Driver Ratings - Russian Grand Prix

Well, that was pretty boring. But who was surprised?

Here are my driver ratings for the Russian Grand Prix…

Valtteri Bottas – 8

Bottas really needed this win. He’s been off the top step since the first race and hasn’t looked like he’s got the skills to beat Hamilton all season – a great start to get in front of Verstappen and put pressure on his team mate before he got to the front and managed his race perfectly. A win and fastest lap may not silence his critics, but it might make them think twice before they open their mouths.

Max Verstappen – 8

I don’t really remember Max being a part of this race. The Dutchman drove brilliantly to secure a first Russian podium for Red Bull, and although he couldn’t catch up to Bottas for the win, his fight with Daniel Ricciardo after a poo start showed just how great his racecraft has become. This weekend should have reminded people that Max is good, really good. I just hope Red Bull can give him a car to match his skills.

Lewis Hamilton – 6

The race was a bit of a mess for Hamilton. A questionable 10-second penalty for doing practice starts in the wrong place put him on the back foot from the get go. Despite this, he showed amazing pace to minimise the damage and guarantee he would come out of the pits in a position so he could fight for a podium. P3 was the result, but it should have been another race win.

Sergio Perez - 9

An amazing result for the Mexican who managed to finish light-years ahead of the other midfield teams, despite having a car that wasn’t much faster than the Renaults. Dropping down to P6 at the start before a solid overtake on Daniel Ricciardo and a great team strategy to undercut Ocon meant he could claim P4. He’s determined to show Aston Martin/Racing Point exactly why they’ll miss him.

Daniel Ricciardo - 9

Daniel “I’ll drive faster” Ricciardo has now got four top six finishes in a row, in a car that looks like it could start a challenge for podiums very soon. The Aussie had a solid race and is showing us the best driving of his career so far.

Charles Leclerc - 7

A very lucky result for Leclerc, who should have received a penalty on the first lap for taking out Lance Stroll. Starting in P10, the Ferrari driver had an excellent first stint, making his tyres last as long as possible before keeping Ocon behind him for around 20 laps in much faster machinery. Not a perfect race, but a very good (if slightly lucky) result nonetheless.

Esteban Ocon – 6

While P7 may appear to be a decent result, Ocon probably should have done better. He looked good in the first stint, getting up to P4, but couldn’t get past Vettel after opting for the hard tyre in his pit-stop.

Daniil Kvyat - 8

I’ve been a big critic of Kvyat, but this was his best race since his podium drive in Germany last season. Balancing tyre management and race pace perfectly meant he could re-join in P8 and finish the race in that position. Kvyat is really starting to show why a team (maybe not Alpha Tauri) should stick with him.

Pierre Gasly – 8

A solid late charge after being stuck behind Kimi meant he could pass both Lando Norris and Alex Albon in what would have been a satisfying yet disappointing race for the Frenchman, who like others may have been able to get a better result if one or two things had gone differently.

Alex Albon – 5

I’m a big Albon fan, but you can’t go from your first podium to qualifying P10 and finishing P10 without more questions being asked. A five place grid penalty didn’t help his chances, but a virtually free pit-stop on lap 1 should have meant he got a better result than 10th.

The parralells between Albon and Gasly of 2019 are so apparent, it’s just a shame Red Bull don’t have the guts to make the same decision as they did last season. Pair Gasly and Albon at Alpha Tauri, and grab Sergio Perez while he (and his big sponsors) are still available.

Antonio Giovinazzi – 7

The best race Gio has had for a while. Outqualifying his team mate and beating him to P11, six places up on where he started. An amazing move on Romain Grosjean may not be enough to save him, especially following the announcement that Mick Schumacher is driving his car in FP1 at the Nurburgring.

Kevin Magnussen - 7

Give Kevin Magnussen a really crap car, and he’ll drive the balls off it. P12 may not sound great, but after gaining 9 (nine!) places on the opening lap, he’ll hopefully be able to pick up a few more here and there before the end of the season.

Sebastian Vettel – 3

What a crap race for Seb. He didn’t manage his tyres and was a lot slower than his team mate (in a car that is built for his team mate to be fair), I bet he can’t wait for the future with Aston Martin.

Kimi Raikkonen - 6

Being the joint-most experienced F1 driver means you’ll know all about difficult races, and Russia was no exception, starting in P19, there was a slight chance for points before his team let him down with a poor pit-stop.

Lando Norris - 6

Putting Norris on hard tyres at the end of lap 1 and then asking him to go to the end was a big and slightly odd call from McLaren. Add in his damaged car and Norris didn’t really stand a chance.

Nicholas Latifi - 7

Saturday’s aren’t the best for Latifi, but his race craft and pace show he’s got something to offer. Beating his team mate will feel great as well as being able to hold the Haas of Grosjean behind him.

Romain Grosjean - 4

We all had some hope when he climbed up to P10 in the opening laps, but the Frenchman was not happy with the car and it showed. I imagine this will be his last season in F1 before joining Peugeout for WEC (please please please happen) or going on to retire.

George Russell - 5

We know Russell is good. But he really needs to start stepping it up on race days. Finishing behind his team mate and a Haas is not a good look, even if he had some great on track racing with Albon and Norris.

Did not finish

Carlos Sainz - N/A

Honestly Carlos, what the fuck were you doing?

Lance Stroll - N/A

Retired on lap 1 through no fault of his own. A real shame considering how well his team mate