The end of each Formula 1 season is the perfect opportunity to evaluate how every driver on the grid performed across the longest campaign in the sport’s history.
Only 15 drivers competed in every Grand Prix in 2024 before Max Verstappen eventually came out on top in the Drivers’ Championship.
McLaren were victorious in the Constructors’ battle, but there was a clear gulf between the top four teams and the rest of the grid.
Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes each scored more than 450 points in 2024, but the next-best performing team was Aston Martin, who failed to reach triple figures.
Their performance dropped off as the year went on, giving Alpine, Haas and RB a sniff of finishing in the top half of the table.
It also meant that in the drivers’ standings, there were only two spots available outside of the eight drivers in ‘Formula A’ to finish in the top 10 this year.
They went to two-time world champion and Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso, and Alpine’s five-time podium finisher Pierre Gasly.
Jolyon Palmer was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast and reviewing this year’s action.
When talking about who was his best driver outside of the top teams, he gave the ‘superb’ Frenchman the nod.
Gasly also appeared in Karun Chandhok’s top 10 drivers of the year, highlighting how impressed everyone in F1 was with him this year.
Jolyon Palmer names Pierre Gasly as ‘the best’ F1 driver outside the top four teams in 2024
Palmer was talking about Jack Doohan’s debut in Abu Dhabi and said: “Yeah, he didn’t do a lot, did he? But he didn’t do a lot wrong either. It was fine.
“It’s difficult to parachute in for a final race. Abu Dhabi’s a nice track for it, because everyone knows it well, there are run-offs and the like. But I’m looking forward to seeing what he and all the rookies can do next year.
“I thought Gasly, he was the best driver outside of the top four teams for me. Gasly had a superb season, and really how Alpine launched themselves from [being] woeful in Bahrain to being sixth in the end was a cracking recovery.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
“Gasly finished, like you said, third in Brazil. Ocon qualified fourth and finished second in the other car.
“Gasly qualified third in Vegas. He ran third in Abu Dhabi. He wasn’t miles away from actually leading Grand Prix at the end.
“So whilst he wasn’t quite McLaren-esque, the turnaround was pretty amazing.”
Alpine on an upward trajectory with Pierre Gasly leading the way
Considering how poorly Alpine started the 2024 season, they’ll be delighted that they managed to recover to the same position in the Constructors’ Championship as last year.
Gasly and Ocon’s incredible performances in Sao Paulo ultimately made the difference, with the team scoring more than half of their points across the season during that race weekend.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
666 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
652 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
589 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
468 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
94 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
65 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
58 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
46 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
4 |
However, for Palmer to rate Gasly above Alonso is a sign of the consistent improvements he’s making season after season.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
He would have been seen as an equal to Ocon at Alpine across the past two years, but will very much be the leading driver in 2025 with Doohan alongside him.
Doohan may be under immediate pressure at Alpine with the threat of signing Franco Colapinto from Williams constantly lingering.
It will be up to Gasly to help guide the young Australian and make sure he can step up to an acceptable level as quickly as possible in what’s set to be one of the closest midfield battles F1 has seen for some time.
