Grand Prix Rejects

based on the assumption that, at any moment in time, there is a non-zero probability that even the slowest, most inexperienced and least reliable of underdogs might win the race. That under every rock, there might be a gold nugget. This is the award for that first podium that we all celebrate, for the overtake no-one was expecting, for Ericsson's first win. This is the award, in short, for the driver or team that makes you go "Woah! Where did THAT come from?!".

Just remember: this is a feel-good award, that will focus on nothing but track action.
Usual rules: everyone gets two votes. First vote is worth 10 points, the second 6.

Post your results until May 17 @ 1800 GMT.


Biscione's picks;
1st Carlos Sainz
2nd Max Verstappen

1st - Verstappen - can't say I expected a win from him

2nd - Raikonnen - Not only beat Vettel but also Ricciardo

Max Verstappen.
Kimi Raikkonen

JUST GIB IT ALL TO MAX, GIVE IT

10 points - Max Verstappen
Safe to say he had a pretty good day today.

6 points - Marcus Ericsson
Continues to consistently beat his team-mate, and pulled off a series of late overtakes that were barely even noticed while everyone focussed on the front four.

Not allowed to nominate - Helmut Marko
Pretty good call on promoting Max Verstappen, despite the bad press he'd inevitably get for it.

Honourable mentions: Daniel Ricciardo (for holding on to (another) fourth place despite a penultimate-lap puncture), Kimi Raikkonen, and Carlos Sainz

1. Max Verstappen - Yes, I don't like the kid. Yes, he was helped immensely by being on the best of the four dreadful strategies that the front runners were on. But to hold off Raikkonen for 30 laps on old tyres is something else entirely.

2. Carlos Sainz Jr - First step to unrejectification!

1. Verstappen
2. Sainz

10 - Carlos Sainz - The least mentioned RBR/STR driver delivered the goods.
6 - Max Verstappen - the W.

1- Max Verstappen - Yes I think Red Bull manufactured it for him to win but he had to get into that position in the first place. Good defending as well.

2- Carlos Sainz- 6th place must taste bitter for him because he could had been in Verstappens place but saying that he badly outperformed his teammate Kvyat (who is going to get chucked out of Red Bull sooner rather than later) and gave Helmut Marko another headache

Verstappen all the way. No contest.

1. Carlos Sainz - career best without the benefit of a superior car, thrashing Kvyat in the process
2. Kimi Räikkönen - challenging for the win for the first time in years

I won't nominate Verstappen, because nothing that happened today seemed improbable. Considering Ferrari and Ricciardo's side of Red Bull completely bathplugged their strategy, it was always Verstappen's race to lose.

1. Max Verstappen -1st win, many more to come! Max has again proven his great talent.

=2. Carlos Sainz - Impressive performance, he will be happy for 6th. Outpaced Kvyat by a big margin.
=2. Kimi Raikkonen - He will be happy with 2nd, not a win but still close to his 1st win in 3 years.

1. Max Verstappen: One word is enough: incredible.
2. Carlos Sainz, Jr.: He did a great job with a mid-grid car. Impressively fought the Ferraris until the inevitable happened.

Honorable mention: Mercedes: They made it possible.

1. Max Verstappen - "He will get destroyed by Ricciardo", "he can't handle the pressure". Ricciardo was generally quicker, but Max certainly wasn't embarrassing. Also, he freaking won.
2. Carlos Sainz, Jr. - Just needs a top five finish now

1. Max Verstappen - that's for all the haters. Unbelievable.
2. Carlos Sainz - a deserved first step towards unrejectification.

1. Verstappen. Did anyone expect him to win today? Of course you bloody didn't!

2. Sainz. Top drive and one step closer to unrejectification.

1st. Max Verstappen - Kept his cool the entire way and it paid off brilliantly.

2nd. Carlos Sainz Jr. - 1/3 of the way to unrejectifying himself. Also made Kvyat look like even more of an idiot, sadly.

Honorable Mentions:

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team - Two impatient goits' mistake gave us a brilliant race.

1. MAX VERSTAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!! HE DID IT!!!! 2016 is year of surprises after Leicester City wins BPL.
2. Carlos Sainz Jr. I don't see that coming in a car that have a year old engine.

Honorable mention: Mercedes drivers makes the race wide-open competition.

Anyone who fails to vote for Max is..... no word.

1) Max Verstappen: May have been a bit of luck involved in the victory, but he did superbly to withstand the pressure from Raikkonen.

2) Carlos Sainz: A solid performance for the Spaniard on home soil, beating Kvyat in the process by a fair margin.

Ok, the Dutch guy speaking here...

1. MAX VERSTAPPEN
2. JOS VERSTAPPEN

HM: Sophie Kumpen
Helmut Marko
Red Bull Racing
Frits van Amersfoort

Get this. I'm giving my ten points to The Mercedes drivers - even though I've also nominated them for the full ten in ROTR. Why? well, because without that clash, don't you think it would have been yet another Merc processional one-two? If there are going to be any results this season that aren't a Mercedes win, then at the very least there has to be one of them retiring or having severe mechanical failure - which, by and large, they don't. And only an incident such as theirs can open it up for the rest of the field.

Six points go to... no, not Max - because, for reasons which many others have mentioned, I don't get that same sense of satisfaction as I did from Seb winning at Monza in a Toro Rosso with ex-Minardi staff still building the car, or from Pastor "if you go for a gap that is no longer there" Maldonado four years ago because that came right out of the blue and a repeat was never threatened. I get this sense that, with Max now firmly rooted as the golden boy at Red Bull, the knock-on effect might be to send Daniel Ricciardo knocking at Ferrari's door...

...so instead my six points go to Max's ex-team-mate, Carlos Sainz the younger, the other son of a World Champion, for running third earlier and still holding a solid sixth at the end - and with last year's engine.

1. Golden Boy -Um yes, despite my opinion on the circumstances, no one would ever have expected this and that is exactly what this award is about. And yes he did have to be in position to capitalize but its nothing that say Kvyat or Sainz couldn't have done under the same conditions.

2. Carlos Sainz Jr. - Got up to third at the start and finally had a clean issue free race to get his career best finish. Though I'm slightly disapointed that Bottas jumped him in the first pitstops, they could have had a decent scrap for 5th otherwise.

Mentions

Esteban Gutierrez - Narrowly missed out on a point thanks to alternate strategy.

1)Max Verstappen: The cool ice version of Mad Max raced as a full seasoned pro, making a victory to remember

2)Carlos Sainz Jr.: Finally a weekend without bad luck, and the kid just delivered.

1. Rio Haryanto - possibly the finest race yet from the future world champion
2. Max Verstappen - all right, all right

1) Max Verstappen - It wasn't completely on merit but I'm so pleased for him.
2) Carlos Sainz - An excellent drive on home soil.

1. Max Verstappen - He won
2. Carlos Sainz - 1/3

HM's

1. Cut
2. Fly
3. Surf
4. Strength
5. Flash

Max Verstappen - First win and great drive under pressure from Kimi

Carlos Sainz, Jr - 6th place at his home race and outpaced Kvyat all weekend

1st. Max Verstappen - I mean, wow. Who the bathplug expected that? Absolutely amazing race, he was just faultless really and made that strategy work.

2nd. Carlos Sainz Jr. - Very strong race from Carlos, did everything he could with a Toro Rosso rather down on power.

1st. Sainz. Quietly got on with the job. Hope he gets rewarded in the long run

2nd: Max, mainly by default

1. Sainz
2. Kvyat

1 - Sainz
2 - Verstappen

1 Mercedes Yes they took each other out but at least that meant we could have a race and not actually know what the outcome would have been

2. Sainz Great start to run third clearly had the better of Kyvat

HM
Ericsson - Finished 12th somehow
Guiterez - Looked capable of finishing in the points

1. Verstappen
2. Sainz

1) Carlos Sainz Jr.. Got the Toro Rosso to third and put up a good fight for most of the race. Certainly proved he had the speed when he needed to.

2) Max Verstappen. Did not expect him to win for sure, but some strategic blunders from his opponents helped him clinch the win today. Still, he certainly stuck to the new car very well.

Honorable mentions:

Lewis Hamilton: His first lap moment prevented another Mercedes 1-2 and made the race interesting IMO.

Esteban Gutierrez: Got the better of his teammate after several mediocre performances.

Felipe Massa: Fell down to 20th (!) at the start, but did a good job rallying up the field to salvage some points.

1. Verstappen
2. Sainz

Honourable mention to Perez - outperforming The Hulk yet again and virtually un-noticed in the points!

On a more serious note, my honourable mentions are Kimi Raikkonen and Esteban Gutierrez

Verstappen - It would be churlish not to.
Sainz Jr - Hey, there's another Spanish driver in town!

1. Max Verstappen
2. Carlos Sainz Jr

10 - Max, obviously.
6 - Sainz.

1. Max
2. Max