By Joe Murphy
This piece is going to generate a lot of heat. I believe that the way to approach this article is through a process of elimination. Whilst everyone has their own idea of who the most overrated driver on the grid is, there is a multitude of variables to consider. Ultimately, there is no right answer, but we can at least attempt to answer the question.
Firstly, we have to consider a number of different factors. How highly is the driver rated? What have they accomplished? How long have they been on the grid? The last question is critically important, without necessarily being obvious. The first name we simply have to rule out for this reason is Guanyu Zhou. He cannot be the most overrated driver on the F1 grid as he hasn’t had the longevity to demonstrate what he can do. Moreover, he isn’t particularly ‘rated’ at the level of other drivers. Simply put, despite his previous F2 work and positive introduction to F1, it’s too early to label the Chinese driver as overrated, nor is it fair.
It’s a similar story with Yuki Tsunoda. There are constant reports that Red Bull and Alpha Tauri ‘higher ups’ see Yuki as one for the future. He is racing in motorsport’s ‘premier league’ at such a tender age and has endured a steep learning curve since his debut. That being said, he isn’t particularly highly ‘rated’, either. If fans had to list the current grid in order of most talented to least, the Japanese driver would be low down on, if not bottom of, most people’s list.
What about their respective teammates? Well, Valtteri Bottas is currently demonstrating why he isn’t a contender, as he may have been only a few short months ago. He is getting the best results Alfa Romeo have ever seen, even competing with the likes of Alpine and Mercedes on a regular basis. He is also performing much better than his young teammate. Pierre Gasly has sort of done the opposite. Whilst this year, neither him or the car are performing quite as they’d like, he has done enough through his career to steer well clear of an “overrated” label. A race win and two further podiums in an Alpha Tauri is something very few people could manage. It is true that his Red Bull stint didn’t go according to plan, but that is surely down to timing rather than his ability.
With sixteen drivers still to go, let’s do some rapid eliminations. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are three drivers with inevitable success coming their way. The trio could dominate the field for the next decade or more. They have all had some incredible moments in the sport already, of course. Alex Albon and George Russell have improved massively over this season in particular. The former is getting more out of the Williams than many others could and the Brit is more than holding his own against Lewis Hamilton so far this season. In fact, he is beating him in all the head-to-head’s. George has put his troublesome Mercedes in the top five on each and every occasion for far this season. The only driver out of the twenty to do so. He couldn’t have started his career at Mercedes much better. Speaking of Lewis Hamilton, him and Sebastian Vettel are two men who have dominated Formula 1 over the previous ten campaigns. With a combined eleven World Championships and hundreds of wins and podiums between them, I cannot see how either of them could be overrated. Yes, they are both considered two of the all-time greats and may both currently be suffering a relative slump, but their respective records speak for themselves.
Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez have both gone from incredibly underrated to now heavily appreciated. It took them a combined fifteen years to get the recognition they truly deserve. A Formula 1 grid wouldn’t be the same without either of them. The pair are underrated, if anything.
Next, I’m going to rule out a surprise. Yes, it’s Latifi time. Nicolas Latifi is regarded as the weakest driver on the grid currently, and it probably isn’t too far ofd the mark. Points are a precious commodity, out-qualifying a teammate is more rare than Kimi Raikkonen laughing out loud and he is almost notorious now for his racing incidents. There is one clear reason, however, why he is not the most overrated man in an F1 seat and this is because he isn’t really rated at all. I don’t dislike the driver but he is very lucky to be in an F1 seat and there is a mounting case that he is only there due to his financial backing.
Speaking of financial backing, let’s talk about Lance Stroll. I honestly take the stance that he is probably the most underrated driver on the grid, for two reasons. Firstly, he has a pole position and multiple podiums to his name in a car that was never even in the top six quickest on the grid. Moreover, he has more than held his own against a four-time World Champion teammate in the form of the aforementioned Vettel. Whilst he is certainly not the best, certainly not a future World Title winner and is more than likely in F1 because of “daddy connections”, it simply cannot be Lance.
So, who does that leave? The Alpine pair, the Haas duo and Daniel Ricciardo.
Estaban Ocon isn’t the one. He has a consistency that other drivers on the grid could only dream of and has a race win to his name that over half of the grid are missing from their CV’s. Names like Norris and Sainz haven’t taken their place on the to step, yet the Frenchman has. He also isn’t particularly high up on fans lists either and goes somewhat under the radar most weekends. There is a reason why all at Mercedes see a bright future with Estaban involved.
The one thing that differentiates Kevin Magnussen from the other remaining men on this list, is that he isn’t rated particularly highly either. He endured a poor couple of seasons with Haas in 2019 and 2020, losing his seat as a result. However, he has illustrated a rejuvenated version of himself since his unexpected return. He gained Haas’ first points in over a year and has had a terrific start to a season he didn’t even prepare for.
Fernando Alonso is overrated. I know, that going to be a very unpopular perspective. Just hear me out. The Spanish driver is an incredible talent and a two time World Champion. He ended the dominant run of Michael Schumacher and is still competing with the best at the veteran age of 40. The problem is that many people consider him as one of the best ever. And is he? It’s easy to blame the cars but his record since his sabbatical isn’t particularly mind blowing. He hasn’t shone dramatically above Estaban Ocon when racing for Alpine and didn’t succeed at McLaren, in an albeit terrible car. Ultimately, he’s probably a victim of his own success. He is earning more money than the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Are these drivers really worth less than Fernando? I’m not so sure. However, all things considered, he has shown on numerous occasions over the years that he deserves his spot on the grid. The label of “most overrated” just doesn’t sit right.
Regrettably, it’s a similar story for Daniel Ricciardo. He’s one of only two different drivers I’ve seen win a Grand Prix live and is one of only a handful of drivers I have met in person. However, he has got to the point now where he is probbaly overrated, simply because of the expectations thrust upon on him. Going back a few years, there was talk of the Australian being a future World Champion, racing for Ferrari or, perhaps, even Mercedes. However, the truth is he hasn’t even got close. The christened ‘last of the late brakers’ hasn’t the luxury of blaming the car either. Whilst his vehicle at Red Bull was unpredictable, it certainly was competitive. Moreover, Lando Norris has got the same McLaren much higher up the grid on most occasions. I personally don’t believe that he is one of the best drivers on the grid, certainly not anymore. However, it is undeniable that he has podiums with multiple teams, wins with multiple constructors and has demonstrated some amazing driving over his career to date. Not the most overrated, therefore.
And that leaves one. The unfortunate one. The most overrated driver currently on the grid has to be Mick Schumacher. The key difference is that he is not a victim of his own success. Instead, he is a victim of his father’s. The expectations for Mick were, and still are, huge. And, unfortunately, he hasn’t delivered. He is yet to score a point in a car that is clearly capable. His Danish counterpart has shone an infavourable light on the young German driver which is inescapable. He’s not the least talented driver on the grid, but his name is touted around as a future Ferrari World Champion. Whilst he is of course young, learning and improving, I don’t see him being the level of someone like Charles Leclerc. Take time to consider he is only one year younger than the Monaco-born, current Championship leader. His performance in Miami showed us his talents, yet also highlighted how the consistency isn’t there yet and that their is a mistake in the German just waiting to happen. Anyone thinking that the Schumacher name will once again dominate F1, are being sentimental as supposed to sensible.
Who do you think is the most overrated driver on the grid? Leave you answer in the comments box below!
And whilst you’re here, why not check out some of our other articles…
https://wheel2wheelreports.com/2022/04/28/a-michael-schumacher-retrospective/
https://wheel2wheelreports.com/2022/04/21/how-f1-has-addressed-the-crisis-in-ukraine/
https://wheel2wheelreports.com/2022/04/20/the-prestige-and-history-of-williams-in-formula-1/
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 
The most overrated driver is Hamilton. I cannot deny he has won a few races and he has some championships. But he has had the best car for those accomplishments. Just look at what he can do with the current car. He has finished behind his teammate in EVERY raced so far this season.
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Not in Bahrain! But thanks for your comment
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Hamilton didn’t always have the best cars but he won races in mediocre cars in 2009 and 2013. Ferrari was slightly stronger in 2008. By your argument you could say Vettel is also overrated since he won all of his championships with the best car.
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