Fernando Alonso (P6, 8 pts): 8.5/10
Despite Alpine's pace not always being a match for its midfield rivals, Fernando Alonso continues to put in a remarkably consistent run in 2021 with points from all but four of the 15 races so far this season. He was P10 in first practice and P8 in the second, so taking sixth place on the grid in qualifying on Saturday represented a nice steady improvement over the course of the weekend to the point where fourth place or even a podium on Sunday seemed only to be expected. However, he lost out to Lance Stroll at the start while engaged in a duel with Lewis Hamilton that saw him run off and across at turn 2, and was then also picked off by Sergio Perez. After that he levelled out in eighth and then started to pick up positions again as those ahead began to make their stops. Having opted to start the race on the hard compound, Alonso stayed out until lap 36 by which time he was running second on track behind Perez. Once he made his stop he settled back into sixth, but was unhappy not to pick up further places during the turmoil of the rain-hit final few laps: "Third place is more of a true reflection of our finishing position today. It all came down to luck in the end with the rain coming so late on. It was like a flip of a coin."
Valtteri Bottas (P5, 10 pts): 7/10
Fastest in both of Friday's free practice sessions, it seemed that Valtteri Bottas' love affair with Sochi had been rekindled. But when it came to qualifying he seemed to lose that edge, with Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton clipping his wings by topping the times in both Q1 and Q2. Then the changing conditions at the end of the session resulted in a mini-meltdown at Mercedes when the team left the decision to switch to slicks too late. Bottas was then held up on pit lane as the pit crew worked feverishly to repair damage to Hamilton's car. leaving the Finn with too little time to put in a proper flying lap. As a result he was left in seventh place on the timesheets. Given this outcome it was decided that he should have more engine component changes making this the second race in succession that he would start at or near the back. Almost as though this had taken the wind out of his sails, he proved strangely inert for much of the race even as Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc swept past from their own similarly compromised back row starting positions. Bottas seemed set for a turgid P14 when the rain arrived and this time it played perfectly into his hands, a rapid switch to inters propelling him to fifth place by the line but to be honest it wasn't really reflective of his true form. "It was a difficult race and not an easy day, but the situation at the end with the rain saved it for me," was his own honest and accurate appraisal.
