Pierre Gasly (P4, 12 pts): 9/10
Pierre Gasly is rapidly developing a habit for delivering some seriously consistent and impressive performances, and the AlphaTauri looks very strong in the Frenchman's hands week after week no matter the type of circuit being raced on. He was in the top six in both of Friday's practice sessions and was 'best of the rest' in qualifying behind the massed ranks of Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, meaning he headed up the third row of the grid for the start of Sunday's race. He wasn't dragged into any of the first corner conflagration when the lights went out, and did well to initially stay in touch with the leaders. Inevitably he was gradually dropped and spent the rest of the afternoon in a lonely but untroubled run to the flag, with just a brief ten-lap spell out of position running behind Carlos Sainz until the Ferrari made a late stop on lap 42. "I'm extremely happy, P4 is such a great result and we couldn't ask for a better weekend. Everything was under control," he reported afterwards. "I was able to pull away nicely and manage the entire race well from fourth position."
Sergio Perez (P3, 15 pts): 8.5/10
Sergio Perez would have been the star of the show no matter what happened this weekend, and he was treated with adoration by the tens of thousands of Mexican fans cheering his every move. And for the most part, it was thoroughly well deserved with Perez having one of his best weekends yet for Red Bull. He started the weekend well in range of his team mate Max Verstappen and was even quickest of all in FP3, and the pair were working well together to secure the front row when things went slightly awry in the final run of Q3. While annoying at the time, it didn't hold Verstappen back on race day while Perez was able to play a key strategic role in managing the threat of Lewis Hamilton. The pair's duel in the final third of the race was the most thrilling of the entire afternoon, and if there had been a couple more laps to go then Perez might even have succeeded in snatching second place. As it is he's the first Mexican to finish his home race on the podium (as well as leading it for six laps along the way) and Perez and Verstappen's combined efforts puts Red Bull just one point behind Mercedes in the constructors championship. It's surely everything the team had been hoping for when they took a gamble signing Checo at the end of 2020. "This is a great result for my country," he said afterwards - that is, if you could hear him over the jubilant cheers from the ecstatic fans in the stadium.
