Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (P4, 12 pts): 8.5/10
Carlos Sainz celebrated his 30th birthday on Sunday but sadly his last home outing in Ferrari red at Monza did not deliver the victory or even the podium that he would have dearly loved in lieu of cake. Sainz certainly put his heart and soul into the effort this weekend, and he was right in the mix throughout practice. The tipping point was likely when he lost out not only to the two McLarens but also George Russell and his own team mate Charles Leclerc in qualifying. After that there was a sense that the team was using him as a asset to achieve the best outcome for the team - meaning Leclerc - at the expense of Sainz. He ran four laps longer on the first stint to guard against any comeback ambitions from Red Bull (unnecessarily as it turned out). After his pit stop he was back in P4 until McLaren came in a second time. It took a while before it sank in among their rivals that both Ferraris one-stopping, sparking a mad scramble by McLaren to chase them down. The time Sainz had lost with that extended first stint left him effectively serving as a rear gunner protecting Leclerc. There was little hope of holding onto the podium himself as the papaya pair came thundering through. A shame, Sainz deserved more than a paper party hat for his valiant efforts this week.
Lando Norris, McLaren (Pole, Fastest lap, P3, 16 pts): 8.5/10
Lando Norris looked like he had it made this week. Coming off that magnificent victory in Zandvoort, and then securing pole position in Monza on Saturday ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell, the odds were that he would collect back-to-back wins this weekend. For once he even managed to get a good launch off the line when the race lights went out, easily keeping the lead into the first corner while Piastri and Russell tangled. But maybe that sense of relief was his downfall, because Norris seemed caught totally by surprise when Piastri subsequently sent it down the inside of Norris into the the second chicane and took the lead. He almost collected his team mate in the process and allowed Charles Leclerc to capitalise on the situation by taking P2. After that there was no question that Piastri was the quickest McLaren on track and Norris had to fall in behind, but neither proved a match for Ferrari's one-stop strategy. Norris was on the podium, but he wasn't happy - and there's a sense of a coming storm bearing down on Woking. McLaren really has to decide exactly what 'papaya rules' consist of.
