Best Driver: Worst Driver: Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Best Team: Worst Team: Best Overtake: Funniest-moment: Most Surprising Result: Least Surprising Result: Special Mention to: Race Rating: /10 Best Commentator/Presenter
Best Driver: Hamilton was slick. WDC drive Worst Driver: Raikkonen.... Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): for once Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: Ferrari Best Overtake: Riacciardo and vettels moves around the outside were Kobayashi-esque Funniest-moment: Road Runners comment about the cameras searching for Kimi during the first red flag. (He was searching for ice cream) Most Surprising Result: Rosberg Pole Least Surprising Result: Hamilton Win Special Mention to: Bianchi and the cursed Bianchi family (hoping for good news soon) Race Rating: 5/10 - was ok when racing. Best Commentator/Presenter: EJ was in his element with the transfer stories
Best Driver: Tie between Button and Hamilton Worst Driver: Much as I love him, Kobayashi was awful, and I haven't heard anything about him having a problem. Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson for being best of the backmarkers Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: No stand-outs. Best Overtake: Vettel on Massa Funniest-moment: Hulkenberg going off immediately after the BBC started talking about how well he was doing Most Surprising Result: Button nearly getting a podium Least Surprising Result: "And it's another one-two for Mercedes..." Special Mention to: Button for taking the fight to Red Bull, Vettel for beating his team-mate, all the drivers who finished for keeping their cars on track in treacherous conditions, and of course Jules Bianchi, wishing him all the best. Race Rating: 7/10 - safety car was out for far too long at the beginning and the rain meant there was a lot of field spread, but there were some good battles. Best Commentator/Presenter: I really wasn't awake enough to judge, but nobody covered themselves in glory on the BBC. Sounds like Sky were more alert.
Best Driver: Vettel. Seemed rejuvenated. Worst Driver: Kobayashi. Poor at his home GP Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): All had their faults, Ericsson spun under the safety car, KMag was a big accident waiting to happen and Kyvat did well then tailed off. Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: Ferrari. Poor speed, poor reliability Best Overtake: Hamilton for the lead Funniest-moment: Can't recall one Most Surprising Result: Vettel beating Ricciardo Least Surprising Result: Merc 1-2 Special Mention to: Jules Race Rating: 6/10 Interesting until Hamilton took the lead, some decent scraps as ever through the rest of the pack Best Commentator/Presenter : Ted Kravitz. Doesn't always get the praise he deserves for his pitlane work
Best Driver: Jenson Button (but was it enough to save his career?) Worst Driver: Kobayashi was dreadfully slow sadly. Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson, Remarkably. Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: Ferrari Best Overtake: Magnussen unlapping himself on Ricciardo Funniest-moment: - Most Surprising Result: Button nearly getting a podium Least Surprising Result: McLaren ruining Jensons chances of getting a podium. Special Mention to: Jules Bianchi Race Rating: 7/10 - racing was OK if you ignore everything else that happened. Best Commentator/Presenter: None of them were great.
Best Driver: Hamilton, Button Worst Driver: Kimi, Kobay Best Rookie: Ericsson - that's twice now, for me! Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: Ferrari Best Overtake: Lewis on Rosberg Funniest-moment: I watched the re-run with its grim intro by Suzi Perry re. Bianchi's accident. Nothing was going to be funny after that. Most Surprising Result: Er... Least Surprising Result: Merc one-two Special Mention to: Vettel, Hulk, Vergne and, of course, all best wishes to Bianchi Race Rating: 6/10 Best Commentator/Presenter: Suzi Perry scared the s**t out of me.
Best Driver: Button edges it just over Lewis,but purely based on the cars they were driving Worst Driver: Kimi Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): None Best Team: Merc Worst Team: Ferrari Best Overtake: Riccardo on The Williams through the essess, plus the Riccardo a button battle Funniest-moment: Not appropriate Most Surprising Result: Button almost getting a podium Least Surprising Result: Merc 1-2 Special Mention to: Both Red Bulls Race Rating: 4/10 Best Commentator/Presenter
[1] Each to their own. But⦠Although Vettel certainly upped his game overall, I do not agree he was 'Best Driver'. He made a great overtake on Massa but also drove off the circuit through the esses. I put this down to a probable lack of concentration, since either his speed was excessive on approach to the left hander, or he simply turned in too late! I saw no evidence of aquaplaning or significant tyre-slip which might otherwise account for such a bizarre 'off'. [2] I absolutely agree about Ted Kravitz. Absolutely. He and Tom Clarkson are amongst the best in their respective teams. My nominations in next post
Best Driver: Hamilton, came back from a crash just before qualifying. and manhandled Rosberg with same car and same setup. Worst Driver: Kimi... Should do more with the car. Alonso would have done more. Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson Best Team: Mercedes Worst Team: The Japanese racing officials. They should have given permission to start the race earlier and it seems the JCB got stuck trying to remove Sutil's car after he crashed. That is what might have made Bianchi's crash much more serious than it should have been as he crashed into the JCB instead of the tyres. [/B] Best Overtake: Hamilton on Rosberg for the lead with special mention to Ricciardo and Vettel on the Williams. Also the retake of Riccardo by Button...first time I have seen him so ballsy. Funniest-moment: Mercedes asking Rosberg if he was managing the race pace and Rosberg replied..NO I AM FLAT OUT! Most Surprising Result: The JCB took that long to remove Sutil's car. Least Surprising Result: Hamilton winning and Rosberg second. Special Mention to: Jenson Button, drove sensibly, made intelligent pit stops, his race pace was quite good and he deserved a podium. Race Rating: 8/10 Best Commentator/Presenter: Well the ones I was listening to didn't even know that there was a second car that crashed. Anyway one pointed out that the JCB seemed to be stuck while trying to remove Sutil's car.
Best Driver: Hamilton. Worst Driver: Best Rookie: Ericsson. Best Team: Mercedes. Worst Team: Ferrari. Best Overtake: Two: Vettel v Massa was very skilful. But I've chosen Hamilton v Rosberg for two reasons: 1/ â its significance for the race itself as well as its implications for the Drivers' Championship. 2/ â it was well into serious 'Cojones grandes" territory⦠Funniest-moment: Most Surprising Result: It is with great sadness that I feel compelled to choose the late deployment of second Safety Car. Although Bianchi arrived at Dunlop Curve soon after Sutil, crashes into a crash-sites should never occur if there is any reasonable interval between them⦠Least Surprising Result: Two: Button's progress through the field in changing conditions. Hamilton completely out-racing Rosberg. Special Mention to: Jules Bianchi and all those affected by his horrific incident. More words are difficult as well as inadequate. Race Rating: /10 Best Commentator/Presenter: Although in Japan I heard neither, I'll take ASC's lead: Ted Kravitz and Tom Clarkson deserve credit, in general.
Best Driver: Button and Vettel Worst Driver: Kobayashi/Raikkonen Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson Best Team: RBR Worst Team: Lotus and Ferrari Best Overtake: Ricciardo on a Williams through the S's? Funniest-moment: - Most Surprising Result: Ericsson and Vettel rejuvenation. Least Surprising Result: Mercedes win. Special Mention to: Top 10, FI for coming back through the race. Race Rating: 2/10 Best Commentator/Presenter: Tom Clarkson
Best Driver: Button (took a slow McLaren to third at one point just through cleverness and reading conditions, was on the pace of the leaders). Worst Driver: Kobayashi (shown the way all weekend by Ericsson and the Marussia's) Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson (i can't believe i'm saying this, he has been awful......AWFUL all year up until Singapore, backed that up with arguably an even more impressive drive!) Best Team: Mercedes (their dry pace was scary) Worst Team: Ferrari (just nowhere all weekend, Alonso retired due to rain water in the electrics, Kimi well down on power on an ancient power unit. Best Overtake: Ricciardo on Massa. Funniest-moment: Most Surprising Result: Ericsson owning Kobayashi pretty much all weekend. Least Surprising Result: Mercedes dominance. Special Mention to: Bianchi (get well soon) and Sutil (don't think enough is getting made of him being there, that was tough) Race Rating: 6/10 (for the racing and skills shown in bad conditions) Best Commentator/Presenter: Brundle. Not sure how anybody else can get that "award", he was superb and once again more or less predicted an accident not long before it happened. Was also the first to realise the possibility that there was another car involved in the incident and was clearly finding it very hard to continue once stuff was clearer.
Best Driver: Button, everyone else drove off the track at some point Worst Driver: Kimi and Kobay Best Rookie (Magnussen, Kvyat, Ericsson): Ericsson, surprisinglyu considering his pre-race off Best Team: Merc Worst Team: Ferrari, nil point Best Overtake: Ricciardo around the esses Funniest-moment: Most Surprising Result: erm Least Surprising Result: Mercs domination Special Mention to: Vettel and Hamilton, both had great drives, but both came off the track, although Hamilton got lucky. Race Rating: 9/10 Best Commentator/Presenter
