F1® 2021 Driver Ratings Update

The last few races have been fast-paced, featuring flurries of wet weather and fraught with a little controversy. It may have only been three races since our last driver rating update, but those three races have been full of racing action.

As the season has been going on, we’ve been working hard to get the results in-game and updating the driver ratings according to their Experience, Pace, Awareness, Racecraft and Overall Rating. 

If you’re new to our driver ratings, they’re weighted more towards recent race results and driver performance. In F1^® 2021’s My Team, you become driver-owner of your Formula 1^® team, and alongside deciding on your power unit, colours, name, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is that of your teammate. Enter the driver ratings. Study them and decide who will deliver the best bang for your buck, and together you can go for glory.

You can find out more about how the driver ratings are calculated in our deep dive right here.

Here are some of the biggest changes in the latest update, up to and including the Italian Grand Prix:

Bottas’ Boost

Being one of the drivers whose ratings dropped last time round, two consecutive podium places, including one having started at the back of the grid, have boosted Bottas’ statistics. His Racecraft and Pace have both gone up one, meaning his Overall Rating has also bumped up one.

Forza Ferrari

Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have delivered some great results for Ferrari, with the former scoring two top-five finishes in a row. This fantastic form has meant Leclerc’s Racecraft and Awareness both rise by one. Sainz’s Awareness, Racecraft and Pace all go up one too, leading to an Overall Rating increase from 87 to 88.

Momentum for Mick Schumacher

Despite contesting towards the back of the grid, rookie Mick Schumacher has impressed in his first season in Formula 1^®. Consistently out-qualifying and finishing ahead of teammate, Nikita Mazepin, Schumacher’s Experience and Awareness increase by one each, with his Racecraft and Pace going up two. These add up to an impressive Overall Rating rise of two, joint highest increase this time around.

Ocon’s Overall Drops

It’s been a mixed few races for Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Out-qualifying his teammate at the Belgian Grand Prix and an eighth position at the Dutch Grand Prix have meant the Frenchman’s Racecraft increases by one, and his pace by three. An incident involving Sebastian Vettel at the Italian Grand Prix has proved costly, however, as his Awareness drops 14, ultimately causing his Overall Rating to fall by two.

Checo’s Challenges

Keeping up with Max Verstappen isn’t easy, even for experienced drivers such as Sergio Perez. Despite a great performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, coming from the pit lane to finish in an impressive eighth place, his pace and finishing position compared to Verstappen has taken his ratings down slightly. His Racecraft has dropped by two and pace by one.

Championship Rivals

“But what about the two championship rivals?” With the triple-header giving us so much championship action, we know you’re clamouring to know what’s changed.

Max Verstappen’s Racecraft increases by one, however, it’s that incident at the Italian Grand Prix, with the subsequent penalty from the stewards, which has proved costly, dropping his Awareness by nine points, causing his Overall Rating to fall by two.

In the battle of the driver ratings, Lewis Hamilton is currently in the lead, as his performances have ensured his ratings remain the same.

Those are some of the notable changes this time around, and you can find the full ratings table below. As usual, if you’re in the middle of a My Team save, you’ll be asked via an in-game message whether you’d like to apply the changes to your existing save.

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