Japanese Grand Prix driver ratings
Very different scores for the world championship contenders in our Japanese Grand Prix ratings, and plenty of praise for drivers who made something out of not very promising circumstances.
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Lewis Hamilton
Rating: 10
Like all the best drivers can, Hamilton not only capitalised on the best car but also made it look even more dominant. Revelling in the Suzuka circuit, he drove with the freedom you'd expect of a man who knows he's got the upper hand, but the fact he avoided any of the problems Bottas had shows just how in control he was.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+
Photo by: Manuel Goria / Sutton Images
Valtteri Bottas
Rating: 7
Bottas did the job he was there to do and finished second to teammate Hamilton, but he didn't quite have his teammate's pace in qualifying, with a couple of lock-ups costing him on his Q3 lap. His first stint in the race was hard to fault, but he did struggle with the tyres later on and came under intense pressure from Verstappen. He made a few errors, going off at the chicane, but ultimately still delivered the required result.
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