Based on the results of each stage of Formula 1, the editors of the “Championship” rate the drivers for their performances, and during the summer break we traditionally summarise the results of the first half of the season, deducing a rating based on the average scores of each driver.
It’s time to find out what came out of these estimates, and we start, as always, with the bottom half of the table.
20. Logan Sargent (total – 60 points / average score – 4.62)
Sargent received his contract for this year well in advance: his debut season was so bad that Logan, frankly, did not deserve an extension. The American, let’s be fair, has managed to make progress: there have been noticeably fewer mistakes and major accidents, but overall this still does not justify the progress. He still loses too much to Albon and cannot drive consistently: the good (sometimes) pace is overshadowed by one or another small mistake again and again.
Sainz will replace Sargent at Williams:
Ferrari’s ‘unwanted’ driver has finally signed up. What happens to F1 seats now?
19. Guanyu Zhou (69.5/4.96)
Zhou is also facing the end of his career. The Chinese is in his third season in Formula 1 this year, but he is still unable to keep up with Valtteri Bottas: In 13 qualifying sessions of the season, Guanyu beat the Finn only once. On long stretches, Zhou’s pace also leaves much to be desired and he is therefore often in a DRS locomotive, from which it is impossible to get out. Kick-Sauber (read: Audi) has not yet decided on Hulkenberg’s partner, but Zhou needs to do something incredible to extend his contract.
Guanyu Zhou
Photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images
18. Sergio Perez (75/5.36)
The 2024 season is the worst for Perez in Formula 1. Sergio had problems before, but Checo mostly coped with the role of number two. Now everything is going badly for the Mexican: Red Bull does not even hide the fact that they were counting on more. Perez began to make frequent mistakes in qualifying, in Monaco he caused a three-car crash and looks weak on long stretches. And now even in Milton Keynes they are not sure that Sergio will keep his place for the 2026 season, even with a signed contract.
There are five vacancies left. Or six:
Who will be where in Formula 1 in 2025? All the contracts and rumours.
17. Daniel Ricciardo (83/5.93)
Closer to the summer break, Ricciardo began to perform better: the Australian scored four points in Canada, performed well in Austria and got (after Russell’s disqualification) into the top 10 in Belgium. But at the start of the season, Daniel looked lackluster, was noticeably inferior to Yuki Tsunoda and lost to his teammate seven times in the first eight qualifiers. The good news is that the chance to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull is not yet lost, but for this to happen, the second half of the season will have to be performed at an exceptionally high level.
Daniel Ricciardo
Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
16. Kevin Magnussen (84/6.00)
Kevin Magnussen is also not doing well in the current season. The Dane is very unlucky in qualifying: he regularly has problems with traffic or pit stop timing. Kevin remains confident on long stages, but due to his low starting position, the driver does not have the opportunity to prove himself. Ultimately, his most memorable performances were as number two in Jeddah and Miami, where Magnussen received a total of six penalties.
More information on the Haas litigation:
Mazepin’s former team spits on court decisions: they did not return the money or the car. Why is that?
15. Lance’s Walk (86/6.14)
Stroll is able to keep up with Alonso and even get ahead of the title-winning Spaniard from time to time, but the Canadian lacks stability. Strong weekends alternate with inexplicable failures, such as the crash with Ricciardo, which Lance accidentally caused in Shanghai. Stroll also had accidents at the Saudi Arabian and Belgian Grands Prix, without which the Canadian would have moved up several places in this ranking.
Spear ride
Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
14. Esteban Ocon (90.5/6.46)
Ocon has proven more than once that he is fast and has shown more than once that he is ready to fight to the end even with his own teammate, and this ultimately led to a clash with Gasly in Monaco and his subsequent dismissal from Alpine. At the same time, Esteban confidently surpasses his teammate in the standings (9-4) and, in addition, had a brilliant race in Canada, where he moved from 18th to 10th place. Unfortunately, the French driver has not had any other performances of this level this year.
There is a chance that a Russian will appear in F1:
Mazepin – to Alpin, Shvartsman – to Audi?! Resolves rumours about Russians in F1
13. Valtteri Bottas (91/6.50)
Hinwil continues to disappoint this year: after 14 rounds of the 2026 season, only Kick-Sauber has no points. For half of the season, Valtteri only made it to the third segment once, and in general the speed of the car did not allow him to even get out of Q1. However, it is not always a question of the car: sometimes the Finn himself makes mistakes. However, in general, Bottas is going through the season according to the level of his technology: reliable, but no miracles. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be enough to save a place on the grid next season.
Valtteri Bottas
Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
12. Pierre Gasly (87.5/6.73)
This season is not easy for Gasly either: in the early stages, the Alpin cars were the slowest and Pierre was regularly inferior to Ocon. But closer to the season, Gasly dominated, was the first of the team to reach the final qualifying segment and also had great races in Canada and Spain. Then, however, the decline began again: Pierre had a mediocre performance in the final stages before the summer break and lost to his teammate in qualifying four times in a row. The Frenchman is probably already thinking about next season.
In honor of Oscar Piastri’s victory:
Proof
Quiz: Do you remember the 20 youngest drivers to win F1? You only have 6 minutes!
11. Yuki Tsunoda (94.5/6.75)
This year Tsunoda has the chance to score the most important victory of his career: the Japanese seems stronger than the more experienced Daniel Ricciardo, who was once considered the best driver. In the qualifying, Yuki beats Dan by 9:4, and in the overall standings he scored almost twice as many points: 22 points against 12. Tsunoda still makes mistakes from time to time, but they are much fewer than at the beginning of his career. At the same time, the driver has not yet fully proven his worth: it is not for nothing that Ricciardo and Yuki are sent to Perez’s place.
To be continue.
