F1 driver reviews from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2021 | F1

This is how we rated every driver at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in F1 …

Each driver is rated with 10 points, whereby the assessment is heavily weighted on his performance on the day of the race. The qualification performance has less weight in the decision on the ratings

Max Verstappen (Qualified 3rd, 1st Place) – 10th

A mistake in the Villeneuve chicane cost Verstappen a second consecutive pole position in 2021 when he was beaten by a team-mate in qualifying for the first time since Canada in 2019. The Dutchman made up for it with a perfect start and used second gear to put Sergio Perez and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton in the lead. Verstappen’s move to slicks was perfectly coordinated so that he could hold onto first place. A heart-in-mouth moment at the restart after Verstappen almost gave up his lead – the only flaw in the Red Bull driver’s beautiful victory at Imola. He had a comfortable winner, more than 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

Lewis Hamilton (Qualified 1st, 2nd Place) – 8th

It was Vintage Hamilton in qualifying, having failed to beat any of the three practice sessions or the first two segments of qualifying, as he ousted the two Red Bulls to secure the 99th pole position of his career. Hamilton’s performances in wet weather are usually exemplary, but a sub-par start allowed Verstappen to take the lead in the Tamburello chicane, although Hamilton’s attempts at defense proved costly – brave – as they damaged his front wing. Hamilton’s chances of winning were put to bed when he ran away in Tosa trying to outflank George Russell. The timing of the Russell and Valtteri Bottas incident was perfect for Hamilton as the subsequent red flag allowed his car to be repaired before it returned from ninth to second after the restart.

Lando Norris (Qualified 7th, 3rd Place) – 10th

A near perfect weekend for Norris. Had it not been for a slight lengthening of the track on his last Q3 attempt at Turn 9, Norris would have started the race from third place. Even so, Norris showed an outstanding pace in wet and dry conditions to storm his second career F1 podium. Overtaking Charles Leclerc after the red flag was broken proved crucial to Norris’ podium pursuit and benefited from the soft tire game. A longer DRS zone in 2021 and the sheer pace of the Mercedes W12 meant that it couldn’t hold Hamilton back and gave up second place on lap 60.

Charles Leclerc (Qualified 4th, 4th Place) – 9th

It was similar for Leclerc at Imola when he got the most out of the SF21 to put it on the grid in fourth. The Monaco driver ran comfortably on the podium in the wet, more than 10 seconds ahead of Perez. A poor restart – explained by a lack of team radio – meant he wasn’t making the most of Verstappen’s mistake and let Norris get through. Leclerc handed the podium to the recovering Hamilton but ultimately it was another good run.

Carlos Sainz (11th qualification, 5th place) – 8th

Sainz struggled in qualifying when he failed to make it into the third quarter. The Spaniard climbed from eleventh place on the grid to eighth on the first lap and quickly made an easy job for Pierre Gasly, who decided to start with wet tires and not with intermediate products. A few moments off the track didn’t deter Sainz as he overtook Daniel Ricciardo and finished fifth.

On the subject of matching items

Daniel Ricciardo (Qualified 6th, 6th Place) – 7th

Ricciardo never quite had the pace of McLaren team-mate Norris at Imola. The Australian kept fifth place early on but was instructed by the team to join Norris. It was a lonely race for Ricciardo in the second half of the Grand Prix when he was separated from the Norris-Leclerc-Sainz group and later overtaken by Hamilton. Ricciardo was then put under pressure in the final laps by Lance Stroll and Gasly.

Pierre Gasly (Qualified 5th, 7th Place) – 8th

Another case of what-if for Gasly in Imola. The Frenchman showed AlphaTauri’s impressive turnaround in qualifying, but the decision to start with wet tires cost him a shot on the podium. Gasly bounced back to eighth place and inherited seventh place after Lance Stroll received a five-second penalty after the race.

Lance Stroll (Qualified 10th, 8th Place) – 8th

Another impressive weekend for Stroll as he continues to be Aston Martin’s lead driver. Stroll made it into the third quarter for the second race in a row and qualified teammate Sebastian Vettel. The Canadian made it to seventh place at the start but soon fell back to ninth. Stroll kept Bottas in check for much of the wet stint and overtook the Mercedes driver again after the pair swapped positions during the slick tire crossover phase. Stroll inherited seventh place after Perez’s spin, but would end up dropping to eighth after receiving a five-second penalty for illegally overtaking Gasly at the start of the race.

On the subject of matching items

Esteban Ocon (Qualified 9th, 9th Place) – 8th

Ocon did well to place his Alpine in the third quarter while teammate Fernando Alonso only managed to finish 15th. As with Gasly, the decision to start with wet cost him the chance for a bigger score. Ocon recovered to tenth place after overtaking Alonso with DRS. The Frenchman always had the advantage over his more experienced teammate and inherited ninth place after Kimi Räikkönen’s 30-second time penalty.

Fernando Alonso (15th qualification, 10th place) – 6th

Alonso never quite had the pace of teammate Ocon in Imola. He damaged his front wing with an off at Tosa on the way to the starting grid, but luckily managed to return to the pit lane and start the race as usual. Alonso finished twelfth in the restart after the red flag and was overtaken by Gasly and his team-mate Ocon. The Spaniard took the last point and benefited from Raikkonen’s time penalty after the race.

Sergio Perez (Qualified 2nd, 11th Place) – 4th

After starring in qualifying, a lot was expected of Perez on race day – Sunday is usually his forte. His race began to unravel when he pulled off the track under the safety car and lost two positions before bypassing those two cars. Perez received a 10-second stop-go penalty for his offense, but the Red Bull driver was still fighting for the podium, finishing fourth behind Norris and Leclerc on the red flag. Perez then dropped it at the exit of the Villeneuve chicane, used his chances for a big boost in points and ensured that Mercedes took first place in the constructors’ championship.

Yuki Tsunoda (Qualified 20th, 12th Place) – 3rd

All in all, it was a disastrous weekend for Tsunoda when he was out in the first quarter after a spin in the Alta variant. While Tsunoda had a largely flawless season in the first half of the race, his good work in ninth place was ruined when he spun at Tamburello in the fight against Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. He was later given a five-second time penalty for exceeding track restrictions to round off a disappointing weekend for the Japanese rookie.

Kimi Raikkonen (Qualified 16th, 13th Place) – 5th

Raikkonen’s drive to ninth place seemed like a good day for the most seasoned F1 driver. The Finn withstood the immense pressure of the Alpine duo in the final laps to score Alfa Romeo’s first points in 2021. Until he was given a 30-second time penalty for not properly following the safety car. In the end, it was his own spin that created the confusion under the safety car, so it’s hard to be too personable.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qualified 17th, 14th Place) – 6th

Giovinazzi was unlucky not to score his first points of 2021. After the interruption of the red flag, the Italian ran in eighth place within the points. Due to a problem with the rear brake, he had to make an unscheduled pit stop. Unlike his team-mate Raikkonen, his point chances were completely ruined by factors beyond his own control.

Sebastian Vettel (13th qualification, start in the pit lane, 15th place) – 4th

Vettel was beaten again by Aston Martin team-mate Stroll in qualifying, and he didn’t fare much better on race day. The German’s chances of a good race were impaired from the start, as he, like Stroll, had a braking problem on the way to the starting grid and was forced to start from the pit lane. Things got worse for Vettel when he was handed a 10-second stop-go penalty after Aston Martin failed to fit all four tires on his car before the five-minute signal before the Grand Prix.

Mick Schumacher (qualified 19th, 16th place) – 5th

Schumacher was again the quicker of the Haas couple. Schumacher started with the wet tires in 16th place until he painstakingly turned into the barriers under the safety car while weaving down the start-finish straight. The German returned to the pits for a new front wing and ended up well ahead of his teammate Mazepin.

Nikita Mazepin (Qualified 20th, 17th Place) – 4th

Progress for Mazepin as he completed his first F1 race at Imola. Generally a smooth Grand Prix with just a twist in the final laps of its name. Have to find even more speed and self-confidence in order to be at eye level with Schumacher.

Valtteri Bottas (Qualified 8th, DNF) – 2nd

One of Bottas’ poorest weekends as a Mercedes driver. While he looked strong in practice on Friday, Botta’s inability to get the front tires within the correct temperature window was his crash in qualifying. He lost over 0.4 seconds to teammate Hamilton in the first sector in both rounds of the third quarter, finishing eighth on the grid. A slow start dropped him to tenth place and then he was stuck behind Stroll’s Aston Martin. Bottas’ race ended prematurely after making contact with Russell on the start-finish straight on lap 31. A weekend to forget.

George Russell (Qualified 12th, DNF) – 4th

Russell’s weekend started well when he qualified 12th, just over a tenth before moving into the third quarter. When Bottas tried to get his slick tires up to temperature, Russell saw an opportunity to overtake the Mercedes driver with DRS. Russell walked to the right, but touched the damp white line, causing him to lose control of his Williams and spear to Bottas. Another great opportunity for Russell to score points for Williams is begging. All in all, it was his own misjudgment, although Bottas moved slightly to the right.

Nicholas Latifi (Qualified 14th, DNF) – 2nd

Latifi appeared to be the faster of the two Williams drivers after practice, but again fell short in the fight against Russell. The Canadian turned around in the second part of Acque Minerale and dropped him back onto the field. Latifi returned and moved to the right, unaware that Mazepin was on the right track next to him, who met Haas and hit the barriers in the process.