The high-profile crash involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris as they battled for the race lead dominated the headlines at the Austrian Grand Prix.
But that only tells half the story of a Grand Prix in which Ferrari completely missed out on points while Haas scored a fantastic double-place finish in tenth.
How badly did Verstappen and Norris count against them at the Red Bull Ring this weekend when neither was error-free? That's Ed Straw's verdict.
How do ratings work? The 20 drivers will be ranked by performance from best to worst on each Grand Prix weekend. This will depend on a whole range of criteria, from speed and racing skill to consistency and whether they have made key errors. How close each driver comes to achieving the car's maximum possible performance will be a key consideration.
It is important to note that this reflects performance over the entire weekend, recognizing the fact that qualifying is effectively 'lap 0' of the race and key to laying the foundations for the race, and that it is not a classification for everyone. Round qualities for every driver. It simply comes down to how they perform on a given weekend. Therefore, the ranking will fluctuate significantly from weekend to weekend.
Although each of the ten cars has different performance capabilities and “luck” (i.e. factors outside the driver’s control) contributes to how a weekend goes, this ranking will also differ significantly from the overall results.
I started: the third I finish: the first
The win itself was not the reason for George Russell's high ranking. Rather, it was down to the third place he was on his way to before the collision between Norris and Verstappen, which represented the best possible result in what was Russell's most complete weekend of the season.
He maximized what was possible across both the sprint and Grand Prix components, and also held the advantage over team-mate Lewis Hamilton throughout.
Verdict: The result was secondary to strong performance.
It started: the fourth I finish: 3- The third
It may seem surprising to see Carlos Sainz finish so high after an unspectacular weekend, but he did a good, clean job in a Ferrari that was fourth best and was difficult to drive, especially after the post-race changes.
He avoided the bad luck that made life difficult for Charles Leclerc, but he also outperformed his team-mate and came out on top in both qualifying sessions and both races.
Verdict: Efficient and quiet weekend.
I started: Seventh I finish: the second
Running a few millimetres wider in qualifying and dropping from third on the grid to seventh would likely see Oscar Piastri lose the chance to participate in the Verstappen/Norris battle, or at least pick up the pieces when they collide.
But a second-place finish in both races, the latter after a good effort to work his way to the front, is still a good gain.
Verdict: That marginal moment in the third quarter proved costly.
It started: Ninth I finish: VI
The weekend started badly for Nico Hulkenberg, who lacked confidence in the sprint part of the weekend and was not on the same level as Kevin Magnussen, as well as being given a drive-through penalty for forcing Fernando Alonso off the track.
But he put in a great performance in qualifying, reclaiming the midfield lead he had lost to Ocon at Turn 1 early in the session and then making no mistake.
The late rearguard action that kept Sergio Perez's Red Bull team in sixth place was particularly impressive.
Verdict: Great after fast paced sprints.
I started: 12 I finish: VIII
Magnussen was arguably the standout performer during qualifying, the sprint and the race, putting Haas at the front of the midfield.
While Hulkenberg was slowly advancing in qualifying, Magnussen was only 0.085 seconds behind him in the second qualifying, and was actively pursuing him throughout the race. The only real difference was that he couldn't outlast Perez.
The verdict: The most compelling event of the year.
I started: eleventh I finish: Ninth
This was one of Ricciardo's most impressive weekends of 2024 as he faced a battle to extract speed from the car and then had to execute the race extremely well to undermine his way through the Alps before holding off Pierre Gasly for a few points.
Because he was far behind Yuki Tsunoda in the racing portion of the weekend, he was slightly ahead of the Grand Prix.
The verdict: Good and killer weekend.
It started: 13 I finish: The tenth
Gasly was on the wrong side of the slim gap between himself and teammate Esteban Ocon, until the race in which he managed to pass him around the outside of Turn 4 on his way to taking the final point.
He hasn't been able to do anything about Ricciardo lately despite chasing him on newer (and softer) tyres.
The verdict: A strong race to reverse the battle within the Alps.
I started: 2nd I finish: DNF
Since he was not responsible for the collision with Verstappen, this does not harm Norris' ranking. Indeed, much of what Norris did in Austria was remarkable.
However, what he called an “amateur” error after leaving the door open for Verstappen in the sprint race also resulted in him falling behind his teammate Piastri, and receiving a track-limits penalty in the Grand Prix (although it had no effect). With a mistaken attack on Verstappen it does not count against him since it could cost him the win even if he is able to win on the road.
Verdict: Some turbulent moments in the battle.
I started: the first I finish: Fifth
Verstappen's ranking was affected by the way he responded to unexpected pressure from Norris.
Although he was not responsible for the fatal mistake that fell to Norris after he had been perfect up until that point, he did overshoot the mark and cause a collision that did not need to happen.
This turned the top two into fifth place for the weekend as it was due to be at the top.
Verdict: – Excessive aggression in defense.
It started: Fifth I finish: the fourth
Hamilton still looked less comfortable with the car than Russell, meaning he was narrowly the second-best Mercedes driver in Austria.
He briefly led Russell in the Grand Prix before being overtaken again, but was forced to cede a place to Sainz after going wide at Turn 1 at the start, then making a mistake that saw him slide over the pit lane, earning a five-second penalty. Minor floor damage also complicated a difficult race.
The verdict: Second best Mercedes driver.
I started: The tenth I finish: twelveth
Ocon accompanied Gasly throughout the race and qualifying sessions and was initially on course for a strong result after taking eighth place from Hulkenberg at the start.
But the pace wasn't strong enough to stay at the front of the midfield, and a combination of that, losing out to Gasly in the battle, a strategy that didn't quite work and the loss of the left-hand rear brake duct winglets led to a disappointing result.
The verdict: A good Grand Prix weekend wasted.
It started: sixteen I finish: 15
The Williams team struggled again in Austria and Alex Albon also struggled very early in the weekend, committing to starting from the pit lane in the sprint to allow for setting changes.
This meant a slight improvement in performance during qualifying for the Grand Prix itself, although his hopes of being able to finish at least within a few places of the points were ruined by a penalty for crossing the pit lane entry line and questionable strategy.
The verdict: Limited by machines.
It started: seventeenth I finish: 13
Considering Aston Martin's struggles, Lance Stroll's weekend was solid enough, with his sprint qualifying and Saturday's race performing well.
Qualifying for the main event was not good, and that meant a tough race, although his speed was not bad compared to Alonso.
Verdict: Stronger in sprint sessions.
It started: 18 I finish: sixteen
Sauber was the slowest car in Austria, which meant Valtteri Bottas didn't have much to work with.
He overtook Zhou Guanyu with relative ease and did what he could, which culminated in 18th in the two qualifying rounds – admitting he didn't get the best out of the car in qualifying proper – and the sprint before reaching 16th in the Grand Prix thanks to Logan Sargent's problems Norris withdraws.
Verdict: To hide into nothing.
It started: 14 I finish: 14
The RB drivers performed similarly, with Tsunoda having a slight advantage in the sprint but just over a tenth behind Ricciardo in main qualifying and having a tougher race thanks to his choice of a much longer first stint.
His pace was decent without being unusual.
The verdict: The weekend was average by his standards.
I started: VI I finish: eleventh
With the exception of a good first lap in the sprint, this was a painful weekend for Claire.
Some problems were beyond his control, like the engine stopping while he was waiting to leave the pits and ensuring he couldn't set a SQ3 time. Others, like a stoppage while trying to set a miracle lap in qualifying, were his fault.
As for the start, when he found himself sandwiched between Piastri and Perez and suffered damage to his front wing, it was a combination of bad luck and adventure after he found himself in the “middle lane” entering the first corner. His pace in the Grand Prix was good, but with the benefit of an unusual strategy.
The verdict: One of those weekends.
It started: VIII I finish: Seventh
While Perez's deficit to Verstappen in the main qualifying session of 0.9 seconds was exaggerated by the fact that he set his time on used soft tyres, he was simply not at Verstappen's level. Eighth in the race and seventh, despite sustaining some damage that meant the car was 'all over the place', in the Grand Prix tells you all you need to know about his struggles.
His rating may seem harsh, but this is a significant drop in a car capable of winning.
The verdict: Another hard weekend.
It started: 15 I finish: 18
Aston Martin's struggles continue to overtake Alonso, who struggled to maintain pace ahead of Stroll and clumsily collided with Zhou as he tried to overtake the still-unserviced Sauber.
The Aston Martin was never likely to become a points-scoring car in Austria, but Alonso would have had more of it at his best.
Verdict: Another flat weekend.
I started: 19 I finish: 19
The two qualifying sessions went well for Sargent, as he got into SQ2 and overtook his teammate on Friday and then overtook Albon by a tenth in qualifying proper.
Unfortunately, the races did not go well – with a tough sprint followed by a terrible race after he suffered damage to his front wing on the first lap when a concertina car hit him in turn three and collided with Stroll.
Verdict: Qualifying was good, but the races were tough.
I started: The twentieth (drilling) I finish: 17
Cho was unable to build on the positivity he got from the Spanish Grand Prix after the car change, as he suffered a weekend where he “wasn't fast enough”.
Being a few tenths behind and underachieving Bottas in qualifying was appropriate, although Alonso's race-related injury didn't help after the pitlane restart following a car change under the park awning.
The verdict: Something is still not right.
