F1 driver ratings after Singapore: Verstappen leads as Hamilton slips; Bortoleto and Tsunoda climb
Max Verstappen has moved into the lead of RacingNews365's season-long driver ratings after round 18 of 24, as Lewis Hamilton suffered a notable drop in the latest quarterly review. The update covers the last six races — Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Azerbaijan, and Singapore — and reflects weekend-long performances across practice, qualifying, and the grands prix.
How the ratings work
Each driver is scored out of 10 after every grand prix, with the cumulative averages reviewed at the six, 12, and 18-race marks through the season. The latest snapshot comes after the Singapore Grand Prix, the three-quarter point of the calendar.
Biggest movers
- Max Verstappen — Now leads on 8.1, boosted by back-to-back 10s in Italy and Azerbaijan. His average has climbed by +0.3 since Silverstone.
- Oscar Piastri — Drops from top spot to second, down 0.3 overall, impacted by a difficult Azerbaijan weekend, where he scored a season-low three.
- Gabriel Bortoleto and Yuki Tsunoda — Biggest climbers at +0.6, fuelled by standout results in Hungary/Italy and Azerbaijan respectively.
- Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg — All suffer declines of at least -0.4. Hamilton endured a poor run across Belgium–Hungary–Netherlands, never scoring higher than 4.5 in that stretch.
The state of play
Verstappen's surge, underpinned by Red Bull's recent step in performance, has reshaped the top of the table as the season enters its decisive phase. Piastri remains in close contention despite a dip, while consistent improvers — notably Tsunoda and Bortoleto — headline the midfield momentum.
Note: The season averages reflect updated totals after round 18; the percentage changes indicate movement since the last quarterly review.
