On a day where Mercedes returned to their best to achieve a 1-2, Red Bull capped an uncharacteristically uneventful weekend with a row over team orders. This was also an issue at Ferrari, while elsewhere, McLaren were in the wars with both their cars as they lost further ground to direct Alpine rivals. Here are our drivers’ ratings for the penultimate round of the season after three days of action that produced some rare surprises this year. George Russell: We usually reserve maximum points for a driver who completes a grand slam, but it would be crazy to take anything away from Russell – he was in complete control throughout. With clear strategy calls over the team radio, a perfect escape and exemplary Safety Car restarts, this was a thoroughly deserved maiden win that saw him join Carlos Sainz as those to break their duck this season. A total of 33 points came the Brit’s way as he also took the sprint, with his qualifying ‘off’ inadvertently proving to be a major positive after scuppering his rivals’ chances of relegating him from the grid. 10. Lewis Hamilton: In the week he became an honorary citizen of Brazil, how Hamilton would have loved a fourth Interlago triumph at a venue that holds many fond memories for him. But he just couldn’t get ahead of his teammate and was admirably magnanimous about what the result meant for Russell and Mercedes. Less so, of course, for Max Verstappen, with whom the tense rivalry of 2021 was restored. The stewards’ call to penalize the reigning World Champion instead of his predecessor seemed almost the right one under the current rules of engagement. 8. Carlos Sainz: Stronger pace from Sainz than he has shown on some occasions in the second half of this season and a fully justified podium finish – whatever his teammate thinks. Passing Sergio Perez on lap 63 to ensure he moved up from seventh on the grid to finish third, he was just one place away from eliminating his engine-related penalty. It was a three-stop strategy for Sainz and although he felt it was less than ideal, his fresher tires after the Safety Car restart were certainly a help. 8. Charles Leclerc: His weekend was shaped by Ferrari’s strange decision to send him out on intermediate tires at the start of Q3 and he never fully recovered – although his return from the barrier after his collision with Lando Norris was strong. However, Leclerc’s pleas over the team radio for Sainz to hand him third place for the P2 championship battle with Sergio Perez were all a bit desperate and inappropriate – perhaps a sign of his general frustration. 7. Fernando Alonso: There were further indications of how Alonso’s relationship with Alpine is shaping up when boss Otmar Szafnauer said he and Esteban Ocon had “let the team down” with their sprinting disputes. But it was the opposite on Sunday as the Spaniard soared from P17 to join the usual front-runners towards the end… “yeah baby” indeed from the team radio as he passed Perez for fifth. 9.5. Max Verstappen: Tire degradation was a problem for the World Champion all weekend, but not as big as the crash with Hamilton that ruined his race and earned him a five-second penalty. But after Perez gave way to allow a challenge from Alonso in the closing stages, Verstappen refused to give it back – and that’s something we expect to hear a lot more about in the coming days as Red Bull went into defensive shutdown mode – piece again. It wasn’t a good look. 5. Sergio Perez: Running in a podium position for much of the race, Perez fell away towards the end and simply never had the pace to threaten the Mercedes duo – or Sainz, as it turned out. He also let his feelings about Verstappen be known as the first cracks began to appear in what had been a harmonious relationship. 6. Esteban Ocon: And here’s another dynamic within the team that is increasingly cracking under the pressure, with Ocon’s history of on-track clashes brushed off by Alonso in the post-sprint media as if he were standing in divorce court. . There was certainly no unqualified compliance from the Frenchman when he was told not to fight with Alonso after the safety car restarted, but this has to be seen as a strong response from Ocon after Szafnauer’s rebuke the day before. 7.5. Valtteri Bottas: Two more valuable points for Alfa Romeo courtesy of Bottas giving them a slightly more comfortable cushion over Aston Martin heading into the finale. He looked like he was more when he was running in the top six, but he had to give his best in the Alps. However, a performance that fully earned the post-match beer the Finn with the Movember moustache, was seen hiding. 7. Lance Stroll: A relatively quiet race for Stroll, but that wasn’t bad considering some of the problems he’s had of late – most recently with his own sprint team-mate. Who knows, that solitary point may yet be valuable in the final tally as Aston Martin tries to chase down Alfa Romeo. 7. Sebastian Vettel: In the penultimate F1 race barring his return, Vettel was thanked by team principal Mike Krack for “stepping aside to let Lance claim ninth”. The German had stuck to the aging medium tires at the time and admitted: “I don’t think we could have done much more than we did.” He had a very strong first set though, running in the lofty heights of P5 and having many once again question whether he is making the right decision to retire at the end of the season. 7. Pierre Gasly: Having driven “unnecessarily slowly”, according to the FIA, on the way to the sprint grid and then rushed into the pit lane on Sunday, it was almost as if he was trying to avoid the possible impending ban from the race. long before joining Alpine. But he will still have one more Grand Prix in AlphaTauri colors – even if that was another race, given his car’s less-than-distinguished performance, which probably left the Frenchman wishing the season was over already. 6. Zhou Guanyu: A soft-medium-soft strategy for the Chinese driver meant a final 34 laps and he also had problems with his turbo and his drinking straw getting stuck in his helmet at the start of the race! However, unlike some others, his relationship with Bottas remains strained. “I want to really thank Zhou for being a real team player today,” said the Finn – and from his days at Mercedes, he should know all about it. 6.5 Mick Schumacher: Better sprint than grand prix for Schumacher, but how much will he have done this weekend to affect his chances of staying at Haas? Very little, if rumors are to be believed. The German felt he had spent too much time on the medium tires he started the race on as he eventually slipped back a couple of places from where he had lined up. 6. Alex Albon: Starting on the hard tyres, Albon made a quick change midway through lap five – but it was the second Safety Car period he said was costly, lamenting: “I don’t know why it took so long to let the backmarkers through ». This was not a favorable track for the Williams, but at least Albon managed to get home, something he had not in the sprint and consequently lined up at the back. 6. Nicholas Latifi: Only one more race remains in his F1 career for Latifi and it may be a blessed relief when he sees the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. The best that can be said is that he kept a low profile at Interlagos, staying out of trouble, while a late pit-stop didn’t help his cause. 5. Yuki Tsunoda: Rarely does a race go by without a story attached to Tsunoda and it happened again as he was among the first in the latest Safety Car restart after initially trying to break free. He said later that he was told to stay where he was, but it was a confusing end to an inauspicious race that had started in the pit lane. 5.
It’s not over
Lando Norris: Norris first raced in F1 on his birthday and will sadly remember his 23rd for all the wrong reasons – mainly because he’s still feeling the effects of a stomach bug that plagued him all weekend. He received a five-second penalty for an early collision with Leclerc and had dropped down the order until he was forced to park with a suspected electrical problem. Better birthdays are ahead, no doubt. 5. Kevin Magnussen: He was clipped from behind by Daniel Ricciardo and as he spun, Magnussen took them both out of the race. A sad way to end a weekend that had started perfectly with his and Haas’ first pole position in F1. Just for this achievement… 10. Daniel Ricciardo: Just when he needs to show he will be a viable option for 2024, Ricciardo may have unwittingly pushed himself closer to retirement. Mistakes are now frequent, there is zero consequence, and as painful as it is to write it, it looks more and more like yesterday’s man. 3.
