By Joe Murphy
A belated report released in order to see how the grid of pupils got on this year. Part one sees five to teams being reviewed. Will parents be pleased or are some heading for detention?
Max Verstappen – A*
What more can be said? The Dutchman had a pretty flawless year setting record after record. The kid with the best equipment in his pencil case went and smashed it.
Sergio Perez – B-
Some may say a B- is too high, but he did finish second in the drivers standings. He did however falter a few times when it mattered, most notably at his home race. His position is safe for now, but may be moved down a class if he doesn’t improve.
Charles Leclerc – A-
He couldn’t do much better with the equipment given too him. The man from Monaco was the only real challenger to the Red Bull pair at times, and deserves to be pushing more for a World Title.
Carlos Sainz – B
A superb performance in Singapore and a good one in Monzo potentially saves this grade from being slightly lower. He had a solid year, but would have been more use to Ferrari had he been helping out at the front more regularly. Was also the victim of some particular misfortune at times.
Lewis Hamilton – C+
The car wasn’t competitive and Lewis did pull out some excellent performances, particularly in the first half of the season. However, he himself would admit that the second half of the campaign, which saw him finish 3rd overall rather than second, didn’t go to plan.
George Russell – C-
It wasn’t a good year for George Russell. He went backwards from a stellar first season and needs to find that form again. Too often he bottled a promising position, most notably in Singapore. He also found himself behind his teammate too often in 2023.
Fernando Alonso – A
Couldn’t have done any better in the car given to him. Had that Aston Martin retained it’s peak pace, he probably would have finished second only to Max himself. Well ahead of his teammate, he’s vital for the team at the moment, they’d be a lot further back without the veteran racer.
Lance Stroll – D-
A really poor year from the Canadian which saw his stock fall considerably. He retains his seat next year, most likely with influence from family above, but another poor year could end his F1 career. He’s had some strong results in the past and needs to challenge Fernando more regularly to remain on the grid beyond next December.
Lando Norris – A
A brilliant year for the young British driver. He may well have got an A+ had he added a first win to his already impressive CV. It’s a matter of when not if. Had McLaren had a better car at the start of the yer, they would most likely have been above Ferrari and Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri – A
Can you remember a better Rookie year? Probably not since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. The young Aussie did more than anyone predicted, especially considering the fact he had large shoes to fill with the departing Daniel Ricciardo. A really promising talent who will be at the front of F1 grids for years to come for sure.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 