DRIVER RATINGS: Ricciardo serves reminder with Mexico City GP performance

DRIVER RATINGS: Ricciardo serves reminder with Mexico City GP performance

 

 

 
Max Verstappen – 10We’re running out of superlatives for Max Verstappen. He extracted the most from the Red Bull in qualifying, and did the same on race day, dominating the race from pole position despite pressure from Lewis Hamilton in the opening stint of the race. It was also a record-breaking day for Verstappen, taking his 14th win of the year.Lewis Hamilton – 9 Another strong weekend from Hamilton in Mexico, moving into fifth in the F1 standings ahead of Carlos Sainz. Hamilton ran close behind Verstappen in the first stint but the switch to the hard tyre ruined any chance of challenging for the victory. Still, another great race day performance from the seven-time champion. Hamilton hits out at ‘awkward boos’, wanted different tyre strategyVerstappen beats Hamilton in Mexico to claim record F1 winSergio Perez – 8Another home podium for Sergio Perez. An electrical issue hampered his qualifying display as he was beaten by both Mercedes drivers. His chances of finishing second were ruined by a slow pit stop, meaning he couldn’t undercut Hamilton. George Russell – 8George Russell felt he could have secured pole position had it not been for a mistake in the stadium section in Q3. His good work in qualifying was ruined by a poor Lap 1, dropping behind Hamilton and Perez. Russell ultimately finished fourth, picking up the fastest lap on the last lap.Carlos Sainz – 8For the first time in a long time, Carlos Sainz was the quicker of the two Ferraris across the duration of the whole weekend. It’s a shame for Sainz that it was Ferrari’s worst race in outright performance. He finished over 40s behind eventual race winner Verstappen. A lot of head scratching for Ferrari ahead of Brazil. Charles Leclerc – 7A combination of issues for Leclerc hampered his chances at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. An engine problem cost him a place to Valtteri Bottas in qualifying, while he simply didn’t have the pace of his teammate Sainz in the race.Daniel Ricciardo – 8One of Daniel Ricciardo’s finest weekends of the year. Granted, he was on the preferred medium to soft strategy, but he made it work. Even though he picked up a 10-second penalty for colliding with Yuki Tsunoda, he comfortably finished ahead of Esteban Ocon behind. Esteban Ocon – 7Esteban Ocon was the slower of the two Alpines in Mexico, but was on the right end of lady luck once again. He pulled off a great move on Bottas into Turn 1 – the highlight of his weekend en route to finishing eighth. Lando Norris – 8A sluggish start from Lando Norris saw him drop to 10th. He was one of the first drivers to switch to the hard tyre – which proved to be the wrong strategy based on how well Ricciardo did. Just one of those days for Norris, but he certainly wasn’t to blame.Related F1 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix – Full Race results from Round 20 F1 standings 2022: World Championship points after the 2022 Mexico City GPValtteri Bottas – 7Valtteri Bottas was the star of qualifying. It’s a shame the race didn’t go entirely to plan for the Finn. He lost out to Fernando Alonso at the start and struggled to get the hard tyre working, losing further positions to Ricciardo, Ocon and Norris. He nearly lost out to Gasly on the final lap.Pierre Gasly – 6Pierre Gasly could have finished inside the top 10 had it not been for his ill-judged overtake on Lance Stroll, which resulted in a five-second time penalty. He ran Bottas close for 10th at the end of the race, but given he was out-qualified and running behind Tsunoda, his rating is reflected.Alex Albon – 8Another quietly impressive weekend for Alex Albon at the Mexico City Grand Prix. He showed great race pace to move up to 11th before losing out to Gasly in the closing laps.  Zhou Guanyu – 6Zhou Guanyu struggled to match teammate Bottas on his first outing in Mexico City. A weekend of learning for Zhou, who did pull off a fine move on Sebastian Vettel midway through. Sebastian Vettel – 7After a remarkable run of races for Aston Martin, it was a surprise to see Sebastian Vettel knocked out in Q1. Vettel probably got the most out of it given Aston Martin’s struggles in Mexico, running on the softs for over 40 laps.Lance Stroll – 6Stroll was the weaker of the two Aston Martin drivers in Mexico. He struggled with his tyres in the first stint and didn’t factor in the remaining part of the race.Mick Schumacher – 6Without a track limits violation, Mick Schumacher would have progressed into Q2, out-qualifying teammate Kevin Magnussen in the process. Instead, he was knocked out of the first part of qualifying, and was beaten by Magnussen. However, like in the majority of the races since Austria, Schumacher was quicker than his teammate but it was all in vain given Haas’ lack of pace.Kevin Magnussen – 5Another below par weekend for Magnussen. The slower of the two Haas drivers on Sunday, even factoring in his engine penalty which dropped him further down the grid. Nicholas Latifi – 5Nicholas Latifi was the only driver to have been lapped twice in Mexico.Fernando Alonso – 8Yet another mechanical issue cost Alonso a huge haul of points. Without it, he would have finished seventh, likely losing out on track to Ricciardo but regaining the position thanks to the Australian’s 10-second penalty.Yuki Tsunoda – 7Tsunoda was enjoying a solid weekend in Mexico up until his contact with Ricciardo. He was running just outside the points and ahead of teammate Gasly. The stewards deemed it to be Ricciardo’s fault, but it was no consolation to Tsunoda, who was forced into the pit lane shortly after to retire his AlphaTauri.  

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