F1 2021 Driver Ratings Update: Lewis Hamilton downgraded by Codemasters in latest update

Driver ratings are still a relatively new idea for the F1 series, having only come into being last year.

With fewer real-world events to build around than FIFA or Madden, it's safe to say Codemasters is walking a tricky line trying to give drivers realistic ratings, especially when the teams are looking over their shoulder too.

But there are a few drivers that need an updated rating now that we are several races on from F1 2021's release, and Codemasters has reacted to that, dropping the mid-season update to the Driver Ratings.

Hamilton now lower than Verstappen

The big change at the top of the rankings is that Lewis Hamilton, despite leading the Drivers' Championship, has been downgraded to 94 overall.

Lewis has picked up a -4 to his awareness as a result of his Silverstone penalty, which sees him drop behind Max's 95 overall.

Somewhat bizarrely, Codemasters has dropped Max's racecraft by three due to his DNFs, even while conceded most incidents have not been his fault.

Norris sees a drop too

A contender for Driver of the Season in many people's eyes, Lando Norris has also seen a decrease in his rating. Codemasters cite his five-second penalty for dropping his awareness, which has resulted in a new rating of 89.

Likewise, Valtteri Bottas has had a drop in awareness, down a huge 7 points, but he is still rated 90 overall... somehow.

Williams gets a boost

Consecutive double-points finishes for Williams, along with that stellar qualifying lap from George Russell in Spa, has seen both drivers get boosts to their ratings.

Russell is now 85 overall, with a +4 to his racecraft. Nicholas Latifi is up to 72 with a +3 to his racecraft. While both have needed some extreme circumstances to pick up their most recent results, there is no doubt they made the most of it.

This is also surely just the start of Russell's rise up the rankings, with an argument to be made he should be in the high 80s already.

Complete new ratings