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F1 driver ratings as Lewis Hamilton struggles and Verstappen pips Leclerc to Saudi title

Lando Norris – McLaren: 7

Given the stuttering performance of the McLaren machinery, Norris would have snapped your hand off for P7 before the race. He benefitted tremendously from safety cars, but the Brit drove well and made a stunning pass on Pierre Gasly to prove he is still one of the best overtakers – and drivers – on the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren: 6

Daniel Ricciardo was driving a fine race and had made several positions up the order before his car broke down. The Australian’s rotten luck since switching from Renault to McLaren for the 2021 season continues. 

Fernando Alonso – Alpine: 8

Fernando Alonso drove brilliantly against teammate Esteban Ocon, who was rather aggressive as he defended position. The two-time world champion was not to be denied though and made a brilliant pass by taking the outside line into Turn 1 and aggressively squeezing his teammate as they made their way around the slow corner. Unfortunately, his car broke down near the pit entry, forcing a premature end to the Spaniard’s race.

Esteban Ocon – Alpine: 8

The Frenchman was clearly undeterred by his five-second penalty for spinning Mick Schumacher last week as Ocon aggressively raced against Alonso for position. He showed good pace and was perhaps unlucky to have been instructed to hold position when he was, as it allowed Valtteri Bottas to sneak past. Ultimately, a P6 finish is a great result for both Ocon and Alpine. 

Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri: 7

Pierre Gasly drove a brilliant race to secured eighth, which must be considered a spectacular result for AlphaTauri given how the Frenchman was struggling in the midfield for much of the contest. 

Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri: N/A

Yuki Tsnuoda’s race – and weekend – ended before it began. After the Japanese star couldn’t compete in qualifying, his car broke down from a suspected drivetrain issue, ruling him out of the race entirely. He will be raring to go in Melbourne. 

Nico Hulkenberg – Aston Martin: 6

Standing in for the second week in a row for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hulkenberg could do little as his Aston Martin machinery is clearly one of the more uncompetitive cars on the grid. His P12 result reads like a great result on paper, but only 13 cars finished. 

Lance Stroll – Aston Martin: 5

Similar to Hulkenberg’s issues, it is difficult to judge Lance Stroll given the car at his disposal. He finished rock bottom of the cars that completed the race, and it will certainly sting to lose once again to the German stand-in.

Alex Albon – Williams: 6

Another driver stuck in uncompetitive machinery, Alex Albon competed well with the likes of Hamilton but his race ended one lap before the end following a scuffle with Stroll.

Nicholas Latifi – Williams: 3

Another difficult weekend for Latifi. His crash led to the first big shake-up of the race, with the Canadian losing the rear of his Williams before slamming into the wall of the unforgiving Jeddah street circuit.

Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo: 7

The Finn drove well and impressively passed Ocon when the Frenchman was told to hold position, but he will leave the circuit empty handed after his car broke down. Bottas is performing well – he was let down by his car today.

Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo: 4

It wasn’t a good race for Alfa Romeo rookie Guanyu Zhou, as he dropped down the order after his car appeared to go into anti-stall at the start. He was then issued multiple penalties – including a penalty for not serving a penalty – on a day to forget in his young career. To be fair, Zhou was fast when he could be.

Kevin Magnussen – Haas: 8

Another week, another solid result for Kevin Magnussen. In fact, the Dane could feel aggrieved that he didn’t get a better result than P9, as he was affected by the litany of safety cars and yellow flags that plagued the latter portion of this race. It’s another encouraging result for Haas. 

Mick Schumacher – Haas: N/A

Never lined up on the grid following his horrific crash in Q2, although the incident occurred when the German was in contention to reach Q3. He will likely be disappointed to have sat out the race, but all eyes will be on the Australian Grand Prix as Mick Schumacher hunts the first points of his career.

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