F1 | Brazilian GP report cards – Verstappen protagonist, Albon and Sainz dream. Ferrari self-destruction

MAX VERSTAPPEN 10 cum laude – He pushes like a madman from the first to the last lap, overtaking Lewis Hamilton despite the undercut suffered during the first stop. Furthermore, it should not be underestimated that the Dutchman gives himself an extremely important joy in terms of the championship, given that the exchange between Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel gives him third place in the drivers' standings on a silver platter. Max is aiming for victory, obviously, but a world podium is always a result to be taken with satisfaction, especially with a view to 2020. COMING BACK

PIERRE GASLY 10 – What to say? Pierre proves to be a very respectable talent, giving Toro Rosso the third podium in its history (the second of the season after Daniil Kvyat's in Germany. ed.). The Frenchman completes a perfect weekend, free of mistakes or errors. A huge performance, capped off by a spectacular head-to-head with Lewis Hamilton at the finish line. Relegation seemed to have destroyed him, but the Frenchman managed to raise his head again, confirming himself as one of the clearest talents on the starting grid. Well done Pierre! HIGHLANDERS

HONDA 10 – We don't usually give ratings to engine engineers, but the Japanese deserve this recognition. The three-year period with McLaren now seems like a distant memory, given that the Japanese power unit proves to be fast and also reliable (apart from some small ailments suffered during free practice. Ed.). The engineers have done a fantastic job during this championship, respecting the expectations and promises at the beginning of the year, and we are certain that Red Bull will be an absolutely dangerous competitor in 2020. Mercedes and Ferrari are warned. ZEN THREAT

CARLOS SAINZ 10 – Endless roundup of 10 in this Brazilian Grand Prix. Historically we are quite bad with marks, but the Spaniard deserves maximum recognition, given that he finished on the podium on a Sunday where he started in last position. The penalty given to Lewis Hamilton allowed him to gain third place, but the McLaren standard-bearer nevertheless concluded an unforgettable Sunday, overtaking and recovering from the back with ferocity and speed. A sumptuous performance that gives McLaren a podium they have lacked since Australia '14. The hope now is that the final step will be taken in Woking, so as to give the Spaniard a car capable of constantly challenging for the top of the standings. TORERO

KIMI RAIKKONEN AND ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI 9 – Sumptuous performance from both drivers, with Kimi and Antonio capable of giving Alfa Romeo a double top five that had been missing for several decades. An extraordinary result that allows the Italian-Swiss team to raise its head again after extremely difficult weeks, especially in terms of performance. Well done! ARE BACK

DANIEL RICCIARDO 8.5 – He touches Kevin Magnussen after a few laps of the race, which costs him a five-second penalty. Despite this, however, the Australian made great use of the chaos of the final laps, climbing up to sixth place. An important result which allows Renault to maintain fifth place in the constructors' standings. Abu Dhabi, precisely in this sense, will be an inside or outside race, given that the advantage over Toro Rosso is really narrow. AUSTRALIAN FURY

LEWIS HAMILTON 5 – English Sunday is a mix of highs and lows. Vettel burns at the start and even manages to keep up with Max Verstappen for large stretches of the race. During the last stint, however, Mercedes decided not to change tires under the safety car regime, an aspect which caused them to lose not only the position over Verstappen, but also a big advantage over their pursuers. The contact between Vettel and Leclerc fortunately puts him back on track, but at that point he destroys everything with a fairly extreme maneuver against Alex Albon. Sin! BUSINESS

LANDO NORRIS 6 – Lando brings McLaren into the points, achieving the team's initial goal, but Sainz's podium clearly overshadows his excellent result. IN THE SHADOW

SERGIO PEREZ 6.5 – The Mexican is having an absolutely dream moment. After a start to the season full of ups and downs, in fact, Checo is stringing together a rather important series of useful results, an aspect which has relaunched Racing Point in the constructors' classification. Interlagos, precisely in this sense, gives him another top ten which boosts morale ahead of 2020. CONFIRMATION

DANIIL KVYAT 6 – He reaches the points zone and for this he deserves a passing grade, but the spotlight is obviously on his teammate. UNDERTRACK

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN AND ROMAIN GROSJEAN 5 – Qualifying seemed to have highlighted a fast Haas, capable of fighting for the points. In the race, however, the story was quite different, as both drivers failed to place in the top ten. It's sad because a good result would have allowed the team to fly to Abu Dhabi with a totally different spirit. DELUSIONS

ALEX ALBON 8.5 What a shame Alex! The Thai, fast for long stretches of the race and protagonist of some nice overtakings (wonderful maneuver on Sebastian Vettel at the restart. Ed.), was rammed at the end by Lewis Hamilton, an aspect that did not allow him to conquer a podium which would have been absolutely deserved . In situations like these it is extremely difficult to look at the glass half full, but we are certain that the young Red Bull talent will have the chance to redeem himself as early as Abu Dhabi. BAD LUCKY

SEBASTIAN VETTEL and CHARLES LECLERC 4 – The contact is the emblematic example of what two drivers from the same team should not do. Vettel's closure is absolutely senseless and the most important responsibilities must be placed on his shoulders, given that his mistake is a real reaction foul (Leclerc's maneuver to Senna's S was correct, clean but also very aggressive.ed.). In the same way, however, the attitude of his teammate cannot be justified, given that the Monegasque does nothing to avoid the clash. The impression is almost that contact was sought by both. In any case, we don't envy Binotto's position, given that the team principal will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders, especially with a view to 2020. LITTLE MATURE

VALTTERI BOTTAS 6 – Mercedes gives him a potentially winning strategy, but the engine of his W10 decides to leave him stranded. Sin. BAD DAY

THE OTHERS: NICO HULKENBERG 5, LANCE STROLL 4.5, ROBERT KUBICA 6, GEORGE RUSSELL 6