Verstappen gets rare 10 from RacingNews365 despite no pole or win

Max Verstappen did not win the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix or take pole, yet RacingNews365 gave him a 10 in its post-race driver ratings — a decision reviewer Jake Nichol called very rare for a driver who had done neither. Race winner Lando Norris received the same mark.

Nichol’s assessment also highlighted Verstappen’s climb from P21 to P2 following an engine penalty.

For Norris, Nichol pointed to a different sequence: Kimi Antonelli passed him at the start, but Norris regained the lead and then dominated on his way to victory.

Oliver Bearman received a 9 despite finishing 17th. Nichol said a 20-second pit stop ruined Bearman’s points prospects; before it, Bearman had been running ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.