Lewis Hamilton
Started: P11
Finished: P5
Lewis had a good Saturday finishing on pole position but due to the fear of technical failure, the team opted to fit a new engine to Hamilton's car, resulting in the 10-place grid penalty. On Sunday, Lewis gained a place at the start thanks to Alonso’s spin and took ninth from Vettel at the end of the lap. He got the better of Tsunoda going around the outside of him at turn 3 on lap eight. Picking off Stroll and Norris on subsequent laps and then Gasly for fifth on lap 15. Lewis was unable to pass Perez until Perez boxed. Lewis was reluctant and didn’t want to pit and was called in with 8 laps to go, earning him P5. The grid penalty resulted in him getting surpassed by Max in the driver's world championship.
Valtteri Bottas
Started: P1
Finished: P1
Given the Mercedes had a pace advantage around Istanbul Park, Bottas headed into qualifying knowing he could afford to be behind his teammate and still take pole. Bottas was picture-perfect throughout the race. He covered Verstappen throughout the race even when Ferrari took the decision of keeping Leclerc out and regained the lead on lap 47. His win here will mean a lot to him for his fight against Norris in the driver's world championship and for Mercedes against Red Bull in the constructor's championship.
Sergio Perez
Started: P6
Finished: P3
Sergio struggled in Q3 and was 0.5 secs slower than Max. He had only one set of soft tires which he could use, forcing him to get a good time on his last lap of qualifying. With Alonso spinning on the first lap and Charles losing a place, Sergio moved to P4. During the race, he managed to hold Hamilton very well. After his stop he was behind Leclerc, later passing him when Lewis stopped late. His podium keeps him only 10 points away from Norris in the driver's world championship.
Max Verstappen
Started: P2
Finished: P2
Going into qualifying Max had no chance of passing the Mercedes considering they had an engine upgrade but they had to ensure he was P3 in qualifying which put him in the race behind Bottas due to Hamilton's time penalty. Max had a good edge against Hamilton and he executed that advantage brilliantly. Making no mistakes. He was unable to pass Bottas who had a perfect weekend. A podium here puts him back on top of the driver's world championship.
Daniel Riccardo
Started: P20
Finished: P13
Riccardo struggled in Q1 due to weather conditions and yellow flags. Riccardo started at P20 due to a grid penalty received for changing a power unit component, losing him 5 places on the grid. He gained 4 positions passing Alonso on the way. He boxed first putting him in P11 when everyone else pitted. Towards the end, his tyres were bad and was therefore passed by the Alfa Romeos.
Lando Norris
Started: P7
Finished: P6
After a heartbreak at Sochi Norris had a solid qualifying finishing P8 on the grid. Norris gained a position and held on to it until passed by Hamiton on lap 10. He took the orthodox strategy, stopping for fresh tires after 34 laps. Lando had a strong weekend considering how weak the car was going into the race. Although he didn’t finish in the position he liked, it was a solid weekend.
Carlos Sainz
Started: P19
Finished: P8
Sainz had a chance of using the Ferrari- Hybrid system which was used by Leclerc at the Russian GP. The Ferrari Hybrid system consists of a whole new engine except a MGU-K. In just 13 laps from P19 Sainz had come into the points. A slow stop cost him 5.5 secs and was behind Ocon after his stop. After getting past Ocon he was 16 secs behind Norris and wasn’t able to pass him. Sainz drove brilliantly but could have finished higher if not for the slow stop.
Charles Leclerc
Started: P3
Finished: P4
Leclerc had a rough start to qualifying, struggling in Q1 and Q2. Towards the end, Ferrari decided to pit which gave Leclerc an edge. Later he had a perfect lap jumping to P3. Leclerc held onto his position until Bottas and Verstappen pitted, which put him in P1. His tires looked good but his pace dropped. He was passed by Bottas on lap 47 triggering him to pit at the end of the lap. He was later passed by Perez dropping him to P4.
Fernando Alonso
Started: P5
Finished: P16
After coming out of the pits in qualifying Alonso was aggressive on power and occasionally went to the run off area triggering an investigation of not following yellow flags. Luckily he didn’t get any time penalty resulting in him getting his best qualifying position of the season. Alonso's attempt to go around the outside in Turn 1 resulted in Gasly understeering into him. He then received a time penalty which completely ruined his race.
Esteban Ocon
Started: P12
Finished: P10
Esteban was ninth-fastest on the first runs, had he not had to abort his final Q2 lap after encountering Alonso, who was on a slow lap behind Schumacher, coming through Turn 4. Given his track position, there was no time for another lap. Ocon had a non-stop race in the back of his mind from the start thanks to a long stint on intermediates last year. His plan paid off as he held on to P10 even with the rapid Alfa Romeos behind him.
