F1 Driver Ratings – Austrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 7

An underwhelming weekend by Lewis Hamilton’s remarkably high standards set thus far in 2019. He did well in qualifying to take P2 before being hit with a fair penalty for blocking Kimi Raikkonen, and looked in contention for the win with a long first stint – a similar play to what Max Verstappen was planning – before running wide over a kerb at Turn 10, damaging his front wing and dropping down the order as a result of the repairs. P5 marks his first finish outside the top two this year.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes – 7

Six points gained on Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship can be considered a job well done for Bottas in Austria, even if he lacked the pace all weekend to truly contest for victory. The Finn just about held on to P3 after Vettel’s late charge on Softs, giving himself a needed boost heading to Silverstone.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari – 7

Sebastian Vettel said after the race in Austria there should have been two Ferraris on the podium, and he was on the money. Had it not been for the issue in qualifying on Saturady, he’d likely have been in the mix at the front, with his pace to charge through the field proving his competitiveness. It was only enough for P4, but nevertheless a decent display.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 9

So close yet so far once again for Charles Leclerc. He was the man to beat all weekend, right until the final stint of the race when degradation struggles on the Hard compound tyre caused him to slip into Verstappen’s clutches. Leclerc did all he could to keep Verstappen back and put up a decent fight, but was always destined to lose out. He’ll be on the top step sometime soon, though.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 9

Max Verstappen put in a stunning display in the race on Sunday, but was not without error through the weekend. His crash in FP2 on Friday was expensive but not too costly in the grand scheme of things, if anything masking just how quick Red Bull would be over the long runs. A sluggish start saw him drop to eighth, after which Verstappen then produced a remarkable charge up the order en route to his sixth career win.

Pierre Gasly, Red Bull – 3

It’s really hard to sugarcoat Pierre Gasly’s weekend. He looked good in qualifying right until Q3, when two poor laps left him a lowly P9 on the grid. He started well, but was passed by Verstappen on the first lap, and proceeded to lose more than a lap to his teammate across the remainder of the race. Gasly took far too long to pass Kimi Raikkonen, leaving him a lonely seventh at the chequered flag. The pressure continues to build.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault – 6

A disappointing weekend all around for Renault, with a lack of downforce on the R.S.19 car appearing to be the team’s biggest weakness. Hulkenberg managed to qualify P12 before dropping back due to a grid penalty, meaning he could only recover to 13th in the race. Back to the drawing board for the French team.

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault – 6

A similar story for Daniel Ricciardo across the garage. He was P14 in qualifying and advanced to 12th on the grid due to penalties, ultimately finishing where he started. A long first stint tried putting him in the frame for points, but he finished five seconds off a top-10 berth.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas – 6

The woes that left Haas running as the second-slowest team in France only deepened for Austria, with Kevin Magnussen recording its worst result of the year so far in P19. Magnussen started P10 after a gearbox penalty, having put in a stunning Q3 lap on Saturday to end the session fifth. Come the race, he slipped back in the early stages before taking a drive-through penalty for being out of position for the start. He then spent the rest of the rest either last or second-last, eventually crossing the line 21 seconds behind George Russell in the Williams.

Romain Grosjean, Haas – 5

Grosjean could not match Magnussen’s qualifying escapades, but struggled in a similar fashion in the race. P11 became P15 on the opening lap, before he ultimately finished 16th after a long, lonely race.

Carlos Sainz, McLaren – 10

There’s a strong case for Carlos Sainz being the driver of the day in Austria, even in light of Verstappen’s stunning display. He didn’t take part in Q2 due to his grid penalty, leaving him 19th for the start. But Sainz rose up to 15th early on and then nailed his strategy going from Hards to Mediums, going on a charge from P14 after pitting to cross the line an excellent eighth. A stunning display.

Lando Norris, McLaren – 10

Two 10/10 scores for drivers in the same team? You bet. Lando Norris has become known for his milk meme this year, and the milkman truly delivered this weekend. P5 on the grid was followed by a wonderful start that saw him run P3 for a little while. He couldn’t keep the faster cars back in the race, but never looked at risk of losing a place to Gasly, meaning he finished a brilliant sixth. A display that really took the maximum out of the McLaren.

Sergio Perez, Racing Point – 6

A tricky day for Sergio Perez as Racing Point once again trailed its midfield rivals. The Mexican made a good start and ran P10 through the first stint, only for Sainz to jump him on strategy. Perez was left a couple of seconds shy of the points as a result.

Lance Stroll, Racing Point – 5

After his usual Q1 exit – 13 in a row now – Stroll spent the first stint stuck behind Perez and Hulkenberg before having to manage a power unit issue and, in the closing stages, a fuel flow meter problem that meant he had to ease off, eventually finishing a distant P14.

Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo – 7

Kimi Raikkonen made a flying start from P6 on the grid to run fourth in the early stages, but struggled to hold on to the position. Losing a place to Lando Norris ended his hopes of leading the midfield fight, although he did well to keep Pierre Gasly back for as long as he could. Given Alfa wasn’t in the best of shape in Austria, two points for ninth is pretty good going.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo – 7

At last, a point for Antonio Giovinazzi! He’d been saying for a while he just needed a clean weekend, and that’s exactly what he got in Austria. Good qualifying was followed by a fuss-free race, with passes on Romain Grosjean and Alexander Albon ensuring he did not get held up after pitting. He was even able to put some pressure on teammate Raikkonen in the final few laps, and while he only finished P10, it’s still a result that could galvanise his season.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso – 5

A lonely, forgettable race for Kvyat. He qualified poorly, started poorly, and was left marooned in P17 for all but one of the final 56 laps. A move towards a higher downforce setup didn’t work as the team would have hoped, continuing its run without points.

Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso – 6

Starting P18 after a power unit penalty, Albon struggled to pick up many places in the early stages of the race, stunting what looked to be a better race pace to that of his teammate. By the time he had pitted, P15 was the best he could really hope for.

George Russell, Williams – 9

George Russell is getting more and more of a taste for fighting with drivers other than teammate Robert Kubica this year. Despite starting from the pit lane, he quickly got in the midst of the lower-midfield fight to dice with Kvyat and the Haas cars, before finishing the race ahead of Magnussen after keeping him at bay late on. A top drive, even if it was only for P18.

Robert Kubica, Williams – 5

Three laps down and miles off the pace. But he did win the Driver of the Day vote. So who’s the real winner here?