We have discussed the top tier of drivers in a recent thread. But Autosport etc like to bring out their top 100, so why not make our own lists for the current F1 drivers? The order can be reversed to increase the suspense.

Of course it's not so easy to choose who is best or worst. But otherwise there would be no amusement in preparing and debating the lists!

(Of course, some may point to the WDC as the obvious relative standings - probably not Alonso or Kubica fans though!)

Please make your own list and discuss.




My list:

20 Kobayashi
19 Alguersauri
18 Kovalainen
17 Beumi
16 Nakajima
15 Liuzzi
14 Grosjean
13 Sutil
12 Fisichella
11 Barrichello
10 Button
9 Heidfeld
8 Trulli
7 Rosberg
6 Webber
5 Raikkonen
4 Alonso
3 Vettel
2 Kubica
1 Hamilton

20 - Romain Grosjean - groomed for a race seat, but has so far failed to do anything beyond consistently disappoint. It's possible he's been hurt by a lack of testing, but unlike other debutans - read: Alguersuari - he hasn't improved in any particular area since his debut.
19 - Heikki Kovalainen - peaked way too soon. He should be on the up and up, but ever since he arrived at McLaren, he's been made to look silly by Hamilton. He has the occasional moments of brilliance, like his pass on Fisichella in Japan, but he's simply lacking in speed.
18 - Sebastien Buemi - he had some early-season form, but in hindsight, that seems to have been a by-product of the traditional pre-season uncertainty when everyone is still learning what the opposition can do. Qualifying in Japan was an embarrasment.
17 - Nick Heidfeld - probably my least-favourite driver on the grid and certainly the most over-rated. Finishing ahead of your team mate is all well and good, but Heidfeld simply cannot convert points finishes to outright wins.
16 - Kazuki Nakajima - in two years, the only thing Nakajima has proven is that a famous (or, in his case, semi-famous) name is no subsitute for outright speed. He's not much more than a test driver who has found himself with a race seat.
15 - Jaime Alguersuari - while his race pace is comparable to Buemi and he's still making mistakes, Alguersuari has had amuch more consistent qualifying run, getting better as he goes. Buemi, on the other hand, was all over the place.
14 - Giancarlo Fisichella - another driver I think is over-rated. While he did miracles at Spa, his career was on the downturn until he was picked to fill in the second Renault drive. A minor renaissance period followed, but he's been on the downturn ever since.
13 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - never really impressed me. He was better than Scott Speed at Toro Rosso, but this is Scott Speed we're talking about. He might be higher if the Force India was decent on all circuits instead of good on just some of them.
12 - Adrian Sutil - a bit like Takuma Sato for me; I never understood the love for him, if there is any to be had. This is his third season in the sport, but he's still making rookie mistakes. He migh have a chance to shine at team like McLaren, but I haven't seen anything to suggest he's worthy.
11 - Jarno Trulli - like Fisichella, Trulli is somebody past his prime. He's curiously quick in practice, quick in qualifying and then slow in the race. I hope he retires gracefully instead of degenerating to running for a backmarker team.
10 - Timo Glock - saved from obscurity after his disappointing 2004, he's the sort of driver who can challenge for the occasional Grand Prix victory, but won't be a World Championship contender. Think Jenson Button in the BAR years.
9 - Kimi Raikkonen - the only reason the Finn is down here is his lack of personality, and because tere isn't reall anywhere else to put him. I can't say for certain one way or the other whether Alonso is a better choice, but I do think pople have been too hard on him this season.
8 - Mark Webber - not a bad driver by any means, but like Raikkonen, he gets eighth because there isn't really anywhere else to put him. My sentiments towards him have soured owing to the overly-patriotic treatment given to him by out idiot commentators (think James Allen on the subject of Hamilton, but ten times worse).
7 - Rubens Barrichello - he migh be the most expeirenced driver in the field and deserving of three hundred starts, but Jenson Button utterly blew him away in the first half of the season. He's had a resurgence and seems to be able to get more out of the car now, but I don't think he can snatch the title from his team-mate.
6 - Nico Rosberg - unlike Glock, Rosberg has the ability to win races - and maybe even championships - but in order to do that, he's going to need a good car under him. If he goes to Brawn, it's going to be an interesting phase of his career.
5 - Robert Kubica - has proven that he can retain a hold on a championship even when his main rivals are the ones winning. Unfortunately seems to lose his nerve with a bad car, so hopefully Renault can deliver.
4 - Lewis Hamilton - my respect for Hamilton has grown this year. I was always against him because he's always had it good and I think a bad car is a good sign of a driver's maturity. He's had it rough in the first half of the season, but has stepped up ad led the team forward, even if he still makes the occasion mistake.
3 - Fernando Alonso - while I do think Alonso is over-rated, it's not by much. Like Hamilton, he has matured, and I no longer seem him as the spoiled prima donna he appeared to be. He has risen to the occasion with a bad car, but I don't think he's light years ahead of Raikkonen.
2 - Jenson Button - it would be easy to put my favourite driver as number one, but no. 2009 has finally given Button what he deserved in 2005: a car that he could demonstrate his full potential with. He's no longer in the best car on the grid, but that will just make his championship all the more sweeter.
1 - Sebastian Vettel - THE superstar of the future, and a bright future it is. Gone is the notion that Formula One drivers have no personality; Vettel bursts with more than half of of the grid has combined. He's quick, he's friendly, and he's funny. The anti-Raikkonen.

Wow. I guess you are only as good as your last race.

The absolute, objective, no arquing about it truth.

20 Alguersuari
19 Kobayashi
18 Liuzzi
17 Buemi
16 Grosjean
15 Nakajima
14 Sutil
13 Fisichella
12 Trulli
11 Webber
10 Barrichello
9 Heidfeld
8 Kovalainen
7 Alonso
6 Button
5 Kubica
4 Rosberg
3 Vettel
2 Hamilton
1 Raikkonen

N/A Kobayashi (can't rate him as haven't seen him yet)
19 Nakajima
18 Grosjean
17 Beumi
16 Alguersauri
15 Kovalainen
14 Liuzzi
13 Sutil
12 Fisichella
11 Trulli
10 Heidfeld
9 Rosberg
8 Barrichello
7 Webber
6 Button
5 Raikkonen
4 Kubica
3 Vettel
2 Hamilton
1 Alonso

Can't vote, left my hat home..

20-6 The rest

=4Kubica
=4 Vettel
=1 Alonso
=1 Hamilton
=1 Raikkonen

I think!

Somehow I'm guessing this thread is going to spark some serious debating, and F1 fans as stubborn on their opinions as they are, can at the end only conclude that "opinions are like assholes, everybodies got one"..

20 Kobayashi
19 Grosjean
18 Alguersauri
17 Fisichella
16 Kovalainen
15 Trulli
14 Nakajima
13 Liuzzi
12 Beumi
11 Kubica
10 Sutil
9 Rosberg
8 Webber
7 Heidfeld
6 Alonso
5 Vettel
4 Barrichello
3 Button
2 Raikkonen
1 Hamilton

i was enjoying everyone's opinions with NO bashing for a change. then i get to this...
dude, if the topic bothers you, just move on to another forum. no need to be a twit about it.

Wicked, lol...

I'm a Hamilton fan, but where is Massa? If people apllied even a modicum of logic, Massa must at the very least, be on par with Raikkonen?

ya i think Massa should be included as well.
where he goes on the list, is entirely up to the poster.

Sutil, Buemi, Liuzzi, Nakajima are better than Trulli and Fisichella? Since when? These fanmade rankings always amused me.

lets try this approach:
In my opinion, Sutil, Buemi, Liuzzi, Nakajima are not better than Trulli and Fisichella. Then feel free to elaborate...or not.
No need to start a fire when it's not necessary-(These fanmade rankings always amused me)


...just relax people .....

Massa is not a current driver.

19 Nakajima
18 Grosjean
17 Alguersauri
16 Beumi
15 Liuzzi
14 Sutil
13 Fisichella
12 Trulli
11 Kovalainen
10 Rosberg
3 Heidfeld
3 Barrichello
3 Webber
2 Button
1 Hamilton
1 Vettel
1 Kubica
1 Raikkonen
1 Alonso

I think so yes

These threads are always a great way to weed out the intelligent F1 fans from the absolutely clueless ones. So far its a big F, as expected. My personal highlight so far is duck of death ranking rubens and button ahead of Alonso. Im sure it will get better.

1 Vettel
2 Kubica
3 Hamilton
4 Sutil
5 Massa
6 Raikkonen
7 Alonso
8 Rosberg

I honestly believe there's not a lot separating these guys: in equal machinery they should be a match for one another.The rankings are for kicks,I think.

7 Webber
8 Button
9 Heidfeld
10 Trulli

Based on what? I'm not saying the current italian crop has set this world on fire, but can Nakajima, Buemi, Sutil etc. pull out such results like Spa 2009, or Monaco 2004? They have been nowhere all year. Sutil has been beaten by Fisi, Liuzzi has been beaten by Sutil, Nakajima is doing a Zanardi @ Williams against Rosberg.

Also, how on earth can you put Button and Rubens ahead of Alonso? Because of their current cars?

Something like this is acceptable for me:

First tier: Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Vettel, Kubica
Second tier: Button, Barrichello, Trulli, Glock, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Fisichella, Kovalainen
Third tier: Sutil, Buemi, Piquet Jr.
Fourth tier: Nakajima, Bourdais, Alguersuari, Grojean, Badoer

I tried to look a bit longer than just the last few races for these guys. Kubica is probably better than Webber, and Rosberg than Heidfeld, Barrichello, Trulli but it's a bit too early to tell IMO.

12 Rosberg
11 Heidfeld
10 Barrichello
9 Trulli
8 Massa
7 Button
6 Kubica
5 Webber
4 Vettel
3 Raikkonen
2 Hamilton
1 Alonso

Same old thread is going in circles every week or two

If you could magic up a situation where everyone was on the form of their life, in equal machinery I think Trulli would be the pick of the bunch.

me thinks too...

I dont believe in these conventional rankings as there is no discernible difference between most of the drivers on the grid. On different days and tracks they all beat each other regularily and are evenly matched in speed and on average no better than each other. Rankings are just to create some talking points and sell magazines.

I believe in levels or tiers though and I think they are much more accurate ranking system.

Tier 1 - Alonso, Hamilton.

Tier 2 - The rest.

Tier 3- Nakajima

It's all subjective though - look at your list.

Heidfeld has thorghly out performed Kubica this year,
Kovalainen has been very poor,
Buttons fist half of the season was exelmpary and he's made far less mistakes than Vettel,
Massa was out performing Raikkonen up until his accident,

Heidfeld never outperformed Kubica. When the car is shite, Heidfeld's consistency makes him look better, but when the car is great, Kubica is the one who can fight for regular podiums, not Nick.

Kovalainen has been poor, and has been ranked below Hamilton. He is still miles better than a couple of drivers on the grid, mostly the ones who achieved nothing so far.

Button first half was great, but the second half is miserable at best.

Tier 5.
22. Nelson Piquet Jr (More crashes than "crash verstapen" - crashgate or not, the worst F1 driver I have seen in ages!)
21. Badoer (Tough on him as he was thrown in at the deep end - but F1 is tough)

Tier 4.
20. Algesuari (Time to improve - but can only judge on current performance)
19. Grosjean (Time to improve - but can only judge on current performance)
18. Buemi
17. Nakajima
16. Sutil
15. Bourdais
14. Kovalainen
13. Fisichella

Tier 3.
12. Barrichello
11. Trulli
10. Heidfeld
9. Button
8. Webber
7. Rosberg

Tier 2.
6. Vettel
5. Raikonen
4. Kubica
3. Massa

Tier 1
2. Hamilton
1. Alonso

I'd say he top 3 Tiers all deserve their places in F1 ... the rest need to step up a gear.

I disagree, Heidfeld has had the better of Kubica most of this year. Last year (2008) Kubica had the upper hand, however relied on Heidfeld pulling over to secure his win. In 2007 once again Heidfeld was the substantially the better performer.

Okay so whats Alonso done thats been so special this year?
I think demotivated Alonso = lackluster performances, Im sure as soon as he gets a decent car next year he'll be back to his old self.

Hes maximised his car, and totally outclassed his team mates so under what logic do you claim he is demotivated and giving lackluster performances? You dont seem to be able to differentiate between different cars and that the renault has only been better than a force india on average this year. And we are not ranking the drivers on 2009 anyway, its overall judgement what counts.

You guys would make great team bosses. Nakajima better than Heidfeld.

I think you have it right. The way i see it there are 3 tiers of drivers in F1.
Tier 1 - The naturally gifted and polished
Tier 2 - The naturally gifted and unpolished
Tier 3 - The less naturally gifted but bloody hard workers

For me only Lewis and Alonso consistently demnostrate that they are Tier 1 material. Kimi is Tier 1 but below Alonso and on par with Lewis. Vettel shows the most talent but needs more experience, my belief is given some more miles in an F1 car he will be better than both Alonso and Lewis.

The rest are either Tier 2 or 3 with the exception of Kubica who i think is a great talent but is hard to assess properly due to this machinery.

1)
Vettel
Alonso
Hamilton

2)
Massa
Rosberg
Raikonnen
Kubica

3)
Heidfeld
Webber
Button
Sutil
Buemi

4)
Glock
Trulli
Barrichello
Fisico
Liuzzi
Kovalainen

5)
Grosjean
Nakayima
Alguersuari

1 – Alonso. Unless Ferrari do something stupid he will be WDC again next year. I don’t like the guy, but he is undeniably the best all round driver in the field today.

2 – Hamilton. More race victories, poles and points than any other driver in the last three seasons, there’s more to come from this guy.

3 – Raikkonen. Ok, I’m a kimi fanboy, he’s on par with massa I think, but he gets to go higher because I’m a bit gay for him

4 – Massa. So many of you have left him out of your lists… which is daft as he’s blindingly quick when it all comes together. Like Lewis he’s error prone, but he’s still got time for a WDC I think.

5 – Vettel. So many have rated him above the my top 4 guys… I don’t get it. He’s had a couple of really excellent GPs so far, but hasn’t really strung it all together. He is NOT the best driver in F1, but is a great hope for the future.

6 – Button. This season has shown Jensen to be unbeatable when everything is going perfectly. But as soon as there are minor problems he seems to crumble. Jense probably won’t get another shot at a WDC again.

7 – Kubica. I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Sure he’s quick, but he’s never really done anything with it. He’s been there or there abouts with Heidfeld for a few years, both of these guys are quick, but they are not WDC contenders… yet.

8 – Heidfeld, see above.

9 – Barrichello. See my comments on Jensen. He’s had a very good middle of the season, but like in the past he’s never really strung it all together for a season. A likeable and undoubtedly quick guy, but he’s in the sunset of his career and there are definitely better drivers out there now.

10 – Rosberg. Not had the equipment to really show himself fully yet. One of the up and coming fast guys for sure. I think in terms of pace he should be in my top 6, but I’m trying to base this more on what the drivers have achieved than just gut feeling!

11 – Glock. I like this guy. I think he’s better all round than his team mate, I hope he gets a better drive!

12 – Trulli. Fast over one lap, inconsistent over a race distance (that’s a polite way of saying ‘often very slow’!)

13 – Sutil. Similar to Fisi really. It’s hard to judge the pace of these guys when the car varies so much from track to track.

14 – Fisichella. Some astounding drives this season, maybe deserves to be higher up.

15 – Kovalainen. I admit it, I was a fan when he was at Renault but he’s been dismal for the last two years.

16 – Liuzzi. Good comeback so far, keep up the good work!

17 – Buemi. Odd moment’s of brilliance, it will be interesting to see what happens with him in the future.

18 – Nakajima. Hasn’t lived up to daddy’s name, I’d be surprised if he gets a seat next year

19 – Grosjean Hasn’t had chance to show himself yet, he has time though.

20 – Algesuari. Hasn’t had chance to show himself yet, he has time though.

1 Hamilton, Alonso

2 Kimi, Vettel, Massa, (Kubica?)

3 Button, Barrichello, Webber

4 Middle Pack - Heidfeld, Rosberg, Sutil, Trulli, Glock, Buemi

5 The rest

1) Hamilton
2) Alonso
3) Vettell
4) Raikonnen
5) Massa
6) Kubica
7) Webber
8) Barrichello
9) Rosberg
10) Heidfeld
11) Button
12) Glock
13) Kov
14) Trulli
15) Fisi
16) Sutil
17) Naka
18) Buemi
19) Alg
20) Gros

20 Alguersauri
19 Grosjean
18 Nakajima
17 Beumi
16 Kovalainen
15 Fisichella
14 Heidfeld
13 Trulli
12 Glock
11 Sutil
10 Button
9 Webber
8 Barichello
7 Kubica
6 Rosberg
5 Vettel
4 Raikkonen
3 Massa
2 Alonso
1 Hamilton

Why do some rate Kubica higher then Heidfeld when Heidfeld has beaten him in 2 out of 3 years.

21. Grosjean
20. Alguersauri
19. Kovalainen
18. Sutil
17. Nakajima
16. Liuzzi
15. Buemi
14. Heidfeld
13. Glock
12. Trulli
11. Fisichella
10. Webber
9. Barrichello
8. Rosberg
7. Massa
6. Kubica
5. Raikkonen
4. Vettel
3. Button
2. Alonso
1. Hamilton

@Brawn BGP 001: Poor Kubica doen't even make the list.. what are Renault thinking???

Thanks for the heads up, knew I missed someone. Now edited.

For 2009:

1. Alonso (mature, steady)
2. Kimi, Hamilton, Vettel (chargers / otherwise hard to tell; each has his moments)
3. Massa, Heidfield, Button (steady, reliable, predictable, journeymen)
4. Nico Rosberg (?) / upcoming

... etc.

Wow, now the racing abilities equal to personality?
Then Alex youung must be in Top 5, he has really good personality .....much better than the childish things Vettel says

1 Alonso
2 Hamilton
3 Vettel
4 Massa
5 Raikkonen
6 Rosberg
7 Heidfeld
8 Kubica
9 Webber
10 Button

I came up with the following infallible ranking:

1. Michael Schumacher
2-20. Who cares?

1. Hamilton
2. Alonso
3. Vettel
4. Raikkonen
5. Rosberg
6. Kubica
7. Webber
8. Trulli
9. Button
10. Barrichello
11. Fisichella
12. Heidfeld
13. Sutil
14. Grosjean
15. Buemi
16. Kovalainen
17. Liuzzi
18. Alguersauri



19. Nakajima
20. Kobayashi

Same here

1. Hamilton (most succesful driver in last 3 years)
2. Alonso (proven to be great, 2x WDC)
3. Kimi (excellent, fast driver, WDC)
4. Massa (proved to be a match for Kimi)
5. Button (proved that in capable machinery he can race without errors, something rare drivers are capable of)
6. Vettel (capable of blistering speed, but too much errors)
7. Heidfeld (most underrated driver in F1 in my view)
8. Kubica (proved to be a match for Heidfeld)
9. Webber (proved to be as fast as Vettel when everything works out)
10. Rubens (great skills and experience)
11. Rosberg (reall,y really good driver)
12. Trulli
13. Glock
14. Fisico
15. Sutil
16. Kovalainen
17. Nakajima
18. Buemi
19. Liuzzi
20. Algersuari