Bahrain GP 2019 Driver Ratings

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
Lewis Hamilton: 8,5 Made the most out of the entire weekend. Did not have the pace in qualifying and was extremely lucky in the race, but you still need to be there to take advantage of the situation.

Valtteri Bottas: 7,5 A decent race from Valtteri, scoring his second podium finish of the year. He did not look as strong like he was in Melbourne, but consistency is what brings the results he wants and, most certainly, needs to retain his spot within the team.

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow:
Sebastian Vettel: 4 The biggest loser of the weekend must be Sebastian. At first, being out qualified is a little bit painful, but to lose out in the race is just disappointing. He wasn't on the pace of teammate Leclerc and his spin doesn't make matters any better, to be fair. He lost the world championship last year mainly due to errors and he doesn't seem to have learned from those.

Charles Leclerc: 9 How heart-breaking was this race? Charles was by far the best driver today and he should've won the race. He started off slowly, but made up the lost terrain in just a matter of a few laps.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
Max Verstappen: 7,5 No podium finish for Max, which wasn't far away in the end, although that would not be a deserved podium finish at all. Both Ferrari's and Mercedes' cars were just too quick for him and to benefit from both Ferrari's would just be a little too much. Sebastian did it all to himself, but Charles deserved his podium finish more than Verstappen did. Still, he already has a better start of the season in comparison of last year, which shows he matured. And his incident with Sainz? I feel like they are both to blame in the end. Verstappen could have lifted a little more, although Sainz Jr. could have left more space for Max, as on the outside of that corner there is some extra room for Carlos to go for. Carlos his response on the radio said enough on their relationship.

Pierre Gasly: 6,5 Qualifying was a bit let down and his race was perhaps not great, but he managed to score his first points for the Red Bull team. He does need to improve in both qualifying and race, though he has expressed the fact the car doesn't suit his style right now, which could partially explain him struggling.

Renault F1 Team:
Nico Hulkenberg: 6,5 Not the best of races for the Renault team. Nico struggled in qualifying, but was on his way to secure some decent points for him and the team. We all know how that ended. And to be completely honest, I do feel like Red Bull did the right thing to change to Honda PU, whereas Renault-powered teams have already 3 retirements related to mechanical problems.

Daniel Ricciardo: 6,5 Daniel did well in qualifying, had a wrong strategy during the race, but the funniest part was him retiring within a few metres of teammate Hülkenberg. Nico and Daniel seem to perform on the same kind of level in racing, although that may be slightly early to tell.

Rich Energy Haas F1 Team:
Romain Grosjean: 4,5 Shame on Romain. First being penalized in the qualifying for blocking Norris and crashing with Stroll in the first lap of the race. These kind of performances is what makes me unsure about him, really, as it could cost the team lots of points (and perhaps even prize money) in the long run.

Kevin Magnussen: 5 Kevin's weekend wasn't much better. He qualified strongly, but dropped out of the top 10 throughout the race. Not sure if there was a problem whatsoever, but it was a disappointing weekend for the entire team.

Mclaren F1 Team:
Carlos Sainz Jr.: 6,5 A strong qualifying from Carlos, only to be compromised by damage sustained by his collision with Max during the early parts of the race. It's a shame, as the car seems to be stronger now. This year will be of great importance, as he will be the team leader with the responsibility to develop the car.

Lando Norris: 8 What to say about Lando? He just exceeds everything I expected him to do and seems to be the best-performing rookie as of right now: 2 times in Q3, combined with the points in Bahrain, make him easily the best rookie so far.

Racing Point F1:
Sergio Perez: 6,5 An ok race for Sergio, scoring his first point of the year. The team needs to pick up in terms of development, if they really want to be the fourth team again. Right now, both Renault and Haas seem to be quicker, as well as Räikkönen for Alfa Romeo.

Lance Stroll: 5,5 A disappointing race for Lance. Didn't qualify all to well and his race was ruined after a few corners. Well, good luck next time.

Alfa Romeo Racing:
Kimi Räikkönen: 7,5 Very good drive from Kimi. He seems more relaxed and performing right on the edge of what is possible, although it may be hard to judge as Antonio isn't anywhere is on his level.

Antonio Giovinazzi: 6 A decent weekend for Antonio. He did not score a point or anything like that, but he was relatively close to scoring his first point. Also, it may be harder to shine when your teammate is named Kimi Räikkönen, who is still one of the fastest drivers.

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
Daniil Kvyat: 5,5 Not the best of races for Daniil, although that may also be just some bad luck. He had a moment with Antonio Giovinazzi, which has comprehended his race. He could have left some more space there, although I get why he would try it there.

Alexander Albon: 7 A good result for Alexander, scoring his first points in F1. He seemes to get the grip of the F1 car and he is impressing me with his performance in Bahrain. Yes, it's not the most difficult race, but he is the least experienced of all rookies, but shows strong pace and great consistency. I wasn't sure he deserved his seat, but right now, I must admit I'm wrong.

Williams Racing:
Robert Kubica: 6 No big errors from Robert, which is a improvement from Melbourne. But still, I am not sure he is worth his seat right now. I've seen some onboard footage from the Melbourne qualifying and the movement in the right arm is so limited, that with a bigger steering movement, especially for left-hand turns, he pushes his steering wheel up instead of keeping it in his hands. I was afraid for this problem and it seems to come true.

George Russell: 6 He beat Robert, that is all there can be said about George. It's just a shame he has nothing else to compete for, which is a shame for the F2 champion from last year.