Mid-Season Driver Rankings.

So as we've entered a long break with no fresh news to discuss, it feels like a good moment to reflect on the season so far in the traditional way, by having a massive argument over which driver is better.

So here is how i would rank all the drivers based on how well they've done this year. Anyone think differently?

1. Max Verstappen - It hasn't been faultless. He's crashed and he's pushed the rules too far sometimes in his defensive driving. These might make him a controversial choice for No.1, but ultimately he has almost single-handedly kept this season interesting. Doing better than anyone would have expected, providing a list of impressive overtaking moves and keeping pace with Daniel despite having much less time in the car.
2. Lewis Hamilton - The Lewis of the past would have collapsed after the start to the season he had (most not his fault) instead he's kept his head down and recovered the gap, by being better than his teammate. The only issue is that whilst he's been doing everything asked of him. Usually that's meant driving well within himself with a massive car advantage.
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Deserves to have won at least one race if not two. It'll be a concern that Verstappen has been beating him in races, but it's hard to find too many criticisms of Ricciardo. Will need to establish an edge over his new teammate in the second half of the season though.
4. Sergio Perez - Continues to impress in his Force India. Against a teammate who was once highly regarded he has established himself as the leading driver in the team and his drives in Monaco and Baku where incredible. Rumours are he is being considered for the Renault works effort, which is probably a better long term solution than waiting for Ferrari forever.
5. Fernando Alonso - Has a narrow edge over Button and remains a man with incredible racecraft. Drags that McLaren around on the ragged edge and has three top 7 finishes in it as a reward.
6. Sebastian Vettel - Still driving very well most weekends. But not as well as in 2015 and there some cracks in his relationship with Ferrari already. Is he losing faith that they can catch Mercedes?
7. Jenson Button - He's hot on the heels of Fernando Alonso, a man i still consider a strong contender to be the best driver of his generation. What more can you really ask of Jenson in this car? It'll be a shame if he loses his seat whilst still performing so well. Especially just as McLaren start to show real improvement.
8. Nico Rosberg - A low ranking you could argue for the guy who started the season with 4 straight victories, but i haven't been overly impressed. He has the pace in qualy, but seems to be reliant on misfortune to beat Hamilton is races. As ever his racecraft is unispired.
9. Carlos Sainz Jr - Suffered some disappointment when Verstappen was promoted over him. Probably meaning it will be years before he could have another chance, but unlike Kvyat he's responded by picking up the pieces and consistenly showing his best and dragging his Toro Rosso into the points.
10. Kimi Raikkonen - It's still not the Kimi of old and he is still Vettel's number 2 (even if the points flatter due to Sebs DNF's) but it has been a marked improvement over the frankly embarrassing Kimi of 2014&15. He now looks again like a driver who belongs in that seat.
11. Romain Grosjean - The best driver of the first two races. Since then it hasn't been quite as incredible, but in a brand new team, he's leading them commendably.
12. Valterri Bottas - A decent if largely unremarkable job in a poor Williams. Canada the obvious highlight, but passed over again for a move up the grid. I think the only way from here might be down.
13. Pascal Wehrlein - A mixed bag for the Mercedes youngster. Some races have looked races have looked really very promising. Not least in Austria to score points in a Manor, but being outqualified 4 times by Rio Haryanto is not what Merc wanted to see from him i suspect.
    
14. Nico Hulkenberg - A solid job and he's a good points scorer, but his star has fallen. He's still without a podium in his career. Perez has had 4 in the time they've been teammates.
15. Kevin Magnussen - Started his season well and had a stellar drive to score Renaults only points in Russia, but as the pressure has mounted over his seat in 2017 he seems to have cracked a bit (Not unlike in 2014). Outpaced by Palmer in the last couple of races.
16. Felipe Massa - Lacks any real stand out moment. Comfortably behind Bottas. Retirement looms.
17. Esteban Gutierrez - Does anyone know why Ferrari is bothering to put him in the Haas? In fairness to him he is closer to Grosjean in pace than the 28-0 scoreline would suggest, but he just can't take the chances when they arise, whilst his teammate can.
18. Marcus Ericsson - Has been better than his teammate, but both Sauber drivers are there for money only. Monaco was particularly embarrassing.
19. Daniil Kvyat - A patchy start to the year with one podium, but also some daft crashes. Since his demotion he seems like broken man, barely even trying to save his career.
20. Jolyon Palmer - I doubted whether he belonged in F1 and he's done little to prove me wrong. Some green shoots in the last few races give hope that he may improve, but Renault seem to have decided to drop him for 2017 already.
21. Felipe Nasr - Not an impressive second season after a decent first. Seems to have lost his way and is now being easily beaten by Ericsson.
22. Rio Haryanto - His qualifying has been better than expected. His racing has been exactly what i expected and he's been rooted to last place all season.

 

1. Max Verstappen: Stepped up to the plate when he really needed to, often relied on to provide the entertainment for the grand prix, and clearly gave Ricciardo an electric shock in the early stages who himself has upped his game. God-given talent in this boy, however arrogant he is, no doubt he will be world champion one day.

2. Lewis Hamilton: Posters on here believe I knock Lewis more than I praise him, but as he strides to his fourth world championship it is hard to criticise him for his on track performance, he has done everything asked of him, and he has boldly overturned the points defecit . But I believe the the reasons stopping me from putting him at the top was; his dirty move to the stewards (regarding the Hungary incident) against his own teammate and behind the backs of all his team. That and the fact that I believe he is driving a car that has the greatest performance relative to the grid in recent times and the lack of competition offered by any other drivers.

3. Kimi Raikkonen: Born to race? For him to perform at his absolute best, everything around him as to be perfect. But when he is at his absolute best, I believe he still can be class of the field. 15 years after his debut, he is still putting in drives that mirror his former self. Spain and Hungary this year for example. Less mistakes and more confidence in himself after renewing his contract, fatter tyres and more downforce we could be seeing Mr. Raikkonen of the mid 00's go out with a hurrah next year.

4. Daniel Ricciardo: After the initial shock of Max's performances, Danny picked himself up and changed his game. He has done nothing to muddy his reputation this season, and the team has cocked up a couple of occasions. Like Julius said, he needs to cement himself as no.1 at Redbull or Max will stay there foreseeable future.

5. Sergio Perez: In a bloody Force India Sergio has two podiums to his name this season, it really has been the making of him. He was up for the Ferrari seat but it wasn't to be. I believe he deserved it. However Nico Hulkenberg seems to be getting more out of his car the past 3 races, so Sergio will need to really cement his status in the second half. Maybe Mclaren was just too soon for him.

6. Sebastian Vettel: Seems out of sorts this season, 2015 was probably more of a success story, whether it be the lack of performance from Margherita or Kimi's upturn in performance, we all hope the Vettel/Ferrari dream can be re-ignited, Ferrari fan or not.

7. Nico Rosberg: This definitely isn't the Nico Rosberg that started the season, it's just as if he has switched off. The only driver equipped to tackle Lewis seems like he just can't. We can argue his penalty in Germany was uncalled for, and the crash in Spain wasn't all his doing. But slow starts and the redbull resurgence has hindered him. Time to up his game or it's gone for the 3rd year running.

8. Carlos Sainz JR: Since Max left, it seems Carlos has been able to breathe in Toro Rosso, there was a hint at intra-team politics early on in the season. But he has silently been putting in the drives that will secure him a drive for next season. Spain for example.

9. Nico Hulkenberg: Outperformed by Sergio this season contrary to my own predictions, but he hasn't been driving poor either. Points finishes where he can, and very recently seems like the tide is turning in his favour, will be interesting.

10. Jenson Button: Was a hard decision but I believe Jenson should round out the top 10. Has been returning the fight to Fernando (like Kimi has surprised a few people) where he can and the exceptional 6th place finish in Austria cemented my belief that he still has it. Maybe for another year anyway.

11. Valtteri Bottas: Williams reliability has allowed him to finish in the points in most races, but it could be due to the FOM but I haven't seen anything outstanding from Bottas this season. Results yes, but nothing special.

12. Fernando Alonso: Intense battle with Jenson in Mclaren at the moment (which I believe Jenson has the edge at the moment), Germany was a very strong performance in the slowly improving Mclaren. Will be good to see if he hasn't lost any of his talent when the Mclaren nears the Force Indias and the back of the Ferraris which is inevitable.

13. Romain Grosjean: Brilliant start of the season, hit the ground running but it all fell away due to Haas lack of development. We hear a lot of problems from Romain on the radio, but not a lot of positive feedback, signs of frustrated or just the way we hear it? A fine driver compared to where he was a few years ago that's for sure.

14. Esteban Gutierrez: 11 is a number synonymous with him now. But I ranked him 14th, just shy of where his teammate is in terms of his drives/race pace. Some reliability issues early on which weren't his fault obviously. But can be too aggressive even when blue flags are shown, needs to finesse his style.

15. Felipe Massa: What has happened to him lately? Has he been told he is out of a seat?. Recently seen swapping helmets (ahem) with Ricciardo and Perez on Instagram. Which to me means one thing. Could be a lack of passion and enthusiasm, he certainly is capable of much more as we saw at the start of the season some very high finishes seem like a world away now. Is this the swansong of Felipe Massa's career.

16. Pascal Wehrlein: His drives have been masked by the ****tiness of his car, but the Mercedes student has been nothing short of exceptional in his debut season. Some very experienced looking drives and nobody can forget his point finish in Austria, a track he knows like the back of hand. I hope to see him in a top car and soon. Along with Stoffel and Kevin below.

17. Stoffel Vandoorne: No points? No problem. Bahrain was a sublime performance from the calm Mclaren student. And I just can't wait to see what he can do when that Mclaren improves. Another Mika Hakkinen?

18. Kevin Magnussen: After being shunned from Mclaren and a year out, he hasn't lost any of his aggression and pace. But still prone to silly errors/penalties like missing the weigh-in, pitlane speeding etc. Good drive in Russia. Renault should be a fighting force again next year, I hope to see him get the occasional win in it.

19. Rio Haryanto: Pay driver or not, Rio comes with a decent CV. Often outpaced and raced by Pascal, but he hasn't been blown out of the water either. His seat is under-fire at the moment. Lets see what happens.

20. Marcus Ericsson: I think he has had the better of Nasr this season, nothing amazing from his side of the garage but whether it is due to his contractual negotations/ buying a stake in Sauber etc. I don't know. Sad to see Sauber this way, they were once fighting for wins with BMW... can you believe that.

21. Felipe Nasr: Often finishes last, but not where he deserves to be. In 2015 he started the season really strong. Nothing of that here, Sauber have clearly abandoned this season and I expect Marcus to out-drive him even more.

22. Daniil Kvyat: Similar to the Felipe Massa story, very sad to see a Formula 1 driver this way (Sebastian Bourdais was the last emotionally wrecked driver I can remember). But lets be honest, Max is doing a much better job there, and in Toro Rosso Carlos has full control of proceedings. As Daniel Ricciardo said, it is a cut throat business and he will have to find himself, somehow. He is a champion and a podium sitter, maybe we didn't get to see what he could truly do this season.

23. Jolyon Palmer: The GP2 champion has just not seen the light of day yet in terms of his drives. Australia was probably his best drive. Other than that, he has no reason to be on the grid at the moment.

*** Worth pointing out the lack of collisions between drivers this season, a good awareness of cars around them on the grid, a sign of maturity and only helps with improving F1's poor reputation at the moment***

 

That's a glowing review of the field as a whole EMSC. Generally positive comments on the drivers all the way down to 18th in your list!

 

N/A - Vandoorne: You can't fairly rate a driver on one race but Bahrain was a fairytale performance and he will probably be grateful for not being in the McLaren this year (Mag ?). I would stay away from the Manor drive this year, everything to lose.

1. Daniel Ricciardo: Should have 2 wins all things considered, massive quali advantage over both team mates and has slowly established himself as the main contender outside the Merc. If this guy doesn't win a WDC it would be a crime.

2. Lewis Hamilton: like EMSC some on here may perceive me as anti Lewis, but as he seems set to achieve his fourth world championship unchallenged again in arguably the most dominant car we've seen, it seems hard not to put him at the top. Criticise him some may do , his on track performance are generally hard to fault - although still prone to the usual gaff - he has done everything asked of him. I thinks it's fair to say diplomacy will never be high on Lewis's priority list. Ironically, if the last couple of races had been different he would have been much further down the list.

3. Max Verstappen: I still think he has alot to learn and like Lewis can and will overstep the mark - but maybe this is what makes them championship material! A successful transfer to the big boys was never going to be easy, but easy he has made it look. Probably didn't realise how good Riccardo is, but the fact that I have him at No1 probably speaks more for Max. When the honeymoon period ends, we will see if he is the real deal. Let's not forget, he is in the best chassis.

4. Carlos Sainz JR: Kept Max very honest and was probably at a political disadvantage, comprehensively put Kvyat in his place in a car which is now seiously lacking development. Probably needs to get out of the RB stable if he is not to end up an all so round going season by season.

5. Kimi Raikkonen & Nico Rosberg: It may seem strange to put these two guys together, but their seasons have been very similar with their Jekyll & Hyde performances. They have both had excellent results and performances which make you question why they bother, but they still keep their highly esteemed team mates honest.

7. Sergio Perez: Two podiums to his name this season and showing Nico Hulkenberg the way, although the last few races may be showing the tide turning. Missing out on that big move, seems set to end his WDC dream - however long it was?

8. Sebastian Vettel: Issues with him or the team? Don't know, don't care - he was our only hope this season. Blighted by realibiity, poor strategy and a car lacking in performance, is this all a 4 x WDC is capable of?

9. Jenson Button: Returned the fight to Fernando, or is Alonso just treading water? Either way there is life in the old dog yet. I'd love to see him have had one more year in the Merc with Lewis or the Ferrari with Seb.

10. Fernando Alonso: Intense battle with Jenson in Mclaren, but he's either on fire or dis interested.

11. Nico Hulkenberg: Outperformed by Sergio and Points finishes where he can, and very recently a shift in momentum. This position may reverse with his team mate by the end of the season.

12. Pascal Wehrlein: Crap car, top waft! Beat his teammate, get a point or two and learn from the experience. Doing what it says on the tin. Will get another year, but with the Merc seats locked down, who knows?

13. Valtteri Bottas: Williams reliability and engine flattering how bad this team is doing.

14. Romain Grosjean: Brilliant start to the season, but starting to fizzle out and being kept honest by an inept team mate.

15. Felipe Massa: Is it team, car or driver? Not the way to end your F1 career.

16. Rio Haryanto: Not blown out of the water by the Merc prospect. Done a decent job with so little experience, but this is as far as he probably goes.

17. Esteban Gutierrez: Driving for his career and it's noticeable. Better results as of Late, but driving ability and blue flag issues - questions are still there.

18. Kevin Magnussen: Good drives, stupid mistakes - horrendous car. Beating (just) a team mate who isn't F1 quality doesn't bode well. Will probably be out if a drive next year, depending on what Renaults plans are.

19. Marcus Ericsson & Felipe Nsar: nothing amazing from either side of the garage but Sad to see Sauber this way.

21. Daniil Kvyat: Sad state of affairs, and whilst he has had some cluster ****ups he hasn't warranted the treatment received. Probably affected by the Verstappen politics more than his ability, but he's done nothing but crack under the pressure.

22. Jolyon Palmer: The GP2 champion (bought over 4 years) has just not shown any reason to be more than a reserve driver.

 

1. Daniel Ricciardo. This seasons nearly man. Has only really made the occasional small error, the team has cost him a couple of wins, couldn't realistically have done more over the piece. Consistently one of the top 3 performers every single week.
2. Lewis Hamilton. His season should have been derailed by technical issues but he has bounced back brilliantly. Yes he is in the best car but he has had to work hard.
3. Max Verstappen. Clearly a brilliant young driver, took the headline win on his Red Bull debut in Spain but lucked into it a little. Has certainly pushed Ricciardo hard. His behaviour on track is questionable as is his general attitude, has got away with it until now.
4. Sergio Perez. Consistently good, very good or excellent. Perhaps lacks absolute star potential but very few do have that. As good as there is in the best of the rest and a potential champion in a top car.
5. Nico Rosberg. A hard one to judge. He has done well enough overall but when all has been equal, has been comprehensively shown the way by Hamilton. Only circumstance and a great car has saved him. Given the car he's in, most the field could have done a similar job.
6. Kimi Raikkonen. Too much is made of the issues Vettel has had as to why Raikkonen has ran him so close. Raikkonen has also had issues. Yes it's fair to say Vettel has an extra tenth or so in general but overall Raikkonen has driven well this season. Has had a few races where he has gone missing and like Rosberg, it's hard not to think Perez, Sainz, Wehrlein, Hulkenberg or Grosjean couldn't have done similar in his car, but there's just flashes of the old Kimi in there every so often. Not a top line driver any more but proving more regularly he can keep the top line honest and mix it among them when things fall into place.
7. Carlos Sainz JR. Kept Verstappen honest and has schooled Kvyat. Has he ever really had an absolute shocker? consistently solid. Perhaps not proven to have that absolute star potential but like Perez, give him a top car and his consistency would always make him a threat for a title....
8. Fernando Alonso. Still absolute class. Would rank higher but has races where you feel frustration just makes him switch off. Give him something to get his teeth into and he always shines. Still a top level driver.
9. Pascal Wehrlein. Occasionally stunning. Hasn't been perfect but overall has delivered more than he should have when the chance has arrived. Perhaps ran a little too close by Haryanto in Qualifying to rank higher, but would be unfair to say it diminishes what he has shown in races.
10. Nico Hulkenberg. Hasn't quite shone the way Perez has but has consistently found a way to get good points. Needs something extra than he currently has but is a midfield teams dream. Gets on with it, does an efficient job, gets you solid results.
11. Sebastien Vettel. Has shown frustration. Has the pace clearly but is overdriving the car most weekends. Is getting involved in too many niggly things a driver of his class should avoid. Reminds me of Hamilton when McLaren cars weren't so good. You can see the pace but know there's an incident around the corner borne out of desperation to outperform the car.
12. Jenson Button. Perhaps harsh, has been very decent and very occasionally pulls out something superb, but always seems to happen when Alonso is out the game for some reason (normally mechanical) so hard to judge whether Jenson has delivered brilliance or Alonso could have topped it. When chances come up though it's normally Alonso there to take them. Still a fabulous racing driver worthy of a far better car.
13. Romain Grosjean. A brilliant first few races, as fast as anybody outside of the top 3 or 4 drivers but lacks the temperament.
14. Valterri Bottas. The Williams has slipped back but Bottas is rarely there in races to pinch an impressive result the way others are. He hasn't been bad but you can't help but feel he has been overrated, overhyped and probably isn't even a top 10 driver.
15. Kevin Magnussen. Patchy but in a dog of a car. Has produced some fine opportunistic results and shown Palmer to not be near his level too often.
16. Esteban Gutierrez. Was very critical of him at Sauber, felt he hadn't shown anything to warrant a drive in F1 then, and now, i still don't feel he shows anything. Lucky to get a second chance and whilst he hasn't exactly been shown up, hasn't really produced much of note either. Lucky he has financial backing.
17. Marcus Ericsson. The Sauber is awful. He has done okay overall and pulled it into places it probably shouldn't really have been at now and then.
18. Daniil Kvyat. Got ruined by his demotion. Has steadied the ship somewhat but is on a fast track out of F1 unless he picks up in a big way. A shame, i truly believe he has potential but the pressure affected him.
19. Felipe Massa. Has been poor. The very definition of a driver past his sell by date. Has honestly done nothing and managed to find himself in all sorts of weird and not so wonderful battles with cars he should be well ahead of,
20. Felipe Nasr. Erratic. Has pace but is prone to just being awful. How much is the car and how much is him is to be debated but has been so far off Ericssons pace at some races it has been embarrassing.
21. Rio Haryanto. Certainly Kept Wehrlein honest in Qualy, been comfortably beaten but not disgraced in races. Is Wehrlein brilliant or was Haryanto just not as bad as people suggested? Probably didn't deserve to be dropped the way he was but that's the life of a driver who pays for his seat, no money = no seat.
22. Jolyon Palmer. Simply doesn't belong in F1. A poor attempt at an Impression of Button. Seems to readily accept he's not the fastest but tries to be smooth and consistent...except he's neither. Lacks the class and composure to make and take chances (much like Gutierrez). No surprise Renault are looking elsewhere.