F1 Driver Ratings - Brazilian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 7

Hamilton didn’t quite have the pace or the strategy to win at Interlagos. Mercedes twice tried undercutting Max Verstappen, albeit to no avail, and then rolled the dice on strategy under the late Safety Cars. The clash with Alexander Albon was clumsy, but Hamilton was quick to put his hands up and take full responsibility.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes – 6

A quiet weekend for Bottas. He was off the pace in qualifying and then struggled to stay with the front-runners through the race. His strategy seemed muddled, cutting the Hard tyre stint short after just 15 laps before he was forced to retire due to an engine issue after struggling behind Charles Leclerc.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari – 5

Vettel was on for a comfortable podium before the Safety Cars were called, leading to the clash with Charles Leclerc. Vettel was slower than Leclerc, who had fresher tyres, but without intervention from Ferrari, the duo were left to their own disastrous devices. A big own goal for the team.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 5

Leclerc gets a similar low mark as a result of the clash that ruined an otherwise-strong race. He recovered from 14th on the grid well after his penalty, and was in the mix for a podium heading into the closing stages following his move onto fresh tyres. P3 in the championship will be hard to get now.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 10

Just as he did in Germany, Max Verstappen kept his head as all about him lost theirs during Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. He was superb in qualifying en route to pole, then twice passed Lewis Hamilton in the race with clinical moves at Turn 1. A richly deserved win.

Alexander Albon, Red Bull – 8

If the race had ended two laps earlier, Albon would have scooped his first podium. Instead, he was classified a lowly P14. Albon didn’t have the pace of the front-runners to begin with, but was rapid on the Safety Car restart to jump Vettel and defend brilliantly. He rose to second after Hamilton pitted, only to be sent into a spin as Hamilton tried passing at Turn 10, ending his podium hopes.

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault – 6

A decent fightback from Ricciardo after his early clash with Kevin Magnussen that landed him a penalty. The Australian stayed out to gain track position through the late stops, holding on to eventually rise to sixth.

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault – 5

Poor qualifying and a poor start left Hulkenberg fighting outside of the points for much of the race, meaning that even with a late spurt on Softs in the late Safety Cars, he couldn’t get back into the top 10.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas – 6

Opportunities presented themselves for most teams at Interlagos, but Haas was unable to capitalise. Magnussen reached Q3 before dropping back early on, having been taken out by Ricciardo, and was powerless to take advantage of the late drama even after switching to Softs. A valiant effort from the Dane.

Romain Grosjean, Haas – 7

Grosjean was able to hang on in the top 10 through the opening stint and was on course for points until the Safety Car was deployed. Haas’ decision to stay out proved costly, leaving Grosjean defenceless to the cars behind on fresh tyres, dropping him from P7 to P18 in the space of just seven laps. Again, the car detracted from a good performance.

Carlos Sainz, McLaren – 10

F1’s smooth operator strikes again. Following the qualifying issue on Saturday, McLaren were brave in putting Sainz on a one-stop strategy that ultimately paid dividends. He did brilliantly to defend from the cars behind on the late restarts, rising to fourth at the flag after keeping the charging Alfas back. It soon became third, sparking wild celebrations in the McLaren garage.

Lando Norris, McLaren – 7

Norris lacked pace throughout the Interlagos weekend, even letting Sainz past to help his teammate out during the race. He was unfortunate to pit just before the Safety Car was called, costing him position to many of the other midfielders, meaning he could only manage eighth at the flag. A good result all things considered.

Sergio Perez, Racing Point – 6

Racing Point struggled compared to its midfield rivals at Interlagos, making ninth a good result for Sergio Perez. He was able to keep calm through the late-race drama, but couldn’t compete with the McLarens or Alfa Romeos, especially on the straights.

Lance Stroll, Racing Point – 5

Stroll was only a few seconds back from Sainz prior to the Safety Cars, but wasn’t able to make inroads on the restart and then ran over some debris from the Ferraris’ clash, forcing him to retire from the race.

Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo – 8

Alfa Romeo’s best result of the season after a rough run of form. Raikkonen ran a perfect strategy (Soft-Medium-Soft), but couldn’t quite get close enough to Sainz or Gasly, both of whom were on worn tyres, through the final restarts to get ahead. Nevertheless, a big result for the team.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo – 7

…a big result well-supported by Antonio Giovinazzi, who was on the fringes of the points throughout at Interlagos before rising up to fifth at the flag. He defended well from Daniel Ricciardo behind through the final stages to secure his best F1 result.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso – 6

Kvyat was fairly underwhelming at Interlagos considered how strong Gasly was. The Russian qualified and started poorly, and while he was able to charge past Magnussen and Hulkenberg in the final restart to grab a point for P10,

Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso – 10

A day of redemption for Pierre Gasly at Interlagos. He was the class of the midfield all weekend to start on the third row and then keep the chasing cars at bay, before taking advantage of the late drama to rise up to second. His defence from Hamilton on the last lap was particularly impressive.

George Russell, Williams – 6

Williams was a long way adrift of the midfield at Interlagos, meaning Russell could not take advantage of the late drama. He wiped the floor with Kubica once again, now sitting 20-0 up in their qualifying head-to-head for the year.

Robert Kubica, Williams – 5

A long way back from Russell, so much so that when everyone was allowed to unlap themselves, Kubica didn’t even get back onto the lead lap.