Austrian Grand Prix driver ratings

6 NICO ROSBERG
Mercedes F1 W07

Start: 6th
Finish: 4th
Strategy: 2 stops (ultra-soft/soft/super-soft)

Rating: 7

Rosberg's weekend seemed to be unravelling spectacularly when he suffered suspension failure in final practice, copped a grid penalty, and qualified behind Hamilton. But he raced well - for 70 of 71 laps at least.

Ultimately he showed flawed judgement at the crucial moment and paid a heavy price for trying to cling to his lead regardless. The spectacle of F1 may yet pay a heavier one if this prompts team orders at Mercedes.

44 LEWIS HAMILTON
Mercedes F1 W07

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

Rating: 9

Hamilton admitted to being "way off" the pace on Friday but turned it around superbly in qualifying.

The race got away from him, but not really through his own fault. He charged brilliantly at the end to challenge Rosberg, before they collided (again). Hamilton can perhaps be criticised for making himself vulnerable by not overruling Mercedes' strategy switch, his weak second out-lap or by trying to pass on outside line. But in the end none of it mattered.

5 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Ferrari SF16-H

Start: 9th
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (super-soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Vettel cannot be blamed for the gearbox-change penalty that consigned him to ninth on the grid, but he admitted not taking enough risk in the mixed conditions of Q3, where he ended up well adrift of the Mercedes drivers, so loses marks for that.

He can't really be faulted for what happened in the race. Vettel was minding his business tidily when his right rear tyre exploded.

7 KIMI RAIKKONEN
Ferrari SF16-H

Start: 4th
Finish: 3rd
Strategy: 1 stop (super-soft/soft)

Rating: 6

Raikkonen wasn't at Vettel's level in the dry parts of qualifying, but was only a tenth slower in the changeable conditions of Q3.

He got stuck behind Button early on in the race, before becoming embroiled in a long game of tyre-management chase with the Red Bulls. As at Barcelona, Raikkonen lost out narrowly. Too many laps bottled up behind Ricciardo let Verstappen off the hook this time.

19 FELIPE MASSA
Williams-Mercedes FW38

Start: Pits
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (super-soft/soft/super-soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Massa was a distant 10th in Q3 in rapidly improving conditions, not helped by starting his crucial last lap before the rest. He felt Williams's new front wing was better but it hampered his race, forcing him to start from the pitlane after the team discovered damage and had to replace it.

The Brazilian was looking good to salvage points until a puncture forced a second stop and brake fade forced retirement.

77 VALTTERI BOTTAS
Williams-Mercedes FW38

Start: 7th
Finish: 9th
Strategy: 2 stops (ultra-soft/soft/super-soft)

Rating: 5

Bottas was looking competitive in qualifying until the rain came at the end of Q2. He didn't help his own cause with a trip through the gravel after switching to slicks in Q3.

He struggled in the race too, slipping back on lap one before excessive graining left him fending off Wehrlein's Manor, on a track where Williams has been a podium contender previously. Puzzling.

3 DANIEL RICCIARDO
Red Bull-Renault RB12

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

Rating: 6

Ricciardo looked very fast in wet conditions, and had it stayed that way through Q3 he might have troubled the front row. As it was, Red Bull switched to slicks too late, but Ricciardo's sole flying lap was still very close to beating Raikkonen and Button's McLaren.

His race was disappointing, though. Ricciardo couldn't quite live with his team-mate Verstappen's pace, and certainly not his superior tyre management.

33 MAX VERSTAPPEN
Red Bull-Renault RB12

Start: 8th
Finish: 2nd
Strategy: 1 stop (super-soft/soft)

Rating: 9

Verstappen almost matched Ricciardo on super-softs in Q2, but paid the price for a late switch to slicks in Q3 and being too soon across the line for his sole flying lap, explaining why he was over a second off his team-mate.

He made up for that with another accomplished race, built on a strong first lap, brilliant tyre management and well-judged defence of position.

11 SERGIO PEREZ
Force India-Mercedes VJM09

Start: 16th
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (ultra-soft/super-soft/soft/retired)

Rating: 8

Perez was within a tenth of Hulkenberg after the first runs in Q1, before his rear suspension failed over the exit kerb at Turn 1, consigning him to 16th.

He blitzed the first lap of the race to rise to 11th and was close to pipping the penalised Grosjean to eighth before his brakes failed on the penultimate lap. A cruel end to a strong race.

27 NICO HULKENBERG
Force India-Mercedes VJM09

Start: 2nd
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (ultra-soft/super-soft/soft/ultra-soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Hulkenberg mastered the difficult conditions of qualifying, making his switch to slicks earlier than the rest and therefore getting a crucial extra lap in Q3 that put him on the front row once Rosberg's penalty was applied.

After that brilliance, the race was a disaster. Hulkenberg made a poor start and thereafter his car just ate through tyres, dropping him out of the points before brake fade forced retirement.

20 KEVIN MAGNUSSEN
Renault RS16

Start: 17th
Finish: 14th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/super-soft)

Rating: 6

Renault was stronger in qualifying here but still 0.270s away from making Q2, though Magnussen could have been closer without a mistake at the last corner on his best lap.

A five-second penalty for blocking Wehrlein early in the race was costly. It dropped Magnussen behind team-mate Palmer after their second stops and meant he got stuck behind Hulkenberg until the Force India retired.

30 JOLYON PALMER
Renault RS16

Start: 19th
Finish: 12th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/super-soft)

Rating: 7

Palmer is feeling much happier with his car and lapped within 0.024s of Magnussen in qualifying, but he loses marks for speeding under yellows in Q1, which needlessly dropped him behind Ericsson on the grid.

He was tracking Magnussen in the race too, but probably wouldn't have beaten him without aid of the Dane's time penalty. Palmer got past Nasr's Sauber on track at least.

26 DANIIL KVYAT
Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR11

Start: Pits
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (ultra-soft/retired)

Rating: N/A

Kvyat suffered a puncture on his first Q1 run then railed against the Red Bull Ring's "stupid" kerbs after suspension failure pitched him into a frightening crash. To suggestions it might be better to stay off them completely he argued that was "pussy".

He started from pitlane in a rebuilt car, but retired after two laps with a loss of power. It's impossible to rate him fairly given all the problems.

55 CARLOS SAINZ JR
Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR11

Start: 15th
Finish: 8th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 9

Red Bull's early confirmation of Sainz's 2017 STR deal shows the strength of his recent form. Engine problems ruined qualifying, but he drove combatively in the race - rising to 10th on lap one.

A slow pitstop under the safety car put him back to 17th, but he stormed through again - passing Ericsson, Palmer, Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Alonso on track before Perez crashed to hand him eighth.

9 MARCUS ERICSSON
Sauber-Ferrari C35

Start: 18th
Finish: 15th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/soft/super-soft)

Rating: 5

Ericsson thought it was possible to be at Renault's level without the yellow flags that spoiled the end of Q1, but admitted there was no way Sauber could reach Wehrlein's Manor here.

The race was difficult, as Ericsson struggled with his front tyres. He couldn't keep pace with the Renaults and was steadily caught by Haryanto's Manor over the final 20 laps. Disappointing.

12 FELIPE NASR
Sauber-Ferrari C35

Start: 21st
Finish: 13th
Strategy: 1 stop (soft/super-soft)

Rating: 6

The Sauber was a genuine top-10 car on this circuit last year, but way off the pace this season. Nasr was another to get penalised for speeding under yellows in qualifying, but he was slowest anyway so it made no difference.

The race was much better, as he managed to split the Renaults with a one-stop strategy - though arguably he should have beaten both.

14 FERNANDO ALONSO
McLaren-Honda MP4-31

Start: 14th
Finish: Retired
Strategy: (super-soft/soft/soft/retired)

Rating: 7

Alonso was within a few hundredths of Button in Q1, but a tyre mix-up for Q2 left him running on old rubber at first, and a second run before the rain came was undone by yellow flags.

He raced reasonably for the most part, though he was passed by Perez after the safety car and later by Sainz too. Alonso was fending off Bottas and Wehrlein for the final point when his battery failed.

22 JENSON BUTTON
McLaren-Honda MP4-31

Start: 3rd
Finish: 6th
Strategy: 2 stops (ultra-soft/soft/soft)

Rating: 10

Button was fantastic in Q3, lapping second fastest on intermediates at one stage. The team called his switch to slicks (unusually), but the final lap that put him fifth was all his own work.

His early defence against faster cars in the race was good, and decisive overtaking of midfielders after first stop was impressive too. Button couldn't have done better with the car he had.

88 RIO HARYANTO
Manor-Mercedes MRT-05

Start: 20th
Finish: 16th
Strategy: 2 stops (soft/super-soft/super-soft)

Rating: 4

Haryanto was close to Wehrlein early in Q1, but a scruffy lap just before Kvyat's crash left him scrabbling while his team-mate made Q2 easily. He sped under yellows trying again, but still missed the cut by more than three tenths.

His early race pace didn't seem unduly affected by an electronics glitch and he caught Ericsson quickly at the end, but Wehrlein was in a different league here.

94 PASCAL WEHRLEIN
Manor-Mercedes MRT-05

Start: 12th
Finish: 10th
Strategy: 2 stops (ultra-soft/ultra-soft/soft)

Rating: 10

Wehrlein was brilliant in qualifying, and wasn't far off making the top 10. He thought his race "was done" after dropping almost 12s off the back of the pack under the safety car, thanks to the timing of his second pitstop, but the race came back to him as others pitted later.

His pace in catching Alonso and matching Bottas at the end was seriously impressive.

8 ROMAIN GROSJEAN
Haas-Ferrari VF-16

Start: 13th
Finish: 7th
Strategy: 1 stop (super-soft/soft)

Rating: 8

Grosjean struggled to get the most out of the ultra-soft tyre, going off at the start of Q2 and then having to set a time with a damaged floor on his car while rain fell.

But the race was much, much better. He did just enough to cancel out a penalty for pitlane speeding, and managed his tyres very well to bag another strong points finish.

21 ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ
Haas-Ferrari VF-16

Start: 11th
Finish: 11th
Strategy: 2 stops (super-soft/super-soft/soft)

Rating: 7

Like Grosjean, Gutierrez found the ultra-soft tyre "confusing", but coped reasonably well to record his best Saturday result of the year, only 0.006s shy of Q3 - a good effort after technical problems in practice.

The race began disastrously when anti-stall kicked in. Gutierrez recovered decently, and was closing down Wehrlein quickly at the end, but this was another missed opportunity given where Grosjean finished.