F1 Driver Ratings - Hungarian Grand Prix

Following a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his weekend driver ratings.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 10

For the second weekend running, Hamilton escaped from a snooker to take a stunning victory, warranting a perfect 10/10 this time around. Mercedes firmly stood as the third-fastest team in Hungary, yet Hamilton splashed his way to pole in supreme fashion on Saturday before then controlling proceedings at the front of the pack. Sebastian Vettel may have missed a chance to catch Hamilton, but even the Ferrari driver thought his rival was out of reach.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 6

Bottas' rating would have been higher had the race ended on Lap 64 (where was Winnie Harlow when he needed her!?). Like Hamilton, he benefitted from the wet conditions in qualifying. Like Hamilton, he ran well in the opening stint. His pace faded a bit early on the Softs, giving Vettel the chance to jump ahead before Ferrari left him out too long. His move to try and stay ahead of Vettel at Turn 2 in the closing stages was questionable, but the attempt to keep Daniel Ricciardo back smacked of desperation. We've come to expect better of the cool, calm, collected Finn. Let's hope he returns at Spa.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 8

Vettel will be entering the summer break baffled how he failed to win in either Germany or Hungary. Wet qualifying played against him badly, forcing Ferrari to try an alternate strategy to get him in contention for victory. Vettel's charge to try and vault Bottas for P2 was stunted by traffic, and he struggled to pass despite his fresh Ultrasofts given the Hungaroring's tight layout. He did well to limit the damage of Hamilton's win - but will know he should have a decent buffer at the top of the standings.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 7

Another weekend, another podium for Kimi Raikkonen. You have to go back to Canada for the last time he wasn't in the top three. It was also his ninth podium in Hungary, two more than Hamilton, Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher scored. He looked to be in contention for victory against teammate Vettel after practice and led Ferrari's charge in qualifying. The slip behind Vettel at the start compromised his race, with Ferrari then using him to try and force Mercedes into a two-stop strategy. A decent enough weekend all the same.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 7

Ricciardo was left on the back foot after qualifying, scraping through Q1 as Red Bull opted to run him on Softs as rain began to sprinkle down before then being dumped out in Q2 after heading out too late on slicks. A tangle with Marcus Ericsson - you can actually blame him this time - caused Ricciardo to drop back to 16th before he charged up the order in style, pulling off some brilliant overtakes before finally getting ahead of Bottas for P4 late on.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 6

Not the weekend Verstappen was hoping for at one of Red Bull's last realistic chances to win this year. Verstappen struggled to channel his wet-weather quality on Saturday, finishing a lowly seventh behind Carlos Sainz Jr. and Pierre Gasly. His race ended early following a loss of power, meaning his rating is largely based off qualifying. A missed chance for Red Bull.

Sergio Perez, Force India - 6

On a turbulent weekend for Force India that saw Sergio Perez hit the headlines for his off-track movements, the team was off the pace all weekend on it. Perez dropped out in Q1 and didn't even make it to the top 10 in the race, leaving him without points for the first time since France. 

Esteban Ocon, Force India - 6

A similar story for Ocon in the second Force India. He started 17th and rose to 14th on the opening lap, and remained there for much of the race before crossing the line 12th, but never really looked capable of scoring points. A tough weekend for the team.

Lance Stroll, Williams - 5

Williams knows its chances of success in 2018 rely on out of the norm events, with the rain in Q2 being one such example. Stroll did well to make it through, but spurned any hopes of a deep run into qualifying with a crash early in the session. The damage to the front of his car forced Williams to start him from the pit lane, but even starting on Mediums for a late blast on Ultrasofts couldn't give him anything better than P17.

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 5

Sergey Sirotkin said there were plenty of positives to take from his display in Hungary, one of them being the way in which he dealt with blue flags. It was a largely underwhelming display once again from the Russian, though, who finished two laps down and remains the only driver not to score points this year.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 5

A disappointing weekend for Hulkenberg after a run of good races. A miscalculation meant Renault did not fill his car with enough fuel at the start of Q2, preventing him from getting out on-track when conditions were at their best. A good start put him in the frame for points before a poor second stint on the Mediums. A late gamble to fit Ultrasofts under the VSC didn't aid his hopes of points.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 6

Sainz starred in qualifying for Renault, finishing fifth, but slipped back to eighth at the start and struggled for pace on the Softs in the opening stint. He was able to pick up two points for ninth, yet it was still a big opportunity missed to follow up on his superb display in qualifying.

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 10

Pierre Gasly is quickly making a name for himself as F1's new tyre management king. After benefitting from the rain in qualifying to secure P6 on the grid, he passed Sainz well at the start and never looked back. Gasly managed 32 laps on the Ultrasofts - more than any other driver - and was still setting PBs at the end of his stint, and was the last driver not to be lapped. A perfect display that saw him maximise Toro Rosso's strongpoints once again.

Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 7

Brendon Hartley was once again overshadowed by Pierre Gasly on a big weekend for Toro Rosso, but his display should not be dismissed. Hartley reached Q3 for the first time on Saturday, but his failure to pass Sainz on the opening lap proved costly. Toro Rosso brought him in early, allowing the McLarens and Romain Grosjean to get the overcut, putting him 11th at the flag. A frustrating end to his cleanest weekend in F1 so far.

Romain Grosjean, Haas - 6

Back-to-back points for the first time this year for Romain Grosjean, yet it wasn't his most convincing display. He started the race 10th after having his fast lap in Q3 compromised by Verstappen - although he had other chances - and he slipped back off the line to 12th. Grosjean managed to get the overcut on Hartley after his early stop, but only inherited a point for P10 thanks to Stoffel Vandoorne's late retirement. Let's not overplay his performance.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 7

Magnussen was Haas' lead driver yet again in Hungary, qualifying ninth, ahead of Grosjean, and making a good start to run seventh early on. He lacked the pace to catch Gasly in front, but still came home a solid P7 for another good haul of points for Haas at one of its weaker tracks.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 8

Fifteen years on from his maiden F1 victory, Alonso was once again on form at the Hungaroring. He qualified 11th before making a superb first stint work well, getting the overcut on Hartley and Sainz to move up into the points, eventually crossing the line eighth. It was the most McLaren could have really hoped for.

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 8

You can't help but feel sorry for Stoffel Vandoorne. After a run of miserable form, McLaren finally changed the chassis on his car in the hope of resolving the issue. He ailed to his fifth straight Q1 exit on Saturday, but was superb on Sunday, making the overcut work perfectly like teammate Alonso to run just a couple of seconds behind in P9 heading into the closing stages before a gearbox issue cruelly forced him to retire. He may still be without points since Baku, but Vandoorne proved in Hungary why he should not be resigned to the F1 scrapheap.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber - 6

Ericsson managed to outqualify teammate Charles Leclerc for the first time since Bahrain in the wet on Saturday, but had a tough race. Early contact with Ricciardo caused Ericsson to drop back before Sauber tried a long stint on Medium tyres. It hinged on a Safety Car hitting at some point, but it never came, leaving the Swede two laps down at the chequered flag.

Charles Leclerc, Sauber - 5

Back down to earth with a bump for Charles Leclerc after a run of fine form. The rain caused him to slip to a Q1 exit on Saturday before being sandwiched between the two Force Indias exiting Turn 1 in the race, leaving his car with damage that forced him to park up.