Nico Hulkenberg (P16): 6.5/10
Now that the Alpine drivers are out of the way, it's on to a driver whose result is not necessarily a true reflection of his performance or that of his car. Nico Hulkenberg was slowest in first practice but then cracked the top ten in the remaining sessions and made it through to the top ten in qualifying - just like he did on multiple occasions in 2023. What we really wanted to see was whether he could maintain that lofty position in the race itself this year, and sadly we were denied that insight when he tapped the rear of Lance Stroll's Aston Martin and limped back to pit lane for a new front wing. Unfortunate, but at the same time it feels more promising that better things might lie ahead for Haas in upcoming races.
Alexander Albon (P15): 6.5/10
After some brilliant performances last season where at times it looked like he was carrying the Williams on his shoulders to outperform what the car could do under its own power, this was a somewhat anonymous start to the new season for Alex Albon. The car simply didn't have much zip to it, which is disappointing after a decent showing in last week's test. He failed to crack the top ten in any of the practice sessions and it was no surprise that he didn't make it through to the final top ten round of qualifying. Problems with overheating meant that he lost out to Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen in the race, which the team will need to address before Saudi Arabia.
