Esteban Ocon, Haas (P8): 8/10
Much like in China, Ocon made an alternate strategy work to perfection. The Frenchman was one of the first drivers to pit for fresh rubber, and he used the tyre offset to his advantage by getting ahead of Verstappen after the first pitstop phase. Ocon showed incredible pace on aging tyres, and the Safety Car allowed him to pit again for new tyres without losing too much time. He couldn’t keep Verstappen behind, but he held onto eighth for the rest of the race. What a turnaround after his scary Qualifying crash.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine (P7): 9/10
We are starting to see the Gasly of Alpha Tauri again, qualifying in positions where he has no right to be given his car. A second row start for the Frenchman was truly spectacular. Gasly’s pace throughout the Grand Prix was great too, as he kept close to the back of Leclerc’s Ferrari in the opening stages, got briefly ahead of the Ferrari after the first pitstops and despite staying out on worn tyres after the Safety Car, only lost a single position in twenty laps to Red Bull’s Verstappen on the very last lap. Six well deserved points in the end for Gasly.
