before that, he was having a good race and was Mercedes’ best hope but that ultimately came to nothing.

Pierre Gasly – 6.5

Gasly’s low position was not really his fault as the team opted to gamble and keep track position in the latest safety car period.

It proved to be the wrong choice as the Frenchman went from inside the points to almost at the back as his grip went.

Did not finish

Lando Norris – 8.5

Norris often gets criticised for his starts but you cannot even use that stick to beat him this time round.

In fact, his start was so good that Piastri felt obliged to cover him off and gave Verstappen a free path on the outside.

Norris did not defend too much, knowing he had the better race pace, and did well to get back around him later in the race.

Ultimately, though, it amounted to little as his engine gave out.

Charles Leclerc – 8

F1’s desire to push Leclerc to the limit continues with two moments of misfortune in Zandvoort.

The first of those was when he pitted just a few seconds before his teammate brought out a safety car, pushing him behind Russell.

Leclerc fought back with an on-the-edge overtake but then the second Mercedes torpedoed him.

A sad Leclerc sat on a sand dune sums up his season.

Lewis Hamilton – 4

Hamilton’s form has deserted him but up until now he had at least kept it on track.

It was a rare mistake from Hamilton, taking too much kerb and finding the painted surface was too slippery.

Before then, Hamilton was stuck behind Russell but he did say he felt he could get by.

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