F1 Driver Ratings - Singapore Grand Prix

Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix may have been on the tamer side in terms of race action, but there were a number of stand-out performances through the Formula 1 field. Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his driver ratings from Marina Bay.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 10

It was another exemplary display from Lewis Hamilton in Singapore, one that could act as the breaking point in the drivers’ title fight. From his incredible pole lap on Saturday that was called “magic” and “surreal” without verging on hyperbole to his management of the field at the start of the race to his explosive pace when it mattered, Hamilton proved this weekend why he is one of F1’s all-time greats. A truly remarkable display.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 6

Much as it did at Spa and Monza, the gulf between the two Mercedes drivers was considerable in Singapore. Bottas finished over six-tenths of a second off Hamilton in qualifying, and then struggled to keep up with the leading trio in the race, leaving him to settle for P4 after growing frustrated behind backmarkers, who he couldn’t get close enough to in order to trigger blue flags. He needs to bounce back soon.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 7

A big opportunity missed for Vettel and Ferrari. After looking strong on Friday, the attempt to get through Q2 on Ultrasofts broke Vettel’s rhythm, with Ferrari going against his wish to give it a second attempt later in the session. Pitting one lap too early in the race dropped Vettel into traffic behind Sergio Perez, causing him to lose P2 to Max Verstappen. He did well to get home on just one stop, but Ferrari lacked confidence all weekend on the pit wall. It was costly.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 6

Like teammate Vettel, Raikkonen’s pace tailed off as the weekend wore on. He too had his rhythm in qualifying broken by the Ultrasoft running, leaving him P5 for the race. The lack of overtaking opportunities meant he couldn’t battle past Bottas for P4, but the damage was really done on Saturday for Ferrari.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 6

Ricciardo entered the Singapore weekend saying he wanted to finally win a race that has so far eluded him - yet he left the paddock in the wee hours of Monday without a podium finish at Marina Bay for the first time since he joined Red Bull. Ricciardo was at a loss as to why his pace dipped through qualifying, meaning even with a longer first stint to fit Ultrasofts for the second stint, he couldn’t get the jump on Bottas or Raikkonen ahead.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 10

For all of the rage about Hamilton’s pole lap, Max Verstappen’s effort to finish just three-tenths off was equally as impressive. He could have even got closer had it not been for an engine cut out on his final Q3 lap, with a recurring issue through FP3 and qualifying leaving the Dutchman “shaking with anger”. Despite two scares in the race, Verstappen managed to get his car home not only in one piece, but to P2, recovering second place from Vettel after losing it on the opening lap. He got a sniff of Hamilton through traffic, but P2 would have felt like a win. A herculean effort.

Sergio Perez, Force India - 4

After impressing in qualifying to lead the midfield in P7, Sergio Perez’s race unraveled in spectacular fashion. He squeezed Force India teammate Esteban Ocon into the wall at Turn 3 before then pitting early and falling foul of traffic - as all of the midfield cars who reached Q3 did - namely Sergey Sirotkin. Perez’s side-swipe was amateur, with the penalty perhaps being soft. One ex-driver said that if he’d been in the stewards’ room, he’d have made a case for Perez to be black flagged. A really poor showing from a driver who should know better.

Esteban Ocon, Force India - 6

Poor Esteban Ocon. At a time when his future in F1 looks bleak, he had a write-off of a race in Singapore after being bumped into the wall at Turn 3 by his teammate of all people. Ocon would have likely been caught out by the Hypersoft tyre as the other midfielders were, but he didn’t even get the chance to buck the trend.

Lance Stroll, Williams - 6

Lance Stroll put in a mature display to stay out of trouble in the race, rising to P14 at the flag for Williams. Given he’d qualified last and started on Softs, and given Williams’ ongoing struggles, it was really the most he could have hoped for, particularly without any late Safety Car periods.

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 5

Sirotkin was certainly the quicker of the two Williams drivers in Singapore, yet his race was a bit of a mess. An early stop after debris was caught in his front wing saw him move onto Softs, making him a roadblock for the midfield runners who had started on Hypersofts. He did well to defend from Perez, only for the Mexican to cross the line with his side-swipe. Sirotkin himself was fortunate not to get a penalty for ignoring blue flags as Romain Grosjean did, but was fairly penalised for pushing Brendon Hartley towards the wall - even if he said this was due to the car being damaged.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 6

Hulkenberg was the only midfield driver who reached Q3 who managed to score points, scraping P10. Like Perez, he was also caught behind Sirotkin in traffic, allowing Alonso, Sainz and Leclerc to all get ahead. Qualifying was disappointing as he lacked the pace of the Force Indias, but to come away with a point when the other midfield teams struggled marked a job well done.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 7

Sainz was left frustrated by his Q2 drop-out on Saturday, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise. Starting on Ultrasofts, he did a long first stint that ensured he did not get caught in traffic. While his pace dropped off dramatically in the second stint compared to Alonso ahead, the five points collected could prove crucial to Renault in the fight for P4 in the constructors’ championship.

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 6

Toro Rosso came to Singapore with high hopes, only for its often inexplicable form to continue as it ran well off the pace required for points. Pierre Gasly outqualified teammate Hartley once again, and ran a decent first stint on the Hypersofts, but could not make them last as he managed so well in Monaco. 13th perhaps flattered Toro Rosso’s true form in Singapore as both drivers wait on a much-needed upgrade.

Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 5

A scruffy final lap in Q1 saw Hartley drop out of qualifying at the first hurdle before Toro Rosso tried rolling the dice in the race, pitting the New Zealander early to move onto Ultrasofts. Try as he might, Hartley couldn’t make the tyres last, forcing him into a second stop. Sirotkin’s penalised move cost Hartley a place to Kevin Magnussen at the back, but this was really a weekend for Toro Rosso to write off.

Romain Grosjean, Haas - 6

Haas struggled to pace in Singapore, making Grosjean’s charge to Q3 all the more impressive, even if his race was less so. He also fell foul of moving off the Hypersofts early, before his frustration in trying to pass Sirotkin caused him to get in the way of Hamilton and Verstappen despite blue flags, resulting in a five-second penalty and three penalty points on his FIA Super License. A driver of his experience should know better.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 5

Coming away with the new track record in Singapore - technically a new layout after the reprofiling of Turn 16 and 17 - was about all Magnussen had to smile about. He slipped out in Q1 and then was well off the pace in the race, pitting three times en route to a lowly 18th-place finish.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 9

Alonso was surprisingly upbeat about qualifying 11th on Saturday, and it soon became clear why. As all of the midfield Hypersoft runners dropped back into traffic, Alonso rose to P7 and made a long first stint on Ultrasofts work perfectly before pitting without losing a position. A clever, well-executed drive from the Spaniard for his best result since Baku.

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 6

Vandoorne’s eighth consecutive Q1 elimination meant he stood little chance of matching Alonso’s race, but he put in a decent display to take P12 given the lack of overtaking opportunities in Singapore and Sunday’s lack of major incidents for cars ahead. It was his best performance since Hungary, and hopefully a sign that points aren’t too far off in the future.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber - 6

While his teammate was able to rise into the points, Marcus Ericsson wasn’t quite able to do the same, finishing 11th, 13 seconds shy of P10. Traffic saw the gap to Leclerc swell dramatically after stopping and emerging to blue flags, that being where the chance of points was really lost for the Swede.

Charles Leclerc, Sauber - 8

Fresh from his move to Ferrari being announced earlier in the week, Charles Leclerc returned to the points after a five-race absence with a bold strategy the Sauber pit wall has a real knack for. Like Alonso and Sainz, he too benefitted from the early Hypersoft stoppers, but rolled the dice a bit by going for the pink-ringed tyres himself in the final stint. It didn’t allow him to catch the cars ahead, but P9 and two more points was nevertheless a richly deserved result.