Nico Hulkenberg (P8, 4 pts): 7.5/10
Nico Hulkenberg continues to deliver consistent performances week after week, but he looks like he's starting to feel the heat from his Renault team mate. Daniel Ricciardo was faster than the German throughout practice and qualifying, but there are mitigating circumstances: Ricciardo benefited from a new version of the Renault power unit which Hulkenberg has to wait to get his hands on, as the French manufacturer didn't want to incur penalties for its home event. As a result, Hulkenberg started the race from 13th on the grid and put in a long first stint on the hard compound, a successful strategy that saw him work his way forward into sixth place before his eventual pit stop. Both Renaults finished in the points, but Ricciardo was subsequently penalised by the race stewards and dropped out of the top ten. It meant that Hulkenberg had the last laugh and ended up being the bread winner for Renault as far as the championship was concerned, even if it was Ricciardo who tended to steal the spotlight.
