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Harry Benjamin rated Verstappen and Hamilton equally highly after a victory for one and a climb from 18th to the podium for the other.
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In BBC Sport driver ratings published on 4 October, BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin gave Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton 9.5/10 apiece for contrasting drives. He praised Verstappen for recovering from a poor start, after losing places to both Mercedes drivers, to control the race and take what BBC Sport reported as his first win of the 2026 season. [1]
Benjamin also praised Hamilton’s recovery after Ferrari started him on slick tyres. Hamilton fell from the front row to 18th, then climbed to third, passing Isack Hadjar after the final safety car. [1]
Benjamin gave runner-up Kimi Antonelli 9/10 and George Russell 8/10. BBC Sport reported that Antonelli’s championship lead over Russell reached 84 points after Russell retired from third with a power-unit failure five laps from the finish. [1]
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