Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P8, 4 pts): 7.5/10
Right from his debut, Oscar Piastri has been such an accomplished talent that it's easy to forget this is only his sophomore season in F1, a period where drivers often struggle with growing pains. Missing the first cut in qualifying certainly suggested that this might be the case in Mexico, and in truth the first half of the race was a bit of a toil for the Australian. But he stuck with it and had the opportunity to show some aggression when it was needed as he recovered to a decent eighth place by the finish, with some entertaining racing along the way.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas (P7, 6 pts): 8.5/10
Seeing both Haas drivers in the top ten might suggest an element of luck for the squad, but actually both Kevin Magnussen and his team mate exuded a calm professionalism and sense of justified expectation throughout their time in Mexico. After a quiet Friday, Magnussen rose to P9 in final practice and made it into the final round of qualifying, three places ahead of Nico Hulkenberg. The Dane then did a thoroughly professional job in the race to deliver seventh place on Sunday. It didn't get much coverage but it was arguably one of Magnussen's best performances of the season.
