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The final race weekend of the 2022 season saw Max Verstappen extend his own record of wins in a season by chalking up victory number 15 of the season, from another pole position.
But while Verstappen produced a peerless performance, there were some other impressive drives over the weekend from other drivers throughout the field. Although not all of them were quite as handsomely rewarded.
For the final time in 2022, here are the RaceFans’ grand prix driver ratings.
Lewis Hamilton – 4
Qualified: 5th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.003s quicker than team mate in Q3
Classified: 18th (-13 places behind team mate)
- Quickest in first practice
- Investigated but cleared of driving too fast under red flag
- Only just beat team mate to fifth on the grid but likely would have been higher without mistake on final Q3 lap
- Earned a fine for pit lane speeding on reconnaissance lap
- Passed Sainz at the start but illegally held his position at turn six, cutting the chicane and damaging his floor on the kerbing
- Returned fourth to Sainz under orders, then took it back a lap later before losing two places to Sainz and Russell
- Pitted for hard tyres on lap 18 and ran in sixth behind team mate, catching him before Russell pitted
- Committed to one-stop strategy and was caught and passed by Perez, dropping to fourth
- Received a black-and-white warning flag for three track limits infringements
- Reported gear shift problem with just under five laps remaining, told to retire car due to hydraulic problem
- Classified as a finisher in 18th place
George Russell – 5
Qualified: 6th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.003s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 5th (+13 places ahead of team mate)
- Had to settle for sixth on the grid after being out-qualified by team mate by just three-thousandths of a second
- Lost one place at the start to Norris, passing him to retake sixth on lap five
- Overtook team mate to move into fifth before following Perez into the pits on lap 15
- Switched to hard tyres but wheel delay led to him being released in front of Norris, earning a five second time penalty
- Overtook Ricciardo and Vettel to move back to fifth, then kept pace with Sainz ahead
- Committed to two stops by following Sainz into pits to switch to mediums on lap 39, dropping to sixth
- Gained a place when Hamilton retired late, eventually finishing fifth
Max Verstappen – 8
Qualified: Pole (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.228s quicker than team mate in Q3
Finished: Winner (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Missed first practice to allow Lawson to run in his car
- Quickest in second practice
- Secured pole position by two tenths over team mate
- Held onto lead at the start, then gradually increased lead to Perez behind
- Pitted for hard tyres on lap 20, regaining the lead a lap later when Leclerc pitted
- Maintained lead of less than three seconds to Perez, then managed gap to Leclerc after team mate pitted
- Managed his tyres in case of a late Safety Car, but eventually grew lead slightly in closing laps
- Crossed the line to win 15th race of the season by 8.7 seconds
Sergio Perez – 6
Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.228s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate)
- Quickest in final practice
- Secured second on the grid, two tenths slower than team mate
- Maintained second position at the start and staying with five seconds of his leading team mate until being the first front runner to pit
- Fitted hard tyres on lap 15, moving back up to second place and staying within three seconds of Verstappen
- Was caught by Leclerc, pitting for a second set of hard tyres on lap 33 and rejoining in fifth position
- Gained two places when Sainz and Russell pitted, then passed Hamilton for third after two laps in DRS range
- Pushed hard to catch Leclerc but ran out of laps, finishing third 1.2 seconds behind the Ferrari at the finish
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5
Qualified: 4th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.15s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 4th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Sat out first practice session for Shwartzman
- Qualified fourth on the grid, just 0.15s slower than team mate
- Lost fourth to Hamilton into turn one but should have earned it back with late but legal lunge into turn six
- Eventually received the place back from Hamilton on lap four but lost it again a lap later
- Kept with Hamilton to eventually pass him for good on lap eight, then was first Ferrari to pit for hard tyres on lap 17
- Rejoined behind Vettel but quickly overtook him to move back to fourth
- Made two visits to the pits, fitting hards on his second visit on lap 39, rejoining behind Hamilton in fifth
- Rapidly caught Hamilton but was gifted fourth when the Mercedes driver retired
- Finished fourth, 14 seconds behind Perez
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Charles Leclerc – 8
Qualified: 3rd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.15s quicker than team mate in Q3
Finished: 2nd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Secured third on the grid ahead of team mate, half a tenth behind Perez’s Red Bull
- Held onto third and kept in touch with Perez ahead over first stint
- Extended his first stint, pitting from the lead on lap 21 for hard tyres, rejoining in third
- Gained six seconds on Perez over ten laps, inheriting second when Perez pitted
- Made a single stop and maintained a consistent pace over final stint to preserve tyres
- Gradually fell away from Verstappen ahead but kept a high enough pace to ensure Perez never caught him
- Crossed the line eight seconds behind Verstappen and 1.2 seconds ahead of Perez to secure second place in the championship
Lando Norris – 8
Qualified: 7th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.276s quicker than team mate in Q3
Started: 7th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 6th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Replaced by O’Ward during opening practice session
- Comfortably reached Q3 then secured ‘best of the rest’ grid slot in seventh
- Picked up one place from Russell on opening lap but was passed on lap five
- Ran in seventh until pitting for hard tyres on lap 15
- Rejoined in 12th, passing Bottas, Magnussen and Vettel to move back up to seventh
- Gained one place from Russell’s stop, then pitted a second time on lap 42 for second set of mediums, rejoining in seventh
- Gradually fell back into Ocon over the final stint, but picked up sixth with Hamilton’s retirement
- Held onto sixth by just over a second from Ocon at the finish
- Took bonus point for setting fastest lap of the race
Daniel Ricciardo – 6
Qualified: 10th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.276s slower than team mate in Q3
Started: 13th (-6 places behind team mate)
Finished: 9th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Just squeezed through into Q3 in tenth and qualified there, a quarter-of-a-second slower than team mate
- Dropped to 13th on the grid as penalty for crash with Magnussen in Interlagos
- Lost one place to Stroll on the opening lap, but gained 13th back by passing Schumacher on lap two
- Extended his opening stint before pitting for hard tyres on lap 19, falling to 18th place
- Passed Schumacher, Magnussen, Bottas and Zhou to gradually move up to eighth place
- Committed to a one-stop strategy and was passed by Ocon, then Stroll to fall to tenth place
- Came under pressure from Vettel over the final eight laps but kept the Aston Martin behind him
- Picked up ninth from Hamilton retiring, then absorbed pressure over the final lap to secure two points in ninth
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Fernando Alonso – 5
Qualified: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.089s slower than team mate in Q2
Started: 10th (-2 places behind team mate)
Finished: Retired (Water leak – L28)
- Sat out the opening practice session for Doohan
- Just missed out on Q3 berth by half a tenth, eliminated in 11th place
- Maintained his position at the start, then ran behind Vettel, later admitting he was unwilling to attack his retiring rival
- Extended his opening stint slightly before pitting for hards on lap 19
- Dropped down to 14th place but passed Magnussen, Bottas and Tsunoda in quick succession
- Was running behind Stroll in tenth before being brought in to retire on lap 28 with a suspected water leak
Esteban Ocon – 7
Qualified: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.089s quicker than team mate in Q2
Started: 8th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 7th
- Ahead of Alonso in every session
- Beat team mate by less than a tenth in Q2 to secure passage to Q3, then qualified eighth
- Held position at the start, then was one of the first to pit for hard tyres, dropping to 14th
- Passed Magnussen and Bottas, moving back up to ninth before gaining eighth when Vettel pitted
- Opted for a two-stop strategy by pitting on lap 41, dropping one place to Ricciardo but passing him soon after
- Gradually caught up to Norris over final stint but never got within DRS range
- Picked up seventh when Hamilton retired and finished there, one second behind Norris at the chequered flag
Pierre Gasly – 5
Qualified: 17th (-5 places behind team mate)
+0.229s slower than team mate in Q1
Started: 17th (-6 places behind team mate)
Finished: 14th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Failed to follow team mate through into Q2, eliminated in 17th
- Started on soft tyres but lost one place at the start to Albon
- Passed Magnussen on lap three, running 17th before pitting on lap 14 for hard tyres
- Pitted once, passing Magnussen a second time and gaining places when Bottas and Schumacher stopped
- Ran as high as 13th but was asked to allow team mate through on lap 43, deliberately waiting to give him DRS boost
- Lost a place to Albon, then passed by Zhou on penultimate lap to sit in 14th
- Had front-row seat for Albon-Zhou scrap, skipping turn six chicane and finishing 14th, less than a second behind Albon
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Yuki Tsunoda – 6
Qualified: 12th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
-0.229s quicker than team mate in Q1
Started: 11th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 11th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Beat team mate in qualifying by comfortably reaching Q2 in tenth, then knocked out in 12th position
- Held position at the start, remaining 11th until pitting for hard tyres on lap 14
- Was undercut by Stroll but overtook Magnussen and Bottas to catch up to the Aston Martin
- Gained tenth when Alonso retired, then committed to a two-stop strategy by switching to soft tyres on lap 38
- Rejoined 14th, then overtook team mate to sit in 12th
- Struggled with fading tyres, catching Vettel before falling away in the final laps
- Inherited 11th place when Hamilton retired and finished just outside of the points
Sebastian Vettel – 7
Qualified: 9th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
-0.385s quicker than team mate in Q2
Finished: 10th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Reached Q3 in eighth place despite coming across Perez at the final corner three times, then qualified ninth
- Maintained position at the start, running ninth in the early laps
- Extended first stint longer than anyone else on mediums, losing masses of time to rivals around him as tyres faded
- Pitted on lap 25 for hard tyres, falling to 19th position
- Made his way through the field, passing Magnussen, Gasly and Zhou to move up to tenth place
- Caught back of Ricciardo but asked to allow team mate on fresher tyres passed him, falling to 11th
- Pressured Ricciardo over final ten laps, gaining tenth when Hamilton retired
- Had to overtake Ricciardo to secure sixth place for team but could not find a way by, settling for final point in final grand prix
Lance Stroll – 6
Qualified: 14th (-5 places behind team mate)
+0.385s slower than team mate in Q2
Finished: 8th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Missed first practice to allow Drugovich to drive his car
- Behind team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Progressed into Q2 but was knocked out in 14th place
- Gained two places from Schumacher and Ricciardo at the start to run in 12th right behind Tsunoda
- Pitted early for hards on lap 18, rejoining 19th before passing Magnussen to move into ninth after team mate’s stop
- Looked comfortable in ninth before making second stop for mediums on lap 40
- Rejoined in 12th and was allowed by team mate before overtaking Ricciardo to move back up to ninth place
- Gained eighth when Hamilton retired and finished there, seven seconds ahead of Ricciardo
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Nicholas Latifi – 4
Qualified: 20th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.026s slower than team mate in Q1
Classified: 19th (-6 places behind team mate)
- Replaced by Sargeant for first practice
- Behind team mate in every session
- Slowest in every session he participated in
- Eliminated slowest from Q1 despite better out lap position than team mate on final run
- Gained one position from Bottas at the start but was overtaken on lap nine, falling to last
- Pitted for medium tyres on lap 15 and rejoined last
- Picked up two places when Magnussen and Bottas pitted but was spun by Schumacher at the hairpin
- Pitted for mediums and rejoined in last place, remaining there for the rest of his race
- Retired with an electrical problem in final laps but was classified as a finisher
Alexander Albon – 6
Qualified: 19th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.026s quicker than team mate in Q1
Finished: 13th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Disappointed to be eliminated 19th in Q1 after caught in traffic on final out-lap
- Picked up two positions on the opening lap, overtook Magnussen for 16th on lap two, then passed Schumacher on lap five
- First driver to pit on lap 12, fitting hard tyres and dropping to the rear of the field
- Caught and passed Magnussen and Bottas still yet to stop, then ran in 11th before making second stop for mediums
- Rejoined in 15th, catching and passing Gasly to take 13th place after Zhou pitted late
- Picked up 12th when Hamilton retired, then came under heavy pressure from Zhou behind on penultimate lap
- Fought hard to repass Zhou after being overtaken into turn six on final lap, but was overtaken around the outside of turn nine
- Crossed the line to finish in 13th place
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Valtteri Bottas – 4
Qualified: 18th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.298s slower than team mate in Q1
Finished: 15th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Failed to follow team mate through to Q2, eliminated in 18th place
- Started on hard tyres and dropped to the back of the field at the start, running in last before passing Latifi on lap nine
- Gained places while others ahead pitted, but caught and passed Magnussen at turn nine
- Fell back down the order to 15th before finally pitting for mediums on lap 30, rejoining in 18th
- Gained two positions when Schumacher spun Latifi before being overtaken by Schumacher soon after
- Kept in touch with Schumacher and eventually overtook him with five laps remaining
- Crossed the line 15th, just over ten seconds behind team mate
Zhou Guanyu – 6
Qualified: 15th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.298s quicker than team mate in Q1
Finished: 12th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Sat out opening practice session to allow Kubica to drive his car
- Beat team mate by three tenths in Q1 to reach Q2, but eliminated slowest in 15th
- Held position at the start, then passed Schumacher for 14th on lap four
- Pitted for hard tyres on lap 15, passing Magnussen before being allowed by team mate for 13th
- Overtaken by Ricciardo before trying to hold off rival Vettel before losing tenth place
- Switched to a two stop strategy by pitting for soft tyres with 15 laps remaining, rejoining in 16th place
- Used soft tyres to catch and pass Schumacher for 15th, then gained another place when Hamilton retired
- Overtook Gasly for 13th on penultimate lap, then battled Albon on final lap, passing him around the outside of turn nine
- Crossed the line 12th, the first finisher to be lapped
Mick Schumacher – 4
Qualified: 13th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.123s quicker than team mate in Q1
Started: 12th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Missed first practice for Fittipaldi to receive a run in his car
- Reached Q2 unlike team mate and eliminated in a respectable 13th
- Lost one place to Stroll on the opening lap, then overtaken by Ricciardo on lap two
- Overtaken by Zhou and Albon before pitting for hard tyres on lap 14, committing to a two-stop strategy
- Undercut Ricciardo but was soon passed by the McLaren, but was allowed to pass team mate on one-stop
- Overtook Bottas to sit 14th before making second stop for mediums
- Clumsily ran into Latifi at the turn five hairpin and spun, losing six seconds and earning a five second penalty
- Re-passed Bottas as he recovered but was overtaken by the Alfa Romeo in the closing laps
- Crossed the line 16th and remained there after five second penalty was applied
Kevin Magnussen – 4
Qualified: 16th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.123s slower than team mate in Q1
Started: 16th (-4 places behind team mate)
Finished: 17th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Blamed having to queue in the final sector for cold tyres for a disappointing last lap in Q1 that left him eliminated in 16th
- Started on hard tyres and held position at the start but was passed by Albon on lap two, then Gasly on lap three
- Used a one-stop strategy
- Rose up to tenth as cars ahead pitted, then overtaken by nine cars before pitting for mediums on lap 28
- Fell to the very back of the field, gaining a position only when Latifi pitted a second time
- Finished last of the drivers running in 17th, ten seconds behind team mate before penalty applied
Over to you
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