Driver of the Week – Alex Albon, Williams

Thailand’s Alex Albon had one of the most impressive drives of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Driving a Williams—one of the worst cars on the grid—Albon managed to finish seventh and ahead of the much stronger Alpines along with Lance Stroll in an Aston Martin.

Williams did bring a series of upgrades to their car that may have contributed to the success. Yet, Albon refused to be passed.

Lap after lap, a group of cars behind him were enjoying the increased speed produced by the drag reduction system. But by placing his car in all the right spots, Albon was able to prevent passes.

His skill in holding onto his position might have been the top performance of any driver this season.

Albon’s seventh-place finish earned him recognition as the “Best of the Rest,” with only the drivers from the top teams finishing ahead of him. Realistically, Williams had no business finishing that high up on the grid.

Albon’s form probably elevated him to the status as favorite to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull in the near future.

Constructor of the Week – Ferrari

For what seems like the first time in several years, Ferrari got the strategy right. The famous Italian team has developed a reputation for blundering its race strategy and its drivers routinely refuse team orders.

But at the Canadian Grand Prix, Ferrari hit a home run. Bucking the multi-stop strategy that all the other teams used, the Prancing Horses pit just a single time and made their tires last to the end.

The result was a fourth and fifth-place finish after starting the race 10th and 11th. The track itself plays to the strength of Ferrari’s car, but the bold strategy call made the difference.

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko even told reporters that Ferrari’s race pace was faster than Red Bull and he was glad they started so far back.

The strong pace combined with the perfect strategy indicates what Ferrari could be—and arguably should be considering their resources.

Still, it was only one weekend and the team will continue to bear the reputation of having an incompetent race strategy until performances like this become the norm.

Rookie of the Week – Oscar Piastri, McLaren

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri continues to perform above expectations. The rookie finished 11th in Canada and outpaced his teammate who finished 13th.

To put his performance into perspective, the other two rookies in the field finished 18th and 20th. At this point in the season, the Australian is arguably no longer a rookie and has established himself as a respected driver.

He did make a mistake in qualifying that resulted in a spin. But he didn’t damage the car and his crash produced a mixed-up starting grid that added to the drama.

Piastri’s form was even more respectable considering the wet weather the teams dealt with during practice and qualifying.

It sounds like a broken record, but the young Australian continues to distinguish himself as the top rookie. And it’s not even close.

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