Matt and Tommy dive into detailed driver ratings from the Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend, discussing performances amid new regulations and challenging conditions. Highlights include Olly Bearman's standout 10/10 weekend, strong drives from Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson, and struggles for drivers like Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. The hosts debate incidents, strategy impacts, and team reliability issues, especially for Audi, Aston Martin, and McLaren. They also reflect on Lewis Hamilton's impressive Ferrari podium and Max Verstappen's frustrating start. The episode captures the evolving championship battle and sets the stage for upcoming races with enthusiasm.
What's that coming over the hill, is it some controversial driver ratings? You KNOW IT IS!
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""Driver ratings. Oh, yes. Sound the alarm. Matt and Tommy are in the neighborhood with their grades ready to rock your world.""
Driver ratings are like grades for race car drivers. They get scores based on how well they drive during a race, including things like passing other cars and avoiding crashes.
Driver ratings refer to the evaluation scores given to Formula 1 drivers based on their performance during a race or race weekend. These ratings consider factors like race results, overtakes, mistakes, and overall impact.
""We're here, of course, to talk about the entirety of the Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend, which always makes our grades a little bit more difficult to decide on...""
In some Formula 1 races, they have a short race called a sprint before the main race. The sprint helps decide where drivers start in the big race, so it makes things more interesting and tricky to judge how well drivers did.
The Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend is a Formula 1 event format where a shorter sprint race determines the starting grid for the main Grand Prix race. This format adds complexity to driver performance evaluations as results from both sprint and main races are considered.
""Sprint qualifying 22nd and finished the sprint in 19th. For the main quality, 22nd and finished the race in 15th.""
Sprint qualifying is a quick race that decides where drivers start in the main race. Instead of just setting fast lap times, drivers race to earn their starting spots.
Sprint qualifying is a short race in Formula 1 that determines the starting order for the main Grand Prix race. It replaces traditional qualifying sessions on sprint weekends.
""Is that he dive bombed the life out of Valtteri Bottas and almost ended both of their races. Thankfully, that didn't happen...""
Dive bombing is when a driver tries to pass another car by braking very late and quickly moving ahead. It's a bold move that can be dangerous if not done carefully.
Dive bombing is a racing maneuver where a driver attempts a late and aggressive overtaking move, often braking very late into a corner to pass another car. It is risky and can cause collisions.
""They're doing more than Aston Martin, and yeah.""
Aston Martin is a company that makes fancy and fast cars, and they also race in Formula 1, which is a top-level car racing competition.
Aston Martin is a British luxury automotive manufacturer known for its high-performance sports cars and involvement in Formula 1 racing as a constructor and engine partner.
""I really would have loved to have heard Sergio Perez's team radio throughout the weekend because he kept asking for mushrooms... we're talking about the Mario Kart mushrooms... so many team radios we have been missing out on because they just don't want to play it...""
Team radio is when the driver talks to their team during a race using a radio. They share information and get advice to help them race better.
Team radio refers to the communication between a Formula 1 driver and their race engineers or team during a race or weekend. It provides real-time updates, strategy instructions, and driver feedback.
""He kept asking for mushrooms, which as a sentence sounds insane, but of course we're talking about the Mario Kart mushrooms...""
Mario Kart mushrooms are from a video game where they make your character go faster. Drivers jokingly ask for 'mushrooms' when they want their car to go faster.
The 'Mario Kart mushrooms' is a humorous reference to the power-up items in the Mario Kart video game series that give a speed boost. In racing contexts, it can be used metaphorically to describe a request for extra speed or performance.
"Didn't have the best strategy either, of course, with the safety car causing the hard tire runners to essentially be screwed, because they had to decide to stay out, because pitting on lap 10 just didn't really make much sense."
Race strategy is the plan a team makes about when to change tires and how to drive to win or get the best result.
Race strategy in motorsport involves decisions about tire choices, pit stops, and timing to maximize performance and position. Safety cars and tire wear heavily influence these strategies.
"Didn't have the best strategy either, of course, with the safety car causing the hard tire runners to essentially be screwed, because they had to decide to stay out,"
The safety car is a special car that comes out during a race if there's a crash or danger. It makes all the cars slow down and follow it, so everyone stays safe.
In Formula 1, the safety car is deployed to slow down the race and bunch up the field when there is an incident or hazard on track. It neutralizes the race temporarily, affecting strategies like pit stops and tire choices.
"with the safety car causing the hard tire runners to essentially be screwed, because they had to decide to stay out,"
Hard tires are a type of tire that lasts a long time but doesn't stick to the track as well. Drivers choose them to go longer without changing tires, but they can be slower.
Hard tires in Formula 1 are a type of tire compound that is more durable but offers less grip compared to softer compounds. They last longer but are slower, influencing race strategy especially during safety car periods.
"Are they not able to harness the power of that Mercedes engine? You fast forward to China and they were, yeah, maybe the fourth fastest car."
The Mercedes engine is the motor made by Mercedes that powers some Formula 1 race cars. It's known for being very strong and fast.
The Mercedes engine refers to the power unit supplied by Mercedes-Benz to various Formula 1 teams. It is known for its power, efficiency, and reliability.
"...Sadly, that didn't happen for Bortoletto. Audi again, just very fragile. That is something as much as they're quick..."
Audi is a car company from Germany that makes fast and fancy cars. In racing, their team is quick but sometimes their cars break down.
Audi is a German automotive brand known for its performance and luxury vehicles. In motorsport, Audi has a history of competing in various series, including endurance racing and Formula E, but in this context, it refers to their Formula 1 team which has shown strong pace but reliability issues.
"...they could be fighting the hasses and the alpines, which on pure pace may well be the case."
Alpine is a French racing team in Formula 1. They make fast cars and often compete with other teams in the middle of the field.
Alpine is a French Formula 1 team that evolved from the Renault team. They are known for their competitive cars and have been fighting in the midfield with other teams like Haas and Audi.
"...But they're just plagued with so many issues, similar to Cadillac, I would say,"
Cadillac is a car company from America that makes fancy cars. They also race in big car races but sometimes their cars have problems.
Cadillac is an American luxury car brand that has recently entered top-level motorsports, including Formula 1 and endurance racing. In this context, Cadillac is mentioned as having reliability issues similar to Audi.
""Olly Bearman, sprint qualified P9, finished the sprint in 8th, qualified for the main race in 10th, finished 5th. It's a 10 out of 10 for Olly Bearman, definitely. Yeah, you wanted to go for 10 last time for Bearman.""
A sprint race is a short race before the main race that helps decide where drivers start in the big race. It also gives some points but is mostly about getting a good spot.
A sprint race is a shorter race held before the main race in some motorsport events, often used to determine the starting grid for the main race. It awards fewer points but is important for race strategy and positioning.
""Red Bull, are they even in that now? I don't think they are. But anyway, even still. Accepted Red Bull and Midfield now, my guy. They are. It's top three teams.""
Red Bull is a famous Formula 1 racing team that often wins races and championships. They're one of the best teams in the sport.
Red Bull Racing is a leading Formula 1 team known for winning multiple world championships and being one of the top teams on the grid. They have a strong competitive history and are often benchmarked against other top teams.
"And Alonso did what he did again this time on the hard tyres and still managed to weave his way through everyone at the start."
Hard tyres are special racing tires that last a long time but don’t stick to the road as well as softer tires. Drivers use them when they want their tires to last more laps.
Hard tyres are a type of tire compound used in racing that are more durable but provide less grip compared to softer compounds. They are designed to last longer during a race but can be slower in terms of lap times.
""It was literally like his DRS kind of style, where he was using the blue flags and people passing him to get the overtake mode and things to pull away.""
Blue flags are signs shown to slower drivers in a race telling them to move aside so faster cars can go by.
Blue flags are signals shown to slower drivers in motorsport to indicate that faster cars are approaching and they should let them pass to avoid impeding their race.
"a very, very strong weekend from him getting his first Ferrari podium, a long-awaited first Ferrari podium, and look, put my hands up."
A podium finish means a driver finished the race in first, second, or third place. They get to stand on a special stage and get a trophy for doing really well.
In motorsport, a podium finish means finishing a race in one of the top three positions. Drivers who finish on the podium stand on the podium during the award ceremony to receive trophies.
"The two going wheel-to-wheel, the phenomenal race craft,"
Race craft means how good a driver is at racing other cars, like passing them and staying ahead. It's about being smart and quick during the race.
Race craft refers to a driver's skill in racing situations, including overtaking, defending position, and managing the car under pressure. It is crucial for success in competitive motorsport.
"...because they're pushing into the apexes and risking it all."
The apex is the middle part of a turn on the track where drivers try to get their car closest to go fastest.
The apex is the innermost point of a corner on a race track that drivers aim to clip to take the fastest and most efficient racing line through the turn.
"...y, one of the youngest winners ever, and youngest Pulsar to just stow us this whole weekend to get a nine..."
The Nissan Pulsar is a small car made by Nissan. It is designed to be easy to drive and good on gas. Sometimes, people use it for racing or competitions because it can be quick and reliable.
The Nissan Pulsar is a compact car that has been produced by Nissan in various forms since the 1970s. Known for its practicality and efficiency, it has also been used in motorsport contexts, which might explain its mention in relation to a young winner achieving a notable performance. The Pulsar's blend of reliability and sporty variants has made it a popular choice in different markets.
"with the fact that he had no battery, no tire temp, had to go out there with one lap after the issues that he'd had stopping out on track at the start of Q3."
The tires on race cars need to be warm to stick well to the track and help the car go faster. If they're too cold, the car can slip.
Tire temperature is critical in motorsport as it affects grip and performance. Drivers need to warm their tires to the optimal temperature range to maximize traction and lap times.
Term
Q3
"had to go out there with one lap after the issues that he'd had stopping out on track at the start of Q3."
Q3 is the last part of qualifying in Formula 1 where the fastest drivers try to get the best starting spots for the race.
Q3 is the third and final segment of Formula 1 qualifying, where the fastest drivers compete for the top grid positions. Performance in Q3 determines the front of the starting grid for the race.
"how these amazing Formula One teams and all this technology and stuff and they can't even start the race and it's a shame because in Formula One, I want to see a bit more unreliability maybe sometimes because it adds a bit more jeopardy in the race."
Formula One is a very fast and famous type of car racing where the best drivers and teams compete all over the world.
Formula One is the highest class of international single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the FIA. It features the fastest road-course racing cars in the world and is known for its advanced technology and global competition.
Select text to request an explanation
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Tommy.
Driver ratings.
Oh, yes.
Sound the alarm.
Matt and Tommy are in the neighborhood with their grades ready to rock your world.
That's right.
We're here, of course, to talk about the entirety of the Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend, which
always makes our grades a little bit more difficult to decide on, but I'm looking forward to
this discussion, Tommy.
I'm looking forward to hearing what your grades are, and I'm also looking to see what the
fans have gone for as well.
Always, always on a sprint weekend as well.
New regulations.
It doesn't get tougher than this, but I like it because there's disagreements and opinion
and chatter, and that's what makes driver ratings fun.
Oh, yeah.
So let's start with Sergio Perez.
Sprint qualifying 22nd and finished the sprint in 19th.
For the main quality, 22nd and finished the race in 15th.
On paper, you're thinking, that's a solid one, but he finished last.
I'm going for a 5 out of 10 for Sergio Perez.
It was a weekend plagued with issues, and the only reason I've not gone for a 6 is like,
well done, you finished 15th.
Is that he dive bombed the life out of Valtteri Bottas and almost ended both of their races.
Thankfully, that didn't happen, and overall Cadillac, they're doing something.
They're driving around.
They're existing.
They're doing more than Aston Martin, and yeah.
So it's straight down the middle 5 out of 10 because Perez got away with it because
realistically, was he going to finish anywhere else?
Oh, well, Bottas finished P13.
That might well be the end of the championship battle between the two of them, and it could
have been Perez, Tommy.
It could have been your boy.
It could have been.
I've gone for a 5 out of 10 as well for Perez.
Yeah, you kind of took the words out of my mouth really.
They were very comparable Bottas and Perez this whole weekend really.
They were driving together for much of the two races, but the problem for Perez and why
he's not getting a whopping 6 out of 10 from me is because he did collide with Bottas,
and it was Perez's fault at the start, but yeah, a decent finishing position 15th, but
obviously that was last on the road, but he did have an issue at the end.
And I really would have loved to have heard Sergio Perez's team radio throughout the weekend
because he kept asking for mushrooms, which as a sentence sounds insane, but of course
we're talking about the Mario Kart mushrooms, and there's so many team radios we have been
missing out on because they just don't want to play it, and it's ridiculous.
And then they just, you know, they come onto social media anyway, but I guess maybe the
broader audience don't see it, and they think, oh, these regulations are phenomenal because
they're not showing us the team radio.
Anyway, that's another topic for another day.
The fans gave Sergio Perez a 5 out of 10.
Valtteri Bottas, sprint quality 21st, did not finish the sprint in quality 20th,
and finished the race in 13th.
I've gone for a 6 out of 10 for Valtteri Bottas.
Yeah, P13 is a drive that may well make him ahead in the championship on Sergio Perez.
However, they were very evenly matched throughout the race.
Both races actually, Perez was slightly ahead in the sprint, and in the main race, Perez was right
on Bottas' tail for almost the whole Grand Prix until he had a problem and dropped way back.
So one more point for Bottas because he didn't eat his teammate, and it wasn't his fault.
So I've gone for a 6 for Bottas.
Okay, I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Valtteri Bottas.
I downgraded, well, I would have given them potentially similar points,
but Perez went for the yeet and Bottas beat Ocon.
So realistically, Perez would have beaten Ocon as well, but he yeeted his teammate.
Okay, two grades is quite crazy for them being together on track with an issue,
but it's your grade.
All right, Sergio Perez, stand boy.
Well, you're a Bottas fanboy.
Okay, they're here, right?
And I go, oh, well done, Bottas, you beat a car, congratulations.
Perez, you yeeted your teammate.
That's how they move.
That's how they move in my direction.
If you want to come for me, for my Bottas fandom, then so be it.
Yes, I'm not denying this, and it goes back to my point of it's so hard to compare
throughout the entire weekend at this point in the season because they have so many issues.
But look, I think I should reward Bottas for the fact that his car,
the Cadillac, beat another car.
So that is it.
Okay, I'm saying, well done to Bottas.
He kept his nose clean.
Yes, he wasn't much faster than Perez, but there are plenty of other things to factor in
there. And P13, if that is genuinely the best result he's going to get all year,
yes, it's factoring in DNS's, DNF's, then I think it has to have a 7 attributed to that.
So, honestly, Tommy, you can go jog on.
And that's as simple as that.
The fans can also jog on.
They gave him a 6 out of 10.
Now, I'm kidding, please keep listening.
I don't tons.
Shut up.
It really doesn't matter.
It's two Cadillac drivers.
Don't get heated, Tommy.
It's Bottas and Perez at the back.
Franco Colopinto.
Sprint quality was 16th, finished the sprint in 14th,
qualified for the main race in 12th, and finished the race in 10th.
I have gone for 7 out of 10.
Now, 7 out of 10 is a pretty good grade.
That being said, I think Gasly had the measure of him quite dramatically, I would say,
over the course of the weekend.
Gasly looked phenomenal, but we'll get onto him shortly.
For Colopinto, he got severely yeeted by Ocon.
Didn't have the best strategy either, of course, with the safety car causing
the hard tire runners to essentially be screwed, because they had to decide to stay out,
because pitting on lap 10 just didn't really make much sense.
So that would have been the likes of Colopinto, Holkenberg, Lindblad, Ocon himself as well.
And that's the reason why they crashed, because they run very similar strategies.
But for Colopinto, yeah, it was a good weekend, of course,
scoring a point after the crash was a good recovery drive.
But that being said, yeah, there's clearly a bit more pace in that Alpine than Franco's
managing to get out at the moment.
Yes, I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Colopinto as well.
The reason for a 7, he's still lacking a lot in qualifying, I think, compared to his teammate.
But he had an absolutely amazing start in the main race to basically be up and
six behind Gasly immediately, even though he started on hard tires.
Unbelievable start.
But of course, as soon as that safety car came out, kind of shafted him
with the strategy that those around him got a free pit stop,
even though it was very cool to see him in second for a bit,
which was quite a crazy graphic to see Lewis Hamilton chasing Colopinto for second
was not on my bingo card during that Grand Prix.
But Colopinto thinks still silenced a lot of people with that result,
and almost could have been one better is chasing down Sainz at the end for ninth.
Obviously, very unlucky with the Ocon incident wasn't as hard at all.
I guess with the Ocon incident, they both went pirouetting, didn't they?
At the fans, Franco was given a 7.
Pierre Gasly, sprint qualified in seventh, sprint raced to 11th,
finished the main quali in seventh and finished the race in sixth.
I've gone for an 8 out of 10 for Pierre Gasly, another strong result for Gasly.
The only reason I'm giving it an 8 is, and this is where the opinion comes in,
the Alpine is not the car it was last year.
I would argue that maybe even this weekend, it was the,
could even argue the best package after Mercedes Ferrari and McLaren,
something Ollie Berman tended to agree with as well in his words.
And I do think Alpine were very, very strong.
So you think maybe he could have got some points during the sprint race as well.
And still, it's a very good result, solid points on the board.
And I think Gasly is going to continue this form and have a very good season.
So I've gone for an 8.
I think it's a very fair assessment.
I've gone for an 8 out of 10 as well for Pierre Gasly.
I agree that the Alpine, I mean, you say last year,
I mean, even last week in Australia, they were struggling.
And we're thinking, what on earth is going on?
Are they not able to harness the power of that Mercedes engine?
You fast forward to China and they were, yeah, maybe the fourth fastest car.
So yeah, some lacking in the sprint and then should have maybe beaten Berman.
But I think Berman did a phenomenal job as we'll get onto.
But 8 out of 10 is not a bad grade by any stretch of the imagination.
And of course, with Gasly's experience, you would expect him to be right up there
with a competitive car.
So an 8 out of 10, I think is pretty fair.
The fans gave Pierre an 8 out of 10 as well.
Gabrielle Bortoletto, sprint qualified in 14th, sprinted to 13th.
I don't know why I'm doing that.
Qualified in 16th and then did not start.
So for these, Tommy, because we've seen some competitive action,
we're going to grade these drivers.
But then also at the same time,
none of these drivers that never started the race can get a 10.
Or anyway, close to that, surely.
Unless Bortoletto won the sprint, then I would give him a 10.
OK, fair enough.
I've given him a 5.
So that doesn't really matter.
Yeah, I think it's more...
We're grading these just in case there is something phenomenal that happens maybe in
the sprint and then they can't start the race for a reason outside of their doing.
So sadly, that didn't happen for Bortoletto.
Audi again, just very fragile.
That is something as much as they're quick, as much as you could even say
they could be fighting the hasses and the alpines, which on pure pace may well be the case.
But they're just plagued with so many issues, similar to Cadillac, I would say,
in terms of the amount of problems they seem to be having.
And they've had both times now, both Grand Prix we've had.
They've had a car that didn't start the race, which is pretty mental.
So I've gone for a 5 because they're pretty quiet and unassuming weekend for Bortoletto.
I've also gone for a 5 for Bortoletto.
He was brilliant last week, however.
Not as strong this week for sure.
He was off Hülkenberg's pace in qualifying and obviously had the spin dent as well in qualifying.
And yes, he of course didn't start the race, but we saw him do the sprint
and also qualify and he didn't beat his teammate.
So a 5.
The fans gave Gabrielle a 5 as well.
Nico Hülkenberg, sprint qualified 11th, did not finish the sprint,
qualified for the main race in 11th and finished the main race in 11th as well.
I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Nico Hülkenberg.
I think it's a good, I think he's maximized what Audi had there.
Obviously had the mechanical failure.
It looks very much reading like Oli Berman last year, lots of P11s.
Sadly, don't get you anything.
But it's certainly not a bad weekend for Hülkenberg.
So I've got to give him his props for outqualifying his teammate in both sessions
and a decent result, particularly in the qualifiers for Audi.
Okay, interesting.
I'm going to give Hülkenberg a 6 out of 10.
I think that, yeah, the qualifiers were reasonable and beating Bortoletto,
having a quiet weekend for sure.
But then if you look at the race and finishing 11th,
despite the seven drivers that didn't finish,
it kind of saves his blushes a little bit, I would say.
Wasn't close to scoring points against Colopinto in signs ahead,
around nine seconds behind.
And of course, Colopinto had those problems as well.
So I think realistically, it was quite a quiet weekend for Hülkenberg.
Despite the 11th everywhere, no points to show for it.
And yeah, I think it was okay, but nothing to write home about for Hülkenberg.
So I've gone for a 6.
The fans gave Niko a 6 as well.
Esteban Ocon, sprint qualified P12, finished a sprint in 10th,
qualified for the main race in 13th and finished 14th.
Migrate for Esteban Ocon is a 4 out of 10.
I think that despite my love for him, it was a poor weekend.
And so many points on the table.
Bearman showed that, finished P5.
And that is one of the biggest ways of measuring for us as plebs,
what the pace and potential of the cars are,
is looking at the teammates.
And Bearman had a phenomenal weekend,
whereas Ocon also had a brilliant start and you're thinking,
right, he's in position again to do something great.
I will say yet factoring in the safety car screwed his strategy.
So he had to go for the aggressive medium tyre.
And who knows where that exactly would have played out once,
not the aggressive medium tyre, but he had to stay out on the hards
and then go on the mediums later on,
having missed basically a pit stop against everybody else.
But that being said, yes, he might well have been able to mount a comeback,
but he undid all of that by a pretty clumsy move on Colopinto,
where it's not as if they just made contact.
He'd lost the car before he even hit Colopinto.
So a really quite devastating start to Ocon's season,
because round here last year, if you remember,
he was brilliant and Ocon, what a phenomenal P5 last year, I think.
And with this one, there was potential to slot in ahead of signs
at the very minimum after being screwed over by the strategy,
but instead finished 14th and behind Bottas.
I have gone for a 4 out of 10 for Espan Ocon as well.
Yeah, scoring no points when your teammate is finishing fifth.
I think, yeah, he was unlucky in the strategy,
but then of course had the collision undid what might have been a comeback.
But even looking at the sprint, that has is a strong car now,
and he should be scoring points in the sprint as well,
which his teammate did, and yeah, just a really poor weekend for Ocon again.
It's looking quite worrying at the moment for me.
He needs to get back to Estee Bestie of Old.
Certainly does. The fans gave Ocon a 5 out of 10.
Olly Bearman, sprint qualified P9, finished the sprint in 8th,
qualified for the main race in 10th, finished 5th.
It's a 10 out of 10 for Olly Bearman, definitely.
Yeah, you wanted to go for 10 last time for Bearman.
It has to be a 10 this time, definitely.
He was really good in both races.
Obviously, the sprint, he got points.
And then in the main race, I think what's most impressive is
he got caught up in that hadja spin, could have easily just ruined his whole race,
or ended up back in the pack,
and he still managed to come all the way through to fifth place.
It's having an amazing season.
I saw actually someone who's already started doing the Formula B,
or 1.5, or whatever you want to call it, based on the midfield runners
compared to those top four teams.
Red Bull, are they even in that now?
I don't think they are.
But anyway, even still.
Accepted Red Bull and Midfield now, my guy.
They are.
It's top three teams.
I did say it in livery ratings, they were going to be Midfield.
And yeah, Olly Bearman has finished first,
second, first in those first three races.
Imagine tuning into the episode right here, right then.
Skip the intro.
I just went to you saying Olly's finished first, second, first.
Everyone does that.
Skip straight to Olly Bearman's result.
They will in the future, for sure.
So yeah, amazing start to the year for Bearman, incredible stuff.
I have of course gone for a 10 out of 10 for Olly Bearman.
Again, just massively impressing.
He's building on last year incredibly well.
And to complete agreement about the Hajar incident,
yeah, he missed that by what felt like maybe an inch or two.
And to then be able to bounce back to still finish fifth
after that skirmish where he lost a handful of places.
I think he was out of the points when he came back on the track.
So to bounce back from that, still finished best of the rest is just,
it is a perfect drive.
He scored a point of course in the sprint as well.
So overall, a phenomenal start to the season for Olly Bearman.
No notes, all positives.
The fans agree.
They've gone for a 10 out of 10 for Olly Bearman.
Lance Troll, sprint qualified P20, finished a sprint in 18th,
qualified 21st and did not finish.
Wow, that's quite, that's a lot of, that's very high numbers, isn't it?
Lance Troll, I am going for a 5 out of 10.
Because it's an Aston Martin that's disintegrating every lap he turns.
Aston Martin will maybe work.
Well, I mean Lance Troll, because look,
Fernando Alonso is different when I give him his 10.
But for Lance Troll, he's not exactly showing anything when he is in the car.
And it disintegrates before he can do any of that.
Lance Troll is usually one of those drivers that spawns at the end of the race in the points.
But the Aston Martin can't get into the end of the race
because it's not working.
So, 5, moving on.
I'm going to go for a 4 for Lance Troll.
Because the only thing you can grade him on really is qualifying.
And is a long way off Alonso, who we know is a bit of a qualifying specialist.
And yeah, I know there's, the Aston Martin can't be,
there's not much to gain from the Aston Martin.
But Alonso in those first two races has shown that.
And in qualifying, yeah, seems like
Lance Troll, yeah, can't deliver compared to his teammate in that car.
And there seems to be no issues that he had in qualifying.
So, I'm going to go for a 4, just so it's not 5 every week.
Because what you can grade him on is his qualifying.
And it was poor compared to his teammate.
But he's probably got, I mean, this is probably the first time I've ever defended him.
A hundred issues going on in that car.
But that being said, of course, there's no doubt Fernando Alonso is doing a better job.
So, I agree.
The fans gave Lance Troll a 5 out of 10.
Fernando Alonso, sprint qualified 19th, finished his sprint in 17th.
Actually, finished something, I know.
Qualified P 19 and then did not finish.
I've gone for a 6 out of 10 for Fernando Alonso.
He, again, asked him, Martin, what can they do?
But even in those crazy situations, top drivers can do something.
And Alonso did what he did again this time on the hard tyres
and still managed to weave his way through everyone at the start.
And I love that no one hypes Fernando Alonso more than his hype man.
And he said a quote along the lines of,
well, the start is where all the driver skill is compared to the battery championship.
And my word, what a guy.
Sorry, you said no one hypes him up more than his hype man.
Do you mean himself?
Himself.
Just to be clear.
Okay, right.
I thought, I was like, his hype man who?
His hype man is himself.
And yeah, Alonso, yeah, he, in very little what he could do
and also just like what a, what a warrior for going that long
to the point where he could barely even hold the steering wheel anymore.
Got to, got to respect his, his age and the determination despite everything.
Because my God, you wouldn't blame him for just calling it quits on lap one
based on how that after Martin is.
But they have to do laps in order to find out how to not make it an S box.
So I've also gone for a six out of 10 for now.
Alonso, I'm not going to give him a seven this time,
despite him putting himself up to P nine at the beginning,
which is absolutely ridiculous.
But he fell like a stone after that, unsurprisingly.
And it's just amazing to see him get into the points at the start of both races so far.
It's such a waste of talent.
Every time we talk about them, it's just, it's just dull and depressing and boring to talk about
Aston Martin and how far, far away they are.
But Alonso shows his, his talent in the first lap or two and then just has to fade into
DNFing, which is quite sad.
The fans gave Alonso a five out of 10, not interested with the
points at the start of the race.
Arvid Lindblad, sprint qualified 15th, did not finish the sprint in the main
quali, qualified 15th.
And then for the main race, 12th.
I've gone for a five out of 10 for Arvid Lindblad.
I think it was a very down the line five out of 10 kind of performance for a rookie.
Okay.
I think had it been a more experienced driver, perhaps I would have been grading slightly
harsher, but for Lindblad, you know, he was affected in practice.
He was only able to do one flying lap of, I think about six laps in practice before his car
broke down, did pretty well in qualifying to get somewhere near Lawson after that.
But overall, you know, just he got screwed a bit by the safety car as well in fairness to him,
but he wasn't anywhere near the points.
And I'm going to give him a five out of 10 because it wasn't really anything inspiring
like Australia was.
You have gone for a five for Lindblad as well.
A very anonymous race compared to, you know, his unbelievable heroics in his first race.
He was unfortunate, like you say, with the FP1 issue, also the safety car didn't help him
either, but nothing to show when I think the racing bulls is a good car this year, seemingly.
So disappointed after, you know, an unbelievable first race.
The fans gave Arvid Lindblad a five out of 10 as well.
Liam Lawson, sprint qualified 13th, finished the sprint in seventh,
qualified for the main race in 14th, finished seventh.
I've gone for a nine out of 10, William Lawson.
I think a fantastic result in the sprint in particular.
And then a great result in the race.
Yes, it was a race of attrition, but still seventh place.
So I think his sprint was the strongest performance of his two races.
Because, yeah, it did an amazing job to stay out, make that strategy work.
But he was up there and he was unlucky in qualifying.
He was caught in that Bortoletto issue, but he still managed to get through the pack.
And even though racing bulls do seem quite quick, two seventh places.
When I was predicting racing bulls in our entire championship table,
my biggest criticism was racing bulls don't ever maximise the points.
And boy, did he maximise the points this weekend.
Very strong showing from Lawson.
Yeah, Lawson did phenomenally well.
I've gone for a nine out of 10 as well.
Two seventh places after tricky qualifying through one reason or another.
But to bounce back from that, to have a very solid race in the main one as well.
Yeah, P7 capitalising on, of course, some DNSs, DNFs and so on and so forth.
But you still have to go score points and not make mistakes and make contact in the first few laps
and so on and so forth.
And Lawson, yeah, I'm not convinced the racing bulls is close to the Hasses and Alpenes at the
moment. Australia would suggest that perhaps it will flip flop for them and some races,
they will be better than others.
Maybe slightly concerning for them that they were not particularly close to the Alpen and Hasses.
Around here, of course.
But still, it's a nine out of 10 performance for Lawson.
Really, really impressive from him because he needed to bounce back a little bit after Australia
and Limblad taking all of the spotlight. And Liam did just that in China.
The fans gave him an eight out of 10.
Carlos Sainz, sprint qualified 17th, finished the sprint in 12th,
qualified for the main race in 17th and finished the race in 9th.
I'm going to give Carlos Sainz an eight out of 10 in the horrendous Williams car.
He's managed to score a couple of points, kept Franco Colopinto at bay,
which I think is something that needs to be appreciated as well.
Of course, Colopinto was coming through after that issue with Ocon,
but he was on the medium tyres and Sainz is in the 10th fastest car, huh?
Third worst, yeah.
Oh, sorry. I thought you were correcting me on something I'd said.
Well, yeah, it's ninth fastest.
All right, sorry.
Unless cut like that.
Yeah, no, true. Oh, sorry.
For some reason, I didn't do maths correctly, which is rare for me.
Yes, yes. But they're one of the slowest cars on the grid, for sure.
And for them to score any points at this stage of the season is a miracle.
And I think Carlos should get a pretty good grade for that.
I am also, of course, factoring in that it's not a nine or 10,
because I think with some slightly more normal circumstances here,
he would have obviously finished outside the points.
But still a very solid drive from Carlos and an eight out of 10 from me.
I've gone for a nine out of 10 for Carlos Sainz.
It was almost a 10, but I have gone for a nine.
Carlos's race was absolutely amazing.
He had had an amazing start.
And I think two points in a car that I think is truly woeful at the moment
should be hugely applauded, you know, to finish ahead of an Alpine
and Audi are racing balls, which I think are much better cars
than what he's got underneath him.
I think is a really, really strong result.
And actually one thing that was missed,
because we didn't see any of Carlos like the old days,
a bit like his driver rate, his driver intro in the F1 thing,
where he's really far away.
Maybe he's just not being shown this year.
He actually used some tactical overtaking mode on Colin at the end,
where he was on purpose.
Yeah, it was.
It was literally like his DRS kind of style,
where he was using the blue flags and people passing him
to get the overtake mode and things to pull away.
So very tactical from Carlos.
And I think you said it like it's a miracle to get a P nine
in a Williams at the moment.
So really strong result for Carlos.
The fans disagree immensely.
They've gone for a seven out of 10 for Carlos Sainz.
Alex Albon, sprint qualified in 18th,
finished the sprint in 16th,
qualified for the main race in 18th,
and started in the pits.
And what, didn't start at all actually.
So there you go.
Did not start.
I've gone for a five out of 10 for Alex Albon.
There it is.
Wee, it's a five out of 10 DNS, unless you're Fernando Alonso.
Yeah, I did.
Yeah, yeah.
He is tough for Albon.
Obviously he had his frustrations.
We heard him scream terrible on the radio.
And yeah, he was struggling this weekend.
The Williams did not seem great,
particularly in qualifying.
They were really struggling.
And obviously both of them ended up both out in Q1, an SQ1.
But in the sprint as well, Albon didn't manage to make
as much progress as his teammate did,
you know, four places below Sainz.
So I can't give him any higher than a five.
But another DNS from, you know, a driver is crazy.
And Albon's one was really weird
because we were just watching the grid.
And then all of a sudden they just showed him on the pit wall.
And it was like, oh, okay, I guess he's not racing there.
Shouldn't he be in the car, Alex?
Yeah, weird.
Okay, I've gone for a five out of 10 as well for Alex Albon.
I'm not going to go down the route of comparing the two
because he was once again plagued with issues,
like some of the other drivers we've spoken about,
had a hydraulic problem, I think, on the Sunday.
And then also, like, they were just constantly changing the car
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