F1 Driver Ratings - Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola

Here’s how we rated each driver in F1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix…

Lewis Hamilton (Qualified 2nd, finished 1st) - 9

Hamilton was left frustrated by what he labelled as a “piss poor” Q3 effort after being upstaged by his teammate in qualifying, but he was much happier on Sunday. Despite losing out to Verstappen with a slow start, Hamilton utilised an extended stint - and fortunate timing of the VSC - to successfully pull off an overcut strategy thanks to his supreme pace to record his 93rd career win.

Valtteri Bottas (Qualified 1st, finished 2nd) - 8

Bottas beat Hamilton in qualifying for only the fourth time this season and looked in complete control in the early stages until he ran over some debris that caused a significant performance loss to his ailing Mercedes. Bottas appeared destined for third after a wide moment at the final corner allowed Verstappen past, but he inherited P2 back when a tyre failure ended the Red Bull driver’s race late on.

Daniel Ricciardo (Qualified 5th, finished 3rd) - 10

Top marks for Ricciardo for the second time in three races as he recorded Renault’s second podium of the finish at Imola. Made up for qualifying behind Gasly’s AlphaTauri by passing him immediately into Turn 2 and looked on course for a strong result until the late drama played even more into his hands. Renault’s decision not to pit Ricciardo under the Safety Car was crucial to him finishing third, but the Australian still had to fend off a some intense pressure from the late-charging Kvyat, who was on fresh tyres.

Daniil Kvyat (Qualified 8th, finished 4th) - 9

A really strong weekend for Kvyat, who looks likely to exit F1 at the end of the season. The Russian pulled off his best qualifying performance of the year to join his teammate in Q3, and some “brave racing” helped the AlphaTauri driver carve his way through the field on race day. Kvyat was seventh when the race restarted after the Safety Car but picked off Perez, Albon and Leclerc to snatch fourth, though he was unable to find a way past Ricciardo for a spot on the podium despite his much fresher tyres.

Charles Leclerc (Qualified 7th, finished 5th) - 8

Leclerc claimed a second consecutive top-five finish with another strong display at the Emilia Romagna GP, coming home fifth in his improving Ferrari. Leclerc spent much of the race shadowing eventual podium finisher Ricciardo but felt that a podium could have been possible had he stopped for fresh rubber under the Safety Car after losing fourth to the charging Kvyat in the final few laps.

Sergio Perez (Qualified 11th, finished 6th) - 8

Another driver left wondering what could have been was Perez. Despite a superb drive, Perez conceded it was “painful” to have missed out on a podium finish after a late decision to make a pitstop under the Safety Car. Perez had worked his way up to fourth place before Verstappen’s retirement, but Racing Point opted to pit him, allowing Ricciardo and Leclerc to gain track position. Perez lost a further position to Kvyat and was left a disappointing sixth.

Carlos Sainz (Qualified 10th, finished 7th) - 7

An eventful race for Sainz, who narrowly avoided a spinning Albon and passed McLaren teammate Norris on his way to recording a third-consecutive top-10 finish. The Spaniard ultimately finished seventh behind Perez and was satisfied with his result, despite feeling he had more pace than some of his rivals ahead.

Lando Norris (Qualified 9th, finished 8th) - 7

Norris branded his Sunday at Imola as “tough”. Having lost out to Sainz early on, Norris felt he got the most out of his McLaren on his way to finishing eighth to take some important points for the Woking squad. Conceded he simply lacked pace when it mattered to achieve anymore.

Kimi Raikkonen (Qualified 18th, finished 9th) - 10

Some exceptional tyre management during a marathon first stint set Raikkonen up to take full advantage of the late Safety Car and record just his second points finish of the season. A really great drive from Raikkonen, who is continuing to show he has the speed and experience Alfa Romeo requires on days like these.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qualified 20th, finished 10th) - 9

Giovinazzi celebrated his contract extension at Alfa Romeo in style as he recovered from a woeful qualifying that left him 20th on the grid. Like Raikkonen, Giovinazzi drove a clean and calculated race as he quietly rose up the order and capitalised on the late drama to ensure the team got its first double-points haul of 2020. A heroic effort from Giovinazzi, though he will be slightly disappointed not to have stayed ahead of Raikkonen after jumping his teammate during a brilliant first lap.

Nicholas Latifi (Qualified 19th, finished 11th) - 8

Following another underwhelming qualifying, Latifi turned in one of his best races of the season. Agonisingly, the Canadian just missed out on his first F1 points having been unable to pass Giovinazzi at the restart as the weakness of his ‘draggy’ Williams was exposed.

Sebastian Vettel (Qualified 14th, finished 12th) - 6

Vettel was let down by a poor pit stop - clocked at 13 seconds - which ultimately prevented him from finishing inside the points, with Ferrari estimating that eighth place would have been possible otherwise. The German drove well in the first stint with damage to his car after a first-lap clash with Magnussen, but ultimately was left with too much work to do after his latest disappointing Saturday.

Lance Stroll (Qualified 15th, finished 13th) - 4

Stroll’s points drought continued at Imola with another forgettable performance. A mistake-ridden qualifying left him 15th on the grid and he was unable to make significant progress in the race, before sending one of his mechanics flying during his pit stop to cap off a dismal day.

Romain Grosjean (Qualified 16th, finished 14th) - 5

Grosjean got the better of his teammate in qualifying but undid his good work in the race to lose two places after the chequered flag when he picked up a time penalty for the second successive race for exceeding track limits.

Alex Albon (Qualified 6th, finished 15th) - 4

Albon really needed a strong showing in Italy to help justify his position at Red Bull but unfortunately it failed to come. Sixth was all he could muster in qualifying, once again well off the pace of Verstappen, before he threw away a points finish by spinning to the back of the field all by himself after being mugged by Perez. Was convinced a podium was on the cards had he stopped for fresh tyres under the Safety Car, but he ultimately came away with last place.

George Russell (Qualified 13th, DNF) - 5

Russell has been unfortunate not to pick up his first points in F1 on many an occasion, but at Imola it was all his own doing as he crashed out of the top 10 while attempting to warm up his tyres under Safety Car conditions. Russell was left heartbroken by the costly error which he labelled “the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my career”. His score would have been lower had it not been for another brilliant Saturday showing.

Max Verstappen (Qualified 3rd, DNF) - 9

Vertsappen was enjoying a really strong race before his retirement at Imola, having overtaken Hamilton at the start and taken the fight to Mercedes. Excellent pace helped him challenge and eventually pass an ailing Bottas, which set him up for what looked to be a certain P2 finish until his tyre gave way in dramatic fashion.

Kevin Magnussen (Qualified 17th, DNF) - 5

Magnussen endured a difficult Sunday after being knocked into a spin by Vettel on the first lap, which sent him spinning to the back of the pack. The Dane ultimately retired from the race with a severe headache caused by a gearbox fault that resulted in irregular upshifts. Magnussen battled on through the pain before eventually parking up on Lap 47.

Esteban Ocon (Qualified 12th, DNF) - 6

Well off the pace of Ricciardo in qualifying, Ocon could only secure 12th on the grid at Imola following a Q2 exit. Was forced into an early pitstop when a visor tear off became lodged in one of his brake ducts which put him towards the back of the pack, before he retired with a technical failure.

Pierre Gasly (Qualified 4th, DNF) - 9

Gasly was the standout performer in qualifying with a stunning lap to seal fourth and his best starting position of what has been an excellent 2020 campaign so far. Lost out to Ricciardo at the start but would have surely been in the podium mix had he not had to retire with a “terminal situation on the car”.