Following a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, Crash.net F1 Editor Luke Smith brings you his driver ratings. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 8 This was a race Lewis Hamilton knows he could and should have won, only for circumstances beyond his control to cost him dearly. After making a good start to take the lead, Hamilton forged a decent gap before Mercedes’ strategic blunder dropped him down the order. In a futile attempt to try and recover positions, he cooked his tyres, forcing him into a second stop before ultimately retiring due to a loss of fuel pressure. A tough day in the office. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 8 For Bottas, read much the same as you did for Hamilton. His charge to pole position on Saturday was stunning, but a tardy start let him down. Bottas was able to recover to second, but his race would last just 13 laps as a hydraulic issue forced him to park up and retire. Bottas’ potential points lost for this year is now up to 50. His gap to points leader Sebastian Vettel? 54. Austrian GP - 5 Amazing Austrian Grand Prix Moments Video of Austrian GP - 5 Amazing Austrian Grand Prix Moments Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 8 A really good effort from Vettel and Ferrari in Austria, all things considered. He was comfortably quickest in qualifying excluding the Mercedes, only for a harsh (but fair) penalty to drop him to sixth for the start. A poor getaway meant he couldn’t get among the front-runners, but P3 - and, more significantly, the championship lead - was nevertheless a well-recovered result come the chequered flag. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 7 The Jekyll and Hyde nature of Raikkonen in 2018 continued through the Austria race weekend. Off the line, we saw the 2005-spec Kimi in full effect, bolting between the two Mercedes cars to try and seize the lead. It all went downhill from there, though, as he slipped back to fourth on the opening lap, crucially losing a place to eventual winner Max Verstappen. Raikkonen’s pace thereafter was solid if unspectacular as he crossed the line second. But if he wanted to make his case for Ferrari to keep him for 2019, he blew the audition here big time. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 7 Ricciardo was always a step behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in Austria. After a bit of needle between the pair over who should give who a tow in qualifying blew over, Ricciardo picked past Romain Grosjean off the line and Kimi Raikkonen during his second stint to sit P2. However, tyre management struggles forced Ricciardo into a second stop - Verstappen didn’t need to come in again - before a gear sync issue brought his race to an end with 17 laps remaining. Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 9 Max Verstappen has a habit of winning races when things unravel for Mercedes (think Spain, think Malaysia, think Mexico), and Austria was no different. Sure, he got lucky, but that should not detract from an excellent performance by Verstappen on a weekend where Red Bull was, in reality, the third-fastest team. He got given an inch and took a mile, managing his tyres superbly to keep Raikkonen and Vettel at an arm’s length. A big display to answer his critics following such a rough start to the season. Esteban Ocon, Force India - 7 Given the pace of the Haas and Renault drivers at the head of the midfield fight in Austria, a good haul of points looked like a big ask for Force India on Sunday. Yet Esteban Ocon was able to spearhead its charge impressively, even fighting with the faster Kevin Magnussen at one stage as he rose from 11th on the grid to finish sixth. It was the maximum the team could hope for. Sergio Perez, Force India - 6 Docked points for a poor qualifying that saw him drop out in Q1 for the first time since Singapore 2016, Sergio Perez pulled his old trick of managing his tyres perfectly to rise through the order and ultimately cross the line seventh, albeit reluctantly after being told to give Ocon sixth back following an agreement earlier in the race. A good recovery from the Mexican. Lance Stroll, Williams - 6 Stroll impressed on Saturday to make it through Q1, qualifying 15th, but Williams’ form resulted to the same-old-same-old we’ve come to see this year as he finished two laps down in 13th. The team’s biggest hope of points again this year is in crazy races of attrition such as Austria. If it couldn’t capitalise then, when will it? Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 5 Again, it was a better display from Williams on Saturday, with Sirotkin finishing just one-tenth of a second back from a Q2 berth, but the race was a more difficult affair as tyre struggles forced him into two stops. Sirotkin was two laps down and the last classified finisher by the end. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 7 A tough day for Renault that ended in its first non-score of the season when points looked likely. Nico Hulkenberg did well to make Q3 and was running ninth before his engine gave way on the main straight, forcing him to retire from the race when a decent score looked possible. Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 7 A similar story for Sainz as for teammate Hulkenberg: a good Saturday was undone by struggles on Sunday. While Sainz made it to the chequered flag, he suffered more than most on the Soft compound tyre, being the first driver to dive into the pits and make the change way before Ricciardo or Hamilton did, with a slow stop deepening his plight. Eventually limped home down in 12th. Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 7 Big credit where it’s due here for Pierre Gasly, who only dropped out of the points in the closing stages when he was passed by Fernando Alonso and the two Saubers despite running his race with a severely-damaged car after being hit by Stoffel Vandoorne on the opening lap. Once again spearheaded Toro Rosso’s charge with an excellent display, all things considered. Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 6 Hartley is still waiting for the stars to align for a clean weekend in F1. After poor qualifying on Saturday, Toro Rosso went for an alternate strategy with Hartley, attempting to go long on the Supersofts before switching to Ultrasofts for the final stint. After being told to let Gasly through, Hartley lost time before a still-to-be-confirmed issue - but nothing power unit related - forced him to retire. Points were within reach, but it wasn’t to be. What the F1 grid could look like in 2021 Video of What the F1 grid could look like in 2021 Romain Grosjean, Haas - 10 What a way to answer your critics. Grosjean snapped his point-less streak that had dated back to last year’s Japanese Grand Prix in style for Haas, which comfortably ran as the top midfield team in Austria. Grosjean managed to qualify sixth and start fifth, splitting the Red Bulls, and executed a fuss-free race en route to P4 at the chequered flag for Haas’ best-ever result. Full marks richly deserved. Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 9 The only reason to dock Magnussen a mark from a top score is the fact he didn’t quite match Grosjean for pace through the weekend. Otherwise, he was excellent, recovering from not pitting under the Virtual Safety Car to get back ahead of Esteban Ocon and comfortably take fifth at the finish, continuing the Dane’s superb 2018 campaign. Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 9 All of the gratuitous hype surrounding ‘Mr. 9.5/10’ Fernando Alonso does get justified from time to time, with his drive from the pit lane to P8 on Sunday being a perfect example. Alonso sounded ready to park up when he was running 19th early on, venting his fury over the radio, but some canny tyre management allowed him to go on a late charge to grab four points for P8. An excellent drive following a rough couple of races. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 4<doc-sep>A DOWNBEAT Toto Wolff has sought to explain how Mercedes made their mistake with Lewis Hamilton’s strategy at the Austrian GP, claiming the world champions “didn’t react” to the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and lost the race because of it. Hamilton was in control before teammate Valtteri Bottas’ stoppage brought out the VSC on lap 15, but while Red Bull and Ferrari brought their cars into the pits to take advantage, Mercedes opted to keep their leading driver out. The decision, which meant Hamilton’s next stop dropped him to fourth, led to heated radio messages from the Englishman, who later retired with a fuel issue as Max Verstappen won a chaotic race. “We made a mistake,” Mercedes boss Wolff told reporters in Spielberg. “What I think happened is that we were running one and two and controlling the race and then suddenly you see your second car, Valtteri, stopping with a hydraulic leak. “The VSC came out, we had half a lap to react, and we didn’t. Fact. This is where we lost the race.” Going into the detail about the thinking behind the call, which chief strategist James Vowles took responsibility for, Wolff continued: “At that stage of the race with the VSC, pitting is probably the 80 per cent thing you need to do. “But with one car out there against two others, the thinking process was: What would happen if the others would split the cars? If we pit Lewis, we would come out behind Kimi (Raikkonen of Ferrari) if they leave Kimi out, and behind Max (Verstappen of Red Bull). What would that mean for the race? “That whole thinking loop, I wouldn’t say distracted us, but we spent too much time on that.” Mercedes brought their new “2.1” spec engine to Austria for its second race, but Wolff believes neither retirement had anything to do with the upgrade. To receive articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our sports newsletter here Losing both cars from the race has seen Ferrari leapfrog Mercedes in both the constructors’ and drivers’ standings, with Sebastian Vettel now leading Hamilton by a single point. It was the teams’ first double DNF since the 2016 Spanish GP, but also their first double mechanical retirement in more than 60 years. “I guess that was a major wake-up call,” Wolff added. “For me it was my most painful day at Mercedes, worse than Barcelona (in 2016). “This is exactly how motor racing can go, it can be very, very cruel. I think we had all the cruelty go against us today and it just got us brutally. “It doesn’t get more cruel for us.” Neither of the team’s cars made it to the chequered flag in a race Mercedes were expected to win with comfort to spare having locked out the front row. Hamilton’s retirement was his first in 34 races since the 2016 Malaysia GP and brings to an end the longest run of points-scoring finishes in F1 history. “This is definitely the worst weekend that I can remember for a long time,” said Hamilton. Earlier, he blew up when he knew his race was over. “I don’t get it guys, I just don’t,” Hamilton fumed. “I’m not going to be able to pass these guys, we’ve just thrown away a win.” WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG Bottas exited on lap 15 while Hamilton’s race ended with seven laps remaining when his car lost fuel pressure. The race had already turned ugly for Hamilton after the team mistakenly failed to pit their driver under the Virtual Safety Car triggered by Bottas’ retirement. The blunder meant that while Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo all enjoyed a cheap Virtual Safety Car, Hamilton had to take a “full-fat” pit-stop with the extra 10 or so seconds of lost lap time demoting the aggrieved Mercedes driver from first to fourth. “I have thrown away the win,” Mercedes strategist James Vowles radioed Hamilton. “It’s my mistake.” Vowles’ honesty drew immediate praise from the Sky Sports F1 commentary team. But Hamilton’s frustration was then compounded when he was overtaken by world championship rival Vettel shortly before the new-spec engine which Mercedes introduced at the Canadian GP three weeks ago failed. “Ultimately the guys on the pit wall, you have to put 100 per cent confidence and faith in them,” said Hamilton. “They have the full picture. All I can see is a guy in front of me and a guy behind me, I don’t really know … actually, at the time I was in the lead and I couldn’t see where they were. “In those circumstances you have to fully rely on the guys on the pit wall. We’ve got to definitely work hard to understand where we have gone wrong on both ends. I know everyone in the team will be feeling pain but we’ve got to take out the positives this weekend. “Ultimately we were the quickest, we should have won, so we’ve got to keep working hard.” Asked if he retained full confidence in the team, Hamilton replied: “Of course.” Hamilton’s retirement brought a dramatic conclusion to a race which had started with Mercedes seemingly set for a straightforward cruise to victory after Hamilton built up a comfortable lead from pole-sitter Bottas through the early stages. But Mercedes’ race unravelled on lap 15 when Bottas’ car suffered a sudden failure, condemning the luckless Finn to his second retirement of the season. “It is what it is, there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Hamilton. “We move forwards. I’m looking forward to getting the car back and trying to understand what the problem is and the guys will all be working hard to rectify it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” This article first appeared on Sky Sports and was republished with permission<doc-sep>Since the return of the Austrian Grand Prix in 2014 after a decade away the race at the Red Bull Ring has produced some shocking moments. Crash.net takes a look over the biggest flashpoints witnessed in Spielberg ahead of this year’s race which acts as the middle part of Formula 1’s first-ever triple-header. Mercedes has secured four consecutive victories in Austria, split between three different drivers, but McLaren remain the most winningest team with six in total while Ferrari’s 2018 resurgence will continue to be tested having last tasted victory at the race back in 2003.<doc-sep>
Recapping the additional news and notes from Thursday's media calls at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Crash.net F1 Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook. - The addition of the third DRS zone for this weekend's race was confirmed by the FIA in its publication of the pre-race circuit map. There will be a DRS zone on the main straight, from Turn 1 to Turn 3 and Turn 3 to Turn 4. There were mixed views from drivers about what it would do for the racing. Lewis Hamilton said it could allow drivers to pass and re-pass, while Sergio Perez had doubts it would make any difference. Hamilton said it would be worth around half a second in terms of lap time, though, edging the lap closer towards the one-minute mark. - Race director Charlie Whiting confirmed in his pre-race notes to drivers that some changes had been made to both Turn 3 and Turn 4 at the Red Bull Ring: "The verge on the left approaching turn 3 has been widened at the request of MotoGP. [...] The opening in the corner of the run-off area at turn 4 has been closed and a new one created further around the run-off." Austrian GP - 5 Amazing Austrian Grand Prix Moments Video of Austrian GP - 5 Amazing Austrian Grand Prix Moments - Sergio Perez confirmed that Force India has brought some of the updates it had planned to introduce in France to Austria, but said it was not the full package, having revealed at the last race that the team's ongoing financial struggles were holding back its planned development path. Perez also confirmed that the water leak which sidelined him in France has not made Force India take another power unit element for this weekend. - Mercedes' car was spotted in the pit lane with a number of new updates to the car applied, including a revised sidepod design and tweaks to the rear wing. Hamilton said he thought it was the first "serious" upgrade package the team had brought to the car so far this season. - Amid Williams' ongoing struggles, Sergey Sirotkin said the team is bringing a number of updates for its FW41 car in the next few weeks as the Russian looks to break his score-less run to date in F1: "I don’t want to be too optimistic, but we all have high hopes for those bits." - The driver market was a big talking throughout Thursday's media calls, particularly in the press conference where Kimi Raikkonen, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen were all grilled on their futures. Raikkonen - in a somewhat cheeky mood - dismissed the "nonsense" that comes up on an annual basis about his future, following a report earlier this week linking him to McLaren, while Ricciardo once again stressed he wants a deal sorted by the summer break. Magnussen revaeled that Haas has an option on him for next year, adding that he doubted there was much chance of him going elsewhere. - Pierre Gasly said he is not paying much attention to the driver market at the moment despite being a potential candidate to take Daniel Ricciardo's seat should he leave Red Bull. The Frenchman did admit that his early season successes - finishing fourth in Bahrain and seventh in Monaco - have certainly helped his standing in F1. - Fernando Alonso was in a feisty mood during his media session, hitting back at suggestions McLaren was slipping back in the fight to lead the midfield after its poor showing at Paul Ricard. Alonso said the team had to accept its performance would vary from track to track, but remained confident it could beat its midfield rivals: "All the other teams that are doing a perfect season, they are behind us, so maybe they are not so perfect and we are not so bad..." - Alonso also stressed that a possible clash between the World Endurance Championship race at Sebring and the F1 2019 season-opener in Australia next March would not impact his future. Were Alonso to remain in F1 next year, he would have to miss Australia if he wanted to stand a chance of still winning the WEC title, given Toyota teammates Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi would score points without him if he did not enter the race. "The decision next year will not be dependent on any clash," he said.