No one can stop Max Verstappen after the reigning world champion took his seventh consecutive victory in Sunday’s 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and Sergio Perez.
Lewis Hamilton had hoped for more from pole position but only managed fourth, whilst Oscar Piastri made it two McLarens in the top five with fifth ahead of Charles Leclerc, who had a frustrating race.
Total-Motorsport.com rate all 20 drivers based on their qualifying and race performances at the Hungarian GP.
Team errors such as a slow pit stop or poor strategy do not affect our ratings as they are no fault of the drivers. Instead, our ratings solely look at how well the drivers got on throughout the weekend in Hungary.
F1 Driver Ratings – Hungarian GP 2023
Max Verstappen 9/10
Started: 2nd – Finished: 1st
Qualifying aside, it was another easy weekend for Verstappen, who led every lap after muscling his way past Hamilton at the start to pick up win number 44 and the fastest lap.
Lando Norris 8.5/10
Started: 3rd – Finished: 2nd
Back-to-back podiums for Norris on a track which hadn’t looked like it would suit the McLaren whilst also being kept on his toes by quicker drivers behind.
Sergio Perez 6/10
Started: 9th – Finished: 3rd
Until Qualifying, it looked as though Hungary would be another awful weekend for Perez after a crash in FP1, but following a string of aggressive moves, the Mexican secured his first podium at the Hungaroring.
Lewis Hamilton 8/10
Started: 1st – Finished: 4th
After upsetting the applecart by securing his first pole since the 2021 Saudi GP, Hamilton made a mess of Lap 1, losing three positions and putting him in catch-up mode for the rest of the race.
Oscar Piastri 7.5/10
Started: 4th – Finished: 5th
Piastri was unlucky not to secure his first F1 podium after running second during the race’s opening stint before being leapfrogged by Hamilton and Perez at the pitstops.
George Russell 6.5/10
Started: 18th – Finished: 6th
Following his worst qualifying performance since the 2020 Tuscan GP, Russell had it all to do not least with him starting the race on hards. Still, a solid comeback drive secured good points.
Charles Leclerc 6.5/10
Started: 6th – Finished: 7th
One to forget for Leclerc, who had to wrestle with a Ferrari which loathed the Hungaroring. His race was utterly ruined by a dismal strategy and a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits.
Carlos Sainz 6/10
Started: 11th – Finished: 8th
Sainz didn’t help himself by making his first Q2 exit since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, but a quiet drive to eighth will slightly soften the blow.
Fernando Alonso 6/10
Started: 8th – Finished: 9th
With a lack of pace and the Pirelli tyres not suiting his Aston Martin, Alonso couldn’t make a little progress from ninth despite running as high as seventh in the early stages.
Lance Stroll 5.5/10
Started: 14th – Finished: 10th
Back in the points for Stroll, as he carved his way through the midfield to secure tenth after a poor qualifying.
Alex Albon 5.5/10
Started: 16th- Finished: 11th
Try as he might, Albon could not stop his point streak ending in Budapest as Williams struggled for speed and with the alternate qualifying format.
Valtteri Bottas 5/10
Started: 7th – Finished: 12th
Bottas had looked strong all weekend, joining his teammate in Q3, but a poor start lost him any chance of points.
Daniel Ricciardo 7.5/10
Started: 13th – Finished: 13th
Despite not testing the AlphaTauri before coming to Hungary, Ricciardo drove a fine race finishing where he started even after being hit at the start.
Nico Hulkenberg 5/10
Started: 10th – Finished: 14th
Hulkenberg had outdriven his Haas by making Q3, but like so often in 2023, the race was a similar story extending his pointless run.
Yuki Tsunoda 3.5/10
Started: 16th – Finished: 15th
Tsunoda looked ordinary in Hungary, enduring a lonely drive to 15th, which included a slow first stop, and the wrath of Norris after blocking him for several laps.
Zhou Guanyu 2.5/10
Started: 5th – Finished: 16th
From hero to zero for Zhou as a sensor issue ruined his start before he added insult to injury by causing a turn-one pileup and picking up a five-second penalty, ending any chance of points.
Kevin Magnussen 3/10
Started: 19th – Finished: 17th
Very few positives to take from Budapest for Magnussen as he endured yet another frustrating drive to 17th.
Logan Sargeant 3/10
Started: 20th – Finished: DNF
Like his teammate, Sargeant couldn’t achieve much in Budapest before a simple spin at Turn 6 in the closing stages caused his retirement.
Esteban Ocon 4.5/10
Started: 12th – Finished: DNF
Hungary wasn’t kind to Ocon, failing to make Q3 for the third consecutive weekend before retiring on Lap 2 courtesy of debris picked up in an opening lap pileup.
Pierre Gasly 4.5/10
Started: 15th – Finished: DNF
A horrific Hungarian weekend for Gasly, who had his worst qualifying performance since June’s Canadian GP before his race was cut short by damage sustained on Lap 1.
Where is the next F1 2023 race?
With the F1 circus finished in Budapest, we move on to the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix which will be held at Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend of July 28-30.
