F1 Driver Ratings - Russian Grand Prix

Running through the performances in the Formula 1 field following Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his post-race driver ratings.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 9

Lewis Hamilton didn’t deserve to win in Sochi, but that should not detract from an excellent performance all weekend long. He was dominant from FP2 up until the final stage of qualifying, when a mistake cost him pole. Clever tactics from Mercedes saved Hamilton after a sluggish start, and from there he was rapid throughout, pulling off a clinical pass on Vettel en route to victory.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 10

How could Bottas not receive a 10/10 score? He didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend, yet ended up losing out to Hamilton following a team orders call. He played the perfect wing man role again, but you’ve got to feel he deserves a chance to finally snap his win drought this year. Hopefully he’ll get another shot at doing so this season - and on his terms, not because of team orders.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 8

Ferrari’s spell appears to have been broken as the team firmly looked second-quickest in Russia. It was perhaps a surprise just how close Vettel got in the race, almost jumping Hamilton on the first lap and then getting ahead in the pit stops. He was powerless to keep his rival back, though, and couldn’t keep pace with either Mercedes through the race. Third was really the best he could hope for as he title hopes took another damaging hit.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 6

Kimi Raikkonen slipped back into kind of mode he’s done well to avoid for most of 2018, putting in a fairly forgettable display all weekend long. He was off the pace in qualifying and struggled in the race, with Ferrari putting him on a hugely ineffectual strategy that left him nine seconds down on Vettel at the finish.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 7

A decent day for Ricciardo in Russia as he fought back into the points despite completing 39 laps with a damaged front wing after hitting debris on the opening lap. With Verstappen getting the better start, P6 was the best Ricciardo could really hope for, making it a job well done.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 9

What a way to celebrate your 21st birthday. Verstappen’s charge from 19th to fifth in the opening eight laps was masterful, proving once again why he is a once-in-a-generation talent. He led more laps than any other driver on Sunday, holding pace on the Soft tyres ahead of the Mercedes duo, but disappointingly Red Bull opted against a final charge on Ultrasofts in order to save his engine, denying us a final blitz to the flag.

Sergio Perez, Force India - 6

Perez would have hoped for more than just a point in Russia given his impressive record at the track, but it was all he could muster. Force India tried swapping the cars back and forth to get ahead of Kevin Magnussen, who was holding them back, but neither Perez nor Esteban Ocon could get ahead. Perez also lost out to Ocon in qualifying once again, continuing a worrying trend in their intra-team battle.

Esteban Ocon, Force India - 7

Much the same for Ocon as for Perez: decent qualifying, disappointing race behind Magnussen, but the most Force India could really hope for. Gets an extra mark for beating his teammate in qualifying.

Lance Stroll, Williams - 5

Not a good weekend for Lance Stroll. After qualifying eight-tenths of a second behind his teammate on Saturday, Stroll slipped back down the order after gaining places due to the grid penalties, leaving him last after an early pit stop. He was closing on Fernando Alonso late on, but was never able to get close enough to try a pass.

Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 5

It was far from the fairytale first home race weekend Sergey Sirotkin would have hoped for in F1. A spin in qualifying cost him a chance of getting into Q2, but he then slipped down the order at the start before running last for the final 40 laps of the race, calling it the “most painful race of the year.” Ouch indeed.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 6

Renault thought it was in the pound seats in Sochi after not running either Hulkenberg or Carlos Sainz Jr. in qualifying, but the Hypersofts didn’t act as such a disadvantage to drivers as they had in Singapore. A sluggish start didn’t help Hulkenberg’s hopes of points, with the German eventually crossing the line 12th, losing a place to Grosjean - on far older tyres - in the final stint.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 6

Sainz also paid the price for a poor start in Russia, dropping back to 14th at one stage early on after sustaining damage that wrecked his race. He eventually crossed the line 17th, making it a weekend to forget for the Spaniard.

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 6

Pierre Gasly led Toro Rosso’s charge once again in qualifying, beating teammate Brendon Hartley by seven-tenths of a second to reach Q2 before sitting the session out due to his engine penalty. His race lasted just four laps as a brake issue forced Toro Rosso to retire the car, with Gasly reporting that his brake pedal had gone long, contributing to a spin. A tough weekend that Toro Rosso will want to bounce back from at Honda’s home race next weekend.

Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 5

Helmut Marko said on Saturday that Brendon Hartley had to “beat Gasly” if he wanted to keep his Toro Rosso seat for 2019, but the New Zealander did little to help his cause in Russia, finishing seven-tenths of a second off the pace in Q1. Hartley started on Hypersofts as Toro Rosso looked to roll the dice, but his race also lasted just four laps as he suffered the same brake issue as Gasly.

Romain Grosjean, Haas - 6

The pressure eased after his new Haas deal was confirmed, Romain Grosjean had a tough weekend in Russia. He was off the pace in Q3, finishing ninth after traffic, and slipped back at the start that left him powerless to stay in the points given the Red Bulls’ rise through the order, leaving Grosjean 11th at the flag.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 8

Kevin Magnussen once again rose as team leader at Haas in Russia, topping the midfield fight in qualifying before a P2 finish in F1’s B-class on Sunday. Charles Leclerc’s ballsy overtake around the outside of Turn 3 early on proved crucial, but Magnussen managed to keep both Force Indias as bay to pick up four points for P9.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 7

Fernando Alonso said he felt Sochi would prove McLaren’s true pace, which is concerning if true as the team was second-slowest in the race, ahead only of Williams. Alonso lost places at the start before an early stop, but did well to manage his Softs all the way to the flag, eventually finishing 14th. He was however disappointed McLaren didn’t let him pit again so he could go for the fastest lap of the race.

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 5

Another tough weekend for Vandoorne, who slipped out in Q1 once again. An early stop saw him match Alonso’s strategy, but he couldn’t match his teammate’s pace, leaving him two laps down on the race winner and in 16th place at the flag. He needs a change in fortunes fast, or it’s going to be a subdued end to the season.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber - 6

The Q2 quirk on Saturday allowed Marcus Ericsson to make it through to Q3 for the first time since the 2015 Italian Grand Prix, but that was the high point of his weekend. While teammate Charles Leclerc swept to an excellent points finish, Ericsson was left frustrated running behind Grosjean for much of the race, prompting Sauber to bring the Swede in for a second stop. A decent weekend, but a glaring gap to Leclerc was clear again.

Charles Leclerc, Sauber - 10

Charles Leclerc turned in his finest display of the season to date to lead Sauber to the front of the midfield in Russia - a massive accolade given where it stood 12 months ago. Leclerc qualified well, taking P7, but the high point was his stunning overtake around the outside of Magnussen at Turn 3 early in the race. The move was crucial as he ditched the rest of the midfield runners, taking a rather straightforward seventh-place finish and six key points for Sauber, which is now just three shy of Toro Rosso in the constructors’ championship.