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Driver Ratings | Sainz steals hearts of Tifosi, Verstappen remains F1 king
Max Verstappen has recorded his tenth win in a row, setting a new record. The Dutchman had to fight for it but also proved himself as the best F1 driver at the moment on the Monza circuit. During the Italian Grand Prix, there were more outstanding drivers, though. These are the ratings from GPblog.
Verstappen: 10
Max Verstappen did everything he could on Sunday to force Sainz into a mistake and finally got it right. No all-or-nothing attempt from the Dutchman, but neatly forcing the mistake. On a weekend when the Ferrari had an excellent package, Verstappen remained calm and performed at his best again.
Perez: 8
Sergio Perez fell short in qualifying, starting another small catch-up race. Despite some moments of complaining over the team radio, Perez did drive a strong race. The Mexican finished second once again after nice overtaking moves on Russell and the two Ferraris.
Sainz: 10
Carlos Sainz did everything right this weekend but could not avoid being passed by two Red Bulls. Sainz had an internal battle to win at Ferrari and came out on top. At a time when his teammate is increasingly pushed forward as the number one, that must feel nice.
Leclerc: 6
Charles Leclerc fell short of being the man at Ferrari this weekend and tried to make up for it in the closing stages of the Grand Prix with some ambitious overtaking manoeuvres on his teammate. There was a lot of risk with the team's interest in mind, but to some extent, it is also to Leclerc's credit that he gave everything for a podium in Monza.
Russell: 8
George Russell had a strong weekend in Monza. He was much better than his teammate in qualifying and the race. His qualifying lap, in particular, was handsome, given the Mercedes car's lack of top speed.
Hamilton: 5
Lewis Hamilton was not on form this weekend. In qualifying, he fell well short of his teammate. The alternative strategy worked out well for the Briton, but his clumsy action in duelling with Oscar Piastri could've ended his race. Driving five seconds away from Albon did not harm Lewis, but it was a big blemish on his already lacklustre weekend.
Albon: 9
Alexander Albon scored points again for Williams in a weekend where it had to happen for the team. After surprising points at Zandvoort, these points were almost expected from Albon. The British-Thai handled that pressure well and stayed ahead of the McLarens right to the finish line.
Norris: 7
Lando Norris was stuck behind his teammate and then behind Albon in frustration. There wasn't much more in it for Norris, although he can blame himself for missing out on a better position in qualifying.
Alonso: 7
An invisible weekend for Fernando Alonso, who, unlike his teammate, is still picking up some points.
Bottas: 8
Valtteri Bottas got a point due to Piastri dropping out, but you must be there to take advantage of such moments.
Lawson: 6
Liam Lawson gave a good follow-up to his F1 debut at Zandvoort. The New Zealander was very close to his teammate in qualifying and drove a neat race.
Piastri: 6
Oscar Piastri still beat Norris in qualifying but fell short in race pace. This allowed his teammate to overtake him with an undercut. Points still seemed possible, but Piastri fell victim to a clumsy move by Hamilton and thus dropped outside the points.
Sargeant: 5
This was THE weekend Logan Sargeant could and should have gotten his first F1 points. Where Bottas did benefit from bad luck ahead of him, the American could not. In qualifying and the race, he simply did not come close to the times his teammate was driving to also be eligible for points.
Zhou: 6
Guanyu Zhou had a quieter weekend at the back and was considerably slower than Bottas in qualifying and the race.
Gasly: 7
Pierre Gasly seemingly made the most of the Alpine this weekend. It must be painful that a place at the back was all that could be achieved after a podium at Zandvoort.
Stroll: 4
Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q1 and was eight-tenths slower than his teammate. Your father may buy up a team and build all the facilities to become a top team, but Stroll himself will simply have to drive a little harder.
Hulkenberg: 7
Nico Hulkenberg was the best Haas again this weekend, but at the back of the grid, that doesn't help you much.
Magnussen: 6
Kevin Magnussen was again slower than his teammate and drove a chance-less race at the back of the field.
Ocon: 6
Esteban Ocon was slightly slower than his teammate this weekend, but that made little difference with the already totally uncompetitive Alpine.
Tsunoda: 6
Yuki Tsunoda had still qualified handsomely in 11th place but would not start due to a problem with his car.