(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Kimi Antonelli determined the reader ratings on Motorsport-Total.com after the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. But right behind them there was a surprise: Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg took fourth place—unlike in reality—after scoring his first Audi points in the real race as ninth.
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Formula 1 expert Marc Surer and the editorial team each gave Hülkenberg a 2. Readers contributed an average of 2.28 rating points. This resulted in a final grade of 2.09. Only the three real podium finishers Norris (1.24), Verstappen (1.90), and Antonelli (2.05) scored better for Budapest.
Interesting: In reader popularity, it was not race winner Norris who was ahead, but Verstappen: He received a rating 0.04 points better. However, since Verstappen received only a 2 from both Surer and the editorial team, he ultimately remained behind Norris.
Surer explained: “Verstappen’s overtaking maneuver against Hamilton deserves a 1—the spin in qualifying does not.” Norris was also not error-free, “but I forgive him the small driving mistake in turn 2,” said Surer.
Oscar Piastri: Not at the finish, but in fifth place
Also curious is the fifth place in the reader ratings for Hungary: Oscar Piastri. Because the McLaren driver did not see the finish due to a technical defect. According to Surer, Piastri “had bad luck with Sainz and the gearbox,” and was also in the shadow of Norris. Therefore, the editorial team gave a 3. In the end, the average was 2.47 rating points.
The mentioned Carlos Sainz was the last in the ratings this time. Surer was the most lenient with a 4. His reasoning: “Sainz seemed somewhat unfocused this weekend. The contact with Piastri took away his chance of victory.” Readers (4.97) and the editorial team each gave a 5. This meant an average rating of 4.66.
In the unofficial world championship table for reader ratings, Antonelli still leads clearly ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen. Norris is the new fifth behind George Russell. Piastri is newly in the top 10, and Hülkenberg has made a small jump. After the first half of the season, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll are still without points in the reader ratings.
Who really shone in Budapest—and who didn’t?
How the editorial team discussed the driver ratings after the Hungarian Grand Prix is a topic on Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m. in the call-in show “Live bei Scheuren” on the Formel1.de Twitch channel. Host Kevin Scheuren invites users to join via Zoom personally and chat with him about the Hungarian Grand Prix and Formula 1.
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Click through: How Surer rates the 22 drivers!
How Marc Surer rates the other drivers can be read in detail in an extended photo gallery. In this photo gallery, both the Formula 1 expert and the editorial team justify their ratings for each of the 22 drivers individually. So that users can hopefully understand even better from now on how the driver ratings came about.
Budapest: The driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
By the way: Many users want more transparency from the editorial team in the awarding of ratings. That is why we have decided to also publish the individual ratings of our editors in a separate table. For the overall editorial rating, which forms pillar 3 of the system, the editorial team agrees on a common full rating in a conference.
In this conference, which has become a fixed program item for us every Monday morning after Formula 1, things sometimes get heated when different opinions clash. And we collect arguments that speak for or against a better or worse rating.
How we award our ratings
The idea behind our rating system is to evaluate performances over a weekend and especially in the race with ratings (1 = very good, 6 = insufficient). External influences that the drivers cannot control themselves should be excluded. And so that not only the editorial team subjectively rates, as is the case with football magazines, we have created three equal pillars with the readers and the expert.
And this is how we calculate:
From the average rating of Motorsport-Total.com users, the rating by expert Marc Surer, and the rating by our editorial team, we determine the average. Our driver ranking results from this average value. We only display one decimal place, but for the calculation, we use all decimal places. These partially invisible decimal places determine the ranking order of two drivers in the case of an apparent rating tie.
The ratings of the individual editors:
We are often asked how our editorial ratings come about. All editors of our Formula 1 team first give their ratings individually. In an editorial conference on the morning after the Grand Prix, we then exchange views and agree on common editorial ratings, which usually (but not always) reflect the average of the individual editor ratings. When setting the editorial ratings, discussions sometimes get heated. The goal is to agree on common driver ratings that every editor can accept.
Award for Driver of the Year:
Based on the overall ratings of a race weekend, we award points for the 2026 annual ranking. Analogous to the points system in the real Formula 1 World Championship, the winner receives 25 points, the second 18, the third 15—down to one point for tenth place. There is no bonus point for the fastest lap. At the end of the season, the driver with the most points is awarded the Motorsport-Total.com Award for Driver of the Year 2026.
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