Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (P18): 5/10
Zhou Guanyu out-qualified his Sauber team mate Valtteri Bottas on Saturday, for the first time this season. He's to be commended for that, and for starting from P14 on the grid for the race. We'd love to know the team discussions that led to the decision to start him on softs; maybe their weather data was predicting rain to arrive earlier? Instead, the tyres' performance fell off a cliff long before that and he was the first driver to pit, seven laps earlier than anyone else, which put him at the back for the rest of the afternoon. Driver error or team tactical miscue? Hard to know for sure so we'll give Zhou the benefit of the doubt and consider him a victim of circumstance on the day.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing (P17): 3/10
Just when we thought Sergio Perez was rebuilding his confidence after a horrible recent run of form, this goes and happens. It was a terrible weekend for him at Silverstone, and the main setback - spinning on the outlap at the start of qualifying - was all his own. The team opted to make the best of it by banking some engine component upgrades at the cost of a pit lane start. We've seen Perez charge from the back in the past, but not here; and in any case the team seemed mostly interested in using him as the canary in the coal mine to test for the right moment to switch Max Verstappen to intermediates when the rain began. Perez didn't have a chance; and frankly, nor did he deserve one.
