Vote for the best driver of the Brazilian GP weekend

Brazilian Grand Prix

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Start, Interlagos, 2010

Which driver did the best job during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend?

See below for my pick of the best drivers in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Review each driver’s race weekend in detail below and vote for who you thought was the most impressive driver.

For your consideration

Here are some of the drivers who impressed me during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend:

Sebastian Vettel – Once again the man to beat, and no-one got near him.

Nico Hulkenberg – Astonishing performance on Saturday to take pole by a huge margin in tricky conditions. His driving in a high-pressure situation on Sunday was impressively mature – he defended his position from the championship contenders firmly but fairly.

Fernando Alonso – Carrier on doing exactly what he needs to win the championship. Stayed out of trouble in the opening stages, piled pressure on Hamilton and found a way past Hulkenberg.

Kamui Kobayashi – Up to his usual antics, not quite as dramatically as usual, but climbed his way to tenth for a point.

Michael Schumacher – Great pass on Button at the start. Ultimately compromised by strategy and Adrian Sutil.

Compare all the drivers

You can review what happened to each driver over the race weekend and compare their performances with their team mates using the links below:

McLaren: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher
Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
Williams: Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg
Renault: Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov
Force India: Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi
Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari
Lotus: Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
HRT: Christian Klien and Bruno Senna
Sauber: Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld
Virgin: Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi

Vote for your driver of the weekend

Which driver impressed you the most in the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Who was the best driver of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend?

  • Lucas di Grassi (0%)
  • Timo Glock (0%)
  • Kamui Kobayashi (2%)
  • Nick Heidfeld (0%)
  • Bruno Senna (0%)
  • Christian Klien (0%)
  • Heikki Kovalainen (0%)
  • Jarno Trulli (0%)
  • Jaime Alguersuari (0%)
  • Sebastien Buemi (0%)
  • Vitantonio Liuzzi (0%)
  • Adrian Sutil (0%)
  • Vitaly Petrov (0%)
  • Robert Kubica (1%)
  • Nico H???lkenberg (21%)
  • Rubens Barrichello (0%)
  • Fernando Alonso (26%)
  • Felipe Massa (1%)
  • Mark Webber (3%)
  • Sebastian Vettel (29%)
  • Nico Rosberg (2%)
  • Michael Schumacher (4%)
  • Lewis Hamilton (2%)
  • Jenson Button (8%)

Total Voters: 1,778

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Korean Grand Prix result

Fernando Alonso was voted the best driver of the Korean Grand Prix weekend. Here’s the top three as voted for by you:

1. Fernando Alonso (41%)
2. Sebastian Vettel (21%)
3. Michael Schumacher (12%)

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

    Browse all 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix articles

    Image © Red Bull/Getty images

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    71 comments on “Vote for the best driver of the Brazilian GP weekend”

    1. There’s only one candidate really, he drove out of his skin today and really impressed over the whole weekend – Timo Glock ;P. No, seriously, Vettel was immense and it’s got to be said that the Red Bull’s deserve their constructors victory after years of hard work and troubles. Well done Red Bull!

      1. got to be hulknenberg cause he was able to handle the pressure no mistakes bad strategy but he managed to score 4

        1. no mistakes? i saw a few… all he did in this race was slowing down other cars… nothing more :)

    2. Gotta go with Vettel.

    3. not a Vettel fan, but its hard to see how he can’t be seen as the driver of the day.

      super impressed that Kobayashi nicked a point though, I hadn’t realised until this article!

      1. Roger Carballo AKA Architrion
        8th November 2010, 17:25

        its hard to see how he can’t be seen as the driver of the day

        maybe if you look and find a driver who overtakes a Hulkenberg and a Hamilton and just matches the speed of your driver of the day….

        1. A few more laps (or a few less backmarkers after the SC left) and we could have seen an epic battle for 2P, as ALO was closing on WEB who had engine issues. With an overtake (and nobody’s saying it would have been easy) ALO would be now 14 points on top of WEB and 18 on top of VET, and would have it a lot easier. With a 4P in Abu Dhabi he’d win no matter what.

          1. One less SC and ALO would have been no where near WEB, and maybe we would have seen a better battle for P1 as VET would have had to continue to lap people, Schumacher was next.

            1. Schumacher would let Vettel past and hold up Webber if anything.

          2. A few less backmarkers at the restart and we would have had an epic battle for P1, with Alonso on top of Webber on the tail of Vettel…

          3. When vettel his engine didn’t blow up at korea, he would be the championshipsleader.
            and alonso would have -7 points.

      2. Same here. Pains me to do so, but it has to be Vettel. He has been immaculate during the whole week end.

    4. Quite easily Vettel. No one has been able to touch him for the past three races but obviously we all know he was very unfortunate in Korea. Excellent drive and fully deserved, there’s no way the team would take such a win away from him, they did the right thing.

      1. whatever, webber is completely average and the red bull is miles fatser that the other cars! yamamoto would look good in that car. it has to be the hulk. he destroyed a very experienced barrichello in both qualifying and the race.

    5. feel sorry for alguersuari, 11th in 3 consecutive races :(

    6. i hate have to vote for Alonso but he did the job at the race.

    7. There was something in the air that night. The stars were bright, Fernando

      1. Your not thinking that Enka is Alonso right John H.

    8. There were 2 drivers that did the job perfectly, Vettel won the race and Alonso because did everything he could do, overtaking Hamilton and Hülkenberg wasn´t a easy task for sure, but i voted Vettel after all he won the race.

    9. Let me think

      Vettel – a stroll, simply drove the fastest car home with some help from “overheating engine” of a fellow Red Bull. If I am supposed to judge him by his own standards, then he drove magnificently, since NOT crashing when it matters is something huge for him. But seriously, nothing special.

      Webber – He matched Vettel fantastically in doing nothing special, overtaking Hulkenberg was a must, never seriously challenged by Alonso, although I have to give him more credit than I gave Vettel, since mechanical gremlins/Helmut Marko, made his way a little bit harder.

      Alonso – Disappointing in Q, where he had the third fastest car and put it fifth. Race-wise much better, but he looked somehow shaky while taking on Hulk.

      Hulk – pfff… made absolutely nothing out of the fluke PP. Obviously Williams gambled on his setup on Saturday, knowing perfectly he is bound to fail on Sunday. And he did. Also he made it to the railroad history by creating Hulk-train. Congratz, Williams had some publicity they wanted.

      Koba – his usual samurai thing on the track. Getting used to it, although the more he does it the less impressive is the effect.

      MSC – and this is my man of the weekend. At last he contributed to the MGP’s 4th place in the constructors championship as he was expected to. A nice piece of driving, although I’m still not much of a fan of his majesty Michael.

      1. I strongly disagree with several points in your analysis…

        First of all, if Alonso disappointed you in Qualifying because “he had the third fastest car and put it fifth”, so had to do Vettel and Webber, since they also lost the position to Hulk…

        In fact, I think VET, WEB and ALO did what was expected in qualifying, just that Hulk and HAM did an astounding job. So, not sure why didn’t you count HAM there in your analysis.

        Also, if you look at ALO and HAM, and compare them with their teammates in qualifying, you should see their merit in qualifying with the same car…

        I also think that WEB deserves an extra point for keeping very calm after the race and not being ****** at Vettel for his anti-teamwork attitude. The same point that we should subtract from Vettel…

        1. Vettel ‘anti-teamwork’ attitude? If you listened to 5live coverage of FP1 you’d know that Webber last year said that he’d rather help Jenson win the title rather than his own team mate. Whereas Vettel has already pretty much said that he’d be willing to do whatever he can to make sure it’s a Red Bull winning the title. How is that an anti-teamwork attitude?
          I like Mark but if anyone has an anti-teamwork attitude it’s him, especially after saying all those things about the team not being ’emotionally’ with him. If he was a team player, he wouldn’t have said it and wouldn’t have put pressure on the team.

          1. I am ready to make some good friends here : driving a car which is 1 sec faster (potentially) than any other on the field and get a great start doesnt make Vettel the best racer (of this race). I must admit he is quick. Full stop. Give this car to Alonso or Hamilton and you will see that there is a looong way to go for Seb in real racing. Same syndrom as Schumi in his golden age, when they have the best car by far and are ahead of the crowd, they can win as they are quick. In the middle of the field, they (often) suck. We are very lucky this season not to have one of the big names driving the RB, the suspense for the title would have ended in Belgium ;-) I am only happy that two years in a row. Last comment : look at RB’s tyrewear in the park at the end of the race and you understand they have been sooo lucky to have a SC (not counting MW fuel issue). So I voted Alonso who sometimes this season sucked as well, but manages to be there when needed.

          2. Webber said last year that he’d help Vettel when he was out and his “test drive” in Suzuka proved that.

            Without engine problems and the SC Webber would have been all over Vettel, but Vettel out qualified him so that was that.
            Vote would go to Hulk or Vet.

        2. So you say that Webber should be angry at Vettel because he (webber) is not good enough?.. oh that makes sense.
          No seriously, Vettel have suggested that he will let Webber go by in abu dhabi if that is necessary. Vettel would be a very poor guy if he gave up already. One thing is being forced to do it by your team, a whole other is giving up to favor your team mate.
          Webber wouldn’t be a “team player” there either. Look at the Turkey accident for instance. Webber was told that Vettel were under pressure and were faster then him. If he had been a “team player” he had let vettel go by. But he didn’t. Because he didn’t need too, and because his championship was still alive.

        3. Alonso’s ferrari is nearly as fast as as the red bulls, he admit it himself in the post race press conference. People who say he had the 3rd fastest car are just trying to get at hamilton by proxy..

      2. Obviously Williams gambled on his setup on Saturday

        You mean he was running a wet or intermediate set-up?

        The Williams wasn’t any further off the pace than it usually is in dry races. Am curious to hear why you think otherwise.

        Especially given he was only quickest in the driest part of qualifying. I don’t think your explanation adds up.

        1. I agree KC, it wasn’t a gamble they just got it perfect team and driver, when it counted.
          I liked Hul how it defended his positions from FA during the race, giving all he had and at the same time fair. He shows that William and Hul will be a team to be reckon soon when they will get a Ferrari engine….

      3. I’m pretty sure Kobayashi got passed far more than he passed anyone….

      4. When Alonso wins the WDC he would be the youngest drive to win a 3rd WDC. In my opinion he would have won 2 of them championships with the 2nd fastest car. 2006 & 2010.

        I believe he will win the Championship. He will win even more; maybe even win a 4th and 5th WDC. But unlike Schumacher not 7. Unlike Sumi, he got to much completion and not always the fastest car. Sumi also won his 1st WDC with the 2nd fastest car.

        Hamilton will in his career also win 3 to 5 WDC. He might be even faster than Alonso. He is a better Qualifier the Alonso. Average starting position this in 2007 is 2.5 against Alonso 3.18. In the same car. Average starting position this year is 5.3 against Alonso 6.0. But Alonso is the beter all round racer, with a beter head on. Alonso got 5 fastest laps this year, more than any other driver and completed 1065 laps also more than any other driver. Hamilton won his championship with the fastest car. Maybe in his later part of his career he will be able mentally to do it in the 2nd fastest car. This Year he was to erratic and made too many mistakes, far too many mistakes more than usual. But he will improve with experience. He will learn valuable lessons. Hamilton did not have the car this year especially the 2nd part of the year and that is arguably why he “over drive” the car and made crucial mistakes that have cost him. But he will learn out of this

        Webber is solid; he has good days and then average days. His experience got him thus far in the championship. His mistake in Korea will cost him the championship. He will not get another change. He can still win in my opinion, if two things happen, 1 Alonso DNF, 2 team orders in Red Bull. This is seams highly unlikely to me.

        Vettel is fast, very fast, but an immature loose canon, unpredictable and can’t over take. He is great when he is in front, but poor if he drives in the pack. Got 9 poles but only 4 wins, lead 342 laps, against Alonso 5 wins with 2 poles and leading only126 laps. But again give him time. He will also win a few WDC. My prediction is that Red bull will look by on this year and wonder what went wrong. Outwardly they will pat them self on the back and says “we have won the constructor championship, we have done a good job and we played by the rules”. Nobody will remember that in years to come and in fact they have not done a good job, they did not manage the drivers well and they should have won 3 races ago the championship. Both McLaren and Ferrari would have if they had that car.

        Alonso and Hamilton is the best out there. Just asked the drives themselves. End of story.

    10. I know Vettel and Webber got everything right, and that Alonso did exactly what he had to do. And I’m aware of how much Lewis got out of the car.

      But it was a whole second… You just don’t beat the top teams by a whole second… Even the other top teams don’t… Nico’s performance on Saturday impressed me more than any other driver’s performance did on Sunday.

      Realistically in the race, he never stood a chance, So I don’t think you can criticise him for that too harshly, he got unlucky with how all the strategies turned out as well. Scored a decent 8th place.

      1. Yea, I’m really just torn between Alonso and Hulk. Alonso had a weak quali but did everything he needed to do for the championship. I was hoping for more of a fight between Alonso and Lewis but alas.

        Hulk had a mind-boggling quali (though I thought Alonso 5th was more surprising.. my thoughts below) and after trying to eat at the adults table (just a metaphor for car strengths), ended up with a decent result for the team.

        In the end, I think Hulk deserves it this weekend.

        Why more surprising? I pretty much figured Hulk would filter out but was curious how long it would take. With the pace of the Ferrari, I was just surprised it got him 5th. I really expected him to get more out of the car but I guess he didn’t want to risk it. Besides, wet weather can make qualifying a mystery so someone surprising getting it is just as probable as someone expected.

      2. Very nice explanation of just why it had to be the incredible Hulk.

        Agree with that on all accounts.

        1. I overall agree but I would like to see Hulk in something else than defensive driving. This has nothing to do with him but it is time for the new rules to allow (slightly) easier overtaking. The fact that he had the pole allowed Vettel and MW to escape and deprived us from a great show at the end. And if you tell me that Hulk’s qualifying on Saturday was outstanding, again I somewhat agree but let’s admit this was a kind of lottery depending on timing.

          1. His last fast lap was about timing (the one over a second faster than Vettel and almost a second faster than his own 2nd lap.), but even the one before that, which he finished before Vettel set his fastest lap, was fastest of all running.

            That was not to do with timing but with keeping the tyres on the dry to get the maximum from them, something no one else managed on saturday.

    11. Button’s drive from 11th to 5th was simply great

      1. agreed… another brilliant mind strategy from Button. If only he had taken every race with this kind of mentality…

        simply amazing given his pace on saturday, to actually end up just a second or two behind lewis. Great job Jenson.

      2. Agreed. JB gave it his all

      3. I totally agree.

        Brilliand driving and perfect team strategy to avoid the queue of cars and get the mandatory tyre change out of the way at the same time.

    12. This is becoming a nasty habit for me. I have to choose Alonso. He maximized his position and did exactly what he needed to do in the race without as single puff of tire smoke the whole day. His working over Hulkenberg was a clinic, and his similar dispatch of his arch rival was as masterful as it was painful for me to watch.

    13. I just can’t give it to Vettel, or Webber for that matter. That damn Red Bull is on rails and I know that doesn’t mean it was an easy drive or that it wasn’t impressive. The thing is, it was just BORING. Seeing those two Red Bulls storm away and have a race of their own is starting to get old!

      For that reason, I have to give it to Alonso. He’s clearly driving the hell out of that Ferrari when you have Massa struggling to get by anyone and really not looking like an equal teammate the whole season. Yesterday was no exception, and he was the only one who managed to hang with the Red Bulls on ‘cruise control’.

      Sadly, my boy Lewis just couldn’t get enough out of his car, although I was still impressed he hung in there.

      My hope for the final race: simultaneous, double Red Bull engine failure off the start line, and then Alonso’s gearbox drops out of the car after just a couple of laps. Lewis is World Champ! heh.

    14. Vettel was dominant and bullet proof like the two races (The car just gave up in korea), but i had to take Hulkenberg. He got me up of my chair in qualifying and i was shouting of disbelief of what he had just managed to pull off. And when he got up to speed (after the bulls got past) he was very good and mature defending Alonso and a very aggressive Hamilton. That was just amazing.

    15. Not much to choose from this weekend, but I gave it to Hulkenberg for the best two laps of the weekend. Disappointed he didn’t do better in the race, though.

      Thought about giving it to Alonso for winning the championship ;-).

    16. Vettel although I’m aware Mark apparently had an engine issue in the race but he never seemed like challenging Seb anyhow.

      The problem I seem to be having every weekend though when it comes to this pole is that Alonso hasn’t put a foot wrong in ages either. They’re both doing the maximum at the moment so it’s hard to choose between them.

      I’m going to give JB an honourable mention for driver of the race and not weekend though. He really was magnificent yesterday especially after what had happened to him after quali. He was quick and got the strategy right and finished just behind Lewis although I got a tad confused during the race and thought they swapped helmets as JB was storming and for once it was Hamilton complaining of lack of grip, I jest! :P

      1. Vettel although I’m aware Mark apparently had an engine issue in the race but he never seemed like challenging Seb anyhow.

        He was closing right before the Safety Car came out despite having a worse time in traffic.

        1. who knows how hot is engine was going? It might just have been them telling Mark it was hot to make sure he does not get close enough to fight Vettel for the win.

      2. So JB for racer of the weekend and the Hulk for qualifier of the weekend then Steph?

        And maybe the brazillian drivers spearheaded by Massa and Barricello for poor luck guys?

        1. Yep. if there were seperate poles for driver of quali and then driver of the race they’d get them but they didn’t string the weekend together so I just couldn’t vote for them.

          I know Massa had a bad time but I’m quite happy as he fought his way back and put a good move on Liuzzi so ok there was bad luck but he has won there twice already so I feel more sorry for Rubens :P

    17. good weekend but redbull come out on top

    18. This time Vettel – whater conditions – dry, wet, or drying he was the best of the top pack.
      Also perfect start for the race and then he just controlled everything. Webber could not reach him. Even if Vettel makes too much mistakes when he has to catch others, when he leads he is unbeatable in his car (as of yet).

      1. when he leads he is unbeatable in his car

        Except when the engine blows up, I’d say

      2. I think that Seb and Mark were very, very close, but I gave my vote to Vettel. Not by a huge margin, but he was definitely the best this weekend. He is really superb when he doesn’t have to overtake ;)

        1. good point well made…

    19. For me it came down to HUL, ALO, VET and MSC.

      However, I vote for Schumacher for the 2nd consecutive race.

      Am I the only one who thinks that Schumacher is going to win the title in 2011?

      1. He drove well, but I’d still consider Rosberg the better driver

    20. Button’s moving up the field wasn’t matched by anyone I think, but between the two RedBulls I thought Webber was doing great and catching up Vettel until he was told his engine was overheating…. until the before last lap when he was told he could push once there was no chance he could catch him anymore. I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, but that’s one more question mark (maybe that should be: “question, Mark”… never mind).

    21. Actually only 2 drivers i can mention…

      Hulkenberg- brilliant Q lap. I still dont know how he found 1 (!!!!!) second. Its imprssive. However race was disaster and he wasnt the best for sure, loosing 5 places in pitstops

      Winner (Vettel)- 2nd in Q, best in practises, best in race, no one overtook him, no problems in pits, all worked perfect. 10/10 to Vettel. Others werent better than Vettel anyway…

      1. Megawatt Herring
        8th November 2010, 20:03

        What makes that 1 second even more impressive is that It is a very short lap meaning being that far in front is very impressive, I gave my vote to Hulk which for me was the best part of the weekend.

    22. Vettel not only driver of the day but also driver of the year even if he don’t win the Championship.
      if he did not win he will remind me with Felipe Massa 2008.

    23. I don’t really like the guy, and I don’t like to admit it, but I think Vettel was the best for the whole weekend – except for the brief moment in Q3, but this isn’t enough for Hulk to get my vote.

      Sebastian was the best in Brazil, period, but I hope that Mark will be genuinely better in Abu Dhabi.

    24. I actually voted for Button. He could have challenged Hamilton at the end of the race but chose not to. That he ended up where he did after being passed by Schumacher early was impressive.

      Hamilton has been a fair bit quicker than him for quite a few races in a row now. I feel as though a lesser person would have been demoralised as a result. Especially after qualifying. My vote for Button, is on the basis that he’s been strong mentally, and as a result was quicker than his team mate at the end of the race.

      I don’t often vote for Button.

      1. But Button admit it was team decision to bring him early to pit in order to pass Hulknebrg’s train. With the same logic Rosberg was even better, gained more positions.
        So Button was really good (but not great) in the race and quite poor in qualifying.

        1. Rosberg hasn’t been demoralised by his team mate recently. That’s the important difference.

    25. where can i rate the race???

    26. Vettel was dominant all weekend and, objectively, has to be the driver of the weekend.

      Several other drivers deserve mentions for outstanding performances though: Hulkenburg for his debut pole, admittedly not on raw pace but nevertheless showing remarkable composure in qualifying and holding his position firmly and fairly in the first stages of the race; Button for yet another inspired strategy call; and Liuzzi for managing to make a baws-up of it yet again.

    27. Tough job really this weekend but I think Nico Hülkenberg should be a favourite as he really showed that given a good car that day he could have defended well as he did gave some people some trouble & yeah he was fair.

      Alonso’s move over Hulkenberg was the best of the day as he used his talent & experience to stitched Nico beautifully which was important at that stage of the race for him to be in a clear air.

    28. Actually, now I’m thinking I should have voted for Christian Klein. He started 3 laps behind everyone else in a HRT and still managed to be classified at the circuit with the shortest lap of the year. That deserves something, surely?

    29. WHO VOTED FOR LIUZZI?!

    30. There’s no option for: ‘No one in particular’

    31. No doubt Nico Rosberg should win this contest as he did not start with the Q3 bunch and still scored points. Why people still vote for Michael S. is beyond me when Nico’s record is much better on the year. R & R

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