F1 Driver Ratings - Canadian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 8

For Lewis Hamilton to emerge from his scruffiest weekend of the season so far with a fifth win and an extended championship lead was an impressive feat. Hamilton crashed in FP2, leaving him without an intensive race or qualifying simulation heading into the weekend, but he came close to pole nevertheless. Even if he didn’t have the pace of his Ferrari rival all weekend, Hamilton did brilliantly in the second stint of the race to force Sebastian Vettel into an error that ultimately cost him victory.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes – 5

A quiet weekend for Valtteri Bottas in Canada. His spin in Q3 and sloppy second lap left him a lowly P6 on the grid before he slipped back one more place, leaving him stuck behind Nico Hulkenberg through the first stint. Bottas then took a while to get past Daniel Ricciardo on his second stint, meaning that by the time he was up to P4, the podium runners were miles clear.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari – 9

He may have not won the race, but Vettel was nevertheless the outstanding driver of the lead group in Canada. His charge to pole on Saturday had shades of 2011 or 2013, digging deep with a massive final lap. The race was in Vettel’s hands before he cracked under pressure from Hamilton on Lap 48, making the mistake that landed him a five-second time penalty. While he crossed the line first, it meant he finished second.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 6

Charles Leclerc was a step behind Vettel in Canada, struggling to build up his pace through to the end of Q3 as he finished six-tenths of a second off his teammate. He couldn’t keep Vettel or Hamilton in sight in the race, but was compromised by a questionable strategy from Ferrari, with the team also forgetting to inform him of his teammate’s penalty…

Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 5

This was Max Verstappen’s weakest display of the year so far. After failing to set a good time on Mediums in qualifying due to traffic, Verstappen was caught out by the red flag, knocking him out in Q2. The Dutchman struggled to make up many places in the first stint, and his long run on the Hards didn’t see his pace hold up, putting him a distant P5 at the flag.

Pierre Gasly, Red Bull – 5

Pierre Gasly had a real chance to send out a message after Verstappen’s demise in qualifying, but struggled to take advantage of it. P5 on the grid behind Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t a great look, but the real damage was done in the race when an early pit stop saw him come back out behind Lance Stroll, whose impressive defence ruined Gasly’s race, leaving him to finish P8.

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault – 10

A very good job indeed from Daniel Ricciardo in Canada. Five years to the day of his famous win, Ricciardo starred again by qualifying fourth for Renault, surprising even himself. The Australian held position in the first stint before his early stop, and despite a spirited effort to keep Valtteri Bottas back, ultimately dropped to sixth. Nevertheless, as the leading midfielder, it was the maximum he could have hoped for.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault – 8

Renault’s strong Canada weekend was underpinned by Nico Hulkenberg’s display as he closely tailed Ricciardo in the race. After qualifying seventh, Hulkenberg made a good start to jump Bottas and keep him back for the first stint of the race. He ran close to Ricciardo through the second stint, but an overheating issue forced him to back off slightly, He still finished seventh for a tidy haul of points.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas – 4

A pretty disastrous weekend for Kevin Magnussen. His big smash in Q2 forced Haas into a chassis change that resigned the Dane to a pit lane start, but that wasn’t to be the biggest woe as the team’s tyre issues returned with a vengeance, meaning Magnussen spent his race toiling at the back of the order.

Romain Grosjean, Haas – 5

Things weren’t a huge amount better for Romain Grosjean in Canada as he qualified 14th before getting caught up in the melee at Turn 1, dropping him to the back of the pack. The tyres once again proved inconsistent for Grosjean, meaning he could only finish where he started on a tough weekend for Haas.

Carlos Sainz, McLaren – 6

A tricky race for Carlos Sainz, who was fighting back from a grid penalty for blocking Alexander Albon in qualifying, only to be forced into an early pit stop after a visor tear-off got stuck in his brake duct. Sainz did well to hold on to hope of a points finish despite a mammoth Hard tyre stint, only to lose places to Lance Stroll and Daniil Kvyat in the final five laps to drop to 11th.

Lando Norris, McLaren – 6

Lando Norris impressed in qualifying to make it through to Q3 for McLaren, and started well to keep Max Verstappen at bay before an overheating issue caused his right-rear suspension to break, ending his race after eight laps.

Sergio Perez, Racing Point – 5

Racing Point always seemed to be on the back foot in Canada, making Sergio Perez’s Q1 exit hardly the biggest surprise. While teammate Lance Stroll was able to make a reverse strategy work well to rise up into the points, Perez spent the race stuck in traffic after his early stop, leaving him 12th.

Lance Stroll, Racing Point – 8

One of the drives of the day in Canada came from home favourite Lance Stroll. While he dropped out in Q1 for the 11th race in a row on Saturday, he managed a brilliant Hard-Medium strategy, keeping Red Bull’s Gasly behind him throughout the opening stint before pitting and emerging still in the points, with a pass on Sainz giving him a richly-deserved ninth-place finish.

Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo – 5

A forgettable weekend for Alfa Romeo as it finished outside of the points once again. Kimi Raikkonen was a surprise Q1 casualty as he lagged behind teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, and lacked pace throughout the race, with a two-stop strategy not doing his hopes much good as he finished 15th.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo – 6

While this was the first weekend Antonio Giovinazzi can say he had the measure on Raikkonen at Alfa, he hardly set the world on fire. His Hard tyre stint at the start was cut short, leaving him in need of saving his Mediums that meant he could not push as much through the second stint. A spin didn’t help matters as he wound up 13th.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso – 8

A very nice display from Daniil Kvyat in Canada as he scored points for the third race in a row for the first time at Toro Rosso. Kvyat made an early stop despite starting on Mediums, but managed his Hards well to save up for a late charge, passing Sainz to take P10.

Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso – 6

Albon’s hopes of points from 13th on the grid were ended at the start when he got caught between two cars, causing his front wing to break. He managed a set of Hards to see him to the finish after pitting on Lap 1, but never stood much chance of finishing any better than P16.

George Russell, Williams – 7

George Russell once again led Williams in Canada, comfortably beating Robert Kubica in both qualifying and the race. A good start saw him fight with some of the other midfield runners early on before normal service resumed, dropping to second-last – but he managed to finish almost a minute clear of Kubica.

Robert Kubica, Williams – 5

It may have been the site of his finest hour in 2008, but there was little to celebrate in Canada this time around for Robert Kubica. Miles off Russell in both qualifying and the race, he seemed to take a step back.