Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P2) 8/10
After winning the last three Grands Prix on home soil in the last four years, Verstappen would have been hoping to add to his tally. But he knew from the start of the weekend that this would be an unlikely feat. It started well for the Dutchman, as he performed a daring overtake on Norris on the opening lap and almost lost control of his RB21 in doing so. Ultimately he didn’t have the pace to match the dominant McLarens out front, and thus would count himself lucky to finish in second place after Norris’ devastating retirement.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P1) 10/10
Piastri had made a habit out of dominating from pole position, as he has won from pole in four of the last five Grands Prix. He’s just so calm behind the wheel of his MCL39, eking out a sizable lead in the opening few laps and putting in consistently good laps times out front all the way to the chequered flag. It’s almost predictable, like clockwork. While Norris did close in on the final laps, he never looked likely to get past the cool-headed Australian and in the end, Norris ended up scoring no points. The gap is now at its largest at 34 points between the pair, and Piastri will be quietly pumping his fists to this fact.
