Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (P6): 6/10
Once again, Hamilton’s lack of pace compared to his teammate Leclerc was evident around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He was asked to let Leclerc by on lap ten, and the gap between the Ferrari pair only continued to grow from then on. The seven-time World Champion only gets a decent rating due to his impressive start to the race, where he went around the outside of Russell at the first corner to move up from fourth. But he was never able to retain the position.
Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber (P5): 9/10
It’s not often that we give a perfect rating for a driver, but Hulkenberg thoroughly deserves a 10 after his performance during the Spanish Grand Prix. Starting from 15th on the grid, the veteran German scythed his way past five other drivers to move up into P10 by the end of the opening lap. He made an early pitstop on the ninth tour for fresh mediums, and found himself in ninth was everyone else had also pitted. Hulkenberg showed great race pace, keeping up with the Mercedes cars ahead of him for a while. At the Safety Car restart, the Kick Sauber driver passed Hadjar for seventh and remarkably overtook the Ferrari of Hamilton on the penultimate lap. This was Sauber’s best result in three years, and Hulkenberg’s driving is what earned them this accolade.
