F1 Driver Ratings from the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain

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

Sergio Perez (Qualified 5th, finished 1st) - 10 

The latest incredible drive from Perez came after another really strong qualifying performance, despite running an older power unit in his car following his late blow up last weekend. Found himself 18th and last on the opening lap after being turned around by Leclerc, but remarkably bounced back to charge through the field and claim a fairytale win having capitalised on Mercedes’ tyre mix-up. 

Esteban Ocon (Qualified 11th, finished 2nd) - 10 

Ocon didn’t put a foot wrong in the race after a slightly underwhelming qualifying display on Saturday. Qualifying 11th actually ended up proving decisive as Ocon was able to pull off a one-stopper having elected to start on Medium tyres. The Frenchman pulled off some brilliant passes and was in the right place at the right time to benefit from a nightmare race for Mercedes to follow Perez home for a well-deserved maiden podium. 

Lance Stroll (Qualified 10th, finished 3rd) - 8 

A second podium of 2020 following a torrid recent run of form and bad luck was just the tonic Stroll needed. However, the Canadian was left ruining a race-defining mistake after his pit stop as he ran wide at Turn 1 to let Ocon through, before locked up heavily at Turn 4 as Perez snuck by. Ultimately felt it could have been him on the top step of the podium without his pair of mistakes. A great recovery from a disappointing qualifying, which blemishes his score along with his costly errors.

Carlos Sainz (Qualified 8th, finished 4th) - 9 

Another excellent drive from Sainz to take a strong fourth which he felt could have been a spot on the podium had things fallen his way. Took eighth in qualifying despite damage to his bargeboard and believed he could have been at least third in the race had McLaren extended his Soft tyre stint, while getting held up behind a struggling Bottas late on slowed his progress. 

Daniel Ricciardo (Qualified 7th, finished 5th) - 8 

Ricciardo was one of the drivers who lost out heavily after pitting under the Virtual Safety Car. Had looked to be in contention for a podium prior to that but the Australian’s race fell apart following his stop. Was still able to take a solid fifth and log some important points for Renault.

Alex Albon (Qualified 12th, finished 6th) - 5 

A really poor weekend overall for Albon who may well have just lost the chance to secure his Red Bull seat for 2021 after Perez’s heroics to go from last to the win. The under-pressure Thai racer followed up a Q2 exit in qualifying with a disappointing run to sixth in the race, behind a number of midfield runners. Had a car beneath him that should have at least been on the podium in the circumstances. 

Daniil Kvyat (Qualified 6th, finished 7th) - 10 

Aside from Imola, this was by far Kvyat’s standout weekend of 2020. Was faster than AlphaTauri teammate Gasly all weekend and converted a brilliant qualifying result into a strong seventh to remind everyone of what he can do when at his best. Unfortunately for Kvyat, it has seemingly come too late in the day to save his F1 career. 

Valtteri Bottas (Qualified 1st, finished 8th) - 6 

Yet another race and weekend to forgot for Bottas, who failed to take the golden opportunity of winning a race in Lewis Hamilton’s absence. Only just beat Russell to pole and was outclassed by Mercedes’ stand-in in the race, getting passed by the Briton not once but twice. Like Russell, the Finn lost out massively in Mercedes’ tyre mix-up and ultimately faded to eighth as his old Hard tyres dropped off the cliff. 

George Russell (Qualified 2nd, finished 9th) - 10 

Despite the heartbreak of losing a win that looked certain to be his after dominating the race, Russell can come away from the weekend with the consolidation that his accomplished performance has underlined his star credentials in F1 and proved he deserves to be at the very front of the grid. Has surely put himself in the pound seat for a 2022 Mercedes drive with a sublime showing all weekend after his late call-up. 

Lando Norris (Qualified 15th, finished 10th) - 8

Norris found himself at the back-of-the-grid after McLaren decided to take advantage of the Briton’s worst qualifying performance of the year by making a tactical engine change. A stunning opening lap saw Norris make up nine positions as he rose up the order and into the top-10, pulling off an impressive race-day drive to seal the final point on offer in 10th. Loses a mark for his below-par qualifying display. 

Pierre Gasly (Qualified 9th, finished 11th) - 6

A disappointing weekend all round for Gasly, who had no answer for his teammate Kvyat’s pace. The Frenchman was certainly unlucky with the timing of the VSC but was at a loss to explain his lack of performance across the weekend as he slumped to a low-key 11th while Kvyat scored his second-best result of the season. 

Sebastian Vettel (Qualified 13th, finished 12th) - 7 

Another day, another pit stop mess for Vettel, who must be counting down the days until he makes his switch to Aston Martin. Vettel benefitted from the first-lap chaos to move into the points-paying positions, but that was the best it would get for the German, who ended up 12th following his latest botched pit stop. 

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qualified 14th, finished 13th) - 9

Giovinazzi claimed the Class C victory this weekend with a strong performance as the benchmark of the tail-end of the midfield. Was quicker than Alfa Romeo teammate Raikkonen in qualifying as he landed a Q2 berth, before battling back past Kevin Magnussen’s Haas on his way to taking 13th, just 1.5s behind Vettel’s Ferrari. 

Kimi Raikkonen (Qualified 19th, finished 14th) - 8

Raikkonen ended up second-slowest with a poor qualifying but had a strong recovery in the race to finish just one position behind his teammate, despite suffering a huge first lap spin coming out of Turn 2 that left him facing the wrong way and at the very back of the pack. Race highlights included a stunning overtake on Jack Aitken’s Williams around the outside of Turn 7.

Kevin Magnussen (Qualified 16th, finished 15th) - 7 

A really solid weekend for Magnussen, who took on the role of Haas team leader in Grosjean’s absence alongside rookie teammate Pietro Fittipaldi. Narrowly missed out on a spot in Q2 and had a great scrap with the Alfa Romeos and Williams drivers in the early stages having made a flying start. Slipped behind both Alfas in the end but a decent effort nonetheless. 

Jack Aitken (Qualified 18th, finished 16th) - 8

Aitken acquitted himself superbly on his F1 debut deputising for Williams regular Russell. Was close to out-qualifying teammate Nicholas Latifi but just missed out. Ran well in the race ahead of his main rivals early on but pushing too hard cost the British-Korean as he spun on the pit straight and lost his front wing having clipped the barriers, undoing his good work. Despite his error Aitken still finished ahead of fellow debutant Fittipaldi. 

Pietro Fittipaldi (Qualified 20th, finished 17th) - 7

Fittipaldi had a quiet but very respective first race in F1, standing in for Grosjean in difficult circumstances. The Brazilian had no incidents, no errors, kept his head down and finished the race with a clean, solid drive. Can take plenty of positives heading into his second weekend outing for Haas in Abu Dhabi. 

Nicholas Latifi (Qualified 17th, DNF) - 7 

Latifi was enjoying a pretty strong race until it ended on Lap 52 following a suspected oil leak. Had been running in a comfortable P13 after jumping both Alfa and Haas drivers before his Sunday drive came to a premature end. 

Charles Leclerc (Qualified 4th, DNF) - N/A

From hero to zero in 24 hours. Leclerc put in a starring performance under the lights on Saturday night to claim a sensational fourth on the grid, but threw away his good work with clumsy collision with Perez at Turn 4 on the opening lap in a move which Max Verstappen described as “reckless” - earning the Ferrari driver a DNF and three-place grid drop for Abu Dhabi. 

Max Verstappen (Qualified 3rd, DNF) - N/A

It’s very difficult to score Verstappen after his race-ending first-lap accident. Took his usual P3 starting slot on the grid - getting within 0.056s of taking his first pole of 2020 - and surely would have been favourite for the win amid Mercedes’ tyre dramas had he not got caught up in the early melee.