Vote for your 2013 Belgian GP driver of the weekend

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

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Which F1 driver was the best performer during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend?

Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most during the last race weekend.

Belgian Grand Prix driver-by-driver

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel – Vettel held the whip hand during practice, even though a puncture cost him some running in second practice. Hamilton pipped him to pole in the wet Q3 but judicious use of KERS at the start and a committed run through Eau Rouge gave Vettel an irresistible run on the Mercedes to take the lead. After that he has never headed.

Mark Webber – Close to Vettel on pace all weekend but was a tenth off in qualifying and made another of his poor starts. Sixth by lap two, he passed Button but was unable to crack the two Mercedes.

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso – Ferrari had clearly made gains this weekend and in the dry part of Q2 Alonso was just a few hundredths of a second off the fastest time. But then the rain came and he ended up ninth on the grid. A typically strong start got him past both Lotuses and – importantly – Webber’s Red Bull. Button and Rosberg were easily dispensed with in the DRS zone and he out-braked Hamilton for second at La Source. Even if he’d qualified better it’s hard to see how he could have finished higher.

Felipe Massa – Also started well but had to run wide to avoid contact at the first corner, losing positions to Hulkenberg and Perez. He was hampered by a KERS glitch in the early running but the Grosjean/Perez incident effectively handed him two places. An early first pit stop also helped him move back up the order, though not as effectively as Alonso was able to.

McLaren

Jenson Button – Arrived at Spa believing a podium was possible and left in a similar frame of mind. He reached the top ten in the dry conditions of Q2, then when the rain came in Q3 he produced a lap good enough to beat the Lotuses and Ferraris. Had McLaren extended his first stint to allow him to complete the race with a single stop it’s possible he might have finished higher than sixth, though third may have been too optimistic all along.

Sergio Perez – Had he left the pits a few seconds earlier in Q2 he would probably have reached Q3. Perez gained two places at the start but spoiled a pass on Grosjean by needlessly squeezing the Lotus driver, earning himself a penalty. He was clearly unhappy with the stewards’ decision during the race, but afterwards said “I now understand where the penalty came from”. McLaren converted him to a one-stopper but Ricciardo edged him out of the top ten with four laps to go.

Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen – Both Lotuses performed less well when the rain fell during qualifying and neither of them made good starts to the race. Raikkonen got ahead of Grosjean on the second lap but a visor tear-off had got into his left-front brake duct, causing the disc to overheat. It was removed at his pit stop but the brake was already too far gone and it eventually put him out, ending a 27-race scoring streak and leaving him 63 points behind Vettel in the championship.

Romain Grosjean – Out-qualified Raikkonen for the third time in four races but lost ground in the race when Perez forced him wide, allowing Massa through. Ran a one-stop strategy in an attempt to gain ground, and did jump ahead of the Ferrari, but was re-passed late in the race.

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg – If Rosberg had had enough time in Q3 to set another lap, as Hamilton did, it’s likely he would have challenged for pole position as he was flying in the damp conditions. His race was more subdued, finishing fourth.

Lewis Hamilton – Hamilton’s claims his fourth pole in a row was a “surprise” does not seem that unreasonable considering he was outside the top ten in all three practice sessions and only scraped into Q3 by a few hundredths of a second. Fell victim to Vettel at the start but might have made Alonso work a bit harder for second place.

Sauber

Nico Hulkenberg – Not for the first time this year Hulkenberg found himself eliminated in Q2 by a slender margin. Continuing a running theme of his season he began and ended the race unhappy with his tyre degradation, and was out of the points.

Esteban Gutierrez – Gutierrez showed clear signs of improvement but wasn’t able to capitalise on them. He was caught out in Q1 for the seventh time this year and started on the back row. His race pace looked at least a match for his team mate’s and might have beaten him had he not collected a drive-through penalty for going off the track while passing Maldonado.

Force India

Paul di Resta – After spinning in Q1 Di Resta almost pulled off a shock in Q3 by playing a tactical blinder. He left the other nine drivers to try in vain to set a time on a wet track using slick tyres, then left the pits on intermediates and had the track to himself. However the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers were able to beat his effort, leaving him fifth. despite a poor start with a lot of wheelspin he only fell as far as seventh. His first pit stop dropped him behind Massa and he then fell victim to Maldonado’s carelessness.

Adrian Sutil – While Maldonado took his team mate out and Gutierrez took care of himself with a drive-through penalty, Sutil was there to pick up the pieces. He didn’t qualify that well and made a poor start, but even so it’s doubtful he would have finished much higher than eighth.

Williams

Pastor Maldonado – Was one of several drivers to be caught out by the Marussias and Caterhams using slick tyres in Q1. Maldonado felt Williams committed to intermediate tyres too soon, leaving him 17th on the grid. He was coming to the end of his second stint on lap 27 when Gutierrez tried to pass him, followed by the two Force Indias. As Maldonado tried to make for the pits he clipped Sutil, then took out Di Resta entirely, earning himself a stop-go penalty.

Valtteri Bottas – Started behind Gutierrez and the two Toro Rossos and finished there. “We were struggling for pace in sector two and this made it difficult to get close to the cars in front and once I had been overtaken it was very difficult to regain the place,” he said.

Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne – Another driver who looked quick early on in qualifying but missed the cut in Q1. “It was just a team mistake,” he said afterwards. “These things shouldn’t happen, but everyone gets it wrong now and again. It is very frustrating.” Made patient progress on race day and felt he could have finished higher but for a slow puncture during his final stint.

Daniel Ricciardo – Also got caught out during Q1. Ricciardo fought back by running long in his first stint on hard tyres then pushing during the final two on mediums. In his last stint he passed his team mate, Hulkenberg and Perez to claim the final point from 19th on the grid.

Caterham

Charles Pic – Unlike his team mate he did not use slick tyres for his final run in Q1 and the difference between them at the end was stark: Van der Garde was almost seven seconds quicker. Bad luck struck again in the race when his engine failed early on.

Giedo van der Garde – After the high of finishing Q1 third thanks to his slick tyre gamble he lined up 14th on the grid. Within five laps he was down to 19th, unable to mount any realistic opposition to the faster cars he’d jumped ahead of in qualifying. Maldonado’s penalty helped him to 16th.

Marussia

Jules Bianchi – Both Marussias reached Q2 thanks to their slick tyre gamble but once again they did not look like beating the Caterhams on merit. Radio problems hampered his race but he was generally quicker than Chilton.

Max Chilton – As usual he wasn’t miles off Bianchi’s pace but never really looked like beating him either – particularly after he collected a drive-through penalty for failing to respond to blue flags.

Qualifying and race results summary

DriverStartedGap to team mateLaps leading team matePittedFinishedGap to team mate
Sebastian Vettel2nd-0.125s44/4421st-33.845s
Mark Webber3rd+0.125s0/4425th+33.845s
Fernando Alonso9th-0.577s44/4422nd-37.053s
Felipe Massa10th+0.577s0/4427th+37.053s
Jenson Button6th-0.663s44/4426th-41.142s
Sergio Perez13th+0.663s0/44111th+41.142s
Kimi Raikkonen8th+0.309s17/251
Romain Grosjean7th-0.309s8/2518th
Nico Rosberg4th+1.239s1/4424th+2.138s
Lewis Hamilton1st-1.239s43/4423rd-2.138s
Nico Hulkenberg11th-2.612s32/44213th-12.178s
Esteban Gutierrez21st+2.612s12/44214th+12.178s
Paul di Resta5th-0.178s16/262
Adrian Sutil12th+0.178s10/2629th
Pastor Maldonado17th-0.36s23/43217thNot on same lap
Valtteri Bottas20th+0.36s20/43215thNot on same lap
Jean-Eric Vergne18th-0.017s20/44212th+13.27s
Daniel Ricciardo19th+0.017s24/44210th-13.27s
Charles Pic22nd+6.82s0/80
Giedo van der Garde14th-6.82s8/8216th
Jules Bianchi15th-0.199s41/42218thNot on same lap
Max Chilton16th+0.199s1/42219thNot on same lap

Review the race data

Vote for your driver of the weekend

Which driver do you think did the best job this weekend?

Cast your vote below and explain your choice in the comments.

Who was the best driver of the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix weekend?

  • Max Chilton (0%)
  • Jules Bianchi (0%)
  • Giedo van der Garde (5%)
  • Charles Pic (0%)
  • Daniel Ricciardo (2%)
  • Jean-Eric Vergne (0%)
  • Valtteri Bottas (0%)
  • Pastor Maldonado (0%)
  • Adrian Sutil (1%)
  • Paul di Resta (1%)
  • Esteban Gutierrez (0%)
  • Nico Hulkenberg (0%)
  • Lewis Hamilton (3%)
  • Nico Rosberg (0%)
  • Romain Grosjean (0%)
  • Kimi Raikkonen (1%)
  • Sergio Perez (0%)
  • Jenson Button (7%)
  • Felipe Massa (0%)
  • Fernando Alonso (39%)
  • Mark Webber (0%)
  • Sebastian Vettel (38%)

Total Voters: 624

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2013 Belgian Grand Prix

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Images © Red Bull/Getty, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Sauber, Daimler/Hoch Zwei

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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190 comments on “Vote for your 2013 Belgian GP driver of the weekend”

  1. Who voted Max Chilton!!!!!!! Lol

    1. Max Chilton himself. No really he did well. I voted for Nando though, to bring him at par with Vettel at 38%. He was superb and deserved a win. Hope he wins in Monza and a few after that. And that’s coming from a Vettel fan, honest.

      1. +1 from Hamilton’s fan :)

  2. Driver of the WEEKEND?

    For the third time in a row, Lewis beat Vettel in a straight quali fight. But obviously in the race Vettel streaked clear while Lewis extracted the maximum for 3rd. I can’t give it to Alonso because he monumentally fluffed his qualifying. Button did an excellent job in both quali and race for McLaren.

    I voted Lewis because the weekend encompasses qualifying, where he beat Vettel, again. Their races were both fairly on par.

    1. I disagree entirely – Vettel finished a country mile ahead of his teammate and Hamilton only 2/3 in front of his. Qualifying really was a small part of this weekend as Mercedes had a wetter set-up more accustomed to the conditions in qualifying hence why he was so fast in the middle sector.

      1. JP (@jonathanproc)
        26th August 2013, 16:55

        @vettel1 Gap between finishing positions isn’t always the best way to show how well a driver performed though. Webber had to contend with other drivers while Vettel had nobody to deal with after lap one. So it’s hardly a conclusive factor.

        1. @jonathanproc not always, but I think in this case it highlights just how well Vettel did – both sets of drivers started in very close proximity yet one finished 33.8s ahead and the other 2.1s; I really think the gap was big enough to express just how dominant Vettel was in the race.

          So for me it really is not justification to say “oh but Hamilton was a tenth faster in qualifying”.

          1. Let’s just assume that webber does not have a half-decent clutch system for the start no matter how many millions Red Bull use and it miraculously malfunctions every race

            or

            Webber has forgotten how to start an f1 car all of a sudden.

            or
            His side of the garage don’t work well

            So please don’t compare his intervals to Vettel to prove vettel is better when you can prove it a thousand other ways .

            I voted Vettel .

          2. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 17:57

            @vettel1 “not always” – Not always what?

            You’re missing the point. The gap isn’t that big because Vettel was so good, it was because Webber had a poor start and got held up. Obviously that gap will be bigger as he has more to deal with.

          3. @hamilfan starting an F1 car is actually rather difficult and undoubtably some do it better than others. Alonso is very good at it, Massa is good and Vettel is also good. It’s not unreasonable to assume that Webber just can’t get the knack.

            @jonathanproc

            Gap between finishing positions isn’t always the best way to show how well a driver performed

            I’m sorry, I simply don’t agree. He wasn’t as quick even when he’d just pitted for new tyres and was in clean air. He just couldn’t keep with Vettel’s pace – I highly doubt he lost 30 seconds to traffic. The fact he couldn’t keep with Rosberg consistently is pretty much a conformation that he just wasn’t as quick.

          4. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 18:28

            @vettel1 You don’t agree? So do you think the gap between finishing positions is always the best way to show how well a driver performed?

            As soon as your held up for even a small amount of laps your race is compromised. What I’m saying is that the gap is that size because Vettel performed well and Webber was below average. Not because Vettel was amazingly fast.

          5. @vettel1 Webber may not be a good starter ( not the dish ) but he cannot possibly botch up every odd start especially whenever he is close to Vettel .

          6. @jonathanproc I don’t see your point in pointing that out. I know he did, hence why many people I think have (justifiably) voted him DOTW. However, I didn’t because I don’t think his result was maximised and you have to bear in mind Perez’s (I think slightly unfair) penalty.

          7. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 20:00

            @vettel1 I’m just pointing out that the margin is irrelevant. You seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on the 33 second gap unnecessarily .

          8. @jonathanproc it’s clearly worth something – you don’t normally win by 33 seconds (well, unless you’re Bianchi).

          9. *over your teammate obviously

        2. @jonathanproc sorry, I wasn’t intending to say that, what I meant was that yes absolutely big gaps to your teammate aren’t always a good indication but they are sometimes.

          Yes, Vettel did very well with his package and Webber not so much. I want proclaiming it to be a Donnington 1993 but you certainly have a very strong argument for saying Vettel had the best race pace relative to his car’s ultimate performance capabilities.

          @hamilfan no, I think he can since usually at the front he’s beside good starters ;)

          1. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 18:51

            @vettel1 Well that’s what I said, you’ve just reworded it.

            Your original post says “Vettel finished a country mile ahead of his teammate and Hamilton only 2/3 in front of his. ”

            Consider this – Maybe Hamilton and Rosberg both got the most (or near enough the most) out of their car. Therefor the gap is almost equal because one driver cannot get more out of the car than the car gives them.
            In Red Bull’s case only Vettel got the most out of his car so it appears that he performed a lot better when, in reality, he may not have.

            Apples and oranges.

          2. @jonathanproc that’s possible, but in that case I’d simply have to say that the way in which Vettel dominated out front merited driver of the weekend then, since nobody has led every lap of a race before Spa.

          3. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 19:12

            @vettel1 Did I say Vettel shouldn’t be merited with driver of the weekend? You’re bringing up a completely different point entirely.

            I’m saying that your initial point: “Vettel finished a country mile ahead of his teammate and Hamilton only 2/3 in front of his.” is completely irrelevant.

          4. @jonathanproc well, he did. ;) 33 seconds is quite a lot.

          5. JP (@jonathanproc)
            26th August 2013, 19:17

            @vettel1 Button also finished a “country mile” ahead of his teammate. I don’t see you point.

          6. @jonathanproc

            Outperforming one’s teammate significantly is usually a factor taken into consideration. That’s part of why Alonso has been so highly rated since 2010. Button also beat Perez easily (and is 3rd in the poll), but most would consider Webber and Vettel a better driver pairing than Perez and Button.

        3. You’re right that the gap doesn’t tell the performance as frontrunners tend to coast during the last part of the race if there is no chance of passing the guy in front. However there was a small twist during the last few laps with some chance of rain so Vettel was told to build more gap to Alonso so he can take it easier if there are dump parts of the track.

      2. I am not quite sure how long a country mile is, but Vettel finished approximately 1.29 miles ahead of Webber based on his average speed: http://goo.gl/Dzuu3V

        @vettel1

        1. @mike-dee then he finished 1.29 country miles ahead actually, since strictly speaking a country mile = a regular mile, just they seem longer :’)

          I love the literal response to a metaphorical point though – I genuinely love when people do that haha! :D

    2. I voted Lewis because the weekend encompasses qualifying, where he beat Vettel, again. Their races were both fairly on par.

      You’re entitled to your opinion, but that makes no sense. If Hamilton qualifying on pole means his qualifying was better, then Vettel winning the race by 27s over Hamilton means his race was better.

    3. Did you just drop all three practice sessions along with the race as part of the weekend?

    4. @tomnokoe it’s hard to use qualifying as an argument considering the conditions they run. Had it been dry, it’d have been a very different story.

      Judging by your comment, had miracle happened, Paul di Resta would’ve been driver of the weekend by a long way.

      For me, Vettel deserves Driver of the Weekend. Hami enjoyed his pole for seconds. By the time they returned to the main straight on lap 1, the gap was already 2 seconds, way off DRS zone. What a way to dominate….

      1. Yes Vettel dominated the race, as he was supposed to! Vettel should have been on pole, again, and he wasn’t. Hamilton beat him in quali, again, for the third time in a row, with cars very equally matched. They both extracted the maximum from their cars in the race, and Hamilton extracted that extra tenth in quali.

        1. If you’re saying Vettel’s RB was “supposed” to win the race, then the Mercedes that had 7/8 poles before this weekend was “supposed” to be on pole.

          1. The Merc has been a quali beast all year, but since Germany the RB have been more than a match for them. Vettel fluffed his first sector in Germany by locking up into T3 and couldn’t string a pole-worthy lap together in Hungary.

          2. @tomnokoe – I would still say that Mercedes have the fastest qualifying car. And the fact that Hamilton made that mistake through Eau Rouge to let Vettel past, faded in the rest of the race to be 27s off the winner, and only 2s in front of Rosberg really costs him any possible DOTW.

        2. Vettel should’ve been on pole, just like he should’ve in Germany and Hungary, but he admitted he was too cautious. Quali is a small part of the weekend (and why would I include FP they have no competitive value) but Hamilton pulled it out of the bag vs Vettel. Anyone considering Fernando for driver of the weekend is a little confused. Driver of the race? Most definitely, of the weekend…. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to spin in Q3.

        3. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          26th August 2013, 17:27

          @tomnokoe as somebody already told you, but you say WEEKEND (you wrote it in capital letters) yet you seem to forget Vet’s dominance in practice and in the race. and if you want to say that Vettel did it just because he had clear air, then you should give your vote to Alonso, who passed many cars, including Hamilton, or to Ricciardo. And of course pole is important in Hungary, but not so much in Spa.

          1. Practice holds no competitive value, none what so ever.

          2. Alonso’s race performance was skewed by his pathetic quali performance.

        4. @tomnokoe he was supposed to in the dry but it wasn’t dry ! so he wasn’t supposed to get pole at all. When it’s changing like that, everything could happen.

    5. @tomnokoe When track conditions are going from wet to dry (as it was at the end of Q3), the driver behind is generally favoured, so it was no surprise that Hamilton got pole, once he was able to cross the chequered flag at the right time to give himself a third shot at it.
      In the race, he lost two places due to two errors. On lap1, he missed the apex of the uphill right-hander in the Eau Rouge, and took too much kerb through Raidillon. Due to this, he became a sitting duck to Vettel, who made judicious use of KERS to pass Hamilton. He lost second because of another mistake..he ran slightly wide at La Source, and Alonso took full advantage.
      I do not see how he was the Driver Of the Weekend..anyway, he finished only a couple of seconds ahead of Rosberg, who, in mind, impressed more than Hamilton than qualifying because he was the only driver to get close to di Resta’s time when the rain was falling harder. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time for a third lap, but Hamilton did..
      There was hardly anything to separate the Merc duo at Spa..

      1. 1. He was last over the line by a matter of meters. Vettel admitted he was too cautious
        2. Yes his run through Each Rouge was woeful
        3. He let Alonso through at La Source to get DRS, but the Ferrari was as fast without DRS as the Mercedes with.

        1. and what is this garbage about the gap between him and Rosberg? He finished ahead of him. Hamilton had nothing to gain as Alonso was comfortably in front. Rosberg said he was doing everything to catch Hamilton, and he couldn’t. We don’t know if Hamilton was protecting the car or coasting slightly, but regardless, Rosberg certainly wasn’t, and couldn’t catch him. Rosberg is a much stronger team mate than Webber or Massa. Webber had one of his famous starts too, which consigned him to a race amongst traffic.

          1. We don’t know if Hamilton was protecting the car or coasting slightly

            So much for “They both extracted the maximum from their cars in the race”.

            To put an end to all of this, Hamilton took pole- good. But he was beaten by 2 others in the race, the most important session, where the points are won.

          2. It really surprises me how informed the Hamilton’s fan are. To say that Hamilton was coasting and Rosberg was trying very hard to catch him but couldn’t means you must have talked to both drivers and know the facts first hand. Everyone has to admit that after the slowish start Hamilton showed what he’s capable of but people should be more objective in their views. To Rosberg supporter the situation would’ve looked as Rosberg wasn’t allowed to race Hamilton.

          1. Funny, I read “Eau Rouge” even though you wrote “Each Rouge” (I assume good ol auto-complete got you LOL)

            It’s funny how the human mind sees what it expects to see rather than what is always there.

          2. That actually makes perfect sense . ” his run through each rogue was woeful ” :-P

    6. started on pole…finished 3rd, driver of the weekend :S
      some people vote for their favourite driver no matter what happens

      1. you judge your DoTWs by finishing positions?

        1. You judge your DoTWs by starting positions?

          1. @david-a haha interesting we had ex story the same thought at almost exactly the same time!

        2. @tomnokoe apparently you judge them by qualifying positions…

    7. I’m a big Lewis fan, but I can’t give him much credit for this weekend. He didn’t show up in any of the practices (maybe the team was working on something???), and he ran a poor race. As Keith noted, he didn’t even slow Alonso down as he went by.
      It was obvious that the Merc guys were more setup for a wet weekend, but it still looked like a lackluster weekend for Lewis. He ran a great qualifying lap in Q3 which was fun to see, but I’ve always thought Lewis was probably the fastest guy on the grid for 1 lap and he had a better setup for the wet conditions so that didn’t really prove much to me.

      1. @daved +1 – he didn’t look like the same Lewis as in Hungary.

        1. +1

          Maybe because of that top speed deficit that hurt vettel in hungary . The reason for choosing that setup : they expected the rain and gambled but lost out .

    8. Are some people suggesting Lewis should have finished higher up? And by letting Alonso through at La Source, he gave him way more of a fight than he would have had he allowed Alonso to get DRS. He finished the highest he could, as did Vettel, as did Alonso, but the fact is he smoked them in quali

      1. @tomnokoe not necessarily; the argument is that he wasn’t exactly massively impressive in the race by finishing only 2 seconds ahead of Rosberg. Whereas Vettel finished 33 seconds ahead of Webber and Alonso 37 seconds ahead of Massa.

        1. Rosberg > Webber & Massa

          1. Rosberg = Webber to people that take 2007 and say Hamilton = Alonso.
            But whichever way you roll, Rosberg is not 16 times better than Webber & Massa.

          2. @tomnokoe Massa for sure, Webber there’s some debate over though. Maybe not this season, but remember both have been ranked on this site between the 5th and 10th best drivers, so there certainly doesn’t appear to be that big a gap between them.

          3. @vettel1 this race Rosberg > Webber for sure, he managed to keep the RB behind him for a very long time, and even with the tiny rear wing and DRS, Webber couldnt pass the “wet setup” mercedes. On the front, Alonso and Vettel had great races, but Vettel is the DOTW for sure.

      2. Hamilton finished the highest he could, competing against 2 drivers that smoked him in the race.

    9. @tomnokoe disagree with you there, Vettel dominated the entire weekend and Hamilton said himself he wouldn’t have got pole position in the dry. Nobody was able to hold a candle to him in dry conditions all weekend. And this is coming from somebody who doesn’t like him!

    10. @tomnokoe

      For the third time in a row, Lewis beat Vettel in a straight quali fight.

      But for the second time in those same 3 weekends, Vettel overtook Hamilton within the first lap. Both times before the end of the first sector. Once into a tight corner, the other on a long straight.

      Yes, it’s Driver of the Weekend. Therefore the race on Sunday must also be included, and Hamilton fluffed that up not just to Vettel, but to Alonso aswell.. Both on a part of the track where Mercedes should have prioritised as their main strength.

      I voted Alonso, for the reasons Keith explained in the article. He was quick in Q2, quick in the race, and only outpaced by Seb. I’d love to see Alonso and Vettell fight it out. Monza anyone?

      1. @keeleyobsessed I personally didn’t vote for Alonso as he did make an error in qualifying although ultimately it was inconsequential anyway, so I think it’s fair to vote him driver of the weekend (I wouldn’t say Hamilton though was driver of the weekend by any means!).

        Monza might result in fairly equal cars I think – it plays to Ferrari’s strengths but having seen the Canadian and Belgian Grand Prix I doubt Red Bull will languish far behind (as I expected at the start of the season). It could potentially be very interesting indeed!

  3. Both Alonso and Raikkonen were very impressive but my DOTW is Giedo van der Garde. He used every opportunity, was never threatened by any of the other backmarkers and managed to keep Maldonado behind him in the closing stages of the race. It’s a pity that it still wasn’t enough for Caterham to move ahead of Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship standings but, if the Dutchman keeps delivering similar performances, then there will be no reason to call him a pay driver anymore.

    1. Alonso and Vettel were very impressive

    2. There will be a reason to call him a pay driver, because he still IS a pay driver.

      1. Alonso is also a pay driver as Santander allows Ferrari to hire such an expense driver. Only difference is vd Garde is paid by McGregor and Alonso is also paid by European taks payers who kept the Spanish banks alive..I am not a vd Garde fan. But I looked at his stats – he was karing worldchampion, 2nd at Masters ,WSR champ. Not Lucky in GP2 but I think this 4-5 GP wins..he’s pretty good

        1. Alonso is also a pay driver

          No he isn’t, that’s utterly preposterous. Alonso would be just as attractive a driver to Ferrari without Santander. He’s a twice-champion and 32 times race winner for crying out loud.

  4. Hamilton had a good qualifying, while Button, Sutil, and Alonso had good races, but Vettel once again had the best race and weekend overall.

    1. And Van Der Garde had a very good weekend overall, he’s now my second choice, ahead of Alonso and Button.

  5. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    26th August 2013, 15:34

    Vettel drove superbly, and did nothing wrong. However, Fernando Alonso gets my vote for yet again pulling off a terrific come from behind 2nd, from 9th on the grid.

    Lewis is my guy, but in my view, he is far and away the most complete driver in Formula 1, in terms of overall speed, tyre and fuel management, and ability to think and work out others strategies in the race, whilst doing 190mph.

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      26th August 2013, 15:36

      he is far and away the most complete driver in Formula 1

      I am referring to Alonso, not Hamilton.

    2. I don’t know, in the context of why you’ve rated him so highly it would imply he wasn’t the most complete @tophercheese21. His bad qualifying (spinning causing him to miss a flying lap) is what forced him into having to gain so many places, so in that sense he definitely wasn’t the most complete driver this weekend, Vettel was (for being good in qualifying and the race).

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        26th August 2013, 16:28

        Its for his ability to make the best of a bad situation.

        Sure, he didnt help himself with the mistake in qualifying, but he more than made up for it in the race.

        Even if Alonso qualified on pole, Vettel still would’ve won the race, because that Red Bull was on steroids haha. It was untouchable. Even Alonso admitted this.

        1. @tophercheese21 it was slightly forced, that’s all ;)

          I don’t really think Alonso admitting a Red Bull was on steroids is entirely unorthodox either! It’s not really saying much at all haha!

          1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
            26th August 2013, 16:35

            Well he didn’t really say they were on steroids, but he conceded that they were untouchable, and 2nd was the maximum he could have achieved.

          2. @tophercheese21 no, you haven’t understood my argument. Obviously Alonso is going to say Red Bull were out of reach – that’s a bit like a politician saying his policies are better. So saying “even Alonso admitted this” is pretty much stating the obvious!

          3. @Vettel1

            I agree with you that Alonso saying Redbull was untouchable does nt make a difference(most of the drivers would say that if they dint win).. though I think it is fair to say Redbull were the quickest in the race and well done to Vettel for making the most of it and helping himself with another impressive 25 points and a big step towards his 4th straight title… I thought Vettel, Alonso and Ricciardio were the standout drivers and I voted for Alonso …. there was nothing to choose between Alonso and Vettel in my opinion and I went for Alonso’s drive from 9th to 2nd and I would nt disagree with anyone who voted for Vettel either…

          4. @puneethvb I know and I’m not disagreeing that the Red Bull was the fastest car in the race ;)

        2. Red Bull was on steroids

          You mean Red Bull was on Red Bull ?

          1. @hamilfan steroids were on Red Bull.

  6. Voted for Vettel, although it wasn’t an easy choice. Alonso & Ricciardo made brilliant recovery in the race, and Button & Van der Garde both drove great weekend overall. But still, the most dominant victory of the season deserves my vote.

  7. I picked Button as he was far ahead of his team-mate all weekend, even though Vettel dominated the whole weekend Sad we couldn’t choose a top 3.

  8. Hamilton had a solid weekend, all things considered. On Sky F1, Crofty and Brundle had effectively ruled him out of contention for a fourth successive Pole Position by the end of Q2, but he still managed it, nevertheless. Yes, it was largely down to perfect timing — last man across the line, and all that — but he still had only that one shot to string it all together, and his second sector was simply sublime (his first and third, less so, it must be said). It was a brilliantly oppurtunistic Pole that he managed despite his woes in Free Practice. His race was decent as well; he racked up some valuable points, and pretty much had the measure of his team mate on race pace. It certainly wasn’t “Driver of the Weekend” stuff, though.

    Other honourable mentions: Fernando for absolutely maxing out the potential of that Ferrari to grab second after starting ninth; Jenson for a great qualifying, and nearly nabbing a podium in that dog of a McLaren; Gutierrez (yes, him) for some impressive qualifying laps in the mixed conditions that, were it not for some bad timing, surely would have seen him out qualify and perhaps even out race his much lauded team mate.

    But, it’s Vettel that’s getting my vote. I’m not a fan of the guy (I might be in some capacity, if he would stop with some of his irritatingly showy winning shenanigans: the infamous ‘finger’ and stroking of his Red Bull make me cringe), but there’s no denying the lad’s talent. Webber’s clearly not in his best form at the moment, but he’s still no slouch, and yet Vettel’s making him look like Gutierrez often does alongside Hulkenberg. His race pace was utterly imperious yesterday. He won that one at a canter. The other teams really do need to shift it up a gear, because he’s just unstoppable at the moment.

    1. The finger I can understand as it annoys many people but the stroking of the Red Bull? I actually quite like that! It’s a nice bond between man and machine ;)

      1. between a man and an animal ? :-P

        1. @hamilfan both technically :P A bond between man and Hungry Heidi shall we say ;)

      2. It’s symptomatic of the same showmanship that his finger routine is. It’s just as irritating. Perhaps I’m biased, but I much prefer others’ ways of showing affection for their cars (like Lewis’ patting the sides of his as he’s on his way out). Ways that seem less…’for the cameras’ than Vettel’s.

        1. @goodyear92 fair enough, each to their own but I like it personally – it’s making clever use of advertising slogans as I see it!

  9. alonso had a great run, he gets my vote

  10. Vettel. Never put a foot wrong the entire weekend. No mistakes, a quick, crucial overtake on Hamilton, which was not an easy feat, as was proven later by Webber who was unable to overtake Rosberg despite having softer tyres.
    It wasn’t a spectacular win, but it was a commanding, flawless one. Vettel couldn’t have done it better. Wins like that aren’t remembered for years to come; wins like that win championships. Bravo. Driver of the Weekend.

  11. Mclaren (@ahmej010gmail-com)
    26th August 2013, 16:01

    I’m a massive Hamilton fan an pretty much always vote him DOTW however, this time round without hesitation I voted Vettel. He was excellent throughout the weekend, was only outdone by Hamilton in qualifying which given Mercs qualifying prowess is no shame and come race day was pretty much perfect. The title is nearly his baring an assualt from Hamilton who i believe is the only driver/car package capable of taking the fight to Vettel. Also it must be noted that the RBR has also dominated on the one previous low downforce race which was Canada.

    Alonso was very good in the race but poor like usual in qualifying. He needs to stop blaming the car and accept he can do more in qualifying. He may think that because he out qualified Massa, he done the maximum; but believe me, Massa is not benchmark regarding performance. He spun in qualifying which almost certainly prevented him being the last man over the line and getting the crucial final lap in as he was behind Hamilton during his spin.

    1. @ahmej010gmail-com

      The title is nearly his baring an assualt from Hamilton who i believe is the only driver/car package capable of taking the fight to Vettel.

      I would have agreed with you before the race, but now I’m not so sure. Lotus don’t seem quite quick enough consistently enough so I think it’s fair to discount Räikkönen realistically but Alonso could be a threat if the renewed vigour in the race of the F138 in Belgium if anything to go by.

      If they stop messing up qualifying (I say “they” because I think both Alonso isn’t getting the best from the car and Ferrari aren’t getting the best from the car for qualifying) and so start within striking distance of Red Bull I think they are actually looking the main challengers, although it may very well have just been a case of Spa’s characteristics playing to Ferrari’s strengths.

      I guess Korea will decide things – the traditional starting point of Red Bull’s dominance!

  12. @keithcollantine seems there is mix up in the results GRO finished 8th not 10th, SUT 9th not 8th and RIC 10th not 9th

  13. Voted Vettel. He missed pole by a slender margin, was untouchable in the race. Another missed Grand Chelem.
    Contender Alonso may have had a good, opportunistic race from 9 to 2 but starting from there in the first place is not DotW stuff. Vettel clearly wins this one.

    1. @rez0

      Alonso may have had a good, opportunistic race from 9 to 2

      Some people are always trying to downplay Alonso’s terrific performances in races, maybe i was watching another race but were is the opportunism that you are talking about , Alonso overtook all the drivers in front of him maybe Vettel was the DOTW as a whole package (qualy + race) but Alonso’s performance in the race was absolutely terrific
      BTW how many times did you see Vettel a having a good race from 9 to 2 and don’t tell me spa 2012 because half the grid was taking out by Grosjean or Abu Dhabi 2012 with a car set up for the race having the 4th top speed on that race + 2 safety car + some cars taking out by Webber

      1. @tifoso1989 I don’t think many are – I agree he had a terrific race but a not very good qualifying.

        or Abu Dhabi 2012 with a car set up for the race having the 4th top speed on that race + 2 safety car + some cars taking out by Webber

        Ehm well it’s quite evident I think that Ferrari generally set their cars up for battling through traffic anyway i.e high top speed and good tyre-saving set-ups so I don’t really think they differ all that much in that respect if I’m honest. Yes the safety cars did help him also, but one of them actually hurt him (hit Ricciardo as a result of one warming brakes and the other tyre) which actually cost him time.

        Also, Webber taking out cars? Laughable. That was absolutely in no way Webber’s fault, hence why he didn’t get a penalty. He was just unfortunate to get caught up in it. It was wholly Perez’s fault hence why he received a 10 second stop-go penalty; a pretty severe penalty.

        Red Bull are not on Flavio Briatore’s level and I think it is absolutely ludicrous to propose they are. Besides, I’m pretty sure Vettel was ahead of Webber by that point so the gain was minimal (one place).

      2. To be fair Vettel is hardly ever in a grid slot where he needs to gain 5+ places in the race so it’s not really a fair comparison. I voted Vettel for DOTW, couldn’t see any other driver who had great qualifying and race (maybe Button but his performance/result wasn’t spectacular, just good) – Hamilton good qualy but couldn’t do much in the race, Alonso great race but not a good qualy.

      3. @tifoso1989
        How about Brazil 2012, when he was plum last (22nd) at the end of lap one, in wet conditions and a damaged car?

      4. Well, if we can’t count Spa 2012 (where Vettel was 12th after turn 1), surely we can’t count Spa 2013 for Alonso either, as he was 4th after turn 1.

      5. @Tifoso1989
        You’re right, opportunistic wasn’t the right word here! I wanted to express that Alonso achieved the best result he could under those circumstances. Opportunism does have a negative connotation, and there was nothing morally wrong with his drive, so I apologize, that was clearly the wrong wording!

        And yeah, I can’t remember a race where Vettel battled as well as Alonso from ninth. He never really had to. But I’m sure we will see him more often in those positions and then we’ll be able to compare his performances to Alonso’s achievements.
        However it doesn’t really matter for this DotW poll. Vettel was clearly the best package on this race weekend.

        1. @rez0 I have a sneaking suspicion he’ll have to next year somehow. It probably won’t be exactly the same as Alonso has always been a bit slower in qualifying but much faster in the race (and so has his car) which isn’t the same of Red Bull but my suspicion is that they won’t be front row contenders…

      6. No one can deny Alonso’s race craft but I don’t think he had to work very hard for the overtakes at this race.

        1. @debeluhi he got the job done quickly, I’ll give him that (as did Vettel). I agree though – most of the work was done at the start where we know the Ferrari is particularly strong and then it’s massive top speed made for fairly comfortable DRS passes. It wasn’t exactly a miracle he managed to overtake 7 cars.

          Besides, the reason I wouldn’t rate him DOTW (and why I’m particularly shocked he’s leading the standings) is that he spun in qualifying, hence giving him no shot at a qualifying lap in the prime conditions. His race performance wasn’t that much more impressive than Vettel’s to negate that mistake.

  14. Vettel’s win was so dominant, but still it wasn’t an easy vote like Germany. Alonso’s surge from 9th to 2nd was really laudable, so were drives of Jensen and the unfortunate Kimi. If Kimi had finished in the same style he was racing my vote would have been his (oh well I am a bit biased there) but in the end Vettel got it.

  15. Van Der Garde.

    Drivers who had great qualifyings had poor races and vice versa, except for a certain Dutchman.

    1. I agree, he outpassed Pic over the whole weekend :)

    2. Also picked van der Garde for the same reason. Vettel, Alonso and Button were in contention for my vote, but although they all had good weekends there was a little bit missing for perfection, and Giedo came closer to it.

    3. Yep, VDG form me too. He is really coming along. Very fast, but sometimes still lacking somewhat in keeping out of others way.

  16. I was going to vote Ricciardo, but judging from the comments I’m going to have to go with the highly obvious choice as everybody seems to be ignoring it and say Vettel.

    1. so your DOTW vote is actually based on how others are voting :)

      1. @puneethvb no, I usually vote for the “underdog” if one driver has dominated as then usually they are pretty much guaranteed to lead the poll, but in this case ‘Nando is only 1% behind Vettel which is highly strange as Vettel’s victory was the most dominant this year. Looks like my vote was actually needed…

  17. You might be surprised, I was between Vettel and Button. But my choice was Vettel, he dominated the race, pushed looked after his tyres, came through the traffic, which was a bit of carnage mid-race and won easily.

  18. Nice to see Van Der Garde in third place in votes so far.

  19. Voted for Vettel, the RB9 was good enough for clear victory and that’s what he delivered. The only thing missing from a Grand Chelem was the pole.

    BUT, VDG and HAM had pretty good weekends too. Although HAM lost 2 places it was the maximum the car was able to deliver.
    ALO and RIC recovered pretty well which would put them in the contention of a “man of the race” competition but qualifying wasn’t enough for DOTW.

  20. I went for van der Garde. He was the only driver who did better than I expected this weekend. A lot better, in fact. He’s probably been the most improved driver over the course of the season.

    1. Gutierrez also showed real pace yesterday, but I voted for van der Garde too!

  21. The DOTW is Sebastian Vettel.
    Pre weekend No one expected RB to win this race and lot of People considered Mercedes has the Best chance of Overhauling Vettel and RB’s Lead in Championships.
    His Practice of Long runs was hurt by the Puncture and by qualifying he was there again and Pipped his team mate (again) to get the Front row for the 3rd consecutive time with Hamilton and won it in a Dominant way that his team couldn’t believe.
    Alonso was also a Contender but this time he was the reason to start in P9.

  22. The early overtake shows the decision making by him that it was very crucial to win the race.

    He does not want to rely or put too much faith into the DRS.

  23. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
    26th August 2013, 17:00

    My DOTW vote goes to Vettel. After Spa, I got seriously frustrated and cursed Vettel, of which my pal @vettel1 was a witness. And then a few hours later, I realised with great heart-ache, that the guy was spotless this weekend – unlike my man Alonso who messed up qualifying. So yeah, Vettel it is.

    1. @shreyasf1fan Alonso’s race was impressive absolutely (arguably on a par with Vettel’s) but I agree, his qualifying wasn’t flawless so in that respect Vettel’s weekend performance was better.

      I though Ricciardo was excellent in the race also, van der Garde was excellent in qualifying in particular and Buttom was pretty good overall!

      1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
        26th August 2013, 17:48

        @vettel1 Yep, if it was a DOTR it would have been Alonso, Ricciardo and der Garde would have shared about 85% of the votes between themselves. But as this is the DOTW, Vettel it is. *sigh*

        1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
          26th August 2013, 17:52

          LOL what happened to my grammar :p *if it was a DOTR Alonso, Ric, and der Gard e would have shared 85% of the votes among themselves.

  24. Alonso. It wasn’t even close.

  25. Was close to voting for Alonso, but since he stuffed his own qualifying session I can’t.
    Vettel was superb all along, but I think Button deserves it.
    He was mighty impressive in qualifying, and even if he is also responsible for the strategy, he was still driving really well in the race.
    I think McLaren and Jenson could have celebrated a really good result, had they just committed to a 2 stop from the start.

    1. Spa was actually were Alonso came good in qualifying, he had the pace, so for you to say he stuffed his qualifying session, that makes no sense seeing Hamilton, Vettel and Webber locked out the front row due to luck- the track started drying up on their last flying laps. Alonso basically dominated qualifying until the rain gods decided to play games. I’m say this Vettel was a lucky boy the track started drying, because if Alonso qualified closer up the grid which was expected, he wouldn’t have won that race the way he did.

      1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
        26th August 2013, 18:10

        @liambo Alonso actually spun before his second flying lap, so he lost time there and didn’t have enough left for another fast run. As the track was drying, everybody else started improving leaving him at 9th at the end. So yes, it was his fault. I am an Alonso fan myself but it was his mistake. His race was phenomenal, but his qualifying is what cost him. But I don’t think he would have finished better than 2nd even from a higher grid position – he would have been closer to Vettel, but that RBR had huge pace.

        1. Alonso spun, but that didn’t change a thing for him. Three reasons:

          – There were no time improvements on the lap Alonso spun in
          – He wasn’t close enough to Hamilton to get that last lap in had he *not* spun
          – He didn’t have enough fuel for a final lap, anyway

      2. @liambo
        That isn’t due to luck alone.
        They timed their qualifying so they could get a lap more in then everyone else. Of cause they have to depend on the weather to dry up, but doing what they did would always increase their chances of being on the track at the right time.
        Secondly, the reason I think Alonso stuffed his qualifying session was because he could have got a lap more in, just like the Web, Vet, Ham trio, had he not spun his car at the bus stop chicane.

  26. Finally as a JB fan, I could finally vote him DOTW.

    I am usually unbias and vote for whom performed the best over the weekend, whether I like them or not, but credit where it is due, Jenson out performed that car by a mile all weekend. Shame they didn’t one stop, could have been fifth or better.

  27. who earth thought that Pastor Maldonado was the DOTW, he livened up a boring race, but that was about it?

    1. He successfully maldonaded a car . I was outraged . DOTW my _____

    2. the poor guy was defamed by his own stupidity. if he kept his mouth shut about trying to drive into the box, more people would have said that sutil’s line was too narrow.

  28. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    26th August 2013, 17:35

    @keithcollantine as a reasoning, we should have the possibility to choose 3 drivers on this poll. Yep, I know it’s the DOTW poll, but many people want to give an “honor mention” to the second and third (I don’t know if that would distort the original – and good – idea about this poll, but I’m just saying. For example, I would give Ricciardo a solid 3rd on my choice, but there’s no way I could mention it. Of course Vettel and Alonso deserve the 2 top places

    1. @omarr-pepper wholly agreed – I think it’d give us a much more accurate “podium”.

    2. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      26th August 2013, 17:57

      @omarr-pepper +1. That would be awesome. There’s a suggestion, @keithcollantine

    3. I think that is a really good suggestion.
      The problem is, in this poll I think it would make Vettel and Alonso look even with the third driver well behind.
      While the poll as it is gives Vettel a clear, and IMO deserved, lead in the poll.
      So I think the honourable mentions should get, say half a vote, or point if you will. With the first choice getting 1 point. Just so people’s pick as DOTW is clear and rewarded.
      But I think there is a need for a system like that. If the winner of the vote looks dead certain, then I sometimes find my self giving my DOTW vote to another driver as a honourable mention, which of cause, isn’t the idea.

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        26th August 2013, 19:45

        @mads what about a simple 3 – 2 -1 points for your first, second and third choice respectively? Of course that poll could have another name, like “Drivers of the Quali and Race” because that’s what usually people look at when choosing a driver

        1. @omarr-pepper
          That would probably be the easiest, yes :)

      2. @mads I’d simply do 3-2-1 for 1st-2nd-3rd as @omarr-pepper has suggested, as in that case I’d have Vettel-Alonso-Ricciardo (so therefore Ricciardo would get recognition from me that he would otherwise get in this example) :)

    4. I would like this option too. You could weight the top 3 (say 25/18/15 points in true F1 style) to get the results. Then you would see more of a spread of votes when there is one obvious choice but several worthy mentions – a bit like a proportional representation vote rather than first past the post ;)

  29. Fikri Harish (@)
    26th August 2013, 17:53

    Only 9% votes for Button and 32% for the guy that spun out during qualifying?
    Blasphemy.

    1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      26th August 2013, 18:19

      The 32% guy recovered 6 places in 6 laps. Finished 7 positions ahead of his starting positions. SO, YEAH, HE HAS 32% VOTES.

      1. Fikri Harish (@)
        27th August 2013, 8:49

        It was brilliantly clever of him to dive on the inside of La Source on the first lap and saving a lot of KERS to outrun Mark on the entry to Eau Rouge but really, given how the car was performing under the sun it was practically a given that he was going to be on the podium especially considering that this is Spa.
        All he did on Sunday was to correct his mistake on Saturday which he shouldn’t be doing in the first place had he not spun out in Q3.
        He didn’t exactly punch above his weight in this race, if anything he fought with a self-inflicted handicap and emerged victorious.

        Button meanwhile managed to outqualify both Lotuses and Ferraris and somehow managed to keep in touch with the leaders throughout the race instead of falling through the field like the mighty Scotsman.
        A long first stint was basically the only thing keeping him from a perfect weekend but they have absolutely no way of knowing that beforehand.

  30. I was truly torn on this one. I gave the slight edge to Vettel. Alonso had the best race, in my opinion, coming from 9th to 2nd. But Vettel did better overall and dominated the race. I think he didn’t have much competition, but then again that is down to that fact that he can take off like a JackRabbit and get that early lead and yet still made his tires last longer than those he was leaving behind. And I believe he went further than Webber did before changing tires as well.
    So I had to give it to Vettel.

  31. I went with Vettel but an honourable mention to van der Garde. Caterham were criticised for taking this “pay driver”, but he is giving a good account of himself. His form has picked up recently after an impressive race in Hungary, and he’s made two Q2 appearances.

  32. Well lets see the options

    1) Lewis : good quali lap but was not perfect in Eau rouge . If he had done that corner 100 % he could have kept vettel for a couple of laps and who knows, something interesting could have happened further down the field ? so no.

    2) Alonso : terrific race but messed up qualifying . out of luck this weekend but still better compared to the 4ths and 5ths he has been having .

    3) Ricciardo : great comeback from a shock qualifying ouster . Could not see much of his wheel to wheel overtakes on TV (poor coverage) .

    Seb4)astian . No other option really . It has got to be him

  33. A tough one this weekend but I went for Alonso. He was unlucky not to get a crucial extra lap in at the end of Q3. That did little to hold him back during the race, and he had his now seemingly customary battling drive up to the podium. His first lap was thrilling and he made some great overtakes, on Grosjean in particular and defended well against Hamilton.

    Other than Alonso both Button and Vettel had brilliant drives, bringing home the maximum out of their respective cars. Further down the field I was impressed by Ricciardo and Van Der Garde.

    1. I think ALO wasn’t just unlucky – he spun in Q3 which cost him 8 something seconds. Which would have been enough to get another run and start higher up.

      1. I did not know that he spun, was it shown on the world tv feed? That certainly impacts the DoTW, probably should have just gone for Vettel!

  34. I voted Van der Garde, I think he’s not as bad as many thought he was. In Monaco he made it to Q2, but in Australia he had the pace to get there as well until he made a mistake. He was also impressive in the race though Pic had such a bad saturday and sunday his real performance can’t be compared. Yet, I think Vettel did an absolutely brilliant job on Sunday, which Alonso and Button did as well. Di Resta was stunning in qualifying and not bad in the race. It was hard to choose, but this time I vote for the underdog.

  35. I voted for Van der Garde. I think the backmarkers also deserve some credit. As in Monaco, he drove a
    brilliant Q1, he drove with slicks on a wet track (wich was his own choice), kept driving untill the track dried up and eventually finished 3rd in the session, with a Caterham! And furthermore he was by far the best driver of the
    new teams this race and also last race in Hungary. The new tyres suit his style better, as you can see in his results. Hopefully he can keep his pace up the whole season

  36. I voted for Alonso. Although he was unlucky in Q3, he put his head down at the race and from 9th he finished 2nd. He also defended amazingly when Hamilton attacked him on Kemmel straight. Great performance from him.

    1. He was great in race but i wouldn’t say he was Unlucky in Q3. It was his mistake so i will say Great Performance from him on Race day but a Very poor performance in Saturday to his standards.

      1. Your opinion mate. He may have spun off and lose time but who knows if he had fuel for another hot lap!

        1. By spinning he killed his shot on a fast lap and then another one.

    2. Alonso defended amazingly? Lol, Hamilton’s car was simply slower than the Ferrari even with DRS open. Alonso did nothing but put his foot on the throttle.

  37. Alonso was a close second with a brilliant drive, but Vettel gets my vote. Vettel and Webber drive the same car, the difference in performance in Vettel’s talent.

  38. Daniel (@collettdumbletonhall)
    26th August 2013, 19:41

    It’s surprising that given how much Vettel wins he rarely ever gets driver of the weekend (as far as I am aware). I hope that’s about to change.

    1. If Vettel was a poor qualifier like Alonso then people would have more respect for what he’s achieving. Also, Vettel’s only had the fastest car at three races this year. Bahrain, Montreal and Spa. Yet he’s still nearly two races ahead of his nearest rival.

      Qualifying poorly in what is a fast car that is a rocket off a standing start really flatters Alonso’s performances.

      1. I would say Redbull was fastest is Canada too, and possibly Malaysia – although we don’t know what the ferrari pace would have been if alonso hadn’t crashed out.

        The reason Vettel has such as lead in the championship is 1) When redbull is not fastest it is usually second fastest while the other top 3 teams are inconsistent, and 2) Vettel has been the best driver this year imo as the other contenders have all lost points through mistakes or poor performances

        1. Also, Vettel’s only had the fastest car at three races this year. Bahrain, Montreal and Spa.

          I would say Redbull was fastest is Canada too

          I would say Montreal is in Canada – although les Québécois might disagree.

          @keithedin
          @anon

          1. oops…that’s a fail.

  39. Odd how Alonso seems to get praise for botching his qualifying. He spun in qualifying while the other main contenders kept it on the road.

    Alonso should have been on the front row in qualifying. Not 9th. The fact that he was in (close to) the fastest car doesn’t mean he drove a great comeback race, but that he never should have been that far down to begin with.

    Lewis on the other hand, was obviously in a massively slower car than Vettel and Alonso and he managed to beat both of them in qualifying. He also had a pretty solid race. Just in a slower car.

    1. I agree, that is why Alonso didn’t get my vote. His qualifying just continues to let him down, even when the car is capable of getting at least on the front row. I think he did well to get up to 2nd, but the car was very good this weekend, and even Massa gained a few places as well. Monza should be a good opportunity for Alonso to get on the front row, but does he have the bottle of Hamilton and Vettel to make the most of it?

    2. @patrickl It says ‘driver of the race’ so that’s probably why he is getting the praise, for his excellent fight to P2. Yes he seriously botched Qualifying but here we rate the race.

      1. *fail by myself* I’m going to bed now.

  40. Oh Lord! You can’t please everybody eh! Why does it have to turn into a ‘my-favorite-driver-is-better-than-yours fight? These are only ratings, just vote…

    1. @ladyf1fanatic the debating is the fun part! I’d hope it isn’t turning into a “my favourite driver” debate though – that’s expressly not the point!

  41. It has to be Alonso… Vettel drove as good, but Alonso had to take more risks… The start was breathtaking…

  42. It has to be Vettel by a far margin. Simply unmatched. Compared to Webber and his constant car/clutch/KERS troubles, it makes wonder how finicky the RB9 is and how much more of an adaptable driver than his teammate Vettel really is. Kiddo’s already a legend.

    With all that said, my vote still went to Guti… Finest race he’s driven in his short and, um disappointing, F1 career. He had shown great starts in other races in the European season, that were often marred by accident or loss of pace after pitstops. Yes he undid his own race, but how much of that was to be expected when trying to overtake Maldonado, who is at the same time, defending from Sutil?

  43. Wow, 361 votes cast to date and not one for Webber. Even us die-hard aussies are getting tired of the backwards march he makes at the start.

  44. This race irritated me a bit, so I’ve decided to go alternative and vote for Ricciardo. Yes STR totally nerfed their qualifying and instead of another Q3 appearance Ricciardo couldn’t make it past Q1, but making up nine places during the race (granted, some of those were due to attrition) and cheekily stealing the last points position from Perez right at the end was class. A solid race performance at a time when he needs to prove his worth.

  45. Alonso, I don’t think Vettel can be for this driver of the weekend considering the RED BULL’S upgrades… Red Bull somehow were able to reduced the rear wing angle and still maximize the front wing angle… This in turn gives a lot of DOWNFORCE *through the 2nd sector* and a lot of drag as they had shown *SECTOR 1 and 3*…
    I would give Van der Garde an honorable mention for his qualifying in changing conditions…

  46. Voted Alonso. He showed again He is the best driver.
    Hamilton’s qualify was stunning but he made mistakes twice before overtaken by Alonso and Vettel.

    Vettel also did fantstic job , but I was impressed by Alonso’s defend toward Hamilton at turn 7 by his amazing braking..

  47. So sad van der Garde is not going to make it into the top 3 :(

    1. Just 1% difference. Could be done!

    2. Well I hope he will. He is only 1% behind Button.

  48. I’m starting to think people hate Sutil so much he has no recognition for his driving. In the race, his actions have to be amongst the most interesting, and he even managed to pass Di Resta on the track, but Keith and most of you seem to completely ignore it.

  49. Voted Vettel because he needed the votes versus Alonso, who fluffed final qualifying
    Hamilton also did as well as you could’ve hoped for. Van der Garde also did very well. 3rd in Q1, best of the rest in Q2, didn’t fall back immediately in the race (took 4 or 5 laps before he was down to P19 and beat Maldonado on track

  50. Charles Pic, his qualifying was ruined when he was called to the FIA weighbridge, meaning he had no time to do a run on slick tyres. In the race he passed both Marussia’s and was catching van der Garde, but had to retire due to an oil failure. Pic did the maximum he could over the weekend but was let down by situations out of his control.

    1. Sorry, oil leak that should say.

  51. Vettel is so overrated you guys. It’s just the Newey RC car. Ricciardo is totally gonna prove it by winning five WDCs and beating Schumacher’s win total next season.

    1. +100

  52. I voted Alonso

    1 Alonso 2 Vettel 3 Button

  53. It was close between Vettel and Alonso for me but I chose Alonso in the end.

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