Ratings | Mercedes takes over Red Bull's role once in Brazil GP

Spectators in the Brazilian grandstand did not have to be bored last race weekend, as there was plenty happening on the track. GPblog gives marks to the teams for the performance throughout the weekend.

Mercedes: 9.5

Mercedes was the big winner in Brazil. The German formation still had to settle for third and eighth place in the sprint race for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively, but then the team pulled the weekend to its own advantage. With a one-two in both the sprint race and race on Sunday, Mercedes was virtually faultless at Interlagos.

Ferrari: 8

Ferrari faced challenges. Not only did Carlos Sainz face a five-place grid penalty for replacing his engine, but Charles Leclerc also suffered damage to his car early in the race. However, both drivers fought back and took the position behind the two Mercedes drivers. With that, Ferrari managed to achieve the highest possible result.

Red Bull Racing: 6

With Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing had a taste for success in recent months, but in Brazil, the team failed to continue that streak. It already proved to be too slow in the sprint race, before going badly wrong in the race as well. In addition to the disappointing results, it had to deal with a conflict between both teammates, which will no doubt make Red Bull want to forget the Brazil GP as soon as possible.

McLaren: 4.5

At the start of the race weekend, the situation was still hopeful for McLaren. Indeed, Lando Norris managed to qualify in fourth place, opening up prospects for the top three. In the sprint race, however, the Brit dropped to the seventh position. Although the formation was hoping for better performances in the main race, McLaren saw Norris as well as Daniel Ricciardo drop out.

Alpine: 7

Alpine will miss Fernando Alonso in a big way next season. Indeed, the Spaniard, who will race for Aston Martin from 2023, showed in Brazil that he is still a great driver. He had to try to fight his way to the front from 17th place and he succeeded. With fifth place for Alonso and eighth position for Esteban Ocon, the team did good business for the championship.

AlphaTauri: 4.5

AlphaTauri's ninth position in the constructors' championship by no means comes out of the blue. The racing stable has not been enjoying a good season all calendar year and that was not the case again in Brazil. Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda both struggled in the race and failed to get into the points. However, with just two points behind Haas F1, there are still chances for AlphaTauri in Abu Dhabi.

Alfa Romeo: 6.5

Alfa Romeo saw Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou drop out as early as Q1 during qualifying, giving it a false start. In Sunday's race, however, the Finn made use of his years of experience at Mercedes. The driver cleverly managed to fight his way to the front and captured the ninth finishing spot for his team. This allowed Alfa Romeo to end the race weekend with a satisfied feeling after all.

Haas F1: 8

For years it was unthinkable for Haas to ever start on pole position, but the Brazil GP proved that it can be done. Although the American formation was pretty lucky with Kevin Magnussen, the situation also showed that the competition does not just settle with the team. Haas was bitterly disappointed when Magnussen crashed out on Sunday, but that did not diminish the performance.

Aston Martin: 7

Aston Martin managed to put the necessary points to its name in Brazil. In the sprint race, Sebastian Vettel managed to move from 13th to P9. The German, who is driving his last Formula 1 race of his career next weekend, did not manage to keep that position. However, Lance Stroll still put a smile on his team's face by crossing the finish line in tenth place on Sunday.

Williams: 5

For Williams, the wait continues until the season comes to an end. The British performed by far the least this year and that was again evident in Brazil. Alexander Albon still managed to qualify 11th for the sprint race but crashed out after 12 laps in it. The team then only managed to hold off Yuki Tsunoda in the main race.