Which Formula One driver performed the best throughout the 2017 Australian Grand Prix weekend?
Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most during the last race weekend.
Driver performance summary
| Driver | Started | Gap to team mate (Q) | Laps leading team mate | Pitted | Finished | Gap to team mate (R) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 1st | -0.293s | 49/57 | 1 | 2nd | -1.275s | |
| Valtteri Bottas | 3rd | +0.293s | 8/57 | 1 | 3rd | +1.275s | |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 15th | -0.103s | 0/25 | 0 | |||
| Max Verstappen | 5th | +0.103s | 25/25 | 1 | 5th | ||
| Sebastian Vettel | 2nd | -0.577s | 55/57 | 1 | 1st | -22.393s | |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 4th | +0.577s | 2/57 | 1 | 4th | +22.393s | |
| Sergio Perez | 10th | -0.487s | 56/56 | 1 | 7th | -52.536s | |
| Esteban Ocon | 13th | +0.487s | 0/56 | 1 | 10th | +52.536s | |
| Felipe Massa | 7th | -2.044s | 40/40 | 1 | 6th | ||
| Lance Stroll | 20th | +2.044s | 0/40 | 2 | |||
| Fernando Alonso | 12th | -0.986s | 50/50 | 1 | |||
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 18th | +0.986s | 0/50 | 1 | 13th | ||
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | 8th | -0.025s | 31/56 | 1 | 8th | -13.613s | |
| Daniil Kvyat | 9th | +0.025s | 25/56 | 2 | 9th | +13.613s | |
| Romain Grosjean | 6th | -1.428s | 13/13 | 0 | |||
| Kevin Magnussen | 17th | +1.428s | 0/13 | 2 | |||
| Nico Hulkenberg | 11th | -3.269s | 15/15 | 2 | 11th | ||
| Jolyon Palmer | 19th | +3.269s | 0/15 | 0 | |||
| Marcus Ericsson | 14th | -0.183s | 7/21 | 0 | |||
| Antonio Giovinazzi | 16th | +0.183s | 14/21 | 1 | 12th |
Vote for your driver of the weekend
Which driver do you think did the best job throughout the race weekend?
Who got the most out of their car in qualifying and the race? Who put their team mate in the shade?
Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the 2017 Australian Grand Prix weekend?
- Antonio Giovinazzi (15%)
- Marcus Ericsson (0%)
- Jolyon Palmer (0%)
- Nico Hulkenberg (1%)
- Kevin Magnussen (0%)
- Romain Grosjean (3%)
- Daniil Kvyat (1%)
- Carlos Sainz Jnr (0%)
- Stoffel Vandoorne (0%)
- Fernando Alonso (9%)
- Lance Stroll (0%)
- Felipe Massa (3%)
- Esteban Ocon (2%)
- Sergio Perez (4%)
- Kimi Raikkonen (0%)
- Sebastian Vettel (55%)
- Max Verstappen (1%)
- Daniel Ricciardo (0%)
- Valtteri Bottas (3%)
- Lewis Hamilton (1%)
Total Voters: 721
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When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.
2017 Australian Grand Prix
- 2017 Australian Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Find out if you’re one of the 14 prize-winners in the Predictions Championship
- Vettel takes back-to-back Driver of the Weekend wins
- Australian GP gets second-lowest rating in a decade
- 2017 Australian Grand Prix radio notes: Race
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Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
26th March 2017, 17:12
Grosjean for me. I didn’t expect the Haas to be that far up the field. It looked like an absolutely incredible qualifying lap.
BasCB (@bascb)
26th March 2017, 18:53
Shame he did not get to finish the race! I think that apart from Vettel, the most noticeable drivers were Grosjean, Giovinazzi and to an extent Bottas too.
Fudge Kobayashi (@)
28th March 2017, 14:49
Bottas? People are praising him for coming into a new team and qualifying within 3 tenths of Lewis but he was a good half a second off for most of the weekend and had absolutely no answer for the pace of the 2 front runners at the start of the race. It’s obvious Hamilton was refusing to push his tyres at the end and knew full well that in equal machinery an overtake from his teammate wasn’t possible so he played the long game.
The last time a new Mercedes driver made his debut in Australia he qualified half a second ahead of his established teammate 3 grid places ahead, now THAT is an impressive debut. That guy was Lewis by the way.
Hugh (@hugh11)
26th March 2017, 19:11
That T11 and 12 though… he was actually fastest through that segment in qualifying, would’ve liked to see if he could get back past Massa after losing a position on the start, but even if he didn’t, at least 7th looked almost certain for him if not for the retirement, which is even more impressive when you compare it to Magnussen’s shocker of a weekend
eljueta (@eljueta)
28th March 2017, 8:50
I see where you’re coming from but I had to give it to Vettel. I sure hope that he does it again in the future!
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
26th March 2017, 17:19
For me it is either Giovinazzi or Alonso. Both did very well in bad cars.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
26th March 2017, 17:20
Honourable mentions to Grosjean.
Tibor Fellner (@tybee985)
26th March 2017, 18:14
Same for me, but my vote went for Giovinazzi, beacuse he just jumped in, but did a very good job. Also Alonso is a hero, he gives everything to be competitive with that “car”.
bogaaaa (@nosehair)
26th March 2017, 21:11
Agree with you Tibor, Gio was my pick also , called at the 11th hour and preformed so well the team should give him the seat, he was the highlight of a long boring snorey..hope the season isn’t this dull!!
HUHHII (@huhhii)
26th March 2017, 17:24
Vettel or Giovinazzi. Went with Vettel this time. Beat his team mate comfortably and got the maximum result.
stefano (@alfa145)
26th March 2017, 17:44
I don’t know if Alonso was the best of the weekend, but the few that I saw from him was exciting every time. That must mean something
Adam (@rocketpanda)
26th March 2017, 17:47
Vettel. Seemed totally in control.
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
26th March 2017, 17:58
Good performances throughout the field.
But the one driver who stood out compared to his (respectable) team mate was Vettel.
WheelToWheel (@lolzerbob)
26th March 2017, 17:47
For me either Vettel or Perez.
Vettel for simply being sensational and driving to a great victory aswell as putting Kimi back in his place. Perez was half a second faster than Ocon in qualifying and was the one driver who actually overtook people getting the Toro Rosso’s on track and a maximising P7.
Honourable mentions to Verstappen and Grosjean.
Nigel
26th March 2017, 23:39
What an embarrassment to be overtaken by a Pink car. Haha….. Vettel was it for me. Agreed Perez did well.
Toxic (@)
27th March 2017, 2:51
Went for Perez myself. Stellar drive and nice overtake.
It seems that even when saving the tires is not necessary he still has it.
Hugh (@hugh11)
27th March 2017, 15:03
Hulkenberg was 3.3s faster than his team mate and also overtook someone ;) (Alonso at the same time as Ocon did) and probably maximised the Renault, which clearly still isn’t great. The Perez v Hulk battle continues… @lolzerbob
OOliver
26th March 2017, 18:15
Giovinazzi
Every other driver including stroll have had hundreds of miles driving F1 cars. But Giovinazzi just got called on Saturday morning and he conducted himself, admirably.
Ronald (@mosquito)
26th March 2017, 21:40
I concur. Of course he had the winter testing, but others showed that this is not always enough to be prepared…
Matt (@hollidog)
27th March 2017, 17:40
I heard Stroll did 3 days testing at every permanent circuit on the calendar, over 50 full days of testing compared to Giovanazzi’s two days at Barcelona, and Saturday morning in Melbourne. Thoroughly impressed.
OOliver
26th March 2017, 18:17
Giovinazzi
Every other driver including stroll have had hundreds of miles driving F1 cars. But Giovinazzi just got called on Saturday morning and he conducted himself, admirably.
Alonso would have been my pick for his impressive driving. But we know what he is capable of.
Stratos (@stratos)
26th March 2017, 18:18
It has to be Antonio Giovinazzi, the guy has only 1 practice sesionand, it was his 1st time in Australia. Even with this handicap he was 0.2s behind his teammate in Qualifying, finally he finished the race without any accident.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th March 2017, 18:33
+1
MaddMe (@)
27th March 2017, 5:49
He drove a very clean race and with consideration to those that lapped him, allowing them to pass quickly and efficiently. A minor error in qualifying which could have seen him start ahead of his team mate, not bad for a guy woken up with a ‘prank call’…
Todfod (@todfod)
26th March 2017, 18:18
It was a close one between Alonso, Vettel and Grosjean for me. Vettel was almost flawless all weekend and got the most out of the car and strategy. Grosjean was stellar in qualifying as well.. and was for no fault of his own had to retire from a solid 7th place. But I voted for Alonso, who took the slowest car on the grid to P12 and was actually running in the points with a GP2 car before the suspension failure.
dex022 (@dex022)
26th March 2017, 18:27
Vettel,any other would be a joke considering where they finished/or not finished don’t matter how their drive was.Alonso was 10th and dnf in the end,how can he be driver of the weekend?Grosjean also dnf early,Perez ended where his car should be.How can these guys be even considered for drivers of the weekend jeeez.Giovinazzi? Good drive but some people are talking like he was in any car first time in his life?So what if he is a rookie?If he was 6th or 7th we could talk about him being DOW. Does win here from 2nd and perfect drive counts for anything?
SaraJ (@sjzelli)
26th March 2017, 21:01
Exactly. A vote for Alonso is a joke – perpetrated by blind fans.
bogaaaa (@nosehair)
26th March 2017, 21:16
Dex you are underestimating what Gio acheived in quali and the race
EagleMk1
27th March 2017, 2:02
Don’t quite understand the comment. Of course a driver going 10th and getting a mechanical DNF can be the best driver of the weekend. The machineries are grossly unequal, that’s painfully obvious, and that kind of result with a poor car can take a lot more merit than winning with a dominant car (I don’t mean that was the case today with Fernando, I saw too little of him in the race to form an opinion, but finishing in the points with a McH would have been no mean feat, and the DNF didn’t seem to be his fault).
If all that counts is the result, then what’s the point of the poll? 100% would vote for the winner and that would be all.
SundarF1 (@sundarf1)
28th March 2017, 7:59
+1
Seeing Alonso that high up the order was a surprise. P13 in qualifying and running P10 in that desperately poor car was a bigger achievement than bringing the best car on the grid home in first place.
The Ferrari was just as quick as the Merc and far better at looking after its tyres. Vettel didn’t put a foot wrong, but then he was hardly challenged. Anyone among Alonso, Hamilton, Ricciardo and Verstappen could’ve done the same with that car. I don’t think anyone else could’ve dragged that McLaren-Honda up to 10th. That’s the difference.
Joao (@johnmilk)
26th March 2017, 18:32
Massa. Solid qualifying without much running. Solid race, best of the rest really, only Grosjean qualified better than him, but he jumped him at the start. Not bad at all for an old man.
I was inclined for Grosjean, but unfortunately the car let him down.
Debapriya Deb (@debapriya-deb)
26th March 2017, 19:26
I do agree! Massa had a solid but unspectacular race. He managed to extract the most that Williams is capable of.
Gabriel (@rethla)
27th March 2017, 16:58
Strange that he suddenly extracts the most the Williams is capable of when he failed to do so the past seasons. Stroll will make Massa look mega this season.
Christopher (@twiinzspeed)
28th March 2017, 13:16
Agree that Stroll makes Massa look great. But, don’t forget that Massa performed much better back in the days of high down force and solidly made tires. This formula suits his driving style perfectly. Massa is well liked and it would be mega to see him steal a podium or 2 this year. If he hangs around another season, he may even get a better car with Paddy coming on board. Best of luck to him….
Gary
26th March 2017, 18:36
Vettel. His first-stint was masterful, and he kept Verstappen behind him when it mattered in the first three corners of second stint.
Giovanazzi gets my honorable mention. Aside from his racing he’s an interesting personality and F1 would benefit having him on the grid
Ronald (@mosquito)
26th March 2017, 21:42
Keeping Verstappen behind who was on 20 laps old tires and with a car that was a second slower in qualifying is a plus? Even on cold tires that was just doing his job. Verstappen only got a chance due to a mistake of Vettel anyway, if I remember well.
uan (@uan)
27th March 2017, 5:31
Yes it was a great effort by Vettel to come out literally inches in front of Verstappen on cold tires (that “mistake” was pushing hard on cold tires in a corner, so I don’t think you remember well) and then positioning his car perfectly to defend against a hard charging Verstappen into T3. Absolutely those were 3 very critical turns on cold tires. Not “ho hum” or “just doing his job”. If he ends up behind Verstappen it’s a different race, though Vettel more than likely had the pace to hold of Hamilton. “Just doing his job” can be applied pretty much to all the racers who finished yesterday.
Vettel also pushed Hamilton very hard in the opening stint, causing Ham’s tires to go off earlier than Merc wanted/anticipated. Don’t forget Vet had closed to less than 1 sec before Ham went into the pits, and Ham felt Vettel would pass him on the track if he didn’t pit.
So for putting Ham on his back foot and not putting his own foot wrong the entire race, and pipping Bottas to P2 in qualifying, Vet certainly deserves more than casual consideration for DOTW.
EagleMk1
27th March 2017, 2:05
Vettel was OK but a big chunk of the merit goes to the Ferrari wall, they nailed the strategy today. Which is a rare occurrence these last few years
RP (@slotopen)
26th March 2017, 18:37
As of right now Botta has more votes than Hamilton. Sure it’s his first weekend, but he lost to Hamilton by every measure except available tattoo space. What am I missing?
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
26th March 2017, 20:50
That they both have only a couple of votes, which doesn’t mean anything.
uan (@uan)
27th March 2017, 5:38
I think folks think that his performance and tire management in the race was superior to Hamilton’s, which would exceed expectations and thus put him the hunt of DOTW. He didn’t do anything epic in Qualy, but he was within .3 of Hamilton (a difference we say between Ham and Ros last year) and then in the race he maintained position and was on the heals of Ham at the end, and only team orders prevented him from challenging for P2. I’m agreement that there was no reason to allow Bottas to challenge Hamilton. The team gains nothing from that battle, but have a lot to lose. It’s not going to hamper either driver in the WDC 19 races from now. And if Bottas was going to be allowed to attack, I’m sure Ham had more in the tank to push earlier so Bottas wouldn’t have been close enough to attack. So why put more wear on the engines than necessary?
But that’s why some feel Bottas had a slightly better weekend than Ham. He was right there. The more amazing thing is that Ham received any votes. The last thing anyone would have thought, especially after Q3 was for Ham cross the finish line 9 seconds behind a Ferrari, and only 2 seconds up on his teammate.
Christopher (@twiinzspeed)
28th March 2017, 13:26
I know this may not be a popular opinion, but I had the sense that Hamilton seemed rattled during the race. He is a great talent, but I think he has had such a great car the last few years that he is easily frustrated/worried when the car is not dialed in. Maybe he just hasn’t had to deal with “fighting” an imperfect chassis in a while. I’m sure he will get on top of it asap.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
31st March 2017, 10:07
@slotopen I would say don’t mistake a poll on who was the best driver for a ranking of how good the drivers were.
In other words, the data you’re citing does not show that more people thought Bottas did a better job than Hamilton. That cannot be inferred from the poll. All it tells you is who had the most votes for best driver.
Neil (@neilosjames)
26th March 2017, 18:39
A few guys impressed me… Vettel of course, Giovinazzi, Alonso, Grosjean. But I went for Massa, because a large part of me was expecting him to struggle to get back into the groove.
Thought he was very impressive for a retired guy, especially when he was carrying the whole team and probably didn’t get much help from the other car’s data. Obviously no idea how quick he really was – the car might have been capable of being 20 seconds up the road by the end of the race – but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Miane
26th March 2017, 20:33
It’s hard to tell how much quick he is, but actually Mercedes engine isn’t considerable faster than Ferrari/Renault as previous year and Williams car wasn’t never so good in this kind of high downforce circuit. Renault / Force India / Hass / STR are pretty close or at the same level as Williams I think.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
26th March 2017, 20:48
Yep. I voted for Felipe Massa too. @neilosjames
Single handedly drag Williams on top of Force India who clearly has two very decent drivers.
nelson piquet
26th March 2017, 18:55
vettel no doubt, this is how to win in an inferior car
Hugh (@hugh11)
26th March 2017, 19:11
Jolyon Palmer.
suryana (@mursidsuryana)
27th March 2017, 7:34
LOL. Comment Of The Day.
AntoineDeParis (@antoine-de-paris)
26th March 2017, 19:17
Voted for Sebastian of course, also have to mention Ocon for his moves on Alonso, very nice.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
26th March 2017, 19:38
I voted Daniil Kvyat, for showing reports of his demise were very premature.
Nelis (@nelis)
27th March 2017, 15:44
Same :)
Philip (@philipgb)
26th March 2017, 19:42
We’ll not settle the debate on if in qualifying Vettel delivered the goods beating Bottas or failed in but beating Hamilton.
But the race left little question. Paced himself and drove exactly as fast as he needed to. Vettel.
jamiejay (@jamiejay995)
26th March 2017, 19:52
Lance Stroll for me. Unbelievable drive by him. I mean Vettel
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
26th March 2017, 20:21
Vettel, for dominating in race trim. His team mate could not match his speed, nor could any of his rivals.
Honorable mentions to:
Massa – What do you mean retired? Nah. Best of the rest by far, and totally destroyed his team mate
Grosjean – Is Haas that fast, or is Grosjean that good?
Giovinazzi – First race, some 15-20 laps of experience of the circuit. He didn’t look like a rookie. Sure, he was beaten in quali by his team mate but he went on to finish when many others did not. Would like to see him keep this seat over Wehrlein
MattyPF1 (@mattypf1)
26th March 2017, 23:18
I was very intrigued by your comment and I must say this:
With Massa: He’s shown no signs of retirement at all. Made Stroll look overhyped and weak really
With Grosjean: I don’t know the definitive answer to this one. Grosjean is a great driver, we all know that, but the way he dominated compared to Magnussen baffled me. I can tell the Haas car has improved a lot, but why hasn’t K-Mag performed well? China will give me the answer I think
And with Giovinazzi: While I get what you’re saying about being beaten in qualy, that should’ve been expected considering this is Ericsson’s 4th year in the series and he should be outperforming a rookie if he wants to prove he deserves to stay in F1. But as much as I prefer Wehrlein over Ericsson based on raw talent alone, I wouldn’t be disappointed to see him replaced by Giovinazzi at all
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
28th March 2017, 11:51
I meant exactly which you stated, @mattypf1. Ericsson beat Giovinazzi but not by much, so therefore I am very impressed by the Italian rookie =)
I can’t see how Wehrlein would be unfit for Australia but for the much more demanding Chinese GP just 2 weeks later. Remains to be seen, but I think Giovinazzi will have a second go in that Sauber.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
26th March 2017, 20:48
Vettel was flawless and Massa looks like he’s going to lead the team well against his comical team mate. But for me I was most impressed by Giovanzzi, he looked right at home considering he was chucked right in the deep end.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
26th March 2017, 21:07
It was Vettel. No question about it. He absolutely destroyed Raikkonen. 2nd place Alonso, deserved to get 10th in that embarrassing Honda. 3rd Massa, quiet race on his own, got the job done for Williams while Stroll has fun learning.
Oli (@dh1996)
26th March 2017, 21:41
Giovinazzi, no doubt. For comparison, look at Badoer and Fisichella 2009.
MattyPF1 (@mattypf1)
26th March 2017, 23:20
Very good point, except it’s a touch different as they filled in at Ferrari rather than Sauber but I do see your point here. Both of those drivers were a huge disappointment when they ran in the Ferrari
Michael Brown (@)
26th March 2017, 22:58
Giovinazzi. Please replace Ericsson. It won’t happen, but he’s Sauber’s best.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
27th March 2017, 9:39
@mbr-9
This is too soon to decide. Ericsson is far better than he was in 2014 and early 2015. He had several good races last year and one outstanding race in Mexico. He also beat Giovinazzi in qualifying and got into Q3. And he got took out in the first corner by Magnussen. He possibly had to retire later because of that. Where is the proof that Giovianazzi is certainly better? He clearly had a good weekend but Ericsson could well have done better.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
27th March 2017, 9:42
My mistake, it wasn’t the first corner that Ericsson got knocked off. It was a bit later on.
faulty (@faulty)
26th March 2017, 23:37
Vettel for me. But voted for my #2, Giovinazzi, as he is not guaranteed a spot for the whole season and Vettel will probably fight for more DotW during the year.
MaddMe (@)
27th March 2017, 5:55
I do wonder how long it will be before Giovinazzi gets a full F1 drive, certainly showing himself to be worthy.
AV (@b4lr0g)
27th March 2017, 1:32
Can we have an option for No One?
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
27th March 2017, 18:44
@b4lr0g What is the difference between not voting, or voting for no one?
AV (@b4lr0g)
27th March 2017, 22:47
By having an option of No One, we’ll get to know number of people who thought that nobody stood out for them.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
27th March 2017, 2:21
Perez. He make a great weekend. Also Vettel, Giovinazzi, Bottas, Massa.
Alonso (@alonshow)
27th March 2017, 4:27
Bottas for sure. Hamilton is a multiple world champion, widely considered as one of history’s great. Plus, it’s his fifth year in the team, he knows it inside out. Yet, Bottas arrives for his first race after being hired at short notice and he breathes in Hamilton’s neck. If he keeps progressing like this, he’ll be the WDC.
Ruiben (@rvirui)
27th March 2017, 4:33
From I’ve seen in pre-sason and practice, Perez and Alonso were the only ones that put the car ahead faster ones, everyone else finished were i expected to be. Still great drives from Vettel, Hamilton, Vyat, Grosjean and happy for Giovinazzi and Bottas who performed better than expected.
Gabriel (@rethla)
27th March 2017, 17:06
Where did you expect Bottas to be? Fighting in the midpack?
Ruiben (@rvirui)
27th March 2017, 18:18
I mean, performance isn’t just measured by position, I was looking at his pace. Even if hamilton was better all weekend long, he wasn’t much slower than him.
evered7 (@evered7)
27th March 2017, 6:24
Sebastian Vettel. Comprehensively beat Kimi on Saturday. Did an OK start and clung on to the tails of the Mercedes all through the first stint eventually committing them to a mistake on their strategy. Did just enough to ward off the RB after coming out of the pits to effectively take the lead. Didn’t put a foot wrong all race long.
Honorable mentions to Perez, Massa and Kvyat. They drove impressive races for their teams to pick up some valuable points.
Godwin Joseph (@godwin)
27th March 2017, 6:45
I voted for Stroll
Excuse me :D (@square-route)
27th March 2017, 7:29
Went with Perez for a great drive and that great overtake. Ocon also did well. Happy to see Giovinazzi’s great race too.
However I still think that none of the players were stellar.
Peppermint-Lemon (@)
27th March 2017, 7:42
Alonso. That Q lap was mighty and he drove a great race in such a poor car.
Sebastian a close second for getting the job done so well and out performing the mercs and kimi.
suryana (@mursidsuryana)
27th March 2017, 9:52
Palmer. Absolutely overdrive the car. Really deserved to have a seat in F1.
Fikri Harish (@)
27th March 2017, 9:53
This is definitely a biased opinion, but my vote goes to Kvyat.
Coming back from such a horrible year, he managed to make his tyres last without losing any pace compared to his teammate and would’ve finished way ahead of Sainz and maybe catch up to Perez if it wasn’t for his late (and according to the Sky broadcast, unscheduled) pitstop.
I’m unashamedly a fan of him since his rookie year and I would love to see him and Sainz (also a personal favorite of mine) prop Toro Rosso up to great heights this year.
Still, Vettel and Alonso did great yesterday but I’m pretty sure it was just another usual day of the office for the both of them.
And yeah, with such lack in preparation, what Giovinazzi did was remarkable.
Winger
27th March 2017, 11:28
I think Max drove pretty well. That RB is lacking a lot, somehow they found a good setup for the race so at least the balance problem was solved. It lacks power and even grip compared to the top 2 teams and being able to close the gap to Kimi was the maximum what was possible.
Vettel, Perez and Max’s drives are equally good imo.
ILuvSoundtracks (@)
27th March 2017, 14:20
Vettel. Ferrari’s back.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
27th March 2017, 14:35
Vettel obviouslly. He outraced Hamilton in a Mercedes and was far infront of teammate. Excellent.
Who else was outstanding? Maybe I failed to notice someone.
Loup Garou (@loup-garou)
27th March 2017, 14:36
I voted Vettel not just because he won but the way he handled the car through the street circuit. It seemed so well balanced, even when he was in Hamilton’s Merc’s dirty air earlier on. He seemed so much faster and more at home than his teammate.
That said, a more than honourable mention to Alonso for almost getting into the points while walking his dog.
RIKDI
27th March 2017, 15:58
Vettel was # 1 . As those who speak about sports for a living have previously and correctly stated : great athletes are not always great but they are great when they need to be . That sums up Sebastian’s driving this week .
I also agree with other voters who gave credit to Grosjean ,Ocon and Giovinazzi .
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
28th March 2017, 10:15
So true.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
27th March 2017, 16:12
I voted for Vettel, it was proof he still has the World Drivers’ Champion skill. He waited for his rival to make a mistake, and when it came he capitalised on it. Excellent Ferrari team work, good Ferrari engineering and design. A well deserved win.
pdaavv (@miuzi05)
27th March 2017, 16:36
Hulkenberg for me, utterly destroyed his team mate (who spent the whole weekend complaining about the car) while finishing the race just outside the points, and being part of the most exciting racing move throughout the grand prix (the three-abreast pass on Alonso by him and Perez). Vettel would be second choice.
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
27th March 2017, 19:05
I am not voting, but a 4 or 5 is my rating. Probably the most boring GP I have ever watched. The only thing that kept me interested was if Max was going to pass Kimi or not. Good job Vettel!
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
27th March 2017, 19:08
ps I forgot to mention that Alonso is going to replace Palmer vey soon! How do I know? I don’t, just a guess.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
28th March 2017, 10:41
@dutchtreat Perhaps you should actually read the article instead of commenting on something that isn’t related to it.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
28th March 2017, 16:35
So why not vote for Max Verstappen as your driver of the weekend and then express your frustrations about the weekend on the vote for the race?
Retired (@jeff1s)
27th March 2017, 20:12
A rookie named Antonio Giovinazzi produced a astonishing performance this weekend.
He was just one tenth slower that ‘experienced’ teammate Marcus Ericsson in qualifying, then finished the race just two places from a point-scoring position at the wheel of a year-old-engine Sauber car. Hats off!
PJA (@pja)
27th March 2017, 20:31
With it being the first race of the season and after a major change in regulations it is still not clear where each team is in the pecking order so we are not really sure which driver outperformed their machinery or which drivers underperformed.
For example did Vettel have a great weekend or did Raikkonen underperform and make him look better than he was.
It seemed to be business as usual when Hamilton secured pole on Saturday, but then Vettel was quickest on Sunday, was this because the Mercedes is better in qualifying and the Ferrari better in the race, was it due to the conditions, it was mentioned in commentary that Sunday was the hottest it had been and Ferrari have performed better in hotter conditions in recent years, or was it simply just each driver performing better on that particular day?
I also didn’t find the race was that entertaining and when that happens it is usually also the case that no driver stands out when I come to choose my driver of the weekend.
Because of these various factors I struggled to decide who to vote for in driver of the weekend.
After qualifying I thought one of the stand out drivers was Grosjean, I didn’t think that Haas looked like making any headlines after testing but Grosjean managed to qualify sixth on the grid, it initially looked like he might carry that form into the race however his car did not last long enough to really make a proper judgement.
Considering he only found out he would be racing on Saturday morning I thought Giovinazzi had a great debut, he may have had time in the car during pre-season testing, but to make his F1 debut on such short notice and to put in the performance he did was impressive and won’t have done his future prospects any harm.
Alonso put in his usual high performance in an uncompetitive car which we have come to expect during his second stint at McLaren. For a while it looked like he would earn an unlikely point until his car failed him.
Of the drivers at the front Vettel obviously put in the best performance on Sunday but considering how quick he was during the race I was left wondering should he have done better in qualifying.
In the end I decided to vote for Giovinazzi with Vettel my second choice.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
28th March 2017, 2:18
Vettel, Perez, and Giovinazzi are my top 3. Went with Gio because he had to do everything having only had an hour to learn a new track.
Urvaksh (@thedoctor03)
28th March 2017, 5:45
Sebastian Vettel. As Lewis said, he “kept a lid on it” initially (which seemed to extend a bit to FP1 in terms of performance), but came alive FP2 onwards and showed what the car was capable of by outqualifying Bottas. Also showed the gulf in performance between himself and Kimi without there being any obvious explanation otherwise. A lot many times people wonder if Drivers do really make the difference in F1. Here is some food for thought: imagine two Kimis in the two Ferraris. Ferrari would have finished a distant 3-4 or even 3-5 and instead of all of us talking about how amazing this season is shaping up to be and how “F1 is back”, we would all be talking about another dull drab season where Merc would take away all the spoils.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
29th March 2017, 7:48
That is why Vettel is the second greatest driver on the grid. And Kimi is just another champion.
G. (#F1insperations) (@greggriffiths)
28th March 2017, 11:36
Max for me – ok preference hanging in there – but outside of that he had an excellent race, keep Red Bull in the challenge from the start where Grosjean (who did immensely well btw) had to stay at the top of the mid-field.
#GOMAX
:)
Asanator (@asanator)
28th March 2017, 12:43
Vettel for me with an honourable mention to Giovinazzi who did really well coming in with so little experience to get so close to Ericsson in Quali (still came effectively last though!).
Massa did ok, but doesn’t really have a benchmark, Bottas did ok too to finish up so close to Hamilton. I don’t really get the Alonso fanatics who try and insist he did something special all he really did was just about out-qualify the Saubers and overtake a car at the start. He was only running 10th due to Grosjeans retirement and ended up damaging the floor which allowed Ocon and Hulkenberg past.
Vestappen didn’t do anything special, he was flattered by Kimi cruising around fuel saving and Redbull putting him on the supersoft tyre (I’m surprised more drivers didn’t) which allowed him to get close but as we saw, when he wanted to Kimi could produce fastest lap pace.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
28th March 2017, 16:43
Voted for Giovinazzi. Though Vettel was a very close second, Alonso was his usual incredible self, Lewis was incredibly fast, as were Perez and Grosjean, for me the incredible performance of Giovinazzi only coming in on Saturday morning, on a track he doesn’t know, and looking like a seasoned veteran throughout is the standout performance. Giovinazzi proved beyond doubt that he belongs on the grid
Eddie
28th March 2017, 17:34
Easy. Verstappen.
Fixy (@)
28th March 2017, 18:05
My vote went to the
veteranrookie Giovinazzi!F1Forever (@f1forever)
28th March 2017, 18:22
Driver Ratings:
Ferrari
Vettel – 5/5 – Was strong throughout the weekend; split the two Mercedes in qualifying and dominated the race after the round of pit-stops, creating pace his rivals couldn’t match, on his way to a well-deserved win.
Raikkonen – 3/5 – Trailed Vettel for most of the weekend, and he wasn’t able to keep up to Vettel and his other rivals during the race
Mercedes
Hamilton – 3/5 – Secured the pole but was then held up by Verstappen and lost the lead; he seemed frustrated afterwards and wasn’t able to keep up.
Bottas – 3/5 – It was a solid but not a stellar weekend for Bottas; he was behind Hamilton for most of the time, but still did well to score a podium in his first race for Mercedes.
Red Bull
Verstappen – 3/5 – Accomplished nothing special this weekend; he cost Hamilton the victory and was flattered by Kimi; he got close to him with supersofts, but couldn’t produce the fastest lap pace Kimi did.
Ricciardo – 2/5 – Practice was great, but he binned the car in qualifying. He could’ve had a great race but the team screwed up, which led to him unfortunately retiring.
Williams
Massa – 4/5 – Massa’s
was much smoother than I thought it would be. He was solid in practice, quali and the race.
Stroll – 1/5 – It was a miserable debut for Stroll. He crashed in practice, which left him on the backfoot for qualifying, and nearly commenced a carbon fiber festival at the first corner. Stroll’s critics will be proven correct if he continues like this.
Force India
Perez – 4/5- Was outside the top-ten for quali, but fought hard to finish in a well-deserved seventh.
Ocon – 4/5 – Trailed his teammate but made a vital and impressive pass on the struggling Alonso to score his first F1 points.
Toro Rosso
Sainz – 4/5 – Another great weekend for Sainz, who had solid pace throughout and finished in an impressive 8th.
Kvyat – 4/5 – Had similar pace to Sainz and finished in a satisfactory ninth; he’s put his career back on the right path.
Renault
Hulkenberg – 3/5 – Not a very special weekend for Hulk; he was right in the fray of the midfied for most of the weekend and was mugged by Ocon.
Palmer – 1/5 – Dreadful weekend. Binned it in practice which put him at a disadvantage, and retiring due to more technical problems. Mistakes were made by both Palmer and the team
Sauber
Giovinazzi – 4/5 – He impressed me and many others following an eleventh hour call-up to replace the feeble Wehrlein. He was onl just out-qualified by Ericsson and finished in an outstanding twelth in the race.
Ericsson – 2/5 – He barley beat his inexperienced teammate Giovinazzi, but still made Q2 and look set for a great race until he was hit by Magnussen.
McLaren
Alonso – 4/5 – Did very well to keep McLaren in the mix. He was running in the points whilst he saved fuel.
The encouraging performance proves there could be light at the end of the tunnel for McLaren and Alonso.
Vandoorne – 2/5 – Had the worst luck of the two McLaren drivers, which was no fault of his ow. Yet to see anything in terms of his true potential.
Haas
Grosjean – 4/5 – Had an excellent Friday and Saturday. He put his Haas in the top ten and looked set to finish there until reliability got the best of him.
Magnussen – 1/5 – Had a mediocre weekend which ended with him causing an amateurish collision with Ericsson.
Balue (@balue)
28th March 2017, 18:59
Vettel and Giovinazzi were standouts, but Bottas probably had the most pressure of everyone and really delivered in a new car and team.
Ray Norris
28th March 2017, 20:06
Been out of town and too late to vote. BUT the Ham getting second after blowing the race having the pole!!! Difficult to understand why in the world V Bottas did not get first or at the very least second. V B has had very little time in the car and was on par with the Ham, probably could of passed him but understandably V B wants an extension to his one year contract so he must pay his dues and play nice. I have always rooted for Seb V and was very, very happy to see him finally get a competitive car from Ferrari. Love Kimi as well and hope to see him on the podium soooooo. Never really thought I would be rooting for Ferrari but things happen. Racer Norriski
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2017, 21:31
You’re not too late to vote, the poll will be open until midday Thursday (UK time).
bull mello (@bullmello)
28th March 2017, 21:35
Vettel, but with a gigantic tip of the hat to Antonio Giovinazzi. I want to see more of what he can do!
Rigi (@rigi)
30th March 2017, 11:03
Since it will probably be the only race we can vote for him and Vettel already has enough votes, I vote for Giovinazzi. What a remarkable performance considering that the amount of laps he completed were still less than half the race distance. Kept his head down, didn’t make any mistakes in the race.
Grosjean was also doing very well, a shame the engine failure didn’t allow him to show us what the Haas car is capable of.