Sergio Perez (P4, 12 pts): 8.5/10
Once again, Sergio Perez fulfilled the role that Red Bull had brought him in to perform. He might not have been a match in terms of raw pace for his team mate Max Verstappen (he remained half a second off Max's pace throughout the weekend), and he lacked the speed to really contend with the two Mercedes cars, but his presence in the top four boxed Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas into a corner in terms of strategy. It meant that they were pinned in place for the entire afternoon, allowing Verstappen to establish his dominance and cruise to a fourth victory of 2021. However the bosses won't have been thrilled to see Perez out-qualified by Lando Norris, or by the way the McLaren was able to fend off Perez' initial attacks at the start of the race. But Perez did eventually pull it off on lap 10, and would likely have come home with a podium position if not for the hold-up with the left rear wheel during his crucial first pit stop. Even then, a second stop nearly succeeded in allowing him to catch and pass Bottas at the end of the race, but he ran out of time and also just missed out on the bonus point for fastest lap to Lewis Hamilton.
Valtteri Bottas (P3, 15 pts): 8.5/10
After a rocky spell for Valtteri Bottas, the Finn was looking largely back on an even keel this weekend. He was faster than his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton throughout all three rounds of qualifying, but unfortunately had already incurred a three place grid penalty for a bizarre incident that took place in Friday afternoon's practice session where he lit up his rear tyres exiting the pit box and ended up spinning into the McLaren area ahead. Fortunately no crew were outside at the time but the stewards still deemed it tantamount to dangerous driving. That left Bottas starting the race from fifth place behind Sergio Perez, and it wasn't until after the Mexican was able to pass Lando Norris on lap 10 that a similar opportunity presented itself to Bottas one lap later. Passing the Red Bull looked like a taller order, but a hold up during Perez' pit stop gave Bottas just the opportunity he needed to move into the top three. A second stop for Perez put the Red Bull on fresh rubber for the final laps and it was all Bottas could do to stay ahead to the finish, but he did manage to hold on for his best result since Spain.
