Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (SP18, P16): 5.5/10
We've marked Valtteri Bottas ahead of his Sauber team mate by virtue of the Finn finishing ahead of Zhou Guanyu in every session bar first (and only) practice on Friday. That's really the only way of rating Bottas at the moment because the Sauber is such a poor car that it's barely on the same race track as the other teams, although Williams are still just about in sight. Aston Martin also seems determined to join the race to the back while other teams like Haas and Alpine have been making real progress of late. Bottas himself continues to be reliable and dependable in the car but it's like watching him peddle with his feet Flintstones-style to try and get any sort of pace out of it at the moment. He says he wants to stay at the team next year but it's hard to see why unless it comes with an assurance that he becomes an Audi driver the year after, because this sort of thing must be soul destroying for a driver who used to be at the front winning races.
Alexander Albon, Williams (SP17, P15): 6/10
William's rough season continues. They had a solid run in 2023 thanks to the work that was put in place by James Vowles' predecessors, but it seems the transition left them languishing for too long and now they've dropped all the way to the back, although at least Sauber's permanent presence at the back helped cushion the fall. But it's not great for Albon, who started the year as a potential successor to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes but is now trapped in a team that badly needs a boost to get back on track. Albon had a poor Sprint after qualifying on the back row and then starting from pit lane after overnight changes made to the car by the team. In Sunday's race, missing the first cut in qualifying meant he was stuck in a DRS train all afternoon as he battled with Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin eventually got the better of him on on lap 54. The only places Albon made up as a result were thanks to Lando Norris' retirement and Fernando Alonso's penalty for hitting Zhou Guanyu.
