Max Verstappen (P2, Fastest lap, 19 pts): 8.5/10
It was another solid weekend for Max Verstappen, who continues to deliver the goods for Red Bull week-in, week-out. Although he was half a second off the practice pace of the two Mercedes drivers (not to mention beaten for once by a Ferrari), he put in an impressive performance in qualifying which saw him top Q1 and just 0.077s off Lewis Hamilton's pace in Q2. He was disappointed to miss out on a front row starting spot in Q3, and the Red Bull's pace waned somewhat in the race itself where he gradually lost ground to the two Silver Arrows even before Valtteri Bottas' premature exit from the proceedings. After that, Verstappen seemed to accept that second was his appropriate place for the Eifel GP and he settled in for a quiet Sunday afternoon drive. Even when presented with an opportunity to strike at Hamilton following a prolonged safety car, he was more concerned about his tyres having become too cold and holding off Daniel Ricciardo at the restart, which he managed successfully. However the spark definitely hadn't gone out of Verstappen and with second place in the bag he also snatched the bonus point for fastest lap of the race from Hamilton's hands on the final lap. It was a very happy Dutchman who delighted in spraying champagne into Ricciardo's face on the podium a few minutes later.
Lewis Hamilton (P1, 25 pts): 9/10
It was just another landmark occasion for Lewis Hamilton this weekend, who equalled Michael Schumacher's 2006 record for the total number of career wins in Formula 1. With Valtteri Bottas' retirement from the race, it was also a giant leap toward matching Michael's tally of seven championships. But the wins are not getting any easier, and indeed for much of the weekend it looked like Hamilton was going to have to wait for his 91st victory. Bottas had the measure of him in Saturday practice and qualifying, and when Hamilton threw everything including the kitchen sink at his team mate going into turn 1 he was startled to come off second best as the Finn assertively parried every thrust. Hamilton must have been thinking that second place was the best he could do, when suddenly fate intervened and Bottas locked up into turn 1 on lap 12. It opened the door and rolled out the welcome mat for Hamilton who had been keenly aware that his team mate has been heavy on his tyres in the opening lap. After that, Hamilton assumed total control of the race and it was only the long spell behind the safety car causing his tyre temperatures to plummet that gave him significant cause for alarm on his way to the chequered flag, and one more entry in the F1 history books.
