F1 driver power rankings: Jenson Button returns from hospital to beat Lewis Hamilton to top spot

ByEurosport

Published 01/08/2016 at 16:37 GMT

Keith Collantine rates the F1 field after Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead in Germany.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the German GP

Image credit: AFP

The Red Bull pair took the fight to Mercedes in the Grand Prix. But one other driver stood out in the last F1 race before the summer break...

1. Jenson Button (up 12)

The McLaren driver started the weekend with a trip to Mannheim hospital after getting a piece of debris in his eye during practice on Friday. Back at the track on Saturday he produced one of his better qualifying efforts to line up in front of Alonso. Button started well, picking up three places, and avoided the tyre and fuel-saving problems which spoiled his team-mate's race. Picking off the Williams of Bottas was the icing on the cake.

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2. Daniel Ricciardo (down 1)

A typically strong qualifying effort nabbed third on the grid. Allowing his team-mate through at turn one was arguably his only mis-step of the race. Ricciardo's race pace was better than Verstappen's and he deserved to finish ahead.

3. Lewis Hamilton (down 1)

A quick start - something he's struggled to perform at times this year - led to a commanding win which boosted his championship chances. Being out-qualified by Rosberg was the only blot on his weekend

Germany Formula One - F1 - German Grand Prix 2016 - Hockenheimring, Germany - 31/7/16 - Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton waves during the drivers' parade. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

Image credit: Reuters

4. Nico Hulkenberg (up 6)

Wasn't responsible for the penalty which dropped him from seventh to eighth on the grid but he recovered the lost place in the race and it's unlikely the Force India could have finished any higher.

5. Max Verstappen (no change)

From fourth on the grid he launched into second place at the start, brilliantly passing Ricciardo on the outside. He didn't quite have the pace to finish there, though he obeyed an instruction to let Ricciardo by to ensure both cars stayed ahead of Rosberg.

6. Romain Grosjean (up 11)

Both Haas drivers had quietly solid races. Grosjean bounced back from a five-place grid penalty which left him 20th and wasn't far off the points.

7. Esteban Gutierrez (up 12)

Still waiting for his first points of 2016 but a mature run on an alternative two-stop strategy showed he's ready to get the job done.

8. Kimi Raikkonen (up 8)

Beat Vettel in qualifying but lost his advantage at the start and then the team spoiled his race with a slow pit stop. His pace was decent, though.

Technicians service Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen car in the pits during the race.

Image credit: Reuters

9. Nico Rosberg (down 2)

His under-pressure pole position was one of his best pieces of driving this year. His slow start wasn't, however, so instead of fighting his team-mate he scrapped with the Red Bulls and ended up taking a penalty for squeezing Verstappen off the track