The Formula 1 season has come to a close. In his annual end-of-year report, driver and F1 analyst Tom Coronel assesses all the drivers in his own unique way. After discussing the top 3 and flop 3 of the past season, we will cover the rest of the field today and tomorrow. Today: about Lando Norris’s gifts, the dynamics within Ferrari, and Nico Hülkenberg, the cat with nine lives.
Charles Leclerc: 8.2
Tom Coronel: “If he could have chosen two races to win beforehand, they would have been Monaco and Monza. And he won those, notably with a Ferrari that was not good enough at the time. And in the championship, he also fairly comfortably won the battle with his teammate Carlos Sainz, which is impressive. I am very curious to see how he will fare next year with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. There is still room for growth in Leclerc.”
Lando Norris: 7.9
“I had hoped for more, especially a stronger personality. Norris would not have become champion, but he would have been closer. I think he learned a lot this year. Hopefully, he won’t give away any more gifts next year. Not to Max and not to his teammate. Norris, his teammate Oscar Piastri, and his team McLaren, they were all not yet ready to fight for the title.”
Carlos Sainz: 7.7
“Sainz started the season wonderfully, knowing that he had to leave Ferrari. He was a regular on the podium in the first races. Even drove straight from the hospital to victory in Melbourne, which is impressive. However, it is difficult to give him a rating, as it was soon known that he was on his way out, and then the dynamics within a team change. I think his choice for Williams is unfortunate.”
Yuki Tsunoda: 7.5
“I am secretly a fan of Yuki. He lacks some verbal skills and sometimes the fuse box in his head blows. Then I understand why he is still driving where he is driving. At the same time, I think he is the strongest driver in the Red Bull talent pool. He does really cool things on the track and deserved a chance at Red Bull, more than a rookie. Yuki is a bit more seasoned and would be less easily rattled. Unfortunately for him, Red Bull’s choice turned out differently.”
Liam Lawson: 7.5
I admire his patience in waiting for his opportunity, but I also saw this season that his fuse blew once, with Daniel Ricciardo in Mexico. That’s exactly what I didn’t want to see. That’s why he’s not ready for Red Bull yet. But he is a character, someone who knows what he wants and won’t let anyone walk all over him. A real racer. What Helmut Marko sees in him, I see too. His time is coming. He must seize his opportunity at Red Bull now.
Nico Hülkenberg: 7.4
Our super substitute, the cat with nine lives who still races in Formula 1. The driver with the most races without a trophy. But still, he sometimes does things that make me think: wow! The fire still burns. F1 is unfinished business for him, and you can see that in the way he drives. I understand why Audi chose him. He’s fast, experienced, and sometimes does impressive things with a car that’s really a lemon, like the Haas.
Franco Colapinto: 7.2
He made a big splash when he arrived, but his ego has taken a serious hit in the last few races. If he hadn’t caused so much damage, I could have imagined Red Bull choosing him. He’s a talented raw racer, but still too wild, too reckless. That makes him fun to watch. His debut came a bit too early, but he’s definitely a guy with potential.
Oscar Piastri: 7.1
Piastri really needs to start catching up with Lando Norris. He does that occasionally, but I find it still too meager. Otherwise, the hype around him will eventually collapse like a house of cards. He occasionally shows some nice things and is really a cool customer. Ideally, you would be able to clone Norris and Piastri, then you would have a potential champion. Next year, he’ll have to do it on his own.
