F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2019 Russian Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas (P2, 18 pts): 8/10
Valtteri Bottas' usual cloak of invisibility was partially dislodged this weekend and we got to see the Finn back at something like his best, especially in the second half of the Russian Grand Prix where he successfully managed to deflect everything that Charles Leclerc could throw at him as the pair fought it out over second place. The fact that the Ferrari had been significantly faster all weekend made the steadfast achievement all the more impressive. Bottas had also been notably quick throughout practice, consistently in the top four and faster than Lewis Hamilton in every session, and so it had been a bit disappointing to see him end up slightly off the pace in qualifying. An engine penalty for Max Verstappen did promote Bottas back to fourth on the grid, but starting the race on medium tyres left him vulnerable to an early move from Carlos Sainz. Once his own tyres warmed up he was soon able to rectify that particular situation but it had cost him time, and it was only when the mid-race safety car cautions kicked in that he was in a position to get back on an equal footing with the rest of the leaders, so that he was able to duly pick up a podium as Ferrari's afternoon fell apart.