Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (P2): 9/10
Charles Leclerc enjoyed a solid and composed Qatar Grand Prix, where consistency proved to be a key strength. Though he was outpaced by Carlos Sainz in Saturday’s Sprint, the Monegasque was clearly the stronger of the two Ferraris come race day. The Scuderia assumed it would be behind McLaren in the race, but a combination of Lando Norris' penalty and Oscar Piastri's mistimed pit stop opened the door for Leclerc. Seizing the opportunity, he charged through to finish in second place, a result that contributed to keeping Ferrari’s championship hopes alive. Overall, it was a smart, damage-limitation drive by Charles that turned into a valuable result.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P1): 9.5/10
Max Verstappen clearly wasn’t happy about being bumped from pole to second in qualifying – blame it on his leisurely pace that somehow managed to impede Russell. The Red Bull charger was therefore hellbent on recouping what he believed was rightfully his, and, true to form, he did exactly that right at the start. While he had a brief battle with Lando Norris, Verstappen didn’t need to pull any dramatic moves this time – just a little nudge at Turn 1 to remind everyone who’s boss. And had it not been for the event’s safety cars, the four-time world champion would have disappeared off into the night. It was also a remarkable recovery from a team that was nearly a second behind in sprint qualifying with its ill-handling ‘rally car’.
