Ranking the top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2024

As the 2024 Formula 1 season heads to the history books, we can reflect on an undulating, action-packed campaign for the driving cohort. These superstars again thrilled and spilled – embodying perhaps best why motorsport appeals to so many.

Arguably the peaks of some drivers have never been higher than in 2024, but when compiling this list it was notable how some of them – even those that achieved the most success – really did have considerable lows too.

These swings, plus the machinery at a drivers’ disposal, the quality of their team and team-mate, and the various pressures each were under across the year all combined to help inform our ranking.

Here then, is Autosport’s top 10 F1 drivers for the year just gone.

10 – Fernando Alonso

Down 7

Alonso was unable to hit the highs of 2023, where he scored eight podiums in his debut season at Aston Martin, but still held a significant advantage over team-mate Stroll

Photo by: Erik Junius

One might question Fernando Alonso’s appearance among the top 10 drivers this season but, the more you consider his drives, the more his inclusion makes sense. The evergreen Spaniard’s season has been significantly front-loaded, to an extent where 33 of his 70 points this year were scored in the opening six rounds of the season. 

The problem that Alonso has faced has been in a car that, with each passing upgrade, has become more difficult to handle. The AMR24 was not the hoped-for step over a podium-contending 2023 car, although the early-season form suggested that the team had simply reversed its performance from qualifying and the race.

Per example: Alonso qualified fourth in Jeddah and third in China, but regressed to fifth and seventh over the race distance. Then, after a series of updates at Imola made the car harder to drive, the Aston Martins started to fall off the pace.

But Alonso largely made the best of it, even looking past the occasional penchant for self-aggrandisement. Finishing sixth in Canada was a clear highlight as the year started to become increasingly difficult for the Silverstone squad.

Although Aston Martin has had the fifth-fastest car overall per the season’s supertimes, the early rounds skew this; in recent races, the AMR24 has been towards the bottom of those rankings. Seventh in Qatar also showed him at his canny best, using the safety car to drop the hard tyres after a single lap to put Carlos Sainz under pressure.

He had a very clear advantage over Lance Stroll too, leading his team-mate 18-5 in the qualifying head-to-head and 70-24 in the points’ standings. It might not be saying much, but it’s a significant margin nonetheless. JBL

9 – Lewis Hamilton

Down 5

Hamilton ended a 56-race winless streak in 2024, but was still second-best to his team-mate

Photo by: Erik Junius

This represents his lowest ever Autosport F1 drivers’ ranking and highlights how this has not been the Mercedes farewell either side was targeting after his shock Ferrari move revelation.

But at least Lewis Hamilton got back to winning ways in 2024 and did so brilliantly, while acknowledging the knock to his confidence that winless streak had taken. His record-extending Silverstone victory showed just how valuable his tyre management prowess remains, as he was able to see off Max Verstappen’s charge even with less durable rubber.

Spa two races later again showed just how good Hamilton remains, as he beat George Russell by a healthy 0.35s in qualifying, then was comfortably the best on the orthodox two-stop strategy. All at a track where ultimate driving talent will shine through.

But 2024 has been far from a vintage campaign and it ends with questions about just how far from his performance peak Hamilton now sits. Much of this stems from his regular inability to pair good practice and race performances with the best qualifying results possible for the W15. This led to conspiracy theories and Hamilton didn’t help this with his disingenuous Monaco front wing comments.

More tangible is how Hamilton has still been unable to replicate his old form in this generation of cars, with his class-leading late-braking touch seemingly underdone with tyres that don’t work best when overstressed and the bouncing effect of this era’s aerodynamic platforms robbing him of confidence.

This all combines into that awful Austin mistake and his underperformances elsewhere – most visibly in the Brazil rain (with Russell also better in wet Montreal too). His Qatar start and pitlane errors were shocking for a driver of his calibre.

A new start is coming, which is perhaps exactly what Hamilton needs. AK

8 – Nico Hulkenberg

Up 2

Hulkenberg was key to Haas' best finish in the constructors' standings since 2018 ahead of the German's move to Sauber in 2025

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

Under new management, Haas has turned a corner this season. And, armed with a much more consistent car, Nico Hulkenberg has been able to blend last year’s qualifying heroics with some scintillating race performances against some greater heralded rival teams. He’s been the driving force for much of the year behind Haas’ bid to clinch sixth in the constructors’ title, though it eventually finished seventh.

Hulkenberg has been able to benefit from Kevin Magnussen’s aggressive approach to a support role at times this year; the Dane’s hold-up play brought Hulkenberg his first point of the year in Jeddah. The German was also assisted in Miami’s sprint, as Magnussen took liberties in keeping Hamilton behind.

But the two sixth place finishes in Austria and Silverstone can be counted among Hulkenberg’s best; Haas benefitted from its development directions paying off, and the Sauber-bound racer capitalised to give Haas a significant boost versus its rival teams.

Had he not been disqualified in Brazil for receiving assistance from the marshals to free himself from a drain, Hulkenberg might have managed six points-finishing rounds in a row. He hasn’t enjoyed the heights of his 2023 Canadian GP front row (that never was) in qualifying, but two sixth places on the grid in Silverstone and Singapore were the peak of his semi-regular Q3 appearances in 2024.

Since coming back to F1, Haas has helped the Rhinelander reinvigorate his career – although joining Sauber is a significant gamble as he throws his lot in with Audi’s works entity for 2025 and beyond. JBL

7 – Pierre Gasly

Re-entry

Gasly scored almost double the points tally of team-mate Ocon and was crucial to Alpine's late charge to sixth in the championship

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

It’s been a real zero-to-hero rollercoaster ride for Pierre Gasly in 2024, as hopes of building on a reasonable 2023 were dashed by Alpine’s overweight A524 and further behind-the-scenes wrangling. 

When the car was poor, Esteban Ocon held a minor advantage in qualifying, and collected the team’s first point of the year in Miami. Then the weight came off the car, and Gasly started to hit new heights – and led the way over Ocon over the rest of the year. After surviving a near-terminal assault from his team-mate in Monaco, Gasly finished 10th and then collected more valuable points over the next three rounds – finishing ninth in Canada and Spain, crucially ahead of his team-mate on both occasions.

Ninth at Zandvoort was another stellar result, particularly as Gasly had broken into Q3 and Ocon had fallen out at the first hurdle. It was Ocon that claimed the lion’s share of accolades for finishing second in Brazil but, as Alpine continued improvement over the latter stages of the year, Gasly capitalised where Ocon could not.

Qualifying third in Las Vegas, despite the power deficit of his Renault powertrain, was Gasly at the peak of his powers. It’s just a shame that the engine let him down in the race...

2024 has been a clear demonstration of why Alpine has chosen to back Gasly over Ocon. He understands the value of pulling the team around him, rallying the troops ahead of the race with encouraging radio soundbites, and working with his side of the garage. As such, his results through the season have continued to improve with time.  

He’ll be called upon to help Jack Doohan settle in as a race driver at the team, assuming the senior role he held at AlphaTauri a couple of years ago. JBL

6 – Oscar Piastri

Up 3

Piastri claimed his first two grand prix wins in 2024, but struggled for consistency and was outscored by team-mate Norris

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

It’s easy to forget that the deadpan Australian has only completed his second season of F1. A series of exquisite drives over 2024 demonstrated why many consider Oscar Piastri a future champion, and he made a clear step forward on the heavy-handedness on tyre management that occasionally led him astray last year. 

The flapping over team orders in Hungary wasn’t the ideal way to win a first grand prix, granted, but Piastri nonetheless took the situation in good grace. His win in Baku was a first proper victory, as he absorbed ladles of pressure from Charles Leclerc – and had just about seen off the Ferrari driver before the race-ending virtual safety car.

He’s put Norris under pressure at times, too, sometimes to the detriment of the Briton’s attempt to mount a title charge – remember his Monza move at Turn 4 that skirted the team’s Papaya Rules enforcement? He knows the value of the team game - underlined by his Brazil sprint swap to give his team-mate an extra point, but wants more of those calls to benefit him next year.

The occasional weekends where Piastri goes missing need to be stumped out if he’s to become McLaren’s number one. The Spanish, Singapore and Mexican rounds of the calendar come to mind in that regard, plus he needed Norris’s assistance to stay in touching distance to be given the Qatar sprint win, was well off his team-mate in the race and got beaten in Abu Dhabi qualifying too.

You can bet that Piastri will break into 2025 with the training wheels off. If his next McLaren is a competitive one, expect him to reel off a few more wins next year - and maybe, if he plays his cards right, a title charge. JBL

5 – George Russell

Up 3

Russell bounced back from a disappointing 2023 and showed he is capable of leading Mercedes in its post-Hamilton era

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Another driver to come out on the wrong side of a narrow split with the driver ahead, George Russell matched Carlos Sainz (and Piastri, also in the mix of our debate for spots 4-6, behind) on two victories and lost another.

That Spa 'win' highlighted how confident Russell is these days – seizing on the unexpected one-stopper with aplomb and keeping his tyres in good enough state to defy a charging Hamilton. That said, the rubber lost in this run played a part in the disqualification and Russell knew he was light pre-race too.

Missing perfection at other times also spoiled occasions where bigger results were possible – such as those Montreal mistakes and losing the start against Verstappen in Qatar (where ultimately Mercedes didn’t have the winning pace). And Russell ended up slipping behind Hamilton when the rain fell pre-his retirement at Silverstone.

But, overall, he produced the far stronger campaign of the two Mercedes drivers – even around the team’s big fluctuations in car performance. Russell being able to nail the tyre preparation challenge better than Hamilton was key to his 24-6 (all sessions) qualifying record.

That also resulted in his best weekend of the year, which finished in his win from pole in Las Vegas. On a track where the W15’s ability to get its tyres up to temperature fast and with a surface smoothness that meant its best ride heights could be accessed without compromise, Russell nailed qualifying when Hamilton failed and was assured in the race – seeing off Leclerc’s early challenge then disappearing.

He'll lead Mercedes next year, where his 2024 experience will surely be very handy. AK

4 – Carlos Sainz

Up 3

Sainz scored two wins in 2024, which could be his last for many years as a Williams move awaits

Photo by: Ferrari

You’d always expect Sainz to be one of F1’s most solid performers, but it seemed that losing his Ferrari seat to Hamilton added a little bit more edge to his racing chops. He had an axe to grind; it wasn’t borne out of brooding resentment, but rather a determination to prove Ferrari that it made the wrong call for 2025.

There were setbacks, but Sainz bounced back from each one. He responded to losing his 2025 seat on the eve of the current year with a podium in Bahrain, and then followed missing Jeddah with appendicitis with victory at the Australian Grand Prix. 

He was largely second-fiddle to Leclerc during the meat of the season, although perhaps dealt with the Ferrari’s low-point weekends in Austria and at Silverstone with a little more ease versus his team-mate. Leclerc’s non-scores in both grands prix came as the Prancing Horse grappled with mis-steps with its floor development, but Sainz smoothed things over with his runs to the points. 

When Ferrari got its game together, Sainz was ostensibly within Leclerc’s wheeltracks, although never particularly far away from his team-mate. And, in the case of the Mexico weekend, Sainz arguably delivered the most dominant of his four F1 victories. 

The Spaniard can be pleased with the way he has signed off from his four years with Ferrari, and now has the task of helping Williams with its grand ambitions to return to the front of the field. With 2025 likely to be a gruelling year, Sainz has managed to achieve success this year – crucially, while he still can. JBL

3 – Lando Norris

Down 1

Norris led McLaren to its first constructors' title for 26 years, but came up short in his battle against Verstappen

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

A brilliant breakthrough year and it’s ultimately underappreciated that it takes a lot of mental resilience to go from zero F1 wins to a first championship challenge in one season.

This could be seen in Norris’s demeanour shifting as the year progressed – his effusive, happy-go-lucky attitude stiffening as the questions about his title chances multiplied. This is not to denigrate, but it was notable how something like relief came through Norris’s words after Verstappen’s Brazil win and championship defeat was basically assured.

Norris’s relentless self-criticism was back in 2024, but, again, it clearly works for him. He just needs to channel that further into eliminating mistakes for next year.

How significant this factor became is what meant he slipped behind Leclerc in our ranking, with an error total nearly double of the Ferrari driver’s. You can slice them various ways, with McLaren’s own mistakes a factor in Norris’s at times, but our count has Norris on 21 to Leclerc’s 12.

While he feels “I've closed off my quali laps” and against the clock he’s been “almost twice as good as what I was last year”, the error count included qualifying small slips that cost better grid spots in Bahrain and the Brazil sprint. Then there were the poor starts in China, Spa and Brazil, those odd near-racing ending wallstrikes when dominating in Singapore, plus most-recently missing the waved yellow flags in Qatar and several more examples.

But, in addition to those commanding performances to brilliantly win in Miami (with safety car assistance), Zandvoort, Singapore (with near-costly errors) and Abu Dhabi, Norris did show how he can adapt and improve, even around the long-shot title pressure Leclerc never had. See how he learned to get his wheels fractionally in front of Verstappen’s inevitable inside-line defence in Mexico – earning his rival a penalty when the reverse had controversially come at Austin.

Norris’s season goes down just a slightly paler shade of gold compared to his rivals ahead here, but he should be extremely proud nevertheless. AK

2 – Charles Leclerc

Up 4

Leclerc's consistency is what places him above Norris

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Oh what might’ve been but for Ferrari making the SF-24 unpredictable with high-speed corner bouncing mid-season, with McLaren not making its car worse for Norris one of several factors that separate the drivers behind Verstappen in our ranking.

Around this, Leclerc also had to deal with a driver in Sainz who was almost at his performance level and had no incentive to give anything other than no quarter during intra-team fights. Their many battles also speaks to how closely they were matched. Indeed, Sainz started the year better overall, with Leclerc struggling to nail the axle-balancing needs on tyre preparation early on.

But he adapted well enough to end the year with a 17-12 qualifying record (all sessions) over Sainz and took three more poles (boosted by Verstappen’s Spa engine penalty), with his Monaco and Baku laps stunning.

As we covered, Leclerc made fewer mistakes than Norris overall, but what also boosted his ranking was his excellent racecraft. His Turn 1 pass on Russell in China was breathtaking, while he also got to work well at Silverstone and in Singapore. But he also defended so brilliantly at times – think holding off Piastri at Zandvoort and Qatar.

Leclerc being the only driver to offer Verstappen defence in his Brazil rise – having also shone well in their dry sprint battle – boosts his ranking too. And around all this were the wonderfully well-judged three victories, with his 33 laps in the same laptime bracket to win on the shock Monza one-stopper showing he’s far from a one-trick qualifying pony. AK

1 – Max Verstappen

No change

Verstappen clinched a fourth, straight title with his rise from 17th to first in Brazil an obvious highlight - but there were blemishes...

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Not his best year, but one where he produced his highest peaks yet and his efforts clearly made the difference around Red Bull’s various missteps.

On those highs, Brazil is the obvious to most, but there’s a strong argument that Imola and Qatar were even better. In these, Verstappen had to be completely faultless to win both against a charging Norris and in the latter his nous highlighted how he’s across all the tiny details required to be a champion.

On these, Red Bull insiders speak of how Verstappen has upped his efforts away from the track considerably this term – visiting the factory more often to try and fix the RB20’s problems. These centred on how its balance would often change dramatically session-to-session, which meant Verstappen was often suddenly grappling with the understeer he detests, while elsewhere having oversteer too wild even for his style of steering a car’s rear in on the brakes at high speed. The car also had a narrow tyre temperature range, which made Verstappen’s qualifying harder at times, while also meaning his pace was compromised as races wore on and harder compounds were used.

Team-mate Sergio Perez has been struggling with Red Bull’s through-corner balance swings for a long time, but finally the opposition stepping up meant Verstappen’s higher lever also became exposed when he had to take the car to its limits. And when that happened, mistakes occurred.

There was Verstappen’s Monaco Q3 crash at Sainte Devote, which confined him to a sixth-place start and finish there. But then there was also his Silverstone Q1 Copse off, which damaged his floor. Baku represented his worst weekend, with Perez back to relative form and showing Red Bull was a contender. Verstappen blamed a particular set-up choice, but these don’t happen in isolation.

When the pressure was on this year, it was a two-way split in how Verstappen would react. Imola and Qatar surely show how he could deliver the very best and yet they came at times of the year when it either seemed like the title was already wrapped up or actually was post-that Las Vegas celebration.

In between, with Norris and McLaren surging, he did crack on multiple occasions. In Austria, his anger at Red Bull blowing his well won lead was clear, he collided with his rival and got lucky Norris came off far worse. In Hungary, his reaction to Red Bull’s higher-downforce upgrade still not fixing its car’s ills came out in his too feisty performance there and his latest Hamilton collision outcome could’ve been worse.

He also cynically used F1’s racing rules when the battle with Norris was at its fiercest – twice fortunate to get away with running his rival off in Austin and then going too far doing it again when Norris adjusted in Mexico. Verstappen has since acknowledged he is only exploiting a poorly written part of the guidelines, which is thought to be changing for 2025. But this all harms his reputation in some quarters.

Ranged against that are the solid success statistics, which for Verstappen this year are boosted by nine to 63 wins (with four more sprints), eight more poles in his now 40 total and of course four world titles. That he secured the top feat while dealing with being pulled across two sides of Red Bull’s management war, which also involved his father, speaks to how impressively focused Verstappen has been in 2024.

He also just maximised his points many times in a way Norris couldn’t. A Schrodinger’s season for Verstappen then. Concurrently his best and not his best. AK

A familiar sight during 2024, although Verstappen's win in Qatar came after a lengthy drought in dry races following his early season domination

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool