Kevin Magnussen (P10, 1 pt): 7.5/10
This year's Haas is certainly fast, but problems with the brakes are getting in the way of the drivers being able to really show what the VF-23 is capable of. While Nico Hulkenberg is performing better in practice and also came out on top in qualifying, it's Kevin Magnussen who seems able to get the best out of the car in the race. Although he started three places behind Hulkenberg on the grid, he was ahead of the German by the end of the first lap. He was the first man to make a scheduled pit stop on lap 8, which appeared to have put paid to his chances of a decent result, but he made the new set of hard tyres last all the way to the finish. The safety car helped put him back into P11 on lap 19, and the rest of the evening was largely spent trying to find a way past the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda which he finally achieved on lap 45. It put him in the top ten and made him the proud possessor of a brand new shiny championship point - Haas' first of 2023.
Pierre Gasly (P9, 2 pts): 7.5/10
Alpine had got off to a somewhat stuttering start in Bahrain in their campaign to keep hold of fourth place in the constructors title, but Pierre Gasly had managed to put them in the top ten. He scored points again this week, although he'll be slightly miffed to come out second best to his team mate, compatriot and frenemy Esteban Ocon. The pair had been closely matched throughout practice but Ocon had the edge in qualifying and started from sixth while Gasly was three places behind. The opening stint saw Gasly hit by Oscar Piastri at turn 2, and then lose two spots to the recovering Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. He pitted too early to benefit from the safety car, but overall he broke even and resumed in ninth place now running just behind Ocon. The pair now ran in formation for the whole of a the second half of the 50-lap race for a double points finish that will have given the Alpine pit wall a huge sense of relief and renewed optimism for the season ahead.
