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Things didn't look good for Max Verstappen and Red Bull on Friday in Imola, but by race day it was business as normal with another crushing win looming. But there's always a twist at the end, and Lando Norris followed up his debut win in Miami with an arguably greater performance this week. Is he our driver of the day for a second consecutive race?
Alex Albon (Retired, Lap 51): 5/10
Alex Albon's star has dimmed this season, in large part down to a Williams that simply isn't giving him the same opportunities to shine that he enjoyed in 2023. Hopes of moving to Red Bull or Mercedes next year are off the table so pledging his future to Williams makes sense. But in the meantime it's a bit of a struggle for Albon, and the team's mishap while fitting tyres during his pit stop on lap 9 was just what he didn't need. Time spent crawling back to pit lane, a second stop and a penalty put him so far off the pace that with no safety cars it was impossible for him to recover, and he understandably called it a day on lap 51.
Fernando Alonso (P19): 4.5/10
A stinker of a weekend for the two-time world champion, probably the worst we've seen from him in (checks notes) pretty much forever. He just about made it into the top ten in Friday practice but then a mistake in FP3 left his car unfit for purpose in qualifying. He ended up starting from pit lane on Sunday, and Imola is not the sort of circuit that's good for overtaking so there was no chance of making any sort of recovery from there. To his credit he stuck it out and crossed the line at the end, but really that's about the only silver lining for the Aston Martin driver this week. One to forget.
