DRIVER RATINGS: Why Leclerc got a higher score than Sainz

Carlos Sainz - 8

A maiden F1 grand prix victory for Sainz but his race performance was generally underwhelming. Sainz was slower than his teammate, who had front wing damage for much of the race and he’d have been beaten by Hamilton had it not been for a late Safety Car period. However, Sainz did keep his cool and made the overtakes when he needed to, getting past his teammate on track.

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Sergio Perez - 8

Perez enjoyed a fine recovery from the back of the grid to finish on the podium for the first time in his F1 career at the British GP. The Mexican picked up wing damage after the red flag restart but fought his way back through the field. Given Red Bull’s pace advantage, it was no surprise to see Perez on course to finish fourth but the late Safety Car put him in contention for the podium. Perez was impressive in wheel-to-wheel combat, getting ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton to finish second.

Lewis Hamilton - 9

Like in Canada, Hamilton was back to his very best at Silverstone and deserved more than third place. The late Safety Car caused by Esteban Ocon turned the race on its head with Mercedes stopping Hamilton for soft tyres. Hamilton struggled with tyre warm-up on the restart and then lost out to Perez, before enjoying an epic duel with the Mexican and Leclerc over the next few laps. Another podium but it could have been more. 

Charles Leclerc - 9

The 2022 British GP was another race that Leclerc should have won. Even though he was slightly clumsy on the lap after the red flag, sustaining front wing damage, Leclerc had superior pace, particularly in comparison to his teammate. Ferrari’s decision not to stop their star driver was baffling and cost him the victory as his worn hard tyres struggled with warm-up and thus he dropped to fourth by the end of the race.

Fernando Alonso - 8

A fine drive to fifth for Alonso at Silverstone. The two-time F1 champion ran right behind Norris for most of the race. McLaren’s strange decision not to pit Norris under the Safety Car allowed him to move ahead and secure his best result of the year. 

Lando Norris - 8

Norris continues to get the most out of the McLaren with sixth in front of his home fans. It could have been one place better had McLaren decided to stop him immediately under the Safety Car on Lap 39 rather than doing it one lap later and thus losing the position to Alonso. Still, another impressive weekend.

Max Verstappen - 9

Damage limitation for Verstappen at Silverstone after damage to the floor of his Red Bull ruined his race after running over some debris. The Dutchman took the lead off Sainz after the Spaniard's mistake on Lap 10. With his car severely damaged, he had no pace before salvaging seventh. 

Mick Schumacher - 8 

Finally, Schumacher scored his first points in F1. The German drove a solid race, making his way through the slower midfield traffic into the top 10. His stop under the Safety Car on Lap 39 allowed him to overtake Vettel and Magnussen on track before duelling with Verstappen in the closing laps. The Haas driver naturally played it safe against the reigning champion.

Sebastian Vettel - 8

Vettel returned to the points with ninth at Silverstone but it could have been more if Aston Martin stopped him under the Safety Car. Vettel was running in seventh at the Safety Car but lost out to Verstappen and Schumacher, who were running on new softs. Still, another strong weekend for the four-time champion.

Kevin Magnussen - 7 

Magnussen made it two Haas cars in the top 10 with a strong weekend for the American team. Haas got caught out in the wet conditions but fared better in the dry, although the number of DNFs benefitted them. Magnussen dropped back after the Safety Car, dropping behind Verstappen and Schumacher.

Lance Stroll - 6

A quiet race for Stroll at Silverstone, who was 0.8s slower than teammate Vettel in qualifying. He managed to get ahead of Latifi after the late Safety Car period but was never in the fight for points.

Nicholas Latifi - 8

Latifi enjoyed his best qualifying of his F1 career with a shock Q3 appearance in the wet conditions. The Canadian maintained his top 10 starting position after the restart but inevitably dropped down the field as the race progressed. Overall, a strong weekend for Latifi and one that should give him encouragement. 

Daniel Ricciardo - 4 

Another torrid weekend for Ricciardo at Silverstone as he was completely out-performed by teammate Norris yet again. Given the number of retirements, Ricciardo should have been in the points but he slumped to a disappointing 13th place. McLaren will surely be considering the Australian’s future for 2023.

Yuki Tsunoda - 5

Tsunoda looked like he was the quicker of the two AlphaTauris on race day at Silverstone. He tried to overtake his teammate into Turn 3 but lost the rear of his car in the process. He and Gasly spun and dropped out of the points. A big missed opportunity for AlphaTauri. 

Esteban Ocon - 6

Ocon was the last of the retirements with his stoppage on Lap 39 at Copse triggering the Safety Car. Until that point, he was running well inside the top 10 albeit well behind teammate Alonso. 

Pierre Gasly - 6

A missed opportunity for Gasly, who was running well inside the top 10 before being spun around by teammate Tsunoda. The Frenchman was forced to retire shortly after that with the incident being his teammate’s fault.

Valtteri Bottas - 6

Bottas was out-qualified by teammate Zhou for the third race in a row as the Finn struggled again in the wet. Points were on the cards before his retirement but another reliability issue for Alfa Romeo meant it was an early shower for the former Mercedes driver.

George Russell - 6

Russell’s worst weekend as a Mercedes driver as he underperformed in qualifying, only managing eighth on the grid. His race was over on the opening lap after tangling with Zhou and Gasly. While no driver was entirely to blame, Russell’s slight move to the left ultimately caused it to happen.

Guanyu Zhou - 7

A terrifying end to the race for Zhou at Silverstone. The Chinese driver was sent into the barriers on the opening lap after an unfortunate tangle with Russell and Gasly. Thankfully, Zhou came away from the weekend unscathed. Before that, he out-qualified Bottas for the third race in a row.

Alex Albon - 6

Given that Albon had the upgraded Williams’ package for this weekend, he would have expected more in qualifying especially. Instead, he was knocked out in Q1 and beaten by his teammate. His race ended on the opening lap as he was rammed by Vettel, who couldn’t avoid him as the carnage occurred just ahead.