DRIVER RATINGS: One 10/10 but not for Max Verstappen…
Max Verstappen - 9
Verstappen continues doing what he needs to do to wrap up the 2022 drivers’ championship. He was calm and calculated behind Charles Leclerc in the early part of the race, not risking it with any high-risk moves. Red Bull went aggressive with an early pit stop, while Ferrari kept Leclerc out on track. The victory was secured when Leclerc crashed on Lap 18, allowing Verstappen to take a comfortable win and extend his lead to 63 points.
Lewis Hamilton - 10
A perfect weekend from the seven-time champion in France. He got the most out of the Mercedes in qualifying, beating George Russell by over 0.3s to secure fourth on the grid. He made a great start, overtaking Sergio Perez before enjoying a lonely race to second - his best result of the year so far.
George Russell - 8
While Russell was never on Hamilton’s pace this weekend, he did well to finish on the podium with an opportunistic move on Perez after the Virtual Safety Car. Another podium for Russell, who continues his impressive streak of finishing every race that he’s finished in the top five in 2022.
Sergio Perez - 6
Perez never looked comfortable at the Circuit Paul Ricard. While his qualifying performance was respectable, to be beaten by two slower Mercedes drivers is unacceptable. With both Ferraris having their own respective issues, it should have been a 1-2 finish for Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz - 9
Sainz looked comfortable throughout the three practice sessions and his Q2 time was impressive. Without his engine penalties, he was a serious threat for pole and the race victory this weekend. Still, Sainz recovered well, even moving into third before having to make a late pit stop due to his tyres wearing out. Had he not had the penalty due to an unsafe release, perhaps Ferrari would have gambled and kept him out to the end rather than stopping him again.
Fernando Alonso - 9
Yet another spectacular weekend from Alonso, who got the most from the Alpine. In typical Alonso fashion, he was lightning off the start, getting past Lando Norris and then Russell. The Spaniard controlled ‘best of the rest’ behind the top three to come home sixth.
Lando Norris - 9
Norris was once again mighty over one lap, securing fifth on the grid as he split the Mercedes pair. Norris dropped behind Alonso at the start, and then couldn’t get close again with McLaren. Still, another impressive weekend for Norris who continues to be one of F1’s star performers.
Esteban Ocon - 7
On home soil, Ocon backed up his teammate to help Alpine move into fourth in the constructors’ championship. Even without his five-second penalty for colliding with Yuki Tsunoda, it’s unlikely that he’d have been able to finish higher than seventh. Another good points haul.
Daniel Ricciardo - 7
Ricciardo scored points for just the fourth time this year. He stuck behind teammate Norris for much of the race before dropping off as he struggled with tyre degradation, losing out to Esteban Ocon on track.
Lance Stroll - 7
Stroll made his long-awaited return to the points in France. His P10 finish was mainly down to a storming start, running in 10th after the opening lap after starting from 16th. From there on, he drove a good race, fending off teammate Vettel in the closing laps.
Sebastian Vettel - 7
The four-time champion enjoyed another strong weekend but it didn’t result in points. Aston Martin’s decision not to pit Vettel immediately was bizarre, costing him a big haul of points. He got close to his teammate on the final lap.
Pierre Gasly - 6
Gasly was optimistic about AlphaTauri’s chances in front of his home crowd but he struggled in qualifying, ultimately knocked out in Q1. The race didn’t go much better as he was caught out by the Safety Car having started on the hards before finishing the race in 12th behind the two Aston Martins.
Alex Albon - 7
A solid weekend from Albon at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Thai driver ran consistently in the midfield, running in 12th in the early stages. He dropped down the order as Williams struggled with race pace relative to the Aston Martins.
Valtteri Bottas - 6
Bottas’ race was undone by another poor start, dropping from 11th to 17th. He was forced to switch to a two-stop strategy after switching to the hards again at the Safety Car.
Mick Schumacher - 5
After the highs of recent rounds, it was a disappointing race for Schumacher. Like teammate Magnussen, the German got caught out by the early Safety Car having made an early stop. He lost significant time after contact with Zhou Guanyu before being overtaken by Bottas.
Zhou Guanyu - 5
A Q1 exit followed by a poor race, colliding with Schumacher before picking up a five-second time penalty. Zhou’s race ended early after a mechanical issue, resulting in a late Virtual Safety Car period.
Nicholas Latifi - 6
An incident with Magnussen ultimately forced Latifi to retire prematurely but it was a competitive race for the Canadian up until that point, even overtaking Bottas on track in the early part of the race.
Kevin Magnussen - 8
It was a fine weekend for Magnussen at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Dane comfortably made Q3, and despite his grid penalty, made his way back through the field up to 13th on the opening lap. Haas’ strategy didn’t work out due to the Safety Car before retiring late on.
Yuki Tsunoda - 7
After an impressive qualifying showing, Tsunoda’s good work was undone when he was hit by Ocon on the opening lap. The Japanese driver would later retire from the race due to the damage sustained from the Lap 1 collision.
Charles Leclerc - 4
A costly mistake from Leclerc, whose race ended prematurely in the barriers on Lap 18. After resisting immense pressure from Verstappen, Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari into Turn 11. With 63 points to make up on the Dutchman, it could be all over for him in the title race.
