It was a Grand Prix, a decidedly challenging weekend that just ended Qatar. The riders arrived at the end of the race exhausted from the heat and fatigue. Ocon vomited on lap fifteen. Stroll felt ill when he got out of the car at the end of the race and was taken to an ambulance. Sargeant had to withdraw before the end of the Grand Prix because he reached the limit of his physical endurance. A choice that, yes, hurts Fanta F1, but which in reality should be rewarded because it is more conscious and sensible than many other decisions perhaps taken by the FIA to protect, if I may say so, the safety of the drivers called upon to protect themselves. This weekend, which we remember, was chosen to host the fourth Sprint of the season and returned several surprises, particularly up front, with a continually growing McLaren and a wasteful Mercedes. Obviously, all of them, needless to say, are the backdrop to a superb Max Verstappen fresh from his third world title. Let's see at the end of the weekend in Qatar who are the drivers who finish in the Tops and Flops at Fanta F1! Let's specify that, given what these poor 20 heroes experienced, no one deserves a Flop. But we stick to the scores at Fanta F1.
THE TOP
Oscar Piastri: For the rising star of McLaren the second consecutive podium arrived after Suzuka, as well as the first victory, in the Sprint on Saturday. A performance with a capital P for a team that didn't collect a single point at the beginning of the year and which now allows itself the luxury of putting both drivers on the podium. We haven't seen a McLaren like this for a long time, and it's nice to hear them say "we're back". The Fanta-managers who chose him at Fanta F1 hit the jackpot this weekend.
Max Verstappen: We cannot fail to mention it on the weekend in which he won his third world title. In the sprint he can't win but he does it in the race. A warranty.
Guanyu Zhou: What a comeback for Guanyu Zhou, one of the few to not have even received a penalty. From P19 he jumps to P9. Excellent race for Alfa Romeo which brings both drivers to the points.
THE FLOP
The flops mainly include drivers who have received penalties and a driver who eliminated himself, also ruining the race for his teammate.
Lewis Hamilton: He admitted it himself. If there is any blame for the Mercedes duo's accident in Turn 1, they are to be attributed to Lewis' conduct. In a crazy move he attempts a double overtaking but ends up hitting Russell. Mercedes had an excellent pace and could aspire to the podium, also taking advantage of its numerical superiority over Ferrari to collect a nice haul of points for the championship. However, that contact ruined the race for Lewis, who had to retire, and also for Russell who was unable to attack the McLaren for the podium.
Pierre Gasly: When Ocon doesn't take the -20, Pierre takes it. Fielding an Alpine driver at Fanta F1 is equivalent to playing Russian roulette. You never know who will get the bullet. Pierre collected many penalties during the race. Too many.
Sergio Perez: Before the start of the Grand Prix Horner told Mara Sangiorgio that Perez would have to redeem himself in the race, recovering positions. Not only did it not happen, but the team had to curse him after every track limit because he was ruining the race with successive penalties. Luckily for him, Hamilton retired otherwise he would have recovered points for second place drivers ranking.
