6th: Daniel Ricciardo (8/10)
Ricciardo pushed his struggling Red Bull beyond its current capabilities – the sign of an excellent driver.
The Australian was understandably disappointed to finish sixth at his home Grand Prix, but the poor Renault engine package means podiums will be hard to come by in 2015.
7th: Nico Hulkenberg (7/10)
There’s no doubt that DNF’s to rivals helped Hulkenberg finish in sixth, with Force India not expecting a points finish prior to the race.
Still, the German finished half a minute ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
8th: Marcus Ericsson (7/10)
A first-ever points finish for the Swede, but the fact he finished three positions behind his rookie team mate means questions will continue in regards to his qualities.
Smart decisions on the pit wall also helped drag Ericsson up to eighth after he changed to soft tyres during the first-lap safety car.
9th: Carlos Sainz Jr. (7/10)
The debutant was looking at a major points scalp before a botched pit stop sent him back to 13th place.
He clawed his way back up the field to finish in ninth and looks a very exciting talent.
10th: Sergio Perez (6/10)
Perez looked fairly scrappy all weekend and only banked a point due to the misfortune of others.
The Mexican also crashed into the side of former teammate Jenson Button.
How he ended up in the points is some sort of miracle, really.
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