AUTOSPORT's Canadian GP driver ratings

1 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Red Bull-Renault RB10

Start: 3rd
Finish: 3rd
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 8

Continued to get to grips with the 2014 Red Bull but still looked to be the second-best of the team's two drivers before turning in a mighty qualifying lap.

While the first sector wasn't perfect, the final two were glorious, making this surely his best qualifying lap of the year.

Was frustrated by the car's lack of straightline speed in the race, but had he been able to match Ricciardo's prodigious in-lap pace it might have been him, rather than his team-mate, who won.

3 DANIEL RICCIARDO
Red Bull-Renault RB10

Start: 6th
Finish: 1st
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 9

While he has to have a mark knocked off for not getting the maximum out of the car in qualifying, it's a forgivable problem given just how close it was between Williams and Red Bull.

His race was mightily impressive.

He consolidated early on, flew on his in-lap when it really mattered and then pulled off passes for first and second when the opportunities presented themselves.

Relied on the Mercedes cars to hit trouble, but be still had to win a tense best-of-the-rest battle.

A superb victory.

6 NICO ROSBERG
Mercedes F1 W05

Start: 1st
Finish: 2nd
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 10

This ranks as one of Rosberg's most impressive weekends.

While it seemed far from certain that he would have held off Hamilton had neither hit MGU-K trouble, he had aced qualifying and then dealt with the resulting car problems superbly to the point where he came very close to pulling off an impossible win.

Cannily, managed to extract enough pace to keep Perez out of DRS range at the detection point before the hairpin but was literally powerless to keep Ricciardo at bay.

44 LEWIS HAMILTON
Mercedes F1 W05

Start: 2nd
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft/retired)

Rating: 8

Looked his usual supreme Canadian GP self until being outpaced by Rosberg on the first run of Q3.

It seems that this pressure led to him trying to brake a little too late for Turn 8 on his final run, compromising his second flier.

Looked well-placed to pass his team-mate before both lost their MGU-K, jumping ahead of Rosberg momentarily before having to retire with rear brake problems.

Fast, but mistake on his final Q3 run counts against him.

7 KIMI RAIKKONEN
Ferrari F14 T

Start: 10th
Finish: 10th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 5

Raikkonen did not appear to lack confidence to attack in the Ferrari, but he was far from happy with it as his lacklustre qualifying performance, four tenths off his team-mate, proved.

Ran behind Alonso early on, but leaked time in the middle phase of the race, with a strange spin at the hairpin when an unexpected power kick launched the rear around costing him further time.

A trying weekend for the Finn.

14 FERNANDO ALONSO
Ferrari F14 T

Start: 7th
Finish: 6th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 8

While the Ferrari engine did have an upgrade, it didn't transform the car into a podium challenger, meaning that in the circumstances Alonso did a good job with what he had in both qualifying and the race.

Did manage to close up on the lead group in the final stages, but didn't have the straightline speed to attack.

Could have been fifth, but was passed by Button on the final lap.

Overall, a strong weekend's work.

8 ROMAIN GROSJEAN
Lotus-Renault E22

Start: 14th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Did a good job through practice and qualifying in a car that didn't give him much to work with.

It was a similar story in the race, in which Grosjean had little chance of scoring points, but he at least kept his car buoyant enough in the midfield to pick up some places if others hit trouble.

A rear-wing problem forced him to retire.

He's driving well, but it's unfortunate that the car isn't up to it.

13 PASTOR MALDONADO
Lotus-Renault E22

Start: 17th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (soft/retired)

Rating: 6

Was his usual flamboyant self on track, throwing the Lotus around with gusto.

Unfortunately, the long straights and slow corners of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve were pretty terrible for Lotus.

Probably should have gone quicker on his first run in Q1, which would have allowed him at least to make Q2 even though a turbo problem ended his participation in qualifying.

Did acceptably in the race in difficult circumstances before retiring with an engine problem.

20 KEVIN MAGNUSSEN
McLaren-Mercedes MP4-29

Start: 12th
Finish: 9th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 6

The main difference between Magnussen and team-mate Button was in qualifying, where less than a tenth added up to a three-place deficit on the grid.

His race wasn't quite as incisive as Button's and he was unable to get ahead of Vergne in the closing stages, with the Perez/Massa crash promoting him into the points.

A decent enough weekend for the rookie even though the difference in the result between him and Button makes him look worse.

22 JENSON BUTTON
McLaren-Mercedes MP4-29

Start: 9th
Finish: 4th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 8

This was a typical Button weekend, in that the car wasn't great but he still managed to get it through to Q3.

Spent most of the race being superficially anonymous after struggling with degradation on the super-softs, but was quick enough to get in on the action on the soft stint.

The race came to him. The Massa/Perez clash gave him two places, and he ambushed Hulkenberg and Alonso to grab two more slots on the final racing lap.

11 SERGIO PEREZ
Force India-Mercedes VJM07

Start: 13th
Finish: 11th
Strategy: 1 stop (super-soft/soft)

Rating: 5

Qualified solidly in a car that didn't have tremendous one-lap pace but made excellent progress early on to get himself to the front of the pack fighting to capitalise on the problems for Mercedes.

Drove superbly to keep Ricciardo behind him for so long before braking problems, followed a brief system problem related to the ERS system when under pressure from Vettel, allowed both Red Bulls to jump him.

But after such a strong drive, it was frustrating to see him jinking left to cover the rapidly closing Massa too late on the run to Turn 1, ruining all his good work.

27 NICO HULKENBERG
Force India-Mercedes VJM07

Start: 11th
Finish: 5th
Strategy: 1 stop (soft/super-soft)

Rating: 7

While Hulkenberg didn't have the same starring role in the race that Perez did, it was another good weekend for him.

Outqualified the Mexican, but knowing that it would be difficult to one-stop had he started on the super-softs (he was a little harder on the rubber than his team-mate), he started on the primes.

Was outfumbled by Button late on while keeping Alonso at bay, which was unfortunate, but he still bagged a decent haul of points.

21 ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ
Sauber-Ferrari C33

Start: 22nd (pits)
Finish: 14th
Strategy: 3 stops (soft/super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 4

Gutierrez was far from the only driver to come unstuck at the Turn 3/4 chicane, but he was the only one unfortunate enough to suffer chassis damage after his Saturday-morning impact.

Unfortunate, but still his error.

This kept him out of qualifying and condemned him to a pitlane start.

The Sauber was terrible to drive and not especially generous on its tyres, so Gutierrez can't be blamed for hanging around towards the back of the field and making little impression.

99 ADRIAN SUTIL
Sauber-Ferrari C33

Start: 16th
Finish: 13th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 6

There's very little you can say about Sutil.

The Sauber looked all over the place on track and wasn't particularly quick, so to make Q2 and then finish the race towards the back represents about par for him.

Did a decent job without having much to work with and appeared to have the edge on Gutierrez on pace, adding to that avoiding the walls himself.

There's only so much you can do in a car that is so evil to drive.

25 JEAN-ERIC VERGNE
Toro Rosso-Renault STR9

Start: 8th
Finish: 9th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 9

Car problems have shrouded Vergne's fine run of form in recent races and he deserved a smooth weekend in Montreal.

Always looked nailed in qualifying and duly made it to Q3. It's hard to see how he could have finished higher in the race.

He even ran ahead of Alonso's faster Ferrari for a while.

Late Massa/Perez shunt gave him two bonus positions, but with the machinery at his disposal this was a fine performance from the resurgent Frenchman.

26 DANIIL KVYAT
Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR9

Start: 15th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (soft/super-soft/soft)

Rating: 5

Kvyat looked the more ragged of the STR drivers in Montreal, but a good showing on Saturday morning suggested he could drag a time out of the car.

Unfortunate braking problems, and a brush with the wall, meant he was eliminated in Q2.

Had a difficult race, carrying too much speed into Turn 1 on lap nine and spinning at Turn 2 as a result, before eventually retiring with a drivetrain problem.

A patchy weekend, which he rightly described as "disappointing".

19 FELIPE MASSA
Williams-Mercedes FW36

Start: 5th
Finish: 12th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 8

Looked quick from the start of the weekend, although a problem with the front-left brake locking during qualifying meant that he missed out on a chance to line up third on the grid.

Drove a good race, although late on while charging on fresher rubber too often compromised his line off the hairpin, which made passing harder than it needed to be.

Collision with Perez was, justifiably, blamed on the Mexican jinking left, which cost Massa a top-five finish.

It could have been so much better.

77 VALTTERI BOTTAS
Williams-Renault FW36

Start: 4th
Finish: 7th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 7

Bottas looked to be at a disadvantage to Massa during practice, but outqualified the Brazilian.

On paper, his race looked very average, but a series of problems - rear-tyre graining, and ERS issues, braking difficulties, as well as a strategy that didn't work, all conspired to make life very difficult for him.

He faded from the battle at the front, and was then passed by Hulkenberg, Alonso and Button, but in difficult circumstances at least managed to salvage some points.

4 MAX CHILTON
Marussia-Ferrari MR-03

Start: 18th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (soft/retired)

Rating: 4

Chilton was coming off the back of a trying Monaco GP weekend that was made less concerning when the team discovered a problem with his car after the race that he had been carrying all weekend.

He had a good run through practice and shaded Bianchi in qualifying.

He lost the rear of his car at Turn 3 while inside Bianchi, blaming his team-mate for braking too late, forcing him to attempt a tighter line in avoidance, but the stewards disagreed and held him responsible.

17 JULES BIANCHI
Marussia-Ferrari MR-03

Start: 19th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (soft/retired)

Rating: 6

Grazing the wall at the exit of Turn 4 halfway through Friday-morning practice and damaging the rear of the car, combined with the need for an engine change after only three slow laps in the afternoon, put Bianchi on the back foot.

Fractionally slower than Chilton on their first runs in Q1, the team couldn't get his car fired up for a second attempt.

While Chilton felt Bianchi was to blame for the lap-one collision, the stewards disagreed.

9 MARCUS ERICSSON
Caterham-Renault CT05

Start: 20th
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (soft/retired)

Rating: 6

Showed an encouraging turn of pace in the troublesome Caterham, but leaned a little hard on it in Q1 and ended up in the wall.

On the plus side, he had strung together a rapid start to the lap before that impact, which produced a red flag.

A turbo problem set in on the formation lap, meaning that his race was effectively over before it started and he parked it after attempts to cure the problem came to nought.

10 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
Caterham-Renault CT05

Start: 21st
Finish: DNF
Strategy: retired (super-soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Was on the back foot from the start of the weekend after handing his car over to Alexander Rossi for FP1.

The struggle to build tyre temperature, on top of the car's pace disadvantage, meant that he was on a hiding to nothing, especially with a five-place penalty for a gearbox change.

All he could do was beat Ericsson, which he did in qualifying, but he could achieve little beyond that.

A left-rear suspension problem was a merciful release.