Lewis Hamilton (Pole, P2, 18 pts): 9/10
Lewis Hamilton is certainly pouring every ounce of effort he can into his title campaign against Max Verstappen, and the last two races have seen things start to turn around. Although he wasn't fastest on Friday (his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas pipped him by 0.027s) he was definitely in charge on Saturday in both final practice and qualifying. Pole position meant he was safely ahead of the chaos that broke out in turn 1 at the start of the race, but then the team made a crucial mistake: expecting more rain to come they kept him on intermediate tyres for the restart while literally everyone else dived down pit lane for slicks. By the time Hamilton came in a lap later, it was too late and he was right at the back. What had seemed like an open goal for Hamilton was now surely mission impossible. Or was it? After dispatching some backmarkers, Hamilton made an early stop on lap 19 to undercut Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and then made steady progress through the field, stopping a second time on lap 47 for fresh tyres to finish his charge. A recalcitrant Fernando Alonso broke his momentum at a critical moment, and by the time he'd dispatched his former team mate it was too late for Hamilton to do any more than pick off Sainz and settle for third. Given how things had started - which had hardly been his fault - it was a fantastic performance and one that may yet prove crucial in clinching an eighth title.
Esteban Ocon (P1, 25 pts): 9.5/10
While it may be true that "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition", that's nothing compared to the utter shock of this Frenchman's first Formula 1 victory! There had been little sign that this would prove to be a landmark weekend for the 24-year-old Esteban Ocon, who became the 111st different driver to win a Grand Prix: 11th in FP1, up to fourth in FP2 but down again to 12th on Saturday morning, he nonetheless had no trouble making it into the final round of qualifying and lined up in eighth for the wet start to Sunday's race. With Valtteri Bottas taking out Lando Norris and Sergio Perez and also crippling Max Verstappen's Red Bull, and Lance Stroll taking care of Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo, Ocon suddenly found himself with a clear path up into second place. He and the Alpine team then correctly read the drying track conditions and opted to switch to slicks before the restart, and when Lewis Hamilton was forced to pit a lap later to make the same change Ocon suddenly found himself in the unthinkable, almost overwhelming situation of being in the lead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. You could argue that a lot of that was due in large part to dumb luck, but holding on to that lead for the next 67 laps was a true test of character and talent - and without question Ocon passed with flying colours, never buckling under the constant pressure of Sebastian Vettel's probing attacks. Fernando Alonso's heroic efforts holding Hamilton at bay may have been a crucial assist, but in truth the credit and glory this weekend all rightfully go to Ocon.
