Driver figures | Verstappen and Hamilton excel, Leclerc the loser
- GPblog.com
The Hungarian Grand Prix was an eventful race, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton the absolute standouts and Charles Leclerc the embarrassment. The grades for the three drivers on the podium are therefore sky-high, but the top drivers who did not make the podium see their averages decline.
Max Verstappen - 10
Verstappen won the race from P10. His Saturday was disappointing due to engine problems during his second run in Q3. The only blemish of his weekend was the moment of braking in his first run in Q3, possibly he could have placed a little better with that run. A calculated start, an amazing save after a complete spin on the track and a victory that is a sledgehammer blow to the championship earns him a 10.
Lewis Hamilton 9.5
Hamilton did not drive from P10 to P1 like Verstappen but was able to get his Mercedes from P7 to P2, beating his teammate who started from pole position. Mercedes started the weekend very poorly on Friday, but Hamilton's skill and experience came back to the fore in the race, maximising the Briton's performance. Verstappen was nowhere to be caught up.
George Russell - 9
Russell took his first pole position in Hungary completely unexpectedly. Like Hamilton, he suffered from a slow start to the weekend, but Russell drove his lap perfectly on Saturday. The Briton did show to have less class than teammate Hamilton, but that is no point for the less experienced driver. Russell gets a nine for a very strong weekend.
Carlos Sainz - 7
Sainz lost two places from his starting position but also had to deal with the chaos on his team's pit wall. The Spaniard was more assertive than his teammate and chose his own strategy. Sainz lost two places, but limited the damage with his own initiative.
Sergio Perez - 7
Perez had an unremarkable race after a poor qualifying but did improve six places. With the Red Bull car, that's not a remarkable achievement, as his teammate won the race from P10. Despite all the turmoil on track, Perez managed to drive consistently to the finish, but it wasn't very impressive.
Charles Leclerc - 8
Leclerc was the favourite for the race in Hungary but finished on P6. The Monegasque was beaten by his teammate on Saturday which was probably his only error and loses a point here. Although the Ferrari driver's loss was mainly the fault of his team's strategy, the driver can be blamed for taking little initiative and not thinking about a strong tactic himself, unlike his teammate. Therefore he loses a second point.
Lando Norris - 9
Norris did exactly what he needed to do in Hungary. The Briton started the weekend strong and kept his back straight when the weather conditions changed. The P2 he drove on Friday seemed a far cry from the rest, but in his McLaren he did manage to take P7 behind the top three teams, although he finished a minute later than his frontrunner on P6.
Fernando Alonso - 7.5
Alonso had the disadvantage of his team putting him on the white tyre in the hope of rain or completing a quick one-stop. In the race, the Spaniard ended up losing a few places compared to his starting position. He did not manage to beat his main target Norris. McLaren and Alpine are direct opponents.
Esteban Ocon - 7.5
The same story applies to Ocon as to Alonso. The Frenchman's qualification ahead of his teammate was a good thing, but he lost that advantage in the race. Both drivers fell back, Ocon just one place ahead of Alonso.
Sebastian Vettel - 8
Vettel snatched the last possible point from his teammate in the final stages of the race. All in all, it was a fine weekend for the German who announced his retirement. His car cooperated on Sunday, taking him from P18 to P10.
Lance Stroll - 7
It wasn't such a bad weekend for Stroll either. The Canadian gained three places compared to his starting position, fighting his teammate for the final point. Stroll won that duel last week in France, but in Hungary he had to concede to Vettel.
Pierre Gasly - 7.5
Gasly started from the pit lane and managed to drive his way up to P12 in an unremarkable race. The AlphaTauri doesn't seem to have the speed to score points consistently in recent races. P12 is therefore not bad for the Frenchman, considering his starting position and the race of his teammate.
Guanyu Zhou - 5.5
Zhou qualified reasonably well, but unlike his teammate did not make it to Q3. The Chinese driver also lost a place in the race. In the end, Zhou managed to finish a colourless race, but there were no points this weekend.
Mick Schumacher - 6
Start position P15 and finish position P14 is not a sign of a great race, but the Haas driver still deserves a nice mark for beating his teammate who was preferred to him. Without the upgrade package, Schumacher finished ahead of Magnussen.
Daniel Ricciardo - 4
It's not a deep failing for the Australian for finishing Q3 on the Saturday, but how the McLaren driver appeared in front of the cameras after his P15 on Sunday spoke volumes. Ricciardo was literally and figuratively defeated and could give no reason for another poor race on his part. Ricciardo is looking forward to a holiday.
Kevin Magnussen - 6
What Magnussen did in Hungary was not enough. The Haas team's strongest driver was the first to get the first and only upgrade package fitted to his VF22 this weekend. His qualifying was not impressive, but it was better than his teammate's. In the race, he lost several positions. In the race he lost several places and was beaten by Schumacher.
Alexander Albon - 6
Albon was present in Hungary and that seems to be the limit. The Williams driver has been good for a few points in some races this year, but in Hungary he started from P17 and finished there. It's not as if he could do much more with his Williams either.
Nicholas Latifi - 6.5
Latifi was in the limelight for once this weekend, finishing FP3 fastest. The rain distorted the race, but the Canadian showed himself and that was a good thing. In the end, he started from a hopeless nineteenth place and gained one place.
Yuki Tsunoda - 2.5
Tsunoda qualified poorly with a P16 and finished worse with a P19. The Japanese driver said he had no grip at all and it showed. The AlphaTauri driver also said his spin during the race was his own fault. Gasly drove from the pit lane to P12, so Tsunoda is a disappointment.
Bottas - 7
Bottas can almost only be judged on his Saturday, as the Finn ran a colourless race from P8 on the Sunday and was ultimately the only dropout from the race. Problems with his car meant he was not to blame for the zero points behind his name. But even when he did drive at speed, it didn't look like he was going to translate his P8 starting position into points.