George Russell, Mercedes (P4, 12 pts): 8.5/10
Mercedes didn't have the best of starts this weekend, but George Russell pulled something out of the bag on Saturday and was second quickest in final practice (admittedly half a second slower than Lando Norris, but that was the same for everyone in Singapore this week.) He was disappointed to be shuffled off the front row in qualifying, and even more to be outbid for third by his team mate Lewis Hamilton. The top six ran in formation until Hamilton's early stop allowed Russell to focus on battling Oscar Piastri. In the process, both pulled off the overcut on Hamilton when it came time for them to pit. The McLaren's superior pace was too much for Russell to keep under control, and from lap 50 Russell's focus was on defending from Charles Leclerc who had already found his way past Hamilton. Russell managed to hold on and keep hold of fourth place, which was quite the achievement in the circumstances, especially when it became clear after the race just how much it had cost him. Like Hamilton, he missed the media round in the paddock with Toto Wolff reporting "borderline heatstroke". At least he now has a good break to rest and rehydrate before Austin.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P3, 15 pts): 9/10
Coming off the back of his Baku victory last week, this was another strong performance from Oscar Piastri with little to criticise or complain about. The only problem as far as the Australian is concerned is that his team mate Lando Norris was putting on a supernova display that eclipsed anything and everyone else going on in Singapore. Piastri himself wasn't bowled over by his performance in practice despite taking up residence in the top six throughout, and really felt he had underdelivered by not joining Norris on the front row but instead falling behind the two Mercedes cars on the grid. After his recent blazing banzai moves it was quite strange yo see Piastri staying cool and playing the long game on a super long 38-lap first stint on mediums. Only then did he make his move and pick off Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in quick succession. By then it was too late to catch Max Verstappen so he focused on bringing the car home and helping McLaren double their points lead over Red Bull in the constructors standings. Awesome!
