Bahrain Grand Prix driver ratings
There were two deserving perfect 10s near the front of the field, while other drivers perhaps left a little bit too much on the table to warrant higher scores this time.
Motorsport.com's Prime content
The best content from Motorsport.com Prime, our subscription service. Subscribe here to get access to all the features.
44 Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes F1 W09
Start: 9th
Finish: 3rd
Strategy: 1 stop (soft/medium)
Rating: 8
There was a lot of good for Hamilton, who produced some incisive passes and performed well on his 31-lap stint on mediums. But he never looked completely comfortable on Saturday and Sunday and qualified just behind Bottas. By his own admission, Hamilton was too tame in the early laps – particularly in letting Alonso past - costing him any chance of winning.
77 Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes F1 W09
Start: 3rd
Finish: 2nd
Strategy: 1 stop (supersoft/medium)
Rating: 8
Bottas outqualified Hamilton and then came within seven-tenths of a last-gasp victory, which is good however you spin it. But did he show the qualities that make the difference between a good driver and a great one? He probably could have made Vettel work harder late on, and was perhaps too content to settle for second place when he could have forced the issue.
Share Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.