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The Belgian GP saw some incredibly close running - the first six cars across the line were within ten seconds of the lead, and all eight drivers in the top teams had a turn at the front or a chance to challenge for victory at one point or another. At times like this, small errors have big consequences - and in their ratings, too.
George Russell, Mercedes (DSQ): 9.5/10
The post-race disqualification has no effect on our analysis of George Russell's excellent performance on Sunday, which was quite outstanding. The one-stop strategy was a masterstroke: whoever gets the credit for it doesn't matter, it was still Russell that had to make it work and fight to the bitter end to stay in the lead in those agonising final laps. Prior to that it had been Lewis Hamilton who had enjoyed the upper hand in Spa but once again Russell proved his worth to Mercedes and cemented his claim as Mercedes team leader in 2025 whoever his new team mate turns out to be. Just what happened to that missing 1.5kg remains to be seen, but you wouldn't blame Russell for comfort eating over the summer break and arriving in Zandvoort with the extra weight already on board, just to be certain. If a job needs doing, do it yourself, right?
Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (Hydraulics, Lap 5): 4.5/10
It was pretty much situation normal at Sauber, which is to say they were no where. Literally in Zhou Guanyu's case when it came to Sunday when the car developed a hydraulic fault almost at once, making him the first and only retirement of the afternoon. Prior to that Zhou had been among the slowest drivers in practice and qualifying, and would have started at the back if not for Yuki Tsunoda's grid penalty for engine components trumping his own for impeding Max Verstappen in Q1. It must be hard for Zhou and the Sauber squad to even bother showing up when every week is like this.
