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Rate/rank the drivers performance, F1 2015


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#1 MortenF1

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 11:25

Season over, so time to rank the drivers performance this year! 

 

1. Lewis Hamilton

His season has been amazing I think, and he duly won his third title! Several poles with a big margin on his team-mate, and there was also several races where he really could've left Rosberg hanging. Monaco one of them, the margin he had there was staggering. Shame it ended up like it did. 

A bit off-colour now in the last few GP-weekends, in qualifying especially, but overall, this has been a season of mostly brilliant performances fro him.

 

2. Sebastian Vettel¨

He needed this I think, to get the feel back, and the confidence as well, when he had a bad 2014. Vettel has enjoyed a bigger gap to Räikkönen than I thought he would. Qualifying, OK, that is Vettel-teritory, so no real surprise there.

Won three races, with luck playing a role, but it was Vettel who was there to do it. I'm impressed by what he's done this year.

 

3. Daniel Ricciardo

Tough year for him, with the car being far less competitive than it was last year, where it was him and Red Bull ready to capitalize when others floundered. 

He has had a lot of bad luck, and lost a lot of points through car-gremlins. His first third of the season was probably a bit so-so, but after that he's been the driver I saw last year. 

 

4. Nico Rosberg

Pressure off, Rosberg on, someone wrote. I definitely think that has played its part, and worked together with the change on the front of the car, to give Rosberg the right feel and mindset, to go out and do those Q-laps he's capable of. 

…but most of the year, Rosberg haven't had an answer for what Hamilton has been able to get out of the car.

 

5. Sergio Perez

Yeah, I think I have to go with him for fifth best driver this year. Perez isn't the most consistent, but his highs are absolutely amazing! He came on very strongly especially after Force India brought their updated chassis.

 

6. Valtteri Bottas

Good season again. Not much to say really  :)

 

7. Felipe Massa

He has got to be ranked close to Bottas this year, ´cause it hasn't been much between them. Massa has had a better season than he had last year I think.

 

8. Nico Hülkenberg

He is better than what he's shown this year I think, 'cause his average has been a notch lower than what his general level suggest it should be. Still, a very solid season.

 

9. Max Verstappen

I'm impressed. He's a fearless and fast boy! Daring moves (outside, Blanchimont!), amazing qualifying laps (P7 for instance, in Austria), and he's also been fast in the wet.

 

10. Romain Grosjean

Good season in a difficult car, but it's been Grosjean as Lotus' front-figure, no doubt. 

 

10. Kimi Räikkönen

Decent to good at first, then fell away proportionately in relations to setbacks with the car. Happy that he got to finish the season with a very good GP-weekend.

 

…Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. There's no doubt in my mind that their driving this year has been to a top six level, but I find it impossible to rank them in amongst the others, when the McLaren-Honda has been as it is. Nice to see they've been evenly matched. 

 

Honourable mention - Carlos Sainz. A bit unfair that there's so much fanfare around Verstappen, 'cause Sainz isn't much behind at all I think.

 

Please share your rankings! 


Edited by race addicted, 30 November 2015 - 13:05.


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#2 JeePee

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 11:47

1. Vettel. I've got the feeling he took more out of the Ferrari than the Merc guys did with their cars. Only Bahrein and Mexico where bad, but the rest of the season he's been on it. Only driver not in the rocketship to win Grand Prix'.

 

2. Hamilton. Did what he had to do. Mercedes advantage is too big to get me excited about his performance. Only had 1 other driver to race with and drives like Hungary and the last 3 races make me rate him lower than Vettel.

 

3. Verstappen. F1 is entertainment and even though it was a pretty dull season, without Max I don't think I would have made it to the end. Overtook at places you would least expect at most of the races. Easy to forget he was still in karts in 2013.

 

4. Ricciardo

5. Bottas

6. Kvyat

7. Massa

8. Perez

9. Sainz

10. Grosjean


Edited by JeePee, 30 November 2015 - 11:48.


#3 Jimisgod

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 11:49

1. HAM -- Easily the best in the early season, won the championship with ease.

2. VET -- Drove a resurgent Ferrari to a position that nearly stole 2nd in the championship.

3. RIC -- Out-drove the car on several occasions like Hungary and Singapore, and would have been remarkably consistent had he not suffered failures that stole many big points hauls.

4. PER -- 2nd half of the season he was basically the best driver out there.

5. VES -- Easily the best rookie and future champion.

6. KVY -- Surprisingly close to Ricciardo most of the time.

7. GRO -- Really carried the Lotus team all year.

8. BOT -- Consistent, but didn't have the break out year I expected.

9. MAS -- Somehow manages to hold in there blood close to Bottas.

10. HUL -- Unfortunately overshadowed by Perez at the end, but a good season overall



#4 TFLB

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 11:57

1. Vettel - Recovered from last year and trounced his (admittedly very poor) teammate.

2. Hamilton - Behind Vettel due mainly to his loss of form after winning the title, and his suggestions that the team is favouring Rosberg, which is just immature.

3. Perez - Was better than his teammate in all but 3 or 4 weekends.

4. Ricciardo - Good and quite unlucky, but almost matched by the inexperienced Kvyat.

5. Kvyat - Almost matched Ricciardo, despite his young age and inexperience. 

6. Sainz - Showed himself to be marginally quicker than Verstappen, and would probably have out-scored him without the mechanical and pit-stop failures. 

=6. Verstappen - Good racer but still showing some immaturity. Some of his achievements are greatly over-hyped due to his age.

8. Rosberg - Saved his season with his late run of form otherwise it was looking very ugly for him against Hamilton.

9. Bottas - A bit anonymous but consistent.

10. Massa - Ditto.

 

Honourable mention - Grosjean.

 

I wouldn't say anyone had a particularly bad season apart from...

 

87976867. - Raikkonnen. Woeful and should have been sacked.



#5 Donkey

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 13:45

  1. Vettel - Jumped into a new car at a new team and consistently got the most out of it putting it on the podium as often as possible. Not many mistakes (apart from Mexico). Also trounced Kimi.

  2. Perez - Good to see him back to his Sauber form. Made some interesting stretegies work, good wheel to wheel racing, form a bit up and down but a very strong end to the season and is putting Hulkenberg under pressure.

  3. Hamilton - Schooled Rosberg for most of the season (obviously with the best but equal machinery). Slump in form at the end of the season raises a few question marks though and a bit temperamental in his emotions again.

  4. Kvyat - Difficult start to season but once he got his head around the RBR pressure cooker environment started to match highly rated Ricciardo quite closely.

=5. Sainz - Personally thought he was just as competitive as much-talked-about Verstappen, pulled off some good moves over the season but suffered a lot of bad luck.

=5. Verstappen - Yes the hype is real, needs another season at Toro Rosso to mature a bit more though.

  7. Rosberg - Not good enough for much of the season but very impressive at the end (when it didn't matter for the championship...)

  8. Ericsson - Low expectations from many (pay driver etc.) but had some decent races and showed he could be racy

  9. Nasr - Better reputation than Ericsson coming into F1 but ditto, showed he deserves a seat

10. Maldonado - Has definitely improved as a driver and ironed out some of the mistakes, made Grosjean look not so hot.



#6 Button4life

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:03

  1. Vettel - Jumped into a new car at a new team and consistently got the most out of it putting it on the podium as often as possible. Not many mistakes (apart from Mexico). Also trounced Kimi.

  2. Perez - Good to see him back to his Sauber form. Made some interesting stretegies work, good wheel to wheel racing, form a bit up and down but a very strong end to the season and is putting Hulkenberg under pressure.

  3. Hamilton - Schooled Rosberg for most of the season (obviously with the best but equal machinery). Slump in form at the end of the season raises a few question marks though and a bit temperamental in his emotions again.

  4. Kvyat - Difficult start to season but once he got his head around the RBR pressure cooker environment started to match highly rated Ricciardo quite closely.

=5. Sainz - Personally thought he was just as competitive as much-talked-about Verstappen, pulled off some good moves over the season but suffered a lot of bad luck.

=5. Verstappen - Yes the hype is real, needs another season at Toro Rosso to mature a bit more though.

  7. Rosberg - Not good enough for much of the season but very impressive at the end (when it didn't matter for the championship...)

  8. Ericsson - Low expectations from many (pay driver etc.) but had some decent races and showed he could be racy

  9. Nasr - Better reputation than Ericsson coming into F1 but ditto, showed he deserves a seat

10. Maldonado - Has definitely improved as a driver and ironed out some of the mistakes, made Grosjean look not so hot.

You got to be kidding



#7 JHSingo

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:05

1. Vettel - Last year I believe I gave top spot to Ricciardo, and going to go with the 'underdog' (sounds strange describing a four time champ as that) first again. Bounced back remarkably after 2014 disaster, and comfortably beat Raikkonen. Other than Bahrain and Mexico, pretty much faultless for the entire season.

 

2. Hamilton - Great season, and did what he had to do. Clearly in the best car again however, and had very little opposition on most weekends, although that's not his fault of course. Other than Hungary was masterful, but it was slightly odd how he went off form once the championship was decided.

 

3. Rosberg - Off form and arguably under performed for most the season. If it wasn't for last few races, I'd have him quite a bit further down.

 

4.  Perez - One of the drivers of the season for me, with some very strong drives like in Sochi and Abu Dhabi. Was often a surprisingly amount quicker than highly rated Hulkenberg, particularly in second half of the season.

 

5. Either Red Bull driver, but gonna give it to Ricciardo - Didn't have car to challenge for wins this year, although perhaps could/should have won in Hungary. Few times conditions allowed him to be towards the front he was impressive, particularly at Singapore and in the damp of COTA.

 

6. Kvyat - Slow start to the season, but improved as it went on. A few mistakes here and there, but unlucky to miss out on podium at Mexico.

 

7. Grosjean - Some strong races, and a great drive to the podium at Spa in particular.

 

8 & 9. Both Toro Rosso drivers - Don't think the points fully reflect on performance, with Sainz suffering brunt of reliability issues. Both had strong performances over the season, so difficult for me to split them. Hopefully both will be in F1 for many more years.

 

10. Bottas - Could have been Massa, but gave it to Bottas. Perhaps not quite as impressive as last year, but took podiums where opportunity presented itself. Still very similar to Massa's pace, or sometimes slower, though.

 

Honorable mention - McLaren Honda drivers. Such is the lack of performance in the car, quite hard to tell how strong their seasons have been, particularly when Alonso said himself he didn't think he'd driven as well as he should have. Kudos for getting to the end of what must have been a horribly frustrating season.



#8 TomNokoe

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:07

Let me be the first to congratulate Vettel on beating Kimi. Stellar job.


Hamilton #1 day long. He actually had to try.

#9 JTSaika

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:28

Vestappen has to be the best driver for me this year, his overtakes were in a class of his own. Props go to Rossi aswell after being plunged into it halfway through the season. 



#10 TFLB

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:28

You got to be kidding

To be fair he did not actually make that many mistakes this year, certainly an improvement from previous years. Was also very unlucky. But was not as good as Grosjean.



#11 JTSaika

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:31

To be fair he did not actually make that many mistakes this year, certainly an improvement from previous years. Was also very unlucky. But was not as good as Grosjean.

He always does well, let us not forget he's won a race, but he will never be a Grosjean, he won't transition out of this nature he has on track because he's been doing it since day one. His GP days were just as dangerous and sadly sometimes that formula lets it happen like it's a natural thing that should be happening. Though that 'site' has been updated many times as normal this season, he can be forgiven in regards that actually not all of his DNF's were his fault, if not the majority.


Edited by JTSaika, 30 November 2015 - 14:31.


#12 RPM40

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:31

I'm not going to write a list because its so damn hard with the cars being so far apart. Rosberg can have a **** of a day and finish 2nd. Vettel can have a **** of a day and finish 3rd. A few cars back and you have the same off day and finish 5 positions behind your team mate.

 

Its fairly inevitable that the drivers in the front car will look good, primarily because they get the most attention but because Ferrari and Mercedes are so far clear of everyone else that those positions are basically under no threat. This is one of the hardest years in recent memory to judge just how well the drivers are going.



#13 Knowlesy

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:36

Hamilton>Vettel>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>the rest.



#14 TurnOffTheLights

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:38

Grade A+

1. Vettel

2. Hamilton

 

Grade A

-

 

Grade A-

3. Perez

4. Verstappen

 

Grade B+

5. Rosberg

6. Ricciardo

7. Grosjean

 

Grade B

8. Bottas

9. Hülkenberg

10. Kvyat

11. Button

12. Sainz

 

Grade B-

13. Alonso

14. Massa

 

Grade C+

15. Räikkönen

 

Grade C

16. Nasr

 

Grade C-

17. Ericsson

 

Grade D+

18. Maldonado

 

 

Impossible to rate:

Mehri

Stevens

Rossi

Magnussen



#15 HamiltonFanboy

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:51

This year is very difficult to rank because of the huge performance differences between cars. Mercedes dominant, Ferrari 2nd best my a margin, Williams 3rd best by a margin. Even so there are a few stand outs in my opinion.

 

1. Vettel - Finished basically the whole season on the podium. Destroyed Raikkonen in the same way Alonso did despite this years car being more suited to Kimi. Won races when the opportunity arose, a very well balanced year for him.

 

2. Perez - I have to be honest I didn't expect much from him after 2013. He came across as arrogant and egotistical. Since then though he has improved on and off the track. He now takes responsibility for his mistakes and has found a consistency to add to the speed that was always there but only appeared occasionally. Hulk has been humbled by Sergio and I think he should be first in line for a shot at the 2017 Ferrari seat. I think he's ready this time.

 

3. Hamilton - Up until Singapore he was runaway number 1 in this list. Completely dominant in his team beating Rosberg everywhere except Austria and Spain. Since then he has looked lost and at some points just slow. I feel he got pretty lucky with the wins in Japan and Russia. This Rosberg streak has been building since Singapore. Lewis could have quite easily gone down 6-0 in the final 6 races had the luck been on Rosberg's side.

 

4. Grosjean - Another driver that has turned his career around. Fast and consistent all year. He also took the only chance the team had of a podium during a very difficult weekend for them.

 

5. Verstappen - One of the highlights of the year. Great race pace and some exciting racing puts Max 5th on my list. Needs to improve qualifying and his attitude when he makes a mistake if he wants to be the class of the field but he's still so young and that will come with time.

 

6. Rosberg - Would have missed out on the top 10 altogether before Singapore. Since then he has finally put everything together. The quali speed is back, his starts are improving and he's only fluffed the lead once with Lewis behind in that time. This Rosberg must show up at Melbourne or I will be convinced that he is unable to handle pressure.

 

7. Button - Really tough to rank because of the joke of a car he was driving but even still Jenson had a good year. If we can take anything out of it then its that he didn't crumble under the weight of Alonso like Massa and Raikkonen did. He seemed fairly even with Fernando in quali and race pace.

 

8. Ricciardo - I feel he had an okay year but is that enough? After beating Vettel expectations were high and I have to say I was slightly disappointed that Ricciardo seemed to go missing for stretches of the season. He still had an edge on Kvyat and did well when the car was underneath him like in Singapore but I was expecting more.

 

9. Bottas - A solid year from Bottas but he still failed to convincingly beat Massa. I think he did about what should be expected given his car. I think most of the grid could have finished 5th or 6th in the Williams so I'm not sure what else to say. I definitely dont think he is champion material though.

 

10. Sainz - Really hard to judge because his car kept blowing up but he seemed close enough to Max to deserve some praise. 


Edited by HamiltonFanboy, 30 November 2015 - 14:51.


#16 Mohican

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 14:56

You've got to be joking. Alonso 13th - why ? He has achieved zilch all year, but complained and politicised his way as usual.
Ericsson & Nasr are very closely matched on performance; but Nasr complains all the time. Verstappen is impressive but not that much better than Sainz. If really at all.

But to have Hamilton at A+ and Rosberg at B+ just shows how ridiculous this is. I know that this is an English forum, but still...

#17 TurnOffTheLights

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 15:06

@Mohican:

Do you really want to discuss subjective driver rankings?

 

Alonso 13th - why ? He has achieved zilch all year, but complained and politicised his way as usual.

 

He was great at Hungary and had some more good races, like Singapore or Japan. And 13th isn't a very good result for someone who's supposed to be one of the best. For me, 2015 has been Alonsos worst year in his whole career.

 

Ericsson & Nasr are very closely matched on performance;

That's why I gave them a C and a C-. In my opinion, both have underperformed this year. Nasr had some more outstanding results like Australia, so he gets the slightly better grade.

 

 

 

Verstappen is impressive but not that much better than Sainz. If really at all.

 

I'm the opposite of a Verstappen fanboy, but he's had a lot of highlights this year. Sainz has been unlucky at times, that's for sure, that's why I gave him a B, not a B- or worse.

 

 

 

But to have Hamilton at A+ and Rosberg at B+ just shows how ridiculous this is. I know that this is an English forum, but still...

 

I'm German. And I would have given Rosberg a far worse rating (alongside Kimi) without those last 3 race. He's been a big disappointment.



#18 GTA

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 15:08

1) VET : After 2014, he really impressed this year. He was in the fight with the Mercs whenever he had the car. Got 3 wins which was not expected. Outperformed his teammate like ALO. 

 

2) HAM : He mostly had to beat one guy and did an amazing job and won his 3rd title. A few off colour weekends and an average ending to the season didn't make him no.1 on the list. His wet weather masterclass also went missing this year even though he won both those races,

 

3) KVY : He was consistent. Amazing how he compared to Ricciardo over the season. He did lack the Aussie's overtaking skills but made up for it with some genuine pace.

 

4) PER : Great job. He was sensational with the B-Spec Force India which seemed to tilt the balance in his favour and he used his tyre conservation skills to maximize his results.

 

5) ROS : He came out second best in the best car. He did have moments where he showed Hamilton a clean pair of heels but those were rare. With him coming out on top in the last 3 races hopefully he will have the confidence to challenge for the WDC in 2016. 

 

6) GRO : He was always there fighting for the points in the Lotus which was a midfield car and brought home solid points.

 

7) BOT : Consistent as ever and he beat Massa in the 2nd half clearly in one of the closest battles between teammates.

 

8) VES : Rookie year was terrific. He seems to have a great set of skills to succeed in the long term. Probably the 3rd best in overtaking skills among the guys in F1. With the Ferrari motor next year, he will have more chances to show off his overtaking skills.

 

9) HUL : He won the biggest race of the year, unfortunately it wasn't in F1. His stock took a beating this year. Even though he still had some standout performances, he was beaten by PER and looked lackluster in the 2nd half. 

 

10) MAS : Typical Massa year, had some great performances but also had a few bad ones. 2016 will probably be his last season . 

 

Hon mention :

SAI - too many mechanical failures.

ALO : Cause he is Fernando Alonso 

RSI : Impressive in the short spell he had with Manor


Edited by GTA, 30 November 2015 - 15:14.


#19 noikeee

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 15:43

 
1. Sebastian Vettel (up 6)
No doubt a quality Ferrari and an underperforming Raikkonen helps our perception of him, I have not forgotten last year when he was convincingly beaten by Daniel Ricciardo. Yet he was so consistent and impressive this year, and had been in the past in so many other cars, other circumstances, that I'm more inclined to declare 2014 an anomaly rather than his more usual level. Was pretty much nearly flawless all year long.
 
2. Lewis Hamilton (no change)
Another impressive title, though it's funny despite rating him extremely highly and the fact he's won 3 titles now, I think I'm yet to place him 1st in any of these rankings. I know he's got a pretty tough team-mate, and he dominated Nico throughout most of the season, more convincingly than last year, yet the form at the end of the year with Nico getting 6 poles in a row and Lewis losing a few of those races, leads me to think Lewis whilst fantastic isn't quite boogeyman level like some past top drivers were (ex. Michael Schumacher).
 
3. Jenson Button (up 2)
A quiet season of excellence in an hilariously craptacular car. It was tough to compare both McLaren drivers in such machinery, yet there remains the feeling both were well matched - surprisingly so even, given most of us, myself included, rated Alonso higer - and Jenson not just outscored Alonso (a poor measure with such bad reliability, admitedly), but also outqualified him and raced him a couple of times, if not always. He might be getting old, and forgotten fighting for places outside of the points, but if anything this season actually made me rate him higher than before.
 
4. Fernando Alonso (down 3)
I pretty much said everything whilst appraising Jenson, but Fernando hasn't exactly forgotten completely how to drive, has he? I think we're all dead sure he's still one of the best drivers in F1. However his own recent admission he hasn't been driving to his best level, made it easier for myself to downgrade him just slightly.
 
5. Daniel Ricciardo (down 2)
I'm not forgetting he beat Vettel fairly and clearly, and I don't think the points table this year is a fair reflection of the Red Bull drivers, but it's still a fact he was outscored by Kvyat, and occasionally (if not that often) outraced/qualified by the Russian driver. Also I think his racecraft started looking off, which is strange as that used to be his one real strength. Still one of the best drivers in F1, and still the best Red Bull contracted driver.
 
6. Nico Rosberg (down 2)
I thought he was underwhelming most of the year and looked like losing speed to Lewis, and completely lost mentally, but reclaimed a bit of ground and reputation with a solid end to the season. Still worthy of a top seat.
 
7. Max Verstappen (new entry)
Absurdly strong season for a 18 year old rookie with a total of 1 season in cars before F1, and I genuinely think he's already closing in on the pack of the best drivers in F1. The points total and gap to Sainz is slightly flattered by the circumstances, but there's no denying he put some incredibly impressive drives.
 
8. Dannil Kvyat (up 6)
Starting to impress me, as I found myself voting regularly for him in the Voting Championship throughout the second half of the season. There remains a feeling that usually Ricciardo's quicker, and has made the young Russian look slow here and there, but Kvyat not only beat him in points (if misleading) but also overall seemed closer to Ricciardo than Vettel was last year. An underrated driver.
 
9. Romain Grosjean (no change)
Continues to be not just much more consistent than Maldonado (the relatively easy part) but also genuinely quicker, which is very impressive. The Lotus hasn't allowed him to shine the past 2 seasons but I believe he's driving better than ever, and whilst taking the Haas seat hoping for a future Ferrari is a big gamble, the Scuderia could do far worse than to look at him and give him a chance.
 
10. Sergio Pérez (up 2)
A surprise revival season than saw him impose himself over Hulkenberg, although the Force India duo has constant swings of form either way. This is the one thing that makes me very unsure about them - is it that they take turns into having wonderful drives, or is it that they're just inconsistent? Nevertheless, Sergio's doing a decent job of restoring some of his reputation.
 
11. Valtteri Bottas (down 5)
I find it almost impossible to separate the Williams guys from the Force India guys for different reasons - the Williams drivers' performance seems to be a lot less volatile, which could indicate a stronger, more consistent level, but usually this is also the case when you get a better, more predictable car. What I find damning about Bottas is that to assert himself as a true top prospect, Massa is a benchmark he should be comfortable beating, even if Felipe is a bit revitalized after leaving Ferrari. That hasn't happened and instead Valtteri's advantage seems to have diminished.
 
12. Nico Hulkenberg (down 4)
Another driver that I'm losing my faith in. When he's on he's wonderful, he looked a genuine top driver those few GPs after the Le Mans win, but there's just way too many periods of bad form. I'd still give him a seat if I were a team manager, he's an extremely reliable pair of hands, but not quite a like-for-like replacement for a Hamilton or a Vettel is he?
 
13. Felipe Massa (no change)
Pretty much his routine consistent, unspectacular self. It's anyone's guess how much has he improved since he left Ferrari, if he did. Good marks for putting a strong fight to Bottas.
 
14. Carlos Sainz Jr (new entry)
It has become a popular thing to say Sainz has been impressive with a strong rookie season, but in comparison to what? He's been put against a 18 year old - who we think is very good but hasn't been properly benchmarked himself - in a team without expectations, with an actually pretty good chassis. My gut feeling is that Sainz is indeed a good driver, and has been a bit let down by luck in terms of points, has made few mistakes for a rookie, but I don't see any convincing arguments to rate him any higher than the drivers ahead of him in this list. Yet.
 
15. Kimi Raikkonen (up 2)
Perhaps slightly closer to Vettel than he was to Alonso last year, mostly race pace, but it's hardly a large difference, he's still being vastly outperformed. Two words come to mind about Kimi: "past it". Still probably worth a place in F1 - just about -, but Ferrari's decision to hold on to him feels overly conservative.
 
16. Kevin Magnussen (no change)
My tradition of rating every single driver who's taken officially part in a GP, to make up a chart, puts me in silly situations like this - how do I rate Kevin who qualified once and then didn't even start the race? By placing him where I think his talent ranks, which is, not coincidentally, the exact same place I put him in last year. The only data we have on 2015 is he was outqualified by 6 tenths by Jenson, which isn't great, but who knows whether those McLaren were working well anyway (hint: they weren't).
 
17. Felipe Nasr (new entry)
A great start to his year made me think of the time he was starting to show up in the feeder series - he looked like Latin America's possible next great champion. However, as the season progressed, he looked more like the mildly consistent but fairly unremarkable driver of his GP2 years - being outperformed by Ericsson every other race, considering how poor Marcus looked last year, wasn't a great benchmark to be behind. Still came comfortably ahead of him in points, which I guess makes for a decent rookie season.
 
18. Alexander Rossi (new entry)
Surprisingly seemed to have the better of Stevens in the few race weekends he had, specially in qualifying - despite having little preparation, having come on midway through the season. I don't rate Rossi particularly high but the American driver certainly didn't embarass himself.
 
19. Will Stevens (up 3)
Looked like the least qualified of all the Manor drivers, which is why I found surprising he seemed to have a huge advantage over Mehri. This made Will look good, certainly better than last year, but the performances of Rossi brought the perception of Will back to reality.
 
20. Pastor Maldonado (up 1)
Hasn't looked right ever since he found himself next to a quicker Romain Grosjean - has just been way too ragged, making people forget his strong performances of the past and justifying the jokes about him. A string of decent, points-scoring performances at the end of the season rescued some degree of respectability for him.
 
21. Marcus Ericsson (up 2)
Surprisingly held his own against Nasr in the second half of the season, which was far more respectable than his really poor 2014 for Caterham. Yet it wasn't entirely incidental that Nasr beat him by quite a few points.
 
22. Roberto Merhi (new entry)
A career killing year. I actually rated him pretty highly prior to this, and was pleasantly surprised he found his way to F1. It didn't go well at all, as apart from a few outliers Stevens was comfortably quicker. Some suggested he was given lesser equipment, but given how much better Rossi did in his place, that sounds unlikely. Have a good career in touring cars/GTs/LMPs, Roberto.


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#20 Marklar

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 15:46

1. Hamilton: Its a damn close battle between him and Vettel, for me they are equal, but I have to choose one and I give him the edge because Vettel had a bad race more than him, eventhought the last 3 races made me think about it again. However his season until he won the title was masterfull, albeit having also the best car: his title was never in danger and some of his qualifying laps were utterly impressive.

2. Vettel: Leaving out Bahrain and Mexico he is the best driver of the season. Dominated Räikkönen all the way down. His Singapore weekend was one of the most impressive weekends of any driver I saw - including his masterfull quali lap. It says everything that he was long time in the battle for 2nd despite not having a competitive car. He and Hamilton are tge outstanding personalitys of this seaso. Hopefully we will see a real battle next year

3. Perez: Beat his high rated team mate in an impressive manner. Just in the midseason he dropped a bit, just to come than stronger than ever back. Thanks to his impressive tyre management he got sometimes results which arent possible with his car. And this year he got the consistency he failed to have in his career.

4. Verstappen: what a debut season! Without a doubt one of the most impressive rookie seasons Ive seen. His overtakes saved us several GPs. Especially the Chinese GP was a demonstration of his talent. However, he is stil involved in too many incidents, but he will work on it.

5. Rosberg: Had the season finished in september he wouldnt have made it into the Top 10 probably. Until the last few races he had not even the slightest chances against Hamilton. Just a short time in the midseason it looks like he could fight for the championship. Since the title is decided he impressed, but will he do it when it matters? I doubt it.

6. Grosjean: Destroyed in qualifying a driver like Maldonado, who generally is fast, completely. Except of his Canada stunt he did nothing wrong. Very consistent season and grabbed his only opportunity for a podium.

7. Sainz: Another impressive rookie. Beat Verstappen overall in qualifying and had on many races the measure on him. A lot bad luck in potentual good races denied him a more deserving position in the championship.

8. Ricciardo: the best driver for me of the last season. This season not quite so impressive. On pure speed he beat Kvyat convincly, but he also had his moments

9. Bottas: One of the surprises last season, this season not quite as imoressive. His first season half was rather disappointing. As soon as the Ferrari dream was over he returned back to the form which made him a potential Ferrari driver. It will be interesting to see whether this pattern continues next season.

10. Button: It is between the two McLaren drivers. While Alonso impressed more during the first season half, it was Button who made the better impression later. I'll give Button the slight edge.

11. Alonso
12. Kvyat
13. Hulkenberg
14. Massa
15. Räikkönen
16. Nasr
17. Ericsson
18. Maldonado

#21 Jonnycraig37

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 15:59

Vettel
Perez
Verstappen
Hamilton
Kvyat
.
.
.
The rest

#22 BlinkyMcSquinty

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 16:24

Vettel. Punched above his weight in a car that was not supposed to win any races this year. His leadership and support within the team makes many other drivers look like selfish whining babies who do not contribute to the team cohesion.

 

Verstappen. The savior who reminded us that racing is a spectator sport we are supposed to enjoy.

 

Hamilton and Rosberg, Kvyat and Ridcciardo. Tie. Hamilton is brilliantly quick, has huge gaps in his makeup, and is very over-rated because of his rabid fan support. He won the title, but in an utterly dominant car and had to defeat only one other person, rated as B by many fans. Rosberg never dies or is "crushed", but finds ways to rebound and present a persistent threat. Both Kvyat and Ricciardo were not able to properly display their talents because of a crap engine. But each has displayed flashes of pure brilliance.

 

Bottas. Had a few off-races, but shows every indicator he will be a champ one day. Tough dude. Massa a half step behind because of his age.

 

Sainz, Raikkonen, Grosjean, all still quality material.



#23 Supertourer

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 16:49

Verstappen the stand out for me, never seen a guy so good on the brakes.

Vettel - great job and to my mind gained more respect than he did when winning with Red Bull - desperately needed to get out of the Red Bull bubble and prove hiumself in another car and did.

Kimi - not a great year and only seat warming in 2016 for (probably) VES in 2017

Hamilton - Did what was needed in a car so dominant he only had to beat one other driver and to a certain extent himself. In danger of getting into pre Ferrari Vettel realms of boredom if he does it all again next year.

Williams pair - did well to get 3rd in the constructors although I always feel that Williams are compromised by operational errors and conservative strategies - but this is led by a team that needs to score points as it is their business, so although they would probably disagree, I think they like points in the bag rather than going for broke.



#24 Nonesuch

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 16:57

I fully admit that the following list is biased, would be different tomorrow, and probably is based on a flawed interpretation of the season.  ;)

 

But with that said:

 

1. Sebastian Vettel - Picked up where Alonso left off, ran circles around Räikkönen and won three races - only one of which saw Mercedes genuinely struggling for pace. Had he kept his cool in Mexico, and if we forgive him his awful 300km/h+ overtake during the red flag in Canada, this would rightfully be a fantastic season.

 

2. Lewis Hamilton - He had a couple of great races and was content to let the car to its thing at other times. His dubious efforts in Hungary put a bit of a damper on the excitement, as did his late season form. Bonus points for suggesting Interlagos should be redesigned to help him overtake, though.

 

3. Sergio Pérez - Someone compared him to Fisichella in another thread, and I like that comparison. He's probably not quite good enough for the big leagues, but he makes the most of some pretty odd situations. His race in Australia was dire and followed a difficult winter for the team, but together they came back strong. He was right there to pick up the pieces after the Finns punted each other off in Sochi, and that (lucky) podium was a nice result indeed.

 

4. Daniil Kvyat - Let's not forget that this is the guy's second only year in F1! He held his own against Ricciardo, and scored 14 point finishes out of 16 finishes, including a podium. Well done!

 

5. Daniel Ricciardo - He was always going to struggle to match the hype that his somewhat exaggerated 2014 created, but he was solid throughout the season. Two podiums was good, even if some of his driving was at times dubiously aggressive.

 

6. Romain Grosjean - Impressive in qualifying, solid in the races. Contrary to the claims of some, Maldonado is no slouch and Grosjean comfortably led the team. He has definitely learned a thing or two since his earlier attempts. Both Lotus had plenty of retirements, but he still managed to outscore his team-mate by a solid amount. The podium in Belgium was a nice bonus during a troubled year for the team.

 

7. Max Verstappen - Impressive rookie season. Not faultless, sometimes too quick to complain, and of the Vettel School of Track Limits, but a few very nice drives rightfully silenced his critics. He pulled some creative moves on his unsuspecting competitors as well, which was nice.

 

8. Felipe Nasr - Picked up points throughout the season and scored a full 75% of his team's points, the highest score of all drivers. Compared to the other rookies his car didn't allow him to shine as often, and while he might not be quite up there either, he was solid and kept out of trouble.

 

9. Valtteri Bottas - Behold the wrath of a Ferrari fan! On a more serious note: I just don't see why some hold him in such high regard. It's OK, but not a whole lot more.

 

10. Jenson Button - The man McLaren needed, I guess. Solid in the races, and while sometimes lapsing into sarcasm he seemed to keep a pretty positive attitude going throughout the year.

 

11. Felipe Massa - It's been years since Massa has done something inspiring, and I fully expect 2016 to be his last season.

 

12. Nico Hülkenberg - He can't control the hype that surrounds him, but he definitely doesn't live up to it. Decent, but someone who struggles to match Pérez has no business being on the Ferrari short-list, as much as some might like to see it otherwise.

 

13. Nico Rosberg - Followed Hamilton and stayed relatively close in the championship because the car was so good that finishing third took special effort. Allowed himself to be brushed aside by Hamilton once too many, and while he had a few good races he only really shined once there was nothing left to play for. Not particularly noteworthy.

 

14. Carlos Sainz - Only Ericsson scored a smaller percentage of his team's points, but Sainz was particularly hard hit by mechanical problems. He's not as far behind Verstappen as the points table suggests, but he probably does need to step up to the challenge in 2016 to keep his seat.

 

15. Kimi Räikkönen - I don't know what to say about Kimi, Ferrari's most recent World Champion. It's just not good enough. He needs to improve across the board, but I'm not sure anyone - including himself - really knows what's holding him back.

 

16. Pastor Maldonado - He gets a lot of undeserved hate for incidents that are frequently not even his fault, but his continued careless attitude, particularly with regards to safety regulations is dumbfounding for a guy that, out of the car, seems to have a pretty clear picture of what's going on. He desperately needs to improve his qualifying form.

 

17. Fernando Alonso - All the problems at McLaren make it hard to get a good sense of how either driver is performing, and I have no doubt that Fernando is still right up there with the best of them had he the car to make it work, but please, stop with the games and the passive-aggressive comments. In a year like this, with nothing meaningful to play for, it's just not the right way to go about it.

 

18. Marcus Ericsson - Someone has to end up last, and while I don't think Ericsson did anything bad, he just wasn't very impressive. He certainly improved, but too often lagged behind his rookie team-mate.


Edited by Nonesuch, 30 November 2015 - 17:00.


#25 noikeee

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 17:14

I know this is hugely subjective, and that some people believe if a driver doesn't have a barely decent car he shouldn't be rated, but I'm amazed the entire board thinks that Sergio Perez is one of the top 3 drivers in F1, and that everyone and their moms are now better drivers than Alonso (seriously, even Massa? Nasr???).



#26 Marklar

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 17:15

I know this is hugely subjective, and that some people believe if a driver doesn't have a barely decent car he shouldn't be rated, but I'm amazed the entire board thinks that Sergio Perez is one of the top 3 drivers in F1, and that everyone and their moms are now better drivers than Alonso (seriously, even Massa? Nasr???).

We are taking about this season and not about the general best driver, the list would look completely different in that case.



#27 Exb

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 17:24

The McLaren drivers have been great this year (but then I'm biased but I have been watching them closely and they've battled and dragged that car to finishes higher than it deserves to be, with very few mistakes). Both easily in my top 10, I'm just struggling with who I put higher, as early in the season Fernando had the advantage but it has swung around a bit in the last few races.



#28 Nonesuch

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 17:30

I know this is hugely subjective, and that some people believe if a driver doesn't have a barely decent car he shouldn't be rated, but I'm amazed the entire board thinks that Sergio Perez is one of the top 3 drivers in F1, and that everyone and their moms are now better drivers than Alonso (seriously, even Massa? Nasr???).

 

The thread is about this season, though, and the requirements and possibilities that the season and the particular car at his disposal offers the drivers.

 

If we were having a GP2 race to round off the season, with each driver in an equal car, I'd expect Alonso to power straight onto the podium.

 

Pérez is compared to the limitations of the car (let's not forget how dreadful Force India's winter was) and the hype that surrounds his Le Mans winning team-mate. That might inflate his position somewhat, but it also puts pressure on him.

 

Admittedly, late-season achievements count more heavily than early-season achievements. It's the nature of such threads, and Pérez has been pretty impressive of late.


Edited by Nonesuch, 30 November 2015 - 17:31.


#29 noikeee

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 17:58

We are taking about this season and not about the general best driver, the list would look completely different in that case.

 
The same season in which Hulkenberg ran circles around him in several race weekends, and in which Perez's top 3 results, almost half of his points, were all in races Hulkenberg retired, twice due to no fault of his own?
 
I can kind of see why people are rating Perez - he's had *some* great drives in which he genuinely outraced Hulkenberg and beat the pre-race expectations for a Force India. However you look at the entire season (and this was happening last year already) and a trend shows up for both of these drivers as very ON/OFF/ON/OFF - when one's doing great, the other's doing crap. 
 
There's two possible explanations for this: either 1) they take turns at being AMAZING; or 2) they're just rather both a bit inconsistent, and whilst pretty good at their best, they struggle to take the best out of the car most weekends like some other drivers do. Look at the past of both of their careers and the latter explanation starts sounding a lot more plausible...
 
Now of course people only remember the last 4 or 5 races and the rest doesn't matter. This is why Hulkenberg was Jesus walking on water mid-season as the one and only true Le Mansâ„¢ winner; and now Perez is the new Mexican Alain Prost.
 
But I can be wrong, we'll never know for sure really - maybe Perez has matured a little, he did seem potentially as quick as Button the year they were together, just not able to fully extract that potential with some questionable attitude.


#30 Marklar

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 18:13

 

 
The same season in which Hulkenberg ran circles around him in several race weekends, and in which Perez's top 3 results, almost half of his points, were all in races Hulkenberg retired, twice due to no fault of his own?
 
I can kind of see why people are rating Perez - he's had *some* great drives in which he genuinely outraced Hulkenberg and beat the pre-race expectations for a Force India. However you look at the entire season (and this was happening last year already) and a trend shows up for both of these drivers as very ON/OFF/ON/OFF - when one's doing great, the other's doing crap. 
 
There's two possible explanations for this: either 1) they take turns at being AMAZING; or 2) they're just rather both a bit inconsistent, and whilst pretty good at their best, they struggle to take the best out of the car most weekends like some other drivers do. Look at the past of both of their careers and the latter explanation starts sounding a lot more plausible...
 
Now of course people only remember the last 4 or 5 races and the rest doesn't matter. This is why Hulkenberg was Jesus walking on water mid-season as the one and only true Le Mansâ„¢ winner; and now Perez is the new Mexican Alain Prost.
 
But I can be wrong, we'll never know for sure really - maybe Perez has matured a little, he did seem potentially as quick as Button the year they were together, just not able to fully extract that potential with some questionable attitude.

 

I've already said at the summer break where everyone heavily praised Hulkenberg and everyone wanted him in the Ferrari cockpit that up to his Le Mans victory Perez was better than him. Than he was a few races on a high and since Spa Perez is better. At least from my side I'm not looking on the last 5 races when ranking him, if we are going by that I would need to rate Rosberg higher than Hamilton, he was in at least 2/3 of the season better than his higly rated team mate. That deserves a high position.

 

Where you are putting him as a different question. I've struggled to put someone on P3 as much as I struggled to decide between Vettel and Hamilton for the 1st place. This season was simply for me Vettel/Hamilton>>>>>>Rest. Its very difficult to choose the best of the rest here.

 

I dont know what the future for him holds. Maybe it was a one-off season, maybe the start of somethings promising, who knows.



#31 THEWALL

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 18:27

Only those worth mentioning, good or bad:

 

VET: Surprised by 1st year at Ferrari and beating RAI so clearly, although I suspect RAI is far from what he was before 2014.

 

Kvyat: Beat RIC as much as RIC beat VET last year, so merit where it's due.

 

VES: One of the, if not the only fun factors in F1 this year: passing, blocking, ignoring TOs, trying to bring F1 out of its dull state in general and kudos for that.

 

Perez: Switched on in later part of the season and beat a teammate many considered to be Ferrari material at some point or still.

 

ROS: Painful to watch lack of resistance to HAM's moves when the WDC was still at play and supposed "resurgence" in latter part of championship. There's something wrong with that mentality.

 

MAL: Always involved in some crash, penalty or something that tells us he shouldn't be there.

 

RAI: We thought he was going to bounce back from 2014 with a car "better suited" to him. In the end he has left me with the impression that he has either lost it or was never that fast to begin with. Too bad because he's the other fun factor in F1.



#32 DutchQuicksilver

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 18:54

1. Lewis Hamilton - Best driver up until his championship win, didn't need to impress much after. Only mistake he made was during the Hungarian GP, made Rosberg look like an average driver at best.

 

2. Sebastian Vettel - Very close to Vettel. Never expected him to score so many points, what Hamilton did to Rosberg, he did even more to Raikkonen. Only made mistakes in Bahrain and Mexico really.

 

3. Sergio Perez - Impressed me a lot with his mature driving and great drives like Russia. Managed to beat the highly rated and consistent Nico Hulkenberg over a full season. He deserves a second chance at a topteam, maybe Ferrari?

 

4. Romain Grosjean - Impressed a lot in a car that never really developed much. Managed a podium in Belgium with a car that was pretty much the same as in Melbourne and annihilated Maldonado really. Haas made a good move, let's hope he made a good move with Haas as well.

 

5. Daniel Ricciardo - A lot of bad luck and mechanical issues made him finish behind Kvyat in the championship and the car wasn't good either. But I'd say he drove just as good as he did in 2014. Let's just hope Red Bull have a better engine so he can shine again.

 

6. Jenson Button - Beat Fernando Alonso on merit really, which I didn't expect. Though he couldn't score much with that dog of a car, he at least kept his chin up, unlike Alonso. Hopefully McLaren will improve to give Jenson one last good season.

 

7. Max Verstappen - Impressive debut season, though with some of the common rookie mistakes. His overtakes were some of the best all season. Destined for great things.

 

8. Nico Rosberg - Really only got going after the championship was over, Hamilton easing off? Or Rosberg improving a lot? Nevertheless, a solid end to the season earns him a top ten finish.

 

9. Carlos Sainz - In Verstappen's shadow, but still a solid season covered, though with mechanical issues. He reminds me a lot of Button, smart driver who doesn't overdrive during races. Let's see how he matches up to Verstappen next year.

 

10. Valtteri Bottas - Not as good as last season, but managed to keep up with the Ferrari's now and then. And beat Massa again.

 

Honourable mentions for Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Nasr and Daniil Kvyat. The rest of the grid was average at most.



#33 krea

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 19:15

I know this is hugely subjective, and that some people believe if a driver doesn't have a barely decent car he shouldn't be rated, but I'm amazed the entire board thinks that Sergio Perez is one of the top 3 drivers in F1, and that everyone and their moms are now better drivers than Alonso (seriously, even Massa? Nasr???).

 

Such rankings are rather car than driver rankings in the first place.

 

Drivers need cars which let them shine, the other way is just not possible.



#34 scheivlak

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 19:22

A clear #1 and a clear #2 for me.

 

#3/4/5 had very diifferent seasons, but I rate them about equal. Not much between #6/7/8/9 and #10/11 either.

 

 

1. Sebastian Vettel

What a comeback! Always on it.

And I had totally forgotten how likeable he could be as well!

 

2. Lewis Hamilton

Often supreme when it mattered, sometimes strangely rattled - maybe more by himself than anyone or anything else. Last part of his season wasn't very impressive.

 

3. Nico Rosberg

Rather dismal start of the season, but pretty convincing in the end. In a clear state of mind as fast as anyone.

 

4. Jenson Button

A model of perseverance, effort and determination - and at the same time almost laid-back and philosophical. The result: often getting the maximum from a badly compromised car, never bowing down. Kudos to the man  :up:

 

5. Max Verstappen

Sensational rookie season. All has been said already about his brilliant passes and how much fun he brings in a rather grey season. What impresses me most is his intelligence. I like to know more about his mother, he must have got it from somebody genetically.

 

6. Romain Grosjean

Some great performances in not the easiest circumstances. Not only at Spa but e.g. also at the last two GPs. The distance to Maldonado in the Q and race results says it all.

 

7. Daniel RIcciardo

Performed rather flat and disappointing in the first part of the season. In Singapore and also Austin he finally showed that he still has what made him the star of 2014.

 

8. Sergio Perez

Came to life completely in part 2 of the season. Didn't expect him to beat Hulkenberg, but he did!

 

9. Daniil Kvyat

His best results were not without luck, but he regularly showed himself as fast as Ricciboy and sometimes even faster than him.

 

10. Valtteri Bottas 

Generally just not as good as last year, though it must be said that the crashes with Kimi did him no favor  - and having a Williams pit crew didn't help him either.

 

11. Nico Hulkenberg

As so often, he had some very good races that still brought him rather minor placings in the end - he didn't have the kind of "attrition luck" some other guys had. Still, there were some unexplainable errors - like at Sochi - and he saw himself eclipsed by his teammate.



#35 BlinkyMcSquinty

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 19:23

Such rankings are rather car than driver rankings in the first place.

 

Drivers need cars which let them shine, the other way is just not possible.

 

Sad but true. It is almost impossible to judge a driver because their overall talent level is so high (and close) and that the team and car have such a huge influence on the outcome. Long gone are the days when Senna in a Toleman made a huge impact.

 

Bloody shame Jarno Trulli was born 20 years too early. In a Mercedes, with his incredible qualifying abilities, he would get on pole almost every time, and the way the Mercedes team practiced their agenda, maybe set an all-time record for wins in one season.



#36 djonas79

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 19:38

1. Vettel

2. Hamilton

3. Perez

4. Kvyat

5. Rosberg

6. Verstappen

7. Ricciardo

8. Bottas

9. Hulkenberg

10. Grosjean

11. Massa

 

Massa had been utterly disappointing since Singapore. His season was stellar before that.

 

I'm surprised how many people ranked Ricciardo as a top 3. He was beaten by Kvyat, a rookie, who didn't settle easily to the team.


Edited by djonas79, 30 November 2015 - 19:40.


#37 Afterburner

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 19:43

What the hey, I'll get in on this.

 

1. Lewis Hamilton: an unquestionably great year from a driver who we already know is seriously good; perhaps the one he'll remember as his best once his career is over. He kept a chokehold on the championship all season long and never let go until he had it. A few off-form races afterwards, but by then it didn't matter; Lewis was the champion in a year that was indisputably his from the get-go. Made Rosberg look like a fool all year long--clearly got into his head with nothing more than stellar driving and drove Nico to some of the most pathetic excuses I've ever heard from a driver (a gust of wind indeed). It's easy to say 'it's the car' when a driver is up front owning the field all the time, but the guy behind the wheel still makes a difference--and Lewis made a hell of a difference. A very worthy three-time world champion.

 

2. Sebastian Vettel: remember those people who used to say that maybe those Red Bulls weren't as 'dominant' as everyone thought and that Vettel was making the difference? Doesn't seem like such a silly idea now, does it? If we were to exclude Mercedes from the results, Vettel would've won 13 races this year and finished on the podium 17 times, with a car far closer to the clutches of the pack than the Mercedes. Not the best of premises, but you get the idea. A very, very close second, only on the basis that results are king and Vettel failed to secure the ultimate prize.

 

3. Daniil Kvyat: if you had told me that Kvyat was going to outscore Ricciardo in their first season together, I probably wouldn't have believed you. A stand-out season from a driver who still has plenty of untapped potential. We know how much pressure the Red Bull team puts on its drivers to perform, and being in the middle of a political s45t-storm with Renault probably didn't help, but none of it seemed to phase Kvyat in the slightest--he just kept his head down and got the job done so well and so uncontroversially it was easy to forget he was even there. So he ends up here as a result.

 

4. Daniel Ricciardo: his shining moment this year was his drive in Austin, but it was really the only time this year he looked to be on his elusive 2014 form. He was beaten by Kvyat, but not by much, and we know he's capable of putting together some great drives. Next year, without a Renault-badged smoke grenade in the back of his car, he should be able to do better. He was smiling less this year, but his optimism and positivism is almost certainly an asset to a team enduring a dark period.

 

5. Max Verstappen: someone said it best when they summed it up like this--the hype is real. I was a skeptic, but he won me over by midseason. Speed, cunning, and bravery packed together in an unbelievably young but defiantly solid package. While his greenness showed through at times, there were more times that it felt as if we were watching a seasoned veteran performing works of art. The sole reason any of the races this season were memorable, it's very possible that, in the future, we'll look back on 2015 most notably as the year Max Verstappen made his debut.

 

6. Sergio Perez: a few have suggested his being rated highly is a case of 'you're only as good as your last race'. While this may be true, it wasn't Nico Hulkenberg who netted Force India their only podium this year--and when you're in a midfield team, being in the right place at the right time is the only way you'll ever stand out. Perez, while anonymous at times, has shown he's capable of amazing drives. He just needs consistency--a consistency which became more apparent towards the end of the season.

 

7. Valtteri Bottas: given his 2014 season and looking at his position in the championship, it would be easy to put him higher than this out of convenience. A closer look, however, reveals that he only made two podiums in a season where the Williams was probably capable of at least a few more than that. He was good, but not great, and with a little more consistency probably could've ended the season ahead of Raikkonen; while not really at fault in his clashes with the latter, staying out of trouble would've worked vastly to his benefit.

 

8. Felipe Massa: given that Massa and Bottas were so close, it would be wrong to rate one too far ahead of or behind the other. Massa didn't make as many glaring mistakes as Bottas and captured just as many podiums, but lacked the out-and-out pace of his protege. Not the driver he once was, but still a solid, known quantity, and deserves his space on the grid for next season.

 

9. Carlos Sainz, Jr.: while it's probably a little unfair to put him this far behind his teammate given he had the lion's share of car issues within the team, I really just think that the battle for fifth spot was really close. Sainz, Jr. won the qualifying battle versus his very quick teammate, and while not always as fast or as daring in races, he was right on Verstappen's heels through the majority of the season. Not as many 'wow' results, but a series of good finishes that will likely make him a good candidate for leader of a midfield team in the future. If he turns things around next year, top drives are still possible. There were a number of times this year where I forgot I was watching a rookie when I watched him race.

 

10. Jenson Button: if you look up the phrase 'never give up' in a thesaurus, you will find Jenson's name under the heading. A model of perseverance and determination in a season where McLaren reached desperate lows, Jenson put on a brave face and gave his all to a car that really needed some love. Trundling around at the back in a Honda is, sadly, familiar territory for Jenson--here's hoping that in the future, he and the team can push forward; giving Honda at least one more win would be a fairy-tale ending to a long and storied career. We're pulling for you, JB.


Edited by Afterburner, 30 November 2015 - 19:50.


#38 grunge

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:07

Surprised at people rating Ricciardo higher than Kvyat, when the later outscored his much more hyped teammate at the end.

 

    The points dont portray the whole picture either..Kvyat was the newcomer, with Ricciardo already enjoying the 4WDC-beater repute and familiar with the workings of the team...not surprising to see then that Kvyat had a much slower start to the season..DR was leading 35-19 at the end of the 8th race in Austria.

    Its the 2nd half of the season where Kyvat really shined through..Ricciardio probably had more share of mechanical issues during this time but i always got the impression during races that Kvyat consistently was better on raceday.

 

    In conclusion, to me, Kvyat came off as more than capable of matching DR.



#39 GoldenColt

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:09

What the hey, I'll get in on this.

 

1. Lewis Hamilton: an unquestionably great year from a driver who we already know is seriously good; perhaps the one he'll remember as his best once his career is over. He kept a chokehold on the championship all season long and never let go until he had it. A few off-form races afterwards, but by then it didn't matter; Lewis was the champion in a year that was indisputably his from the get-go. Made Rosberg look like a fool all year long--clearly got into his head with nothing more than stellar driving and drove Nico to some of the most pathetic excuses I've ever heard from a driver (a gust of wind indeed). It's easy to say 'it's the car' when a driver is up front owning the field all the time, but the guy behind the wheel still makes a difference--and Lewis made a hell of a difference. A very worthy three-time world champion.

 

2. Sebastian Vettel: remember those people who used to say that maybe those Red Bulls weren't as 'dominant' as everyone thought and that Vettel was making the difference? Doesn't seem like such a silly idea now, does it? If we were to exclude Mercedes from the results, Vettel would've won 13 races this year and finished on the podium 17 times, with a car far closer to the clutches of the pack than the Mercedes. Not the best of premises, but you get the idea. A very, very close second, only on the basis that results are king and Vettel failed to secure the ultimate prize.

 

3. Daniil Kvyat: if you had told me that Kvyat was going to outscore Ricciardo in their first season together, I probably wouldn't have believed you. A stand-out season from a driver who still has plenty of untapped potential. We know how much pressure the Red Bull team puts on its drivers to perform, and being in the middle of a political s45t-storm with Renault probably didn't help, but none of it seemed to phase Kvyat in the slightest--he just kept his head down and got the job done so well and so uncontroversially it was easy to forget he was even there. So he ends up here as a result.

 

4. Daniel Ricciardo: his shining moment this year was his drive in Austin, but it was really the only time this year he looked to be on his elusive 2014 form. He was beaten by Kvyat, but not by much, and we know he's capable of putting together some great drives. Next year, without a Renault-badged smoke grenade in the back of his car, he should be able to do better. He was smiling less this year, but his optimism and positivism is almost certainly an asset to a team enduring a dark period.

 

5. Max Verstappen: someone said it best when they summed it up like this--the hype is real. I was a skeptic, but he won me over by midseason. Speed, cunning, and bravery packed together in an unbelievably young but defiantly solid package. While his greenness showed through at times, there were more times that it felt as if we were watching a seasoned veteran performing works of art. The sole reason any of the races this season were memorable, it's very possible that, in the future, we'll look back on 2015 most notably as the year Max Verstappen made his debut.

 

6. Sergio Perez: a few have suggested his being rated highly is a case of 'you're only as good as your last race'. While this may be true, it wasn't Nico Hulkenberg who netted Force India their only podium this year--and when you're in a midfield team, being in the right place at the right time is the only way you'll ever stand out. Perez, while anonymous at times, has shown he's capable of amazing drives. He just needs consistency--a consistency which became more apparent towards the end of the season.

 

7. Valtteri Bottas: given his 2014 season and looking at his position in the championship, it would be easy to put him higher than this out of convenience. A closer look, however, reveals that he only made two podiums in a season where the Williams was probably capable of at least a few more than that. He was good, but not great, and with a little more consistency probably could've ended the season ahead of Raikkonen; while not really at fault in his clashes with the latter, staying out of trouble would've worked vastly to his benefit.

 

8. Felipe Massa: given that Massa and Bottas were so close, it would be wrong to rate one too far ahead of or behind the other. Massa didn't make as many glaring mistakes as Bottas and captured just as many podiums, but lacked the out-and-out pace of his protege. Not the driver he once was, but still a solid, known quantity, and deserves his space on the grid for next season.

 

9. Carlos Sainz, Jr.: while it's probably a little unfair to put him this far behind his teammate given he had the lion's share of car issues within the team, I really just think that the battle for fifth spot was really close. Sainz, Jr. won the qualifying battle versus his very quick teammate, and while not always as fast or as daring in races, he was right on Verstappen's heels through the majority of the season. Not as many 'wow' results, but a series of good finishes that will likely make him a good candidate for leader of a midfield team in the future. If he turns things around next year, top drives are still possible. There were a number of times this year where I forgot I was watching a rookie when I watched him race.

 

10. Jenson Button: if you look up the phrase 'never give up' in a thesaurus, you will find Jenson's name under the heading. A model of perseverance and determination in a season where McLaren reached desperate lows, Jenson put on a brave face and gave his all to a car that really needed some love. Trundling around at the back in a Honda is, sadly, familiar territory for Jenson--here's hoping that in the future, he and the team can push forward; giving Honda at least one more win would be a fairy-tale ending to a long and storied career. We're pulling for you, JB.

 

Couldn't have said it any better.  :up:



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#40 JHSingo

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:19

Surprised at people rating Ricciardo higher than Kvyat, when the later outscored his much more hyped teammate at the end.

 

If memory serves me, there was only a few points between them till a couple of races to go. Then Ricciardo chose to run an upgraded engine that ultimately had no benefit, and missed out on points in Brazil. Plus he retired with mechanical issues when on for a strong result in Russia too.

 

They were very close, but for me Ricciardo was better. Kvyat's podium at Hungary came in slightly fortuitous circumstances (on a day in Hungary that pretty much everyone decided to go full IndyCar in terms of WTFness), plus there were more mistakes, like the crash in quali at Suzuka, the crash when he could have scored points in COTA, etc.

 

Not a bad first year at Red Bull for Kvyat, but ultimately he made more mistakes over the season than Ricciardo.



#41 zanquis

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:24

1) Vettel: Have to give him credits for showing us again that he is a formidable driver. Not faultless but gave Rosberg more work than he should need to have for second.

2) Hamilton, until the title was secured almost unbeatable. After that, car development went wrong or he just partied to hard.

3) Verstappen, overtaking is a art and we have a real Mozart here. He struggled with qualifying in beginning but once he got that under control he had Sainz beat in race and qualifying speed.

4) Perez, found his mojo and is most likely to take over Buttons smoothness crown after Button retires. Completely recovered from his McLaren season.

5) Ricciardo, had a weak mid section where Kvyat actually stepped up for a bit but overall he was good as always.

6) Bottas and Massa. Overall I found little between these two. Both did very well.

8) Kvyat, mostly based on his mid-season when his seat looked to be lost. He upped his game and looked fast. Shows a bit to be error prone under pressure though.

9) Rosberg, he only looked good when the title was lost. He stood in the shadow of Hamilton whole season and only his strong finish gives him a place in top 10.

10) Hulkenberg, he was not bad, but not good either. I am afraid he missed his momentum or the Force India just suits Perez much more.

11) Grosjean, he had a mediocre season and only his 3th place showed he is still very good.

12) Sainz, first half showed strong qualifying and if not for his teammate beating him on all fields at end of season you wouldforget he also had extreme bad luck and is just a rookie.

13) Raikkonen, yes he finished 4th but like Rosberg never really challenged his teammate. Few big errors shows the car lacks the feel he needs and that he is forcing too much sometimes and not trying enough at other moments.

14) Button managed to beat Alonso and showed that not only is he overall better than Hamilton but that Alonso can be beat over a season.

15) Nasr, but mostly on his begin of season. His second half he was not improving it seemed. Ericsson gave him way more competition then I could have expected.

16) Maldonado, for his doing few mistakes, lacking speed compared to Grosjean but at least he can beat his teammate next year.

17) Ericsson, his first part of season he was as expected, depressing to see such a driver in that car. But He gave Nasr more fight then I expected from him. It took him a year and a half but he is showing growth.

18) Rossi, it must be depressing to be a American and having to cheer for this guy, makes you want to dig in your family tree for a European bloodline. He did not do terrible but it would be better if he stayed on home ground.

19) Steven, can't do much more with his car then he did. But more then just driving his laps seems to be his thing. Don't see a great future in F1 at least his career lastest more then a season and that is longer than most drivers can say.

20) Mehri,hindered by his break did not do much wrong but not showing a reason to keep him.

21) Alonso, k he had a good race sometimes but his lack of motivation seems depressing and really makes you want to kick him cause there is talent out there waiting for a chance.

#42 grunge

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:32

If memory serves me, there was only a few points between them till a couple of races to go. Then Ricciardo chose to run an upgraded engine that ultimately had no benefit, and missed out on points in Brazil. Plus he retired with mechanical issues when on for a strong result in Russia too.

 

They were very close, but for me Ricciardo was better. Kvyat's podium at Hungary came in slightly fortuitous circumstances (on a day in Hungary that pretty much everyone decided to go full IndyCar in terms of WTFness), plus there were more mistakes, like the crash in quali at Suzuka, the crash when he could have scored points in COTA, etc.

 

Not a bad first year at Red Bull for Kvyat, but ultimately he made more mistakes over the season than Ricciardo.

Well, even at the end the difference is a few points...whatever gap there was between the two over the season was minimal.

 

   My impression is based on the contextual facts i mentioned above..Kvyat was new, and had an uphill task coming back from a 35-19 deficit with 10 weekends to go..2ndly he was always up against it with Ricciardo already been dubbed as the next big thing



#43 Kev00

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 20:41

1. Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Perez
4. Button
5. Rosberg
6. Verstappen
7. Grosjean
8. Alonso
9. Ricciardo
10. Kvyat
11. Bottas
12. Hulkenberg
13. Massa
14. Sainz
15. Raikkonen
16. Rossi
17. Nasr
18. Stevens
19. Ericsson
20. Maldonado
21. Mehri

#44 Jimisgod

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 21:16

Surprised at people rating Ricciardo higher than Kvyat, when the later outscored his much more hyped teammate at the end.

 

    The points dont portray the whole picture either..Kvyat was the newcomer, with Ricciardo already enjoying the 4WDC-beater repute and familiar with the workings of the team...not surprising to see then that Kvyat had a much slower start to the season..DR was leading 35-19 at the end of the 8th race in Austria.

    Its the 2nd half of the season where Kyvat really shined through..Ricciardio probably had more share of mechanical issues during this time but i always got the impression during races that Kvyat consistently was better on raceday.

 

    In conclusion, to me, Kvyat came off as more than capable of matching DR.

 

You missed a lot of races then. At Belgium, Singapore, Russia and AD, Ricciardo was significantly faster than Kvyat to the tune of 3-5 places but at two of those he had terrible reliability.



#45 Jonnycraig37

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 21:35

Surprised at people rating Ricciardo higher than Kvyat, when the later outscored his much more hyped teammate at the end.

The points dont portray the whole picture either..Kvyat was the newcomer, with Ricciardo already enjoying the 4WDC-beater repute and familiar with the workings of the team...not surprising to see then that Kvyat had a much slower start to the season..DR was leading 35-19 at the end of the 8th race in Austria.
Its the 2nd half of the season where Kyvat really shined through..Ricciardio probably had more share of mechanical issues during this time but i always got the impression during races that Kvyat consistently was better on raceday.

In conclusion, to me, Kvyat came off as more than capable of matching DR.


Fully agreed. Kvyat more than matched Ricciardo and in only his second season in F1. Understandably most don't want to see that though having bet on the wrong horse after last season and seeing Vettel prove this year that it was merely a blip for him.

#46 SonJR

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 22:21

Gonna cut some corners in reasoning to keep it brief:

 

1. Vettel

A Schumacher-96 type season. Showed his class, seizing almost all chances. Gets the nod over Hamilton due to his few bad days, leadership in the team and rebounding from '14.

 

2. Hamilton

Very close second. His highs were very high and had a great streak, but didn't always rebound well from the lows. Absolutely deserved the championship though.

 

3. Rosberg

Too little, too late. Title defeat of '14 haunted him more than he reckoned, perhaps. Great end to season, though, which vindicated him for some earlier races too. Adapted and learned.

 

4. Verstappen

Was gonna put him at #3, but it's easy to forget that in the first 8 or so races Sainz had the upper-hand. Hugely impressive rookie season and progress. Often one to watch.

 

5. Perez

Surprised me by beating the Hulkenberg. Flattered, perhaps, in the standings, but can make a 'gamble strategy' work like no other and made a step as a driver.

 

6. Ricciardo

Primary victim of Renaults lack of performance and reliability, perhaps. Had a few too many 'quiet' races. Sometimes hard to judge, but still often able to show his class.

 

7. Bottas

A bit of a silent assassin, perhaps. Suffered from Williams' relative down-turn, but was a consummate pro. Lost out a bit in WDC due to back injury and - in one case - Raikkonen.

 

8. Grosjean

His qualifying tally against the by no means slow Maldonado is a testament to his pace. Far out-scored him in races too, often out of the spotlight. Matured further. Brilliant at Spa.

 

9. Button

Gets this spot over Alonso because of his more positive attitude, class in both adversity and combat and - regardless of how in the minnow McLaren - outscoring Alonso.

 

10. Kvyat

Should perhaps be farther up, but had too many wild weekends or instances where he couldn't turn the tide. Not a great year to leap to Red Bull. Spectacular when it clicked.

 

Hon mention:

Sainz - Coulda, woulda, shoulda? Fared decently against a high-rated team mate. Very different type. If more 'direct', their battle will be interesting next year.

Massa - Still has it. But also still does not have it a little too often. Did well to make Bottas stock drop a bit, but there's no denying the Finn - overall - has the edge. Which is no shame.

Rossi - No Vandoorne, perhaps, but impressed in his Manor outings. A cut above the other drivers of the team. Proved he can have a career in F1.

(Edit: reconsidered. Bottas)

(Weird not to put Alonso in one of these. But frankly, McLarens entire year in a sense can't be rated.)


Edited by SonJR, 30 November 2015 - 22:27.


#47 jjcale

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 22:48

Why are most people unable to understand that we are watching cars far more than we are watching drivers? Why else do these  lists track the standings so closely?

 

Lets try to focus on the actual driving and the value added by driver by giving a bit more credit for driving difficult cars rather than simply praising the guys with fastest cars for being fastest.

The test I am using is: if you swapped the driver with "a hypothetical average driver" would performance increase or decrease - and by how much?

 

 

1. RG - that dude drives a car that is constantly trying to kill him for a team with no money for development. Let us be honest : His car was beyond shite this year - and he came 10th and even managed to put that hunk of junk on the podium - that is frickin unbelievable. This is easily the stand out performance this year. 

 

2. JB - another one consistently putting an unpolishable turd where it should not be on race days. He kept his toys in the pram whilst his prima donna team mate pretty much went postal.

 

3. AR - either WS is completely useless or AR did really well in coming in mid-season and completely smoking his ass. Even if you dont give WS the benefit of the doubt, AR still did a super job.

 

4. MV - I tried to factor out that he was a 17 year old rookie  but this kid is amazing. Shumi's records are under threat. He is a future WDC for sure.... but he had a good car. That Torro Rosso was very drivable. You dont pull those moves in a shitbox like the Lotus - try that and you end up looking like PM. Only a well balanced car such as the Torro Rosso could allow MV to shine, and thank god it did. A major star was born this year.

 

5. SP - he beat the Hulk convincingly - nuff said. I rate the Hulk pretty highly and he was mostly outclassed from mid-season onwards. New chassis favouring him or not, SP was a stand out driver this season.

 

6. LH - he was crushing NR even harder than he crushed JB in 2012 (which was a crushing for the ages!!) right up to 6 races ago. Then something happened. We dont know what yet. Subject to finding out exactly what happened LH is fifth on the list. He  would be higher but I think NR was a bit demotivated at the start of year - but still, a crushing is a crushing.

 

7. SV - speaking about crushings.... When is KR gonna have some pride and just retire? First FA and now SV smoked his ass unmercifully. Is he there to make other top drivers look good? If KR was in any form at all I would agree with the folks saying SV was #1 this year but KR was such an embarrassment for most of the season it actually detracted from SV as I dont know if SV did well with the car or not as his team mate was not a useful comparator on account of being amazingly useless on a historic scale.

 

8. NH - I admit that I am partial to the Hulk but I dont see why SP doing well should detract from the fact that he got way more points out of his car than he had any right to. Another fine season but the most underrated driver on the grid IMHO.

 

9 - 10 FM and VB - impossible to separate these two. They did competently. Cant say more

 

that marks the end of those who did well.

 

11. CS - got crushed by MV. Crashed way too much for my liking and generally squandered a good car. The folks saying he did well are just trying to be non-fanboyish about MV.  On any objective measure of what his car was capable of, CS was poor - but not a complete disaster. And if you factor in that he was a rookie then he did OK - but I dont take account of that in my model.

 

12  FN - started brightly and then faded. I dont think it was just that the car was not developed over the course of the season. FN has never managed to string together a full season of excellence in the years I have been following him. This one was no different. He is just a some what decent pay driver.

 

13. NR - up to 3 races from the end was getting beat by SV in a slower car. Nothing more needs to be said.... but I will go on. Despite somehow coming back from the dead at the end of the season to win three races on the trot still lost to LH by more than two race wins.... pretty pathetic season over all in terms of making use of the car a his disposal.

 

14 - 15 DR and DK - these are two of my favorite drivers but I think they both underperformed. I think they got caught up in the whole engine saga earlier in the year and did not pull their fingers out. Also we now see that SV was setting up the car for Redbull. it reminds me of the season right LH left Macca. They produced a half decent car but they couldnt set it up well on a consistent basis as their go to guy for feedback had left. This year's Redbull was nowhere as bad as the results showed. I blame Horner and co for being drama queens over the engine issue and the drivers for not focusing on the job at hand -- eg DK got a hurry up mid-season and all of a sudden started to string together results....  sorry, that is not good enough. They wasted a decent car.

 

16. FA - flashes of brilliance but lots of whinging and missing out on points a couple of time when they were on offer. As a Macca fan, he would not mind if he were replaced by Vandoorne if the car/engine is not going to improve massively in the near future. If things are not going how he likes this bloke is a liability. He proved it again this season.

 

17. ME - improved a lot over the course of the season - but still not good enough for F1 IMHO. The Sauber was not as bad as him and FN made it look.

 

18 WS - I want to be nice but he is probably not good enough for F1 either. Even giving him credit for a bad car cant help him.

 

19 PM - too many mishaps. They were not all his fault this year .... but maybe he should change his car number from 13... just sayin'.

 

20 KR - see above under SV - completely wasted the second best car on the grid.

 

21. RM - not good enough for F1 - even a very poor car cant hide it.



#48 Volcano70

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 23:15

Worst 5- least worst to the worst

Ericsson- Had a dull year

Maldonado- Do I need to explain?

Will Stevens- Was able to Out-Qualify the McHonda's only due to grid penalties for BUT and ALO.

KMag- 0.5 of a GP weekend,, last in points, a year off the circuit, bad year for the Dane. Only rank him poorly because of his 2015 stats  :(

Merhi- Getting benched by the worst team on the grid isn't a good thing....



#49 Afterburner

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 23:15

Why are most people unable to understand that we are watching cars far more than we are watching drivers? Why else do these  lists track the standings so closely?

 

Lets try to focus on the actual driving and the value added by driver by giving a bit more credit for driving difficult cars rather than simply praising the guys with fastest cars for being fastest.

The test I am using is: if you swapped the driver with "a hypothetical average driver" would performance increase or decrease - and by how much?

I actually agree with most of your assessments. The one thing I feel bad about in my list was Romain not making the cut for the top 10. He drove his heart out this year, but as my last pick was between him and Button, and I felt the s@$t Button had to put up with was worse, I gave the nod to Jense.

 

But Romain was really good and I do think his performances deserve mention. He's a good driver and I think he'll be more than capable of leading the Haas effort next year. :up:



#50 lbennie

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 23:22

My 10

 

1. Vettel

2. Hamilton

3. Perez, Ricciardo, Rosberg

6. Verstappen

7. Grosjean

8. Bottas, Massa, Kvyat, Sainz


Edited by lbennie, 01 December 2015 - 10:15.