F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2022 Japanese GP

Kevin Magnussen (P14): 6.5/10
Kevin Magnussen seemed to be enjoying himself in the wet conditions of Friday where he was fifth fastest in both first and second practice. He was ten places lower when the track dried up in time for FP3 on Saturday morning, and then missed the first cut in qualifying leaving him just 18th on the grid for the start of the race. A return to wet weather saw him leap up five places on the first lap of the race, but pitting for intermediates on lap 8 left him wedged between Daniel Ricciardo ahead and Valtteri Bottas behind. With five laps to go he was passed by Lance Stroll, and then by Yuki Tsunoda next time by after the AlphaTauri made a late extra stop for fresh tyres. Even so, points were always out of reach for Magnussen on Sunday.

Yuki Tsunoda (P13): 6.5/10
Very much the local hero and focus of the adulation of frenzied fans as the first Japanese driver to compete in his home race since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, Tsunoda was somewhat upstaged by the news on Saturday that he would be getting a new rookie team mate for 2023. It'll mean he's technically AlphaTauri's lead driver, but does he have the maturity and level-headedness he needs for that role? He didn't have the greatest time in practice - P14 was his best showing in the unrepresentative wet FP2 - but he did make the cut at the end of Q1 to qualify in a respectable 13th place. He gained four spots on the first lap of the race and was in the top ten after the pit stops, only to drop a place to George Russell as he struggled on the inters. A change to a fresh set on lap 20 gave him the edge to make late passes on Mick Schumacher, Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen before the finish.