Charles Leclerc (P4, 12 pts): 8.5/10
In the circumstances, fourth place on Sunday was a very impressive result for Charles Leclerc given that the SF1000 is proving to be something of a disappointment. Leclerc was forced onto a low-downforce set-up to compensate for the car's lack of straight line speed but he made the most of it, getting through to the last round of qualifying while his team mate fell at the final hurdle. Starting the race from eighth place, he lost two spots at the start but then dug in to steady the ship. He completed an initial 18 lap stint despite being on the medium tyres before pitting for the more durable hard compound, and then stayed out for the rest of the race without suffering the same blistering that afflicted the two Mercedes cars ahead. Briefly up to a podium position, Leclerc's aged tyres were no match to Lewis Hamilton in the final laps and he had to settle for a very commendable fourth at the line.
Valtteri Bottas (P3, 15 pts): 9/10
Valtteri Bottas had been visibly frustrated not to be able to contend for victory in last week's British Grand Prix, and he poured all his efforts into securing pole position this time round. While it looked like Lewis Hamilton had the edge in practice, it was Bottas' turn to come good in qualifying and the Finn duly clinched the top spot on the grid that he was seeking. Better yet, he held on to it in a tough but fair fight with Hamilton at the start of the race. Unfortunately both Mercedes cars soon suffered from excessive tyre blistering that gave the upper hand to Max Verstappen. While Bottas was instructed to mirror the Red Bull's pit stop strategy, Hamilton went for a more aggressive longer second stint that gave him fresher tyres toward the finish which allowed him to catch and pass Bottas in the final laps. The Finn was understandably not happy with this strategy from the Mercedes pit wall, as it meant he finished in third place having started from pole despite all his efforts.
