Brazilian Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Brazilian GP

Brazilian Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Here's how we scored them.

Matthew Scott

Monday 18 November 2019 08:00

It's pretty rare that we come away from a Brazilian Grand Prix thinking, 'That was a bit ho-hum'. It would be fair to say that 2019's edition was about as far down the other end of the scale as is possible!

Two maiden podium-finishers, front-running team-mates colliding and a ruthless, dominant drive for victory, it's fair to say Interlagos delivered to the fullest despite being written off as a dead rubber.

Matt Scott has run the rule over all 20 drivers in action. Let us know if you agree, or not, with the scores on Facebook and Twitter!

Valtteri Bottas (Qual: 5th - Race: DNF) 4/10

Bottas' engine blowout kick-started the bedlam at Interlagos, with his failure perhaps the result of spending so many laps in the boiling air spilling of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari as fresher, grippier tyres and DRS were not enough of an aid to get by the Monegasque. Even with Ferrari's straight-line prowess, it wasn't a great look for the Finn.

Lance Stroll (Qual 17th - Race: DNF) 5/10

Stroll made one of his trademark box-office starts and might have been on to make a one-stop race pay points until debris from the crash between the Ferrari duo broke his front suspension.

Charles Leclerc (Qual: 4th - Race: DNF) 6/10

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Having started 14th on the grid thanks to an engine penalty, Leclerc sliced his way through the field and it looked like the race might come to him when Bottas' retirement gave him the chance to fit fresh tyres. His first task was overtaking Sebastian Vettel, however, and the collision between them left Ferrari scoreless for the first time since Singapore 2017.

Sebastian Vettel (Qual: 2nd - Race: DNF) 4/10

Vettel had nudged ahead of Leclerc, before leaning across and pushing his team-mate towards the grass, prompting a slight touch which had huge consequences. A post-race stewards' investigation exonerated both drivers, perhaps fortunately for Vettel, who would have moved back to the brink of a race ban if punished, as many thought he might have been.

Robert Kubica (Qual: 19th - Race: 16th) 5/10

Overtook George Russell and was only passed by his team-mate in a controversial move as blue flags were shown to warn of Vettel approaching. One for the conspiracy theorists, if nothing else.

Nico Hulkenberg (Qual: 14th - Race: 15th) 5/10

Could not capitalise on the chaos to sneak into the points, coming home 12th, and was then demoted further by a five-second penalty picked up for an infringement under the safety car.

Alexander Albon (Qual: 6th - Race: 14th) 8/10

Desperate, desperate luck for Albon, who was about three miles away from his maiden podium finish in F1 and a statement result after being confirmed as a Red bull driver for 2020, only to have it snatched away by an over-eager Lewis Hamilton. Getting the better of the Ferraris at the first safety-car restart, especially holding off Vettel into Turn 1, shows Albon has the minerals for a top seat and this remained a performance to remember, even if the result doesn't match.

Romain Grosjean (Qual: 8th - Race: 13th) 5/10

Without the late-race lunacy, Grosjean might have clung onto some points in a gritty performance, but he dropped several spots on the first safety-car restart – something Haas put down to an MGU-K issue.

George Russell (Qual: 18th - Race: 12th) 5/10

After his sneaky pass on Kubica, Russell was in the mix to capitalise on the bonkers race end, but he finished just over a second down on 10th and looks set to end 2019 as F1's sole pointless driver, with Abu Dhabi not possessing the penchant for chaos that Interlagos carries.

Kevin Magnussen (Qual: 10th - Race: 11th) 6/10

K-Mag was unfortunate to have a strong start spoiled by contact from Daniel Ricciardo, but almost emerged from the late-race chaos with a point. Having enjoyed seeing both cars make Q3 for the first time since Spain, Haas were left to lament their fourth scoreless race in succession.