F1 Driver Ratings – German Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 5

A rare race filled with mistakes from Lewis Hamilton. He’d looked in control early on before sliding off at Turn 16 after a late switch to slicks, damaging his car in the process. The penalty was unfortunate, but his spin at Turn 1 ended any hopes of a decent points haul – even if he lucked in to two points after the Alfas were penalised. A day he will want to forget.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes – 4

Valtteri Bottas had the chance to spare Mercedes’ blushes after Hamilton’s demise. His own race had been compromised by Hamilton’s slow stop, costing him a place to Verstappen, but he was still looking good for P2 before crashing out in pursuit of Lance Stroll. A sloppy error, uncharacteristic of his year thus far, and at a time when he really needs to be doing better.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari – 8

Big credit needs to be given to Sebastian Vettel for his display all weekend at Hockenheim. He was quick in practice before an issue prevented him from taking part in qualifying, leaving him last on the grid. Vettel made up seven places on the first lap alone, and ran a good strategy to put himself in the frame for points. The late Safety Car gave him the chance to fight up to second place in the end, marking his best finish at Hockenheim. Considering how little room for error there was, for Vettel to run such a clean race is a good statement to have made.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 4

A big opportunity missed for Leclerc at Hockenheim. He fought brilliantly through the opening stint to recover from starting P10 after Ferrari’s Saturday woe to be a real contender for victory. Hamilton and Bottas both slipped up, putting him in the box seat – only for him to slide off the track at Turn 16, hit the wall and beach his car. A dreadful end to a weekend that held so much promise.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 9

Verstappen’s knack for seizing the smallest of opportunities served him well once again at Hockenheim as he claimed his second win in three races. A sluggish start left him tailing the Mercedes through the first stint before he cycled into the lead after Hamilton, Bottas and Leclerc all hit trouble, handily masking his own spin on slicks in the wet. Once he was out front though, nothing was going to stop Verstappen.

Pierre Gasly, Red Bull – 4

Gasly bounced back well from his FP2 crash to qualify fourth on Saturday, but that was where his weekend peaked. He spent all race running in the low-level points positions, unable to keep pace with the front-runners, and then squandered the chance to bring something home in contact with Alexander Albon in the fight for P7. Back down to earth with a bump after Silverstone.

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault – 5

Not much to report for Ricciardo’s weekend. He qualified P13 in the tight Q2 session on Saturday and struggled to make much progress through the opening stages before an exhaust issue forced him to retire 13 laps in.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault – 4

At one point, it looked like Nico Hulkenberg’s podium hoodoo might be about to end. He ran the best strategy in the field by not taking the slicks at all in the opening stint, committing to Intermediates and rising to second place on the process. He was still running fourth when he made a mistake at Turn 16 and crashed out, throwing away a huge opportunity for Renault – and, indeed, himself to prove a point.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas – 6

The curious case of Haas’ 2019 season continued in Germany, albeit with some success at last. Even with the updated car, Magnussen could not reach Q3, but he was competitive in the wet early on before falling back as the track tried. He pitted six times as Haas rolled the dice more than most on strategy, eventually leading to his first points since Spain with P8.

Romain Grosjean, Haas – 7

Going all the way back to the Australia-spec car continued to work wonders for Romain Grosjean as he qualified an impressive sixth. Leclerc’s unsafe release cost him time in the pits early on, dropping him way down the order, but he fought back well through the wet, leading to a well-earned seventh-place finish.

Carlos Sainz, McLaren – 8

Sainz somehow got home on just three pit stops at Hockenheim, allowing him to recover from a spin in the opening stages that seemed to fritter away his chances of converting P7 on the grid into some good points. The podium had been possible, only for a late call to move to slicks allowed Kvyat and Stroll to jump ahead. He was powerless to keep Sebastian Vettel at bay for P4 late on, but fifth still goes down as McLaren’s best finish this year.

Lando Norris, McLaren – 6

Fine margins cost Norris dearly at Hockenheim. Despite being just a tenth off Sainz in Q1, it was enough to drop him out in P16 before starting 19th due to a power unit penalty. Norris was picking his way up the order early on and running in front of Sainz before an engine issue forced him to retire from the race.

Sergio Perez, Racing Point – 5

Perez qualified a solid P8 for Racing Point on Saturday, but squandered any chances of points. A poor start was followed by a slide into the wall on the second lap, with the subsequent damage forcing his retirement.

Lance Stroll, Racing Point – 8

Big credit where it is due to Lance Stroll. After ending his streak of Q1 exits with a solid display on Saturday, the Canadian rolled the dice by asking for slicks ahead of the final stint, allowing him to jump from last to first – even if for half a lap – in the space of three laps. A mistake cost him a place to Kvyat, meaning that once the faster Vettel passed, he was left an agonising P4. A well-seized result.

Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo – 7

There were heady heights for Raikkonen at the start as he ran third early on, and he remained in the running for a top-five finish before leaving his switch to slicks too late for the final stint. This dropped him outside of the top 10, and while he was able to recover to seventh, a post-race penalty meant he left Hockenheim point-less.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo – 6

Giovinazzi recovered well from his Silverstone DNF to qualify on the cusp of Q3 and run well in the race at Hockenheim, again being undone late on by the same strategy call that cost Raikkonen track position – and the same start issue that also meant he lost P8 in the final classification.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso – 9

What a 24 hours for Daniil Kvyat. After becoming a father for the first time on Saturday night, the Russian then produced one of the shock displays of his career to grab a third career podium. The key was the early switch to slicks at the final pit stop, lifting him up to P3 for the restart. Even with Bottas and Sainz behind, Kvyat ploughed on and overtook Stroll for second, meaning that even with Vettel passing him late on, a podium was still his. A huge statement to make, and proof that his latest chance in F1 was well deserved.

Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso – 7

A stellar display from Albon on Sunday as he fought back from a Q1 exit. The Toro Rosso driver made a big jump early on after the Safety Car timed well for him, and then stayed out on Intermediates as others tried slicks to lift himself all the way up to fourth at one stage. His pace on Softs late on wasn’t so hot, but he still brought it home in sixth to complete a tidy double-score for Toro Rosso.

George Russell, Williams – 6

A race all about survival almost gave George Russell his first F1 point – and probably would have had it not been for a mistake that allowed Robert Kubica to sneak past after the final change over to slick tyres. Still the quicker of the two drivers, even if the championship leaves him as the only driver without points.

Robert Kubica, Williams – 7

The Alfas late penalty gave Kubica an unlikely first F1 point since the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Pole spent the race trying to survive and keep the car in one piece, fearing damage with another race next weekend, with his conservative strategy paying off in the end.