Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P2, 18 pts): 9/10
In many ways it was back to a familiar pattern for Max Verstappen and Red Bull this weekend, starting with Friday practice where they are talking about problems with the car handling and balance. Verstappen was only 15th at the end of FP2, which hasn't happened in an age. But then - as we've seen often in the past - Red Bull crunched the numbers overnight and got the simulators back at Milton Keynes working, and Verstappen was much happier on Saturday. He went into qualifying in something like his old form, coming second in each of the three rounds to secure a front row spot on the grid alongside Lando Norris. Everytime he's been in this situation in the past he could rely on Norris to hand over the lead to him in a gift basket. Not this week. Instead, all Verstappen could do was watch the tiny papaya-coloured dot disappear into the twilight. Max wasn't even on Lando's radar this weekend.
Lando Norris, McLaren (Pole, P1, 25 pts): 10/10
Having awarded Oscar Piastri a perfect ten last week in Baku we're rather hoist on our own petard this time round. It might not have been perfect in the sense of topping every session or getting the bonus point for fastest lap (not that he didn't try!) but in every way that mattered, Lando Norris dominated this weekend. Even when he was pipped by Charles Leclerc in FP1 by 0.076s it never seemed in doubt that he would be on pole when it came to the race. At that point the only question was whether his start line demons would kick in and rob him of the lead into turn 1. But no, it was perfect, and after that he was literally out of sight. This was a Lando we haven't seen before: one with utter confidence of winning and not willing to settle by doing so by a couple of seconds. He wanted it all. This was the drive of a future world champion, and for that it makes it a ten out of ten weekend for Norris as far as we're concerned.
