F1 Driver Ratings: Mexico 2019

Lewis Hamilton won a strategic Mexican Grand Prix to score his 100th podium for Mercedes. It is also the eight time Hamilton has won a race not from pole position this season – a record.

Sebastian Vettel did not have the pace to attack Hamilton in the second half of the race and fended off Valtteri Bottas who had made contact with Max Verstappen earlier in the Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc’s two stop strategy did not work out whilst Alexander Albon faded to a distant fifth position. Here’s the Driver Ratings and as always, the order below is the finishing order of the Grand Prix.

2019 Mexican Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Lewis Hamilton: 9/10

Sebastian Vettel: 8/10

Valtteri Bottas: 6.5/10

Charles Leclerc: 8/10

Alexander Albon: 6.5/10

Max Verstappen: 4.5/10

Sergio Perez: 9/10

Daniel Ricciardo: 7/10

Pierre Gasly: 8/10

Nico Hulkenberg: 7/10

Daniil Kvyat: 5.5/10

Lance Stroll: 6/10

Carlos Sainz: 7/10

Antonio Giovinazzi: 6.5/10

Kevin Magnussen: 7/10

George Russell: 6.5/10

Romain Grosjean: 5/10

Robert Kubica: 5.5/10

RETIRED

Kimi Raikkonen: 6/10

Lando Norris: 6/10

It was a classic Lewis Hamilton performance in the turbo-hybrid era – keeping up a strong pace without wearing out his tyres too much, plus with a damaged floor from contact with Max Verstappen on the opening lap.

Nobody in the field is better at pumping in the laptimes and adaptnig their driving style to get the most out of the tyres over a stint in an era which has had more and more emphasis on finding the perfect window for the Pirelli rubber.

Qualifying could have been better for Hamilton, so that’s why he hasn’t received a 9.5 or 10 from me but his race was sensational.

Sergio Perez lived up to the home pressure and had arguably his best performance of the season. He just missed Q3 but drove a superb race to be best of the rest whilst his teammate Lance Stroll was outside of the points.

His defence on a hungry Daniel Ricciardo was very good too and that may well make a massive difference in the constructors’ standings for Racing Point as they are level on points with Toro Rosso with Renault just nine points ahead.

Max Verstappen had a clumsy weekend. Speeding unnecessarily though yellow flags, despite already having pole position then getting to desperate to make up for lost ground after dropping down the order following his touch with Hamilton.

His pace was very good and without doubt he would have been in the mix for the win, had he been more wise and perhaps with a little bit more luck. Nevertheless, you make your own luck in F1 and Verstappen should not have been in that position on the opening lap, had he started from pole position.