Esteban Ocon (P14): 6.5/10
The weekend started off with a staged congratulations over the radio from the team regarding Esteban Ocon's new three-year contract with Alpine (no one should be giving up the day job for a career in acting). He was fifth fastest in first practice and sixth in the remaining sessions, so it all looked like being a good home race for the Frenchman. Missing out on the final round of qualifying was a blow but at least it meant he had a free choice of tyres on which to start the race, and he opted for the hard compound while team mate Fernando Alonso started on the mediums ahead of him. For much of the race it didn't seem to make much difference to their relative speed and performance, but after their respective stops Ocon slumped to 14th by the end of the race - three places lower than where he'd started - while Alonso was in the points. "We've had a disappointing weekend overall," he admitted. "It felt we were lacking something, and we have things to review."
Yuki Tsunoda (P13): 5.5/10
The Red Bull management have been turning the screw on their talented but hot-headed rookie, demanding he relocate to Italy where he can be personally overseen by AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost. That seemed to pay off last time with a solid points-paying performance in Baku, but it was two steps back this week. His spin at the start of qualifying and his frantic attempts to get the car back underway before being ordered out of the cockpit by the marshals is a worrying indicator of the youngster's current state of mind. Overnight repairs meant he started the race from pit lane, and to his credit he was soon charging his way through the field and back up to 16th place on lap 4. He then got stuck running behind Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso for a prolonged spell, and then the two Aston Martins in the closing stages. He looked on course for a creditable 12th place until George Russell got the better of him with four laps to go - and the powers that be at Faenza will almost certainly not be happy to see their star prospect succumb to a Williams.
