Kevin Magnussen, Haas (P12): 7.5/10
If we were giving marks for the first six laps of the race, then Kevin Magnussen's start to the Canadian Grand Prix would have rated off the scale. From 14th on the grid he leapt up to eighth on the first lap and then carved his way past Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in rapid succession to reach the heady heights of fourth place. Quite remarkable! But of course like any magic trick, it was an illusion: Magnussen and his team mate Nico Hulkenberg were the only drivers on full wets while everyone else was on intermediates. Once the rain abated and a dry line started to form, Haas was a busted flush for the rest of the race. Yet even though his dreams of glory crumbled to dust by the finish, Magnussen can be justifiably proud of a remarkable piece of driving in that opening half dozen laps, surely one of the Dane's best moments.
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas (P11): 7/10
Like his team mate Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg enjoyed a terrific start on Sunday thanks to the Haas decision to put both drivers on full wets while the other cars were on intermediates. But while Magnussen maximised the advantage this gave him while it rained, Hulkenberg was handicapped by an even worse grid position having missed the first cut in Saturday's qualifying session. He reached seventh place before the weather turned against the bold Haas strategy. While Magnussen pitted straight away, Hulkenberg tried to tough it out in the hope of more rain and didn't come in until lap 12, which sent him plummeting all the way down to 19th. He made two more stops under the safety cars but despite gaining positions from a spate of retirements he wasn't quite able to inveigle himself into the points by the time the chequered flag came out.
