Charles Leclerc (P2, 18 pts): 9/10
Charles Leclerc sat out first practice in favour of Ferrari reserve Robert Shwartzman, but he was quickest of anyone in the red flag-curtailed FP2 that followed and was up to speed going into qualifying, smoothly progressing into the final round and taking a place on the front row of the grid alongside Max Verstappen. However the failure of his team mate Carlos Sainz to make the first cut meant that the responsibility for securing the points Ferrari needed to snatch second place in the constructors' standings was now all on Leclerc. His best strategy of doing that was to win the race, and the only realistic chance of getting past Verstappen was at the start and on the first lap. He did his best and was at his most aggressive and daring - but Verstappen wasn't moved. The moment was lost and Leclerc spent most of the rest of the race between pit stops in a safe second place. He briefly re-gifted it to Sergio Perez on the final lap - not for altruistic reasons but in a calculated attempt to deny George Russell third place, which was now crucial to Mercedes. It didn't quite work, and Leclerc had to share the podium with Russell after all, knowing that Mercedes had indeed finished ahead of Ferrari in the standings.
Max Verstappen (Pole, P1, Fastest lap, 26 pts): 9.5/10
We can debate as long as we want about whether Max Verstappen's utter dominance of F1 is a good thing for the sport or a turn-off for fans, but it is what it is. And what it is is a remarkable display of sporting success that's re-writing the record books with new achievements that it's hard to see will ever be beaten in our lifetimes. Instead of moaning, we should be happy to be here seeing history in the making. And yet at the same time, who wasn't just a little bit excited when it appeared that Red Bull might be in trouble after Friday practice, and Verstappen only sixth at the end of FP3? But we've seen this before: it's not sandbagging exactly, but every single time it looks like there'a a weakness in the Red Bull package, it proves to be a mirage once we actually get to qualifying and the race. Starting from pole position, Verstappen swatted away Charles Leclerc's determined attacks on the first lap with ease (can a car's 'body language' be said to show disdain?) and after that it was a formality for Verstappen to drive around the desert roads all the way to the finish and duly collect his 19th winner's stamp for his 2023 Panini book of stickers. Job done, mission accomplished, enjoy the holidays, see you in Bahrain for the next one.
