Max Verstappen (Retired, Lap 38): 8.5/10
Max Verstappen has been outperforming the current capability of the 2022 Red Bull since the start of the season and he did so again in Melbourne, but for the first time it was looking like an effort for the reigning world champion as he struggled to find rear grip. He might have been second quickest behind Charles Leclerc at the end of Friday, but the quarter of a second deficit to the Ferrari would have rung alarm bells back in the team garage even if some of the fault lay with the difficulty in finding room on track to put in a clean lap of the Albert Park circuit. Despite being quickest in Q1, second place in qualifying was pretty much the most he could hope for and he duly started the race from the front row alongside Leclerc. When the race got underway he did his best to take the lead into turn 1, and he had an even better opportunity at the restart on lap 27 when Leclerc struggled for grip and was sluggish to pull away. But once that chance slipped through his fingers it seemed that Verstappen had been forced to settle for second - until a fluid leak shut him down altogether. It's the second DNF in three races for the Dutch driver and already it feels like his odds of retaining the title are lengthening by the day, through no fault of the driver himself.
Fernando Alonso (P17): 7.5/10
Although he opened his account with a spin in first practice, Fernando Alonso was ebullient when he finished Friday fourth fastest and then repeated the feat again in final practice the following morning. He carried this momentum into qualifying and was fifth fastest in both Q1 and Q2, confident of a high position on the grid - only to end up in the wall instead after the Alpine suffered a hydraulic failure which turned the car off at a particularly inconvenient moment mid-corner. This was the last thing that Alonso needed as he is already on his third engine (the maximum allowed before penalties kick in) in just the third race of the season. He spent Sunday battling away with the fire and determination to be expected from a former world champion, but lost out when an early safety car came too soon to help him after he'd opted to start on hard tyres. By the time he finally did make his stop - under a Virtual Safety Car for Max Verstappen's retirement - his race had already been fatally holed below the waterline, and a late second stop with five laps to go dumped him at the back for the finish. It was a cruel reward for so much spirited effort.
