Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber (P12) 6.5/10
The Hulk finally got some TV time! Starting a grim 17th, Sauber’s long first stint and a friendly VSC helped him climb the order. He couldn’t fend off the big dogs, but flirting with points was a rare treat for the German. A respectable day for a team usually stuck in the shadows.
Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin (P11) 5.5/10
Alonso’s radio rant—“the unluckiest driver in the f**king world”—summed it up. A brilliant P5 in quali, with the help of a tyre offset, promised points, but pitting on lap 12, 17 laps before the VSC, was a disaster. Aston’s bizarre choice to skip a second VSC stop, followed by a sluggish lap 46 pit, left him on mediums and a sitting duck. P11 hurts for a driver of his pedigree, in any race.
