After each Formula 1 Grand Prix, Sporting News sister site SPOX.com will rate the drivers' performances from the previous weekend. Here are the top 10 following the season opener in Australia.
No 10: Carlos Sainz Junior
Nico Hulkenberg finally has a strong teammate. What was already hinted at towards the end of the preseason, was fully evident in Melbourne: Carlos Sainz Jr. is not far away. The Spaniard was only four hundredths slower than Hulkenberg in qualifying.
In the race, however, the difference was greater. Thirteen seconds separated both Renault drivers at the finish line. Why? Well, Sainz did not seem to be having his best day and had a fierce slowdown in Turn 9, which not only slipped him into the grass, but also made him lose a seat to Fernando Alonso.
Later in the race he had more problems. However, less with his vehicle than with his physical condition. As his hydration system broke down, more and more water flowed into his stomach, so he eventually became sick of it. "All the water was spilling from side to side, it was quite difficult, and at some point under the safety car, I almost had to vomit," complained the 23-year-old.
No. 9 Stoffel Vandoorne
Solid. That's the best way to describe the Belgian's performance. He was not furious on the road and always a tad slower over the weekend than stable mate Alonso, but showed constant performance without major flaws. Annoying for him: If he had turned around a lap later to change the tire, he could have taken the Virtual Safety Car and probably would have finished seventh or eighth.
No. 8 Kevin Magnussen
Fifty-eight laps must be tackled at the Australian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen made only 22. Why does he still earn a place in the ranking? Because he delivered a strong weekend up until the race.
Even with fifth place on the grid, he confirmed the good impression of the winter test drives. In front of teammate Romain Grosjean, the Dane was "Best of the Rest."
Because the Haas mechanics did not mount his left front wheel properly, he had to park his car prematurely. Without this mishap, he would have had the second best result of his Formula 1 career, trailing only his second place at the Australian GP 2014.
No. 7 Charles Leclerc
In the afternoon, when the first qualifying of your F1 career is due, you want to get in the third free practice session to get into the qualifying rhythm. Stupid, if it rains just then and the dry exercise in the truest sense of the word falls into the water.
So it went for Charles Leclerc without a real dress rehearsal in the shootout. With the result: 18th place, penultimate start row. Still, the rookie had a strong performance. In the race, the young Frenchman held well and left Lance Stroll and Brendon Hartley behind. Welcome to Formula 1, Charles!
No. 6 Daniel Ricciardo
That he was downgraded three spots, was irritating to the Australian driver. But on Sunday it went better. With a spirited overtaking maneuver, Ricciardo hauled past Hulkenberg in the early stages, then benefited from the race, threatening to make the podium. And Ricciardo has shown that, in contrast to teammate Mad Max, he radiates a bit more maturity on the steering wheel.
No. 5 Kimi Raikkonen
Asked in the post-race press conference whether the Halo disturbed his driving, Raikkonen answered: " No different than in testing or at any other point. I think it definitely doesn’t disturb at all. I think it was helpful here because the sun, when it’s coming in the right height, it’s blocking the sun in the eyes. So, I think it was only beneficial here, and it’s safer. Maybe people don’t like how it looks, but you know, it might make a difference for us one day and it’s a good thing to have.”
On the track he made a usual quiet impression — but with a decent pace. On Saturday even faster than Sebastian Vettel, he stayed until his pit stop between the four-time world champion Hamilton and Vettel. Then Ferrari used the Finn to pressurize the leading Mercedes driver with an undercut attempt. A strategy which, paired with the safety car phase, finally brought him behind Vettel. Annoying.
No. 4 Nico Hulkenberg
Renault seems to be the fifth force. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull are out of reach anyway. The McLaren is probably a bit ahead. In this respect, eighth place in qualifying and seventh in the race were the maximum for Nico Hulkenberg. He drove inconspicuously, but good. After all, he left behind a Mercedes.
No. 3 Lewis Hamilton
"It's never easy to lose a Grand Prix, it feels like a dark cloud," the reigning champion revealed to journalists in Melbourne. And yes, this defeat is likely to hurt a lot. Rarely has Hamilton squandered a victory as unnecessarily as Sunday afternoon.
Of course he could have done faster in qualifying after his dream lap, both as a leader in the first stint and immediately after his tire change. But with his deliberate drive, Hamilton merely obeyed the instructions of his team, which mistook the gap between their driver and those from other teams.
Also, that the Briton in 24 rounds found no way past Vettel, is telling. The Ferrari is lightning fast on the straights and the track Down Under is anything but overhaul friendly. Hamilton drove at the limit, but for an attack it was not enough against a sovereign Vettel.
No. 2 Sebastian Vettel
The qualifying duel against Kimi Raikkonen lost, and still three places better than Kimi in the Driver Ranking? Unfair!, many will say. But no, it's not that easy ...
Vettel took a long time to warm up with his ultrasofts in the first stint. Only late did he come up with good lap times, but then drove partly faster than Raikkonen, who was already on new Softs on the way. As it was for Vettel at some point on the yellow set of tires, he led the race suddenly — Virtual Safety Car and software error at Mercedes partly to thank.
Although Hamilton exerted massive pressure and repeatedly returned to the DRS window, Vettel went down his boot perfectly until his rival eventually gave up unnerved. In the end, Vettel was five seconds ahead of Hamilton and another 1.2 on Raikkonen.
No. 1 Fernando Alonso
Almost exactly one year ago, Alonso spoke of the "best race of his career." At that time, the Spaniard held the losing McLaren Honda until his retirement shortly before the end, in 10th place. Two weeks later, at the China GP, he said he had "driven like an animal." And what must we say now? The animal Alonso is back!
In a typical manner, the 36-year-old veteran took advantage of all the opportunities offered him in Melbourne. Overall, he benefited from five fortunate circumstances: Bottas' relegation on the grid, Sainz's slip into the grass, the double of the two Haas and the Virtual Safety Car, which made him change his tires to save time.
Only then was it possible for Alonso to suddenly drive to fifth. But once there, his best placing since the 2016 U.S. GP was never in doubt. No matter if a Verstappen, a Hulkenberg or a Bottas lurked behind him — Alonso always remained cool and flawless.
And good news for all McLaren fans: fifth place should have been just the beginning, as Alonso noted. "This race is likely to have been the weakest performance of the season, we are getting better and better so Red Bull is our next target."