Valtteri Bottas (Sprint P16, GP P12): 6/10
Hoping to maintain the momentum gained from finishing eighth in Qatar, Valtteri Bottas will be somewhat disappointed by ending up lost in the long grass in Austin this week. He was pipped by his Alfa Romeo colleague Zhou Guanyu in both sessions on Friday, and missed the first cut in the Showdown complaining of a lack of grip. He turned the tables on Zhou where it mattered in the Sprint and Grand Prix races, but a lack of rhythm meant he never came within touching distance of the points on either occasion. "We were nowhere," was the Finn's verdict, blaming the bumpy COTA surface for the step back in performance this week.
Nico Hulkenberg (Sprint P15, GP P11): 5/10
Nico Hulkenberg briefly shone by topping the times midway through the first round of qualifying, only to get caught out by track evolution which meant he actually ended up missing the cut. The latest Haas upgrades delivered little on Saturday, and the team decided to make overnight changes under parc ferme rules meaning he started the Grand Prix from pit lane. He fared well on his first two sets of mediums but the rules demanded he pit again for hard tyres and that cost him what turned out to be tenth place after the post-race disqualifications were announced.
