F1 Driver Ratings - German Grand Prix

Following a thrilling German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Crash.net F1 Editor Luke Smith offers his driver ratings.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 9

This will go down as one of the greatest drives of Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 career. After his qualifying heartbreak on Saturday meant he would start the race 14th, Hamilton fought his way up the order and kept on-pace with the lead runners late into his Soft tyre stint. He was scorching fast on the Ultrasofts, allowing him to cut the gap to the front and crucially make up the time to put himself in the lead once Bottas and Raikkonen pitted. A significant win.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 8

Bottas ended the weekend where his new F1 contract was made official with another solid drive for Mercedes, completing a one-two finish. He pushed Vettel in qualifying but faded in the second stint before the rain, only to get back in the fight through the showers. A late attempt to pass Hamilton the restart was rebuffed, meaning his wait for a victory this year continues.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 7

It was almost so, so sweet for Sebastian Vettel. He was just 15 laps away from a maiden victory at Hockenheim, his home circuit, only for a sloppy error to cause him to slide off the circuit and into the barriers. He'd been untouchable up to that point, with his pace after being waved past Raikkonen proving Ferrari was correct to make the call. How costly will this mistake end up being in the title race?

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 8

Raikkonen notched his seventh podium of the year with an excellent display at Hockenheim. His pace after pitting was so good it put Ferrari in a strategic bind, and while he was likely to come in again, he was angling for a shock victory. His struggles in traffic when the rain hit cost him second to Bottas, with his pace drop-off ending hopes of winning and meaning he had to settle for P3 at the flag.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 6

A hard weekend to score for Ricciardo given his engine penalty. He was quickest in FP1 before focusing on long-run pace in FP2, and then took no part in Q2 on Saturday as he was set to start last. Ricciardo made up positions gradually at the start as the only Medium-compound runner, but ultimately had to park up due to a power unit issue after 27 laps.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 7

Leading Red Bull's charge, Verstappen lacked the outright pace to battle with the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers. Damp conditions may have piqued hopes of a Brazil 2016-esque charge, but his gamble on intermediates backfired, adding two extra pit stops to his race. It didn't cost him any positions, though, meaning he still finished fourth at the flag.

Sergio Perez, Force India - 8

A very decent weekend from Perez given Force India's lack of pace compared to Haas and Renault. He made a good start and was fighting at the front of the midfield before a slow pit stop dropped him back down the order. Perez made his set of Softs last to the finish, though, picking his way up to seventh, having only lost sixth after Grosjean's late charge.

Esteban Ocon, Force India - 6

Ocon did well to recover into the points after his surprise Q1 exit on Saturday, making a one-stop strategy work before finding his feet in the damp conditions. Ocon gained positions from those who opted to gamble and switch tyres, only reaching the top 10 with 15 laps to go before finishing a solid eighth.

Lance Stroll, Williams - 5

Another rough weekend for Williams, but for Stroll in particular. While teammate Sergey Sirotkin could battle through to Q2, Stroll qualified a lowly 19th. He was ahead of Brendon Hartley - who went on to score a point - before gambling on intermediates, but never really had the pace for points. Stroll ultimately retired due to a brake issue.

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 6

Sirotkin put in a great qualifying display on Saturday to reach Q2, with the setbacks for Hamilton and Ricciardo plus a defeat of Marcus Ericsson allowing him to line up 12th on the grid. It went downhill from there, though, slipping down to 16th in the space of a few laps and spending most of the race in the lower reaches of the order before retiring due to an oil leak.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 9

Back-to-back 9/10s for Nico Hulkenberg after another excellent drive. After qualifying seventh, Hulkenberg made up a place at the start and was looking to make a one-stop strategy work, but decided to gamble on intermediates when the rain hit. Even with two added stops to his race, Hulkenberg still managed to cross the line fifth as the leading midfield driver. A good weekend all around for him.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 6

Sainz appeared to lack the pace of teammate Hulkenberg throughout the race weekend, qualifying eighth and shuffling back to 10th in the opening stages. He too tried to gamble on intermediate tyres, but the most costly error came under the Safety Car when he overtook Marcus Ericsson, resulting in a 10-second time penalty that demoted him from 10th to 12th in the final classification.

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 6

It was always going to be a tough race for Pierre Gasly, starting last after a tactical engine change. But he once again displayed impressive tyre management to rise through the pack with a long first stint. Toro Rosso's gamble to put him on full wets only exacerbated the error that others got away with, causing him to slide off the circuit. Running a lap down, he had nothing to play for in the closing stages.

Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 8

This was arguably Brendon Hartley's cleanest weekend to date in F1. Despite dropping out in Q1, Hartley managed to battle his way into the points with some clever strategy management as the weather unfolded, urging the team not to bring him in for wets when it made the same mistake with Gasly. Despite losing out to Grosjean on the final restart, Hartley did well to keep Magnussen back and bag his second points finish in F1.

Romain Grosjean, Haas - 7

A good weekend for Grosjean amid growing pressure. Grosjean was able to qualify sixth, albeit three-tenths off teammate Magnussen in P5, and was on course for good points before the team gambled on intermediates. Grosjean then put in an excellent recovery charge in the final stages of the racing, rising from 11th to sixth in the final green flag period.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 7

Magnussen was excellent in qualifying, leading the midfield in P5 to head up an all-Haas third row, and was also set for points before the team's tyre gamble with both cars. While Grosjean could pick his way back up the order, Magnussen could not find a way past Hartley, denying him points.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 6

An uncharacteristically-quiet weekend for Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim. He was able to score McLaren's best qualifying result since Monaco on Saturday, finishing 11th in Q2 (but more than half a second off a place in Q3). The Spaniard dropped back in the opening stages of the race, and a gamble on intermediates late on meant points were never likely before his late retirement due to a gearbox issue.

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 5

Another tough weekend for Stoffel Vandoorne, who dropped out in Q1 for the fourth race in a row amid ongoing issues with his car. Vandoorne looked set to retire at one stage before McLaren managed to change some settings and get him back in the race, with the Belgian remarkably finishing on the lead lap in 13th, having not pitted for intermediates.

Charles Leclerc, Sauber - 7

Leclerc's stock continues to rise after he led Sauber into Q3 once again at Hockenheim, although his race was a little more difficult. He was on the fringes of the points before going for intermediates when the rain arrived, forcing him into two additional stops. A mistake at Turn 1 saw him pull a 360 spin that, while easy on the eye, wasn't the quickest line through the corner. Eventually finished a lap down.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber - 7

A good weekend for Marcus Ericsson, reaching Q2 and qualifying 13th before rising up the field in the final stages, sticking with his slick tyres. Eventually held on for two points in P9.