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Very disappointing result from my perspective. Mercedes deserves this result as their strategy was perfectly executed, and left Red Bull damned if they do and damned if they don't. It was gutting to watch the interval drop so quickly at the end. Max was a sitting duck at that point.

But it's all possible because Perez just isn't in the fight. Were he closer to the front then Mercedes would have thought twice about pitting Lewis and maybe the race result turns out differently. I like Perez and think they made the right decision with this hire. But he isn't taking advantage. That's five races done now, and he has yet to look anything like a challenger, and if Red Bull are to have a shot at this they need both cars in the mix. They aren't getting that right now and it needs to change starting at Monaco. We all expect a bedding-in period when a driver changes teams, but Red Bull no longer have the luxury of time if they are to stay in the title fight. It is quickly slipping away. Red Bull have the machinery to win the title, but they have to match that with winning strategy and driver performances. And the fact is that they are not, and honestly Mercedes made them look like amateurs yesterday.

Fez and especially Leclerc continue to impress. The Ferrari's aero package seems especially good, and with their power plant problems seemingly in the past the Fez is looking strong again. Leclerc is driving great, and while it is still early days, it looks to be shaping up as a great battle between him and Lando for the best of the rest title. Some of the shine came off Norris this weekend, but 8th is still in the points and combined with Sainz's and Ricciardo's results this is shaping up to be a great midfield battle, with just five points between the two teams. I'm tempted to throw Alpine in that mix, but they are only showing flashes and Alonso is feast or famine it seems, and anyway they are now 45 points back of Ferrari already. Alonso's retreat through the pack yesterday was painful to watch. They'll need more consistency to be in the mix.

One of the biggest surprises for me so far has been Aston Martin's fall. They have in no way carried their momentum from last season and look out of sorts. Stroll is driving well, but the car seems well off the standard they set last year. This is the team I expected to emerge as midfield boss, and they been anything but. Vettel has strung together some competent performances instead of being a trainwreck, which is good, but they need to find some pace.

Mazepin did not finish last and I hardly noticed him, which I guess is progress haha. Mick Schumacher seems the most polished of the rookie class, or maybe the least volatile, and in that seat he'll not get anything done, but so far he looks the most likely to stick around.

At the moment it feels like Red Bull are all promise and little product. Mercedes have their fangs out under a genuine title threat, and the fact is they are executing better, they look like a title-caliber team, while Red Bull look like pretenders. A long way to go, but they need to start getting results.