Belgian Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Belgian GP

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Belgian Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Matthew Scott

Monday 2 September 2019 08:00

This Belgian Grand Prix weekend may live long in the memory as the venue of Anthoine Hubert's tragic death, but Charles Leclerc's first race win in Formula 1 ensured it will earn a positive entry in the record books too.

Leclerc held on after a brilliant drive as Lewis Hamilton closed in on the final laps to convert pole position into victory at the third time of asking this season.

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!

Max Verstappen (Qual: 5th - Race: DNF) 4/10

Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but Verstappen may have been better served with a more conservative approach to Turn 1, rather than trying to muscle alongside Kimi Raikkonen, a move which damaged his front end sufficiently to put the Red Bull in the barriers before he had had chance to pass the grandstand filled with his orange-clad fans at racing speed.

Carlos Sainz (Qual: 17th - Race: DNF) 5/10

Far from a smooth weekend for the McLaren driver, who was marooned in Q1 by flags thrown after Robert Kubica's engine blowout, then took extra grid penalties to the one he entered the weekend with, stalled at the start and retired after a handful of laps.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qual: 15th - Race: 18th) 7/10

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Engine issues in qualifying dropped the Italian further down the order but he looked to have responded in fine fashion to take points… only to spin hard into the barriers after a strange spin at Pouhon on the last lap.

Robert Kubica (Qual: N/A - Race: 17th) 4/10

Failed to set a qualifying time after a dramatic failure in Q1. Having started from the pit-lane, it was unfortunately business as usual for Kubica from there as he trailed for much of the race.

Kimi Raikkonen (Qual: 8th - Race: 16th) 6/10

Raikkonen delivered a fine qualifying performance made all the better by the Renaults ahead taking grid penalties, but his race was wrecked by Verstappen's bold move at Turn 1, which caused significant damage and necessitated an immediate pit-stop.

George Russell (Qual: 19th - Race: 15th) 5/10

Had a fairly lonely day at an event that was always expected to be among Williams' worst this season owing to the FW42's draggy nature.

Daniel Ricciardo (Qual: 6th - Race: 14th) 5/10

Dropped to 10th on the starting grid, but was confident of making up places, only for contact with Lance Stroll on lap one to ruin his efforts. The Australian pitted immediately and tried to make it to the end, but there was no chance of the tyres lasting that long.

Romain Grosjean (Qual: 11th - Race: 13th) 5/10

Seemed to have a chance of big points when running in sixth early on with a good gap to those behind, but this is Haas in 2019 and races don't always go to plan. Sure enough, a stint behind the toiling Renault of Ricciardo, in which Grosjean could not make it past, cost him a top-10 spot.

Kevin Magnussen (Qual: 10th - Race: 12th) 5/10

Was running in seventh with Grosjean sixth, but dropped off his team-mate and seemed to get overtaken at the end of the Kemmel Straight in half of the race's laps. Haas reported that both cars lacked top speed, somewhat odd given they were fitted with fresh Ferrari power units. Big problems for the chassis department, then…

Lando Norris (Qual: 12th - Race: 11th) 7/10

Desperately unlucky for the Brit, who passed five cars at the start and was set to finish fifth until his car spluttered to a stop on the start-finish straight as he began his final lap. A full-throated reaction was a rare sighting of angry Lando…

P5 becomes P11 for @LandoNorris on a frustrating final lap at Spa

The @McLarenF1 driver agonisingly missed out on a points finish, but did win most votes for Driver Of The Day #F1 #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/cvihUeWk1Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2019

Lance Stroll (Qual 13th - Race: 10th) 6/10

Started P16 on the grid and saw others starting close to him make even better progress, but a point is decent reward for Stroll after a drive that was a battle through the muddled midfield. Might owe Ricciardo a beer, though…

Pierre Gasly (Qual: 16th - Race: 9th) 7/10

Gasly drove a fine race, suggesting his chin won't drop after demotion from Red Bull. Add in the further mental strain of his close friend Hubert passing away the day before and Gasly deserves immense credit for this performance.

Nico Hulkenberg (Qual: 7th - Race: 8th) 6/10

Started 12th on the grid due to an engine penalty, and was struggling to make up places at the start. A late run on soft tyres and some retirements ahead secured decent points for the German, though.

Daniil Kvyat (Qual: 18th - Race: 7th) 8/10

Starting last on the grid to finishing P7 is mighty, and tyre management was key for the Russian, allowing him to open up his first stint and enjoy a run on fresher tyres at the end, when crucial overtakes were required.

Sergio Perez (Qual: 9th - Race: 6th) 8/10

Lost a spot on the final lap as an aggressive strategy had a sting in the tail, however it had allowed the Mexican to recover from a tricky start and score a fourth top-six finish at Spa, ending a run of eight scoreless outings, a rare drought for Perez.

Alexander Albon (Qual: 14th - Race: 5th) 9/10

OK, it wasn't quite a Verstappen-level Red Bull debut, but Albon's wasn't a million miles away. After spending much of an opening stint staring at the gearbox of Hulkenberg's Renault, Albon said he "came alive" on the soft tyre, slicing his way through the field impressively, including the overtake of the race to get by Daniel Ricciardo at the corner that used to have no name, but is now christened after Jacky Ickx.

Sebastian Vettel (Qual: 2nd - Race: 4th) 6/10

Vettel rarely looked comfortable all weekend, qualifying seven tents down on Leclerc and then failing to match last season's race-winning launch from P2 on the grid. Couldn't look after his tyres, which necessitated an extra stop to those around him and left the German off the podium in a race that saw him clock a year without a grand prix victory.

Valtteri Bottas (Qual: 4th - Race: 3rd) 6/10

Benefitted from Vettel's struggles to secure a return to the rostrum after back-to-back disappointments in Germany and Hungary before the summer break. Importantly came into the race with another year in the team in the bag. It remains uncertain if a deficit to Hamilton that has grown to 65 points now helps or hinders that cause.

Lewis Hamilton (Qual: 3rd - Race: 2nd) 8/10

Toto Wolff rightly pointed out that a weekend of damage limitation for Mercedes ending with both drivers on the podium was not to be sniffed at. With a tidier pit-stop and less time stuck behind Vettel once his tyres had gone off, Hamilton might have even come away with the win, but the race distance just curtailed his hopes as Leclerc began to look vulnerable.

Charles Leclerc (Qual: 1st - Race: 1st) 10/10

Surely this was the first of many Leclerc wins and it will not have been lost on Ferrari connoisseurs that a maiden race win in Belgium had echoes of Michael Schumacher, and Leclerc's performance had all the hallmarks of a more seasoned performer, as is becoming the 21-year-old's custom. Leclerc is Formula 1's third-youngest race-winner and the world championship's first from Monaco. Impartial as we are, a Leclerc win just felt right this weekend, all things considered…