Top ten time, to read the full list click here for the first part of my run down list drivers 28 to 11. Looking at the list, I’m even surprised with whom I’ve been left with, but I’m basing their positions on how they have dealt with their situations through the year.
10. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 26pts; Best Result (BR): 7th x2 – So I’ve learnt recently, Alguersuari could have lost his seat half way through the year but his eighth in Valencia activated a performance clause in his contract that enabled him to stay. Good thing too because he’s been awesome in the second half often maximising his strategy to pull himself up from a low grid position into the points, the Italian race a fine demonstration of this; 18th to 7th. Should definitely be on the grid next year, he’s on an upward curve.
9. Paul di Resta (Force India) 27pts; BR: 6th – By far the best rookie of the year, particularly at the start of the year he was destroying his team mate Adrian Sutil. He was fast, calm and assured; the most impressive rookie since Lewis Hamilton. His drives in Hungary and Singapore were brilliant and his qualifying in Britain to take 6th inspired. It faded a bit towards the end of the year, but he’ll be back stronger next year and looks like he’s kept his seat ahead of Sutil.
8. Adrian Sutil (Force India) 42pts; BR: 6th x2 – Ok, this one is probably slightly against the grain. Everyone has lauded how wonderful di Resta is, and quite right too, but they seem to have forgotten that Sutil actually had a very fine year indeed. Yes, he seemed a bit overwhelmed to begin with, but it was good the way he refocused and quickly got back on track; out-performing him during the second half of the year. It may surprise you to know he actually out qualified di Resta 10-9 and out raced him 10-6, and to further that out pointed him 42-27. All in all Sutil has driven some great races, not least the last one in Brazil to finish up 6th.
7. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 76pts; BR: 4th – There was a question mark where Schumacher should go. He’s been soundly thrashed in qualifying by his team mate, taken quite the liking to a spot of crashing into people, yet after all that he’s actually had quite a good year. His race pace has been mostly brilliant; he’s certainly lost none of his metronomic consistency. His attacking and defensive skills are always border line but no one can push things to the edge like him. His drives in Canada, Belgium and Italy were high quality. If he can find his qualifying pace next year and keep out of trouble Nico Rosberg will be under considerable threat.
6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 89pts; BR: 5th x2 – Rosberg had to go ahead of his team mate for the main reason he out qualified and outscored him. He can’t really do much more against a seven times world champion. His quali pace particularly has been brilliant putting the Mercedes higher than it should have been and only once this year has he been outside the top 10. However, I still can’t help but feel he’s been a little bit disappointing, because far more often than not he slips down during the race. Yes he may well have out-performed the car on the Saturday’s but when your team mate is generally quicker in the race and moving forward it makes you wonder if he could be doing that little bit better. Having said that, it was still a good consistent year.
5. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 258pts; BR: 1 win – Why Mark Webber is in the top five I’m not entirely sure. It’s not like he’s actually had that bad of a year; he’s won a race, had a further eight podiums and three pole positions. It’s not that bad, but after the battling performance of last year where he so nearly won the title against his team mate, he has been given a monumental beating. He’s only finished ahead of him twice in the entire year, nowhere near enough for a driver of his calibre. His failure to get to grips with the Pirelli tyres has held him back and his starts have been appalling, leaving him wasting an opportunity with the best car in the field.
Yet he’s still shown just what a racer he can be. Some of his passes, against Alonso in Belgium in particular were absolutely breath taking. On his day he can still produce the form he had last year, his charge through to third from the back in China was a great result. The last few races he’s looked sharper, hopefully that’ll give him the impetus into next year.
4. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 227pts; BR: 3 wins – Well he messed up this year didn’t he? But I’m still going to rate him at number 4, because quite frankly he’s not just lost all his talent, and some of his drives have been phenomenal. First the bad stuff; beaten over the year by Jenson Button, too many accidents with other people, too much letting outside problems get the better of him and effect his head. Some of the incidents with Massa particularly didn’t feel malicious or overly aggressive, more just clumsy, someone with his mind not on the job at hand.
But then you had drives like China, Germany and Abu Dhabi. Fantastic wins all of them; his defence of second in Korea equalled them all. And let’s not forget he’s one of the quickest guys out there and still an amazing over taker, he also generally out qualifies Button but this year has lapsed in the race. There were signs towards the end of this season he was getting his head straight, and I think he will be a truly formidable opponent in 2012.
3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 257pts; 1 win – He’s done what he always does, maximises the opportunities in any given circumstance. The Ferrari has not been a good car this year, very often it is the third fastest out there. It’s qualifying pace is poor, although it goes much better in the race it still can’t handle the harder tyre compounds.
Yet Alonso has still managed ten podiums including one win at Silverstone. His drive in Monaco was outstanding as he hunted down Vettel, he may well have won if the race hadn’t been stopped. He’s almost humiliated his team-mate, Massa hasn’t been able to get close. Out-performed the car by a long way, there’s not much more he could have done.
2. Jenson Button (McLaren) 270 pts; 3 wins – No one beats Lewis Hamilton over a year without being very good indeed. In many ways he could be driver of the year; he’s the only one to consistently challenge Vettel and actually give him a race. He’s had absolute genius performances in Canada and Hungary, but it’s actually his result in Japan that impressed me most. He went toe to toe with Vettel and won, it was a great drive.
His consistency and his understanding of the Pirelli tyres certainly contributed to his year, often being able to hunt people down in the later stages of the race such as in Brazil recently or in Monaco when he was catching both Alonso and Vettel. If McLaren can get their car ready from the start next year, Button will be up there again.
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 392pts; 11 wins – Eleven wins, six other podium positions, fifteen pole positions. Those are the statistics, and they made him a double world champion. But don’t think it’s just because he was in the best car, that helped of course, but often in the races the Red Bull advantage disappeared and he had to work for it.
His defensive driving on worn tyres in Spain and Monaco was superb and his fight and will to win was in evidence when he put two wheels on the grass in Italy around the outside of turn 3 to pass Alonso for the lead; an amazing move. His nursing of the car in Brazil while suffering a gearbox problem yet still finishing second was equally impressive.
He’s almost been perfect, the only person to have bested Button with the use of the Pirelli’s. He seemed to be the sole driver to find the grip at the start of races, often creating his gap in the early laps and then controlling that for the rest of the race while saving the car, albeit putting in the odd cheeky fastest lap attempt towards the end of the race.
He’s been fast, consistent, calm under pressure, obliterated his team mate, in short not one driver could have done a better job this year; a fantastic season and a great champion.
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