Pierre Gasly, Alpine (P16) – 4.5/10
Gasly showed fine single-lap pace to put Alpine into Q3, but his race strategy was a train wreck. A pre-race spin while trying to warm up slicks set the tone, and Alpine’s refusal to pivot to intermediates early saw him hemorrhaging minutes to the field. By the time he switched, the damage was done. A miscalculated gamble that killed a promising weekend.
Esteban Ocon, Haas (P15) – 7.5/10
Ocon delivered an underrated masterclass in wet-weather car control during the opening phase of the race. Correctly opting for intermediates, he carved up the grid to reach sixth, making light work of Sainz, Albon, and Lindblad. The Haas lacked the late-race pace to hold off faster machinery on a dry surface, but Ocon extracted every ounce of performance available early on.
