2018 Season - Rate the Drivers

[Matt]

I will probably do most of the races I watch, but once the European season starts and the races are at 7:00am, I tend to miss some (or most) of them.

ESPN ran the entire race this weekend without commercials too, so I actually saw the entire race.

[Chrill]

The driver with the biggest ratings difference is currently Lewis Hamilton. I average 8.0, after having rated him 8 in race 1 but 8 in race 2. M4A1 has put Lewis down for a 5.5, which is a 2.5 difference in rating.

[M4A1Carbine]

I will probably do most of the races I watch, but once the European season starts and the races are at 7:00am, I tend to miss some (or most) of them.

ESPN ran the entire race this weekend without commercials too, so I actually saw the entire race.

ESPN has said that the rest of the races this season will be commercial free.

[M4A1Carbine]

The driver with the biggest ratings difference is currently Lewis Hamilton. I average 8.0, after having rated him 8 in race 1 but 8 in race 2. M4A1 has put Lewis down for a 5.5, which is a 2.5 difference in rating.

That's because he has been average in my opinion. The Mercedes is the fastest car, but he doesn't seem very motivated to drive it to its potential.

I have the same reasoning for not being too tough on the Williams and Sauber drivers. I don't realistically think the car can do much better, even with a top tier driver.

[Chrill]

That's the beauty of these ratings! We get to have opinions! And after a couple of races, we'll probably see some trends develop. I can start looking at who regularly rates drivers lower or higher, and perhaps there will be a more clear drift where some of us rate certain drivers higher. I believe I usually rate my countryman Ericsson higher than Penfold, although if I'm not mistaken Penfold was actually kinder to Ericsson than I was in 2017.

I feel like Lewis was the dominant force in Australia, and his comeback in Bahrain was decent but he qualified poorly. He was only P4, which sent him down to ninth on the grid with that penalty of his. That deserves a score of 8 to me.

[Chrill]

I know this may come as a surprise, but I've done the maths ALL WRONG. Ok, not incredibly wrong, but a tiny bit wrong.

In order to calculate the actual rating of every driver, I simply took the average of what we averaged them. This should be OK, but with Matt joining I realised that could cause issues. He has rated drivers once, we have rated them twice. Therefore, his rating is actually weaker since it's based on fewer results.

To rectify this, I've changed the code for "Actual Average" on the Comparisons page. What it does now is compiles all our actual results and averages those, instead of averaging the average. This means it will take all ratings (potentially four times 21) and find an average of all those. While this didn't alter any rankings, it did put some people on level pegging.

Kimi Raikkonen's rating is changed from 7.625 to 7.714. Nico Hulkenberg's rating is changed from 7.75 to 7.714 also. This is to be expected, since their absolute total rating is a score of 54 based on 7 ratings. With the old rating, Matt's single rating weighed more heavily than it should, and pushed Hulkenberg above Raikkonen due to Matt awarding the Hulk 8 and the Raik 7.

See. Statistics is fun.

Check out the pretty document here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dnPSeVbYFM6KP0SW2SPGzJch7KAiLuaUvD4hpSWSHek/edit?usp=sharing

[Penfold]

I will probably do most of the races I watch, but once the European season starts and the races are at 7:00am, I tend to miss some (or most) of them.

You could watch them at a more convenient hour if you get yourself some of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZz2il4nhH8

[Chrill]

OK then. China was a messy race, Vercrashen proves once again that he is simply a kid with an Xbox rather than a professional racing driver. Starting to look a lot like the Torpedo.

Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton - 6/10 (Just not impressive. Qualified behind Bottas, and had no chance to match him in the race. Weak.)
Valtteri Bottas - 8/10 (A lot more impressive than his team mate, and made a really good start after the safety car. Could not prevent Ricciardo but gave him a good run for it. Perfect amount of aggression, without going overboard. Nice one)

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel - 7/10 (Kept it together nicely until the safety car, had a really bad getaway after the SC ended and then burned his tyres up completely when driving away from the Verstappen crash. Had he been more careful there, I think he could have challenged for P4 with Hamilton)
Kimi Raikkonen - 8/10 (Very evenly matched with Vettel, got his strategy compromised by Bottas surprisingly jumping Vettel in the pits. Recoved to P3 which is absolutely a decent result)

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo - 10/10 (Wow. What else can I say? Such an impressive race. The Red Bull mechanics replaced the engine with 30 seconds to spare in Q1, and that ended up taking him to sixth on the grid. Overtook literally everyone in the big 3 to win this. 10/10 doesn't do justice. Might be the drive of his career so far)
Max Verstappen - 1/10 (I've complained that he makes rookie errors. Well, this was just a blatant failure. Unacceptable to launch like that when we're this high up the grid. 10 second penalty is way too little. A drive through is what he should have gotten, plus 3 points to his license)

Force India:
Sergio Perez - 7/10 (Force India looked better today, was once more extremely equal to his team mate in pace)
Esteban Ocon - 7/10 (Force India looked better today, was once more extremely equal to his team mate in pace)

Williams:
Lance Stroll - 7/10 (Actually not too bad for once. Beat both Saubers, both Toro Rossos (obviously...) and a Haas. Plus his team mate. Acceptable)
Sergey Sirotkin - 6/10 (Also not too bad. Stroll had a much better start but Sirotkin fought back and probably drove a better race than Stroll. Ended up just behind though)

Renault:
Carlos Sainz Jr - 7/10 (Not too bad, hauled 2 points and almost had a go at Vettel at the end too. Must be encouraging to chase a Ferrari even though it's a stricken one)
Nico Hulkenberg - 9/10 (P6, best of the rest. He was my third driver for the weekend too, so I'm happy. Nice pass on Vettel, kept himself close to Hamilton too at the end. Impressive stuff)

Toro Rosso:
Pierre Gasly - 2/10 (What on Earth was that? Crazy manoeuvre on your own team mate. Not acceptable. Talk about a return to reality after Bahrain)
Brendon Hartley - 6/10 (Can't really be blamed for the crash, but was not running impressively high up the grid before it either. Poor strategy left him at the back, could not have done much  more)

Haas:
Romain Grosjean - 3/10 (Continues to be outpaced by Magnussen. Sure, made Q3 could not convert it. Messy race, like usual this season, sees him finish behind Williams and even one Sauber car)
Kevin Magnussen - 8/10 (Keeps putting in strong races. Had to surrender to Renault today, but still scored a point. What a strong start to his season)

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso - 7/10 (Drove a good race, but was extremely brutal in pushing Vettel off the track when overtaking. Deducting one point for that unnecessary move)
Stoffel Vandoorne - 6/10 (Was matching Alonso for a long while but somehow lost out after the safety car. Probably could not get heat into his tyres and just fell back. Mediocre at best)

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson - 6/10 (Up to P17 from 20th on the grid, but then lost it all before the first lap was over. I still don't know what happened to him, but I'm guessing he locked up into turn 14. Still, managed to recover and beat his team mate again. 2-0 race record over Leclerc isn't too bad)
Charles Leclerc - 6/10 (Had a decent start, but somehow lost out to Ericsson near the end anyway. It seems apparent he has not yet figured out how to keep his tyres alive like some of the more experienced drivers. Suffers from lack of race pace)

Driver of the day? Ricciardo obiously. Shoutouts to Hulkenberg and not really anyone else.

[M4A1Carbine]

Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton - 4/10
Valtteri Bottas - 8/10

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel - 7/10
Kimi Raikkonen - 7/10

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo - 10/10
Max Verstappen - 4/10

Force India:
Sergio Perez - 6/10
Esteban Ocon - 6/10

Williams:
Lance Stroll - 7/10
Sergey Sirotkin - 7/10

Renault:
Carlos Sainz - 7/10
Nico Hulkenberg - 9/10

Toro Rosso: Initially, I had both drivers rated lower, however I've read that the collision was cause by a miscommunication. Hartley was supposed to let Gasly pass but didn't see him. Since the collision ruined both their races, they're just going to get a 5.
Pierre Gasly - 5/10
Brendon Hartley - 5/10

Haas:
Romain Grosjean - 4/10
Kevin Magnussen - 7/10

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso - 8/10
Stoffel Vandoorne - 5/10

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson - 5/10
Charles Leclerc - 3/10

[Chrill]

Fair enough in regards to your Toro Rosso rating, but even if there is a communication error you should never try an overtake on your team mate unless it is one hundred percent certain. Which means the driver in front lifting the throttle or going off the racing line.

[Chrill]

Come on, Matty and Penny. Are y'all rating?

[Penfold]

Oui.

China:

Merc:
Hammy - 5 - Lacklustre.
Val - 8 - This is the Bottas we want to see.

Ferrari:
Seb - 8 - Safety car cost him the win, Max cost him a decent finish.
Kimi - 8 - Clearly kept out on old rubber to back Bottas into Vettel, but having such a late stop helped after the safety car appeared.

Red Bull
The Pie Man - 10 - Fast, reliable, and can overtake without hitting people.  Red Bull top brass would be mad to wave him off to Ferrari.
Max - 2 - His season advanced proudly into 'truly terrible' territory with these latest efforts.

Force India:
Perez - 7 - Nothing of note happened.  Solid drive as normal.
Ocon - 7 - They could drive each other's cars and no-one would be any the wiser.

Williams
Stroller - 7 - Depressing to see Williams struggling so, but drivers were reasonable today (Sunday).
Sirotkin - 7 - As above.

Renault:
Sainz - 7 - Needs to be more competitive with Hulk, only just scrapes a seven from me.
Hulk - 9 - Pretty nifty driving as per usual.

Toro Rosso:
Greasy Peril - 4 - Miscommunication contributed to crash but Hartley hadn't actually deviated from his normal racing line.
J.R. - 5 - Edged Gasly in quali. but slower of the pair in race.

Haas:
Big Jean - 3 - Not sure how he started tenth and yet finished behind almost everyone.
Son of Magnus - 7 - Solid but disappointing to be behind both Renaults and the McLaren with the quality driver.

McLaren:
Aslan - 8 - McLaren qualifying woes continue - they don't know why!  Fernando with a predictably good drive.
Van Door - 5 - One giant step behind Alonso.

Sauber:
Chrill's mate Marcus - 6 - Solid enough.  Car is obviously pretty weak.
'It is I' - 4 - Went off track for a while, not the best idea in an F1 car.

[Chrill]

Thanks dear!

Our standings, then:

1. Daniel Ricciardo, 9.000
2. Fernando Alonso, 8.500
3. Sebastian Vettel, 8.400
4. Marcus Ericsson, 8.143
5. Nico Hulkenberg, 8.100
6. Kevin Magnussen, 8.000
7. Kimi Raikkonen, 7.700
8. Pierre Gasly, 7.286
9. Esteban Ocon, 7.000
10. Sergio Perez, 6.700
...
20. Max Verstappen, 3.000

Ricciardo gained 5 spots (P6 to P1) in China. Gasly dropped 7 places (P1 to P8). Lewis Hamilton, on a 6.200, remains P13.

All the stats, as always, here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dnPSeVbYFM6KP0SW2SPGzJch7KAiLuaUvD4hpSWSHek/edit#gid=512518002

[Penfold]

Poor Max, ranked lower even than Sergey Sirotkin.  Perhaps he could try not spinning or crashing for a few races?

[Chrill]

Oh boy, that was some race. Only 13 drivers really finished.

Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton - 7/10 (He won. Was he the best driver? Nah. He locked up, he lost out, he never really had it in him. He looked like the slowest of the top 4)
Valtteri Bottas - 8/10 (Did what Vettel did in Australia with the safety car. Then ran over debris. Extremely unfortunate, but a strong showing)

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel - 8/10 (Controlled the race until the safety car. Was looking like a 9/10 for me until he locked his tyres trying to pass Bottas. It was worth a try, it just didn't work)
Kimi Raikkonen - 10/10 (Guys, he was "slam dunk the funk"-ed by Ocon but still finished P2. That's some decent racing right there. Strong)

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo - 9/10 (Had the upper hand on his team mate all weekend, and passed him a couple time before the mad Dutchman fought back. In the end, he was shunted off the track)
Max Verstappen - 0/10 (I genuinely don't think he is even worthy of 0/10. This was appalling. He was extremely aggressive to his team mate numerous times. It's just unacceptable. It cannot be. He then proceeds to swerve back and forth under braking to eliminate himself and his team mate. He deserves a demotion to Toro Rosso for all I care. Absurd)

Force India:
Sergio Perez - 10/10 (This is where it's at. He passed Vettel after the Ferrari driver had flat spotted his tyres, but he also kept him behind whilst running old cold super softs to everyone elses new ultras. Impressive)
Esteban Ocon - 3/10 (I'm pinning the crash on Ocon because he did not see Raikkonen. Poor way to end what could have apparently have results in a podium)

Williams:
Lance Stroll - 8/10 (This is how Stroll should drive. Baku clearly suits him. P8 is a decent result, a good way to maximise a points haul on a day when others fall away. I barely saw him all race, yet only seven drivers are in front of him. Good stuff)
Sergey Sirotkin - X/10 (Rear-ended Perez before getting squeezed between the Hulk and Alonso. Messy start saw him DNF)

Renault:
Carlos Sainz Jr - 9/10 (Some nice overtaking at the start saw him get by Red Bull and in the end finishes in P5. Strong drive. Welcome back, Sainz)
Nico Hulkenberg - 7/10 (Looked on course for something good, then brought his race to an end all on his own. Strong start, poor finish)

Toro Rosso:
Pierre Gasly - 6/10 (I mean, I saw him at the race. I just don't recall what he did there. 6/10 is fairly average I suppose)
Brendon Hartley - 8/10 (Had a messy race but scored points. I mean, he scored points! What else can we ask for?)

Haas:
Romain Grosjean - 5/10 (What the actual flying f***? You crash behind the safety car, man? That's embarrassing. I'll definitely bring this up in the future. Stupid mistake but had a decent race before that. Except for the start. Everyone crashed in the start)
Kevin Magnussen - 4/10 (Finished dead last of all the runners. Was looking at hauling some points home before he... uh, failed to do so. I don't know what happened there, so I may come back to change this rating if it turns out he isn't to blame for falling away)

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso - 9/10 (Keeps delivering solid races. P7 today in a car that still hasn't qualified in the top 10, and remember how far back he was after lap 1? He barely had even 2 tyres to run on. What a comeback)
Stoffel Vandoorne - 7/10 (He was perhaps one of the slowest drivers today, but he also didn't get involved in accidents. That's why he is P9 despite not at all keeping up with his team mate or those around him)

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson - 6/10 (Messy start saw him limp back to the pits with a damaged floor. Did what he could from there, and actually finished just 0.4 seconds behind Hartley and almost bagged a point)
Charles Leclerc - 10/10 (Someone else in Sauber did bag a point. Actually, EIGHT of them. P6. There he is, the wonderchild of Formula 2. Amazing drive, I am so very impressed. Kept out of trouble, drove defensively when he had to and stayed calm when he was supposed to. Couldn't possibly have done this any better)

Driver of the race? Leclerc of course.