F1 Driver Ratings from the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix 

Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Lewis Larkam runs through the field’s driver ratings following the 2020 Turkish GP at Istanbul Park, Turkey. 
F1 Driver Ratings from the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix 

Here’s how we rated each driver in F1’s Turkish Grand Prix…

Lewis Hamilton (Qualified 6th, finished 1st) - 9 

A vintage, wet-weather masterclass from Hamilton banished the memories of Mercedes’ worst qualifying in seven years on an abysmal Saturday as he turned in one of the strongest drives of his career to claim a 94th career win - over 30 seconds clear of the rest - and seal a record-equalling seventh world title in the process. 

Sergio Perez (Qualified 3rd, finished 2nd) - 10 

Somebody give this man a drive for 2021 already. Perez may well have claimed a maiden F1 pole had he not encountered traffic on his final lap in qualifying. Nevertheless, Perez stayed in the hunt throughout and kept his worn Intermediates going to the end to cling onto a brilliant second place behind Hamilton. 

Sebastian Vettel (Qualified 12th, finished 3rd) - 10 

After holding a rare qualifying advantage over Ferrari teammate Leclerc on Saturday, a stunning first lap saw Vettel rise from 11th on the grid to third. The four-time world champion kept both Verstappen and Hamilton at bay in faster cars for long periods of the race and was ultimately in the right place at the right time during a dramatic final lap to capitalise on the squabbling Perez and Leclerc to snatch a first podium in over a year by mugging Leclerc three corners from the end. 

Charles Leclerc (Qualified 14th, finished 4th) - 8 

Leclerc’s race came alive after he switched onto a new set of Intermediates on Lap 30 as he showed ferocious pace that brought him into contention for the podium. He passed Vettel and briefly ran as high as second when Perez made a costly mistake on the final tour, but a lock up while fighting the Racing Point driver heading into Turn 12 for the last time cost him dear as he slid wide and dropped two places. That error aside, Leclerc was phenomenal.

Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari SF1000.
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari SF1000.
© xpbimages.com

Carlos Sainz (Qualified 13th, finished 5th) - 8

Sainz started 16th after picking up a needless penalty for blocking Perez in qualifying but the Spaniard certainly made up for his error in the race with a peerless and patient drive as he progressed up the order to take a strong fifth and 10 crucial points for McLaren in the battle for third place in the constructors’ championship. Loses a mark for his penalty.

Max Verstappen (Qualified 2nd, finished 6th) - 6.5

Verstappen at one stage appeared destined for both pole and the win, but it wasn’t to be in what turned out to be a “super frustrating” race for the Red Bull driver. Was stuck behind Vettel before a clumsy spin in his hurry to find a way past Perez for second place dropped him down the order and forced him into the pits with flat-spotted tyres. Spun a second time on new tyres before recovering to take sixth ahead of Albon.

Alex Albon (Qualified 4th, finished 7th) - 7

Qualified an improved fourth and showed some seriously competitive pace in the race, at times lapping quicker than anyone else. While a spin ruined his chances of potentially taking a maiden win, this was arguably Albon’s best race in a Red Bull and most consistent weekend of the season under immense pressure.

Lando Norris (Qualified 11th, finished 8th) - 8

Norris bounced back from a five-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow flag in qualifying by turning in a strong drive to the points. Along with Hamilton and Perez, turned his ageing Intermediates into ‘Slicktermediates’ in a storming drive to take eighth place and the fastest lap. 

Lance Stroll (Qualified 1st, finished 9th) - 8

After his scintillating maiden pole lap on Saturday, Stroll was brilliant in the race’s early stages as he dominated to pull clear of his teammate into a comfortable early lead. The Canadian looked assured out front but after being forced to pit earlier than he would have liked, he ultimately struggled for pace on his second set on Inters as he tumbled down the order to a rather anonymous ninth at the flag.

Lance Stroll (CDN) Racing Point F1 Team RP20 and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) McLaren MCL35 battle for position.
Lance Stroll (CDN) Racing Point F1 Team RP20 and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP)…
© xpbimages.com

Daniel Ricciardo (Qualified 5th, finished 10th) - 6 

A great qualifying set Ricciardo up nicely for what could have been a big result, but a tangle at Turn 1 inadvertently sent his Renault teammate spinning as he lost momentum and dropped early positions. Faded as the race went on and was swallowed up by his charging rivals before spinning while battling Norris. Came home 10th to take a disappointing solitary point after both Renaults started in the top 10.

Esteban Ocon (Qualified 7th, finished 11th) - 6

A stronger Saturday display put Ocon seventh on the grid and the “best start this year” saw him briefly take third on the run to Turn 1, before the slightest of contact from Ricciardo behind sent him spinning. Contact with Bottas later on the first lap sent the Frenchman into another pirouette that put him towards the back of the field. Did a good job to recover to 11th.

Daniil Kvyat (Qualified 17th, finished 12th) - 5

Both AlphaTauri drivers struggled in the wet conditions due to a wrong set-up call, with Kvyat eventually getting the better of his teammate Gasly in the race to take 12th as the Faenza squad lost ground to its main rivals in the constructors’ championship following a disappointing weekend.

Pierre Gasly (Qualified 15th, finished 13th) - 5

Gasly was relegated to the back of the grid following confusion over a pre-race engine change and spent the majority of the race outside of the points, ultimately finishing behind AlphaTauri teammate Kvyat in a rather low-key showing.

Valtteri Bottas (Qualified 9th, finished 14th) - 2

A disaster day for Bottas, who had an absolute stinker with possibly his worst race for Mercedes. Spun a total of six times - two of which occurred on the first lap alone - as he struggled in the conditions on his way to being lapped by his teammate Hamilton and finishing a dismal 14th.

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 spins.
Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 spins.
© xpbimages.com

Kimi Raikkonen (Qualified 8th, finished 15th) - 6

Raikkonen starred in qualifying as both Alfa Romeos reached Q3 for the first time this year. But a lack of pace saw the Finn fall out of the points and take 15th via a spin at Turn 4 in a race that started with much promise on a weekend Sauber celebrated its 500th GP.

George Russell (Qualified 18th, finished 16th) - 5

Russell did not have an enjoyable weekend. The Briton hoped the unpredictable conditions would play into Williams hands but it was another point-less race for the Grove outfit. Russell was left frustrated by the huge swings in lap times depending on tyre temperature as he finished 16th from the back of the grid.

Kevin Magnussen (Qualified 16th, finished 17th) - 5

Magnussen almost got his Haas out of Q3 and started the race 13th due to grid penalties. Ran inside the points early on but a mistake during his first pit stop proved costly as the team failed to attach his tyres properly. Magnussen had to stop at the end of the pitlane as a result before getting wheeled back to the pits. The incident saw him lose two laps as he ultimately finished 17th and three laps down.

Romain Grosjean (Qualified 19th, DNF) - 4

A weekend to forgot for Grosjean, who beached his Haas in the gravel during qualifying before his struggles continued in the race, which ended due to picking up substantial floor damage in a late tangle with Latifi’s Williams at Turn 1. 

Nicholas Latifi (Qualified 20th, DNF) - 4

Lapped over eight seconds slower than anyone else in qualifying as he struggled in the treacherous conditions before ending Q1 beached in the gravel following a spin at Turn 8. Things didn’t get much better in the race for Latifi, whose race came to a premature end following his clash with Grosjean in the closing stages. 

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qualified 10th, DNF) - 5 

Alfa Romeo enjoyed a brilliant Saturday on Sauber’s 500th grand prix weekend but the race did not go to plan for Giovinazzi after recording his best qualifying result of 2020 with his first Q3 appearance. The Italian’s race lasted just 11 laps before a gearbox issue forced him to pull over. 

George Russell (GBR) Williams Racing FW43.
George Russell (GBR) Williams Racing FW43.
© xpbimages.com

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