F1 Fanatic

Not sure about the rest of the guys, but the #1 spot cannot go to someone other than Fernando Alonso

Not only he’s leading the championship by 40 points having found the speed and consistency in his Ferrari. I think the fact that he scored so many points with the ill, early season Ferrari is much more important than these couple of races with the revived one. How he dragged that seriously out of shape Ferrari to 5th place at Melbourne was mindblowing. I remember the helicopter following him round the track at qualifying and he was sliding around at every corner. It was superb!

He was “lucky” with the conditions at Malaysia and Sauber and Perez shooting themselves in the foot in what could’ve been an easy win for them, but you made your own luck. He put himself first when the conditions were at its worse and won, thus launching his championship campaign.

He’s just at the top of his game.

24) Karthikeyan – He’s kept the worst car on the grid at the back and with little improvement. In fairness to him, Karthikeyan is far from the best driver on the grid and atleast is making the 107% rule now.

23) de la Rosa – Performed better then his team mate, but the car wont allow him any progression in race results.

22) Timo Glock – For someone who has been in F1 for as long as he has, he barely betters his younger and inexperienced teammate and has struggled to take the fight to the Caterhams, let alone take the Marussia up the grid.

21) Vergne – Ok, maybe im being too harsh here. Possibly not. But I heard good things about the lad and how highly rated he is. Ive seen none of that. He struggles in Qualy and his race day results are little better. The car might have some blame but as others on the grid have done, he hasn’t gotten the best from it.

20) Massa – What to say, if the top drivers wasn’t all contracted elsewhere, Massa would almost certainly be at another team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him fired before Spa if i’m to be frank. There have been small glimmers of his pre-accident driving, but they are as rare as rocking horse poo.

19) Pic – Young Mr Pic looks ok, his performances have not been bad, few rookie mistakes are being made and he looks slightly better then Glock thus far.

18) Senna – I never know which Bruno Senna is going to show up each day. Where as some drivers flicker between good/bad/unlucky every so often over the season, Bruno manages it over a race weekend. His qualy and race days are all over the place and its easier to guess who his team mate is going to crash into then say what Senna will turn up. He has had a few good results and some misfortune, but he really has to step up in the last races.

17) Petrov – Heikki has had the Russian in his pocket for the best part of the season excluding the odd race, and Vitaly looks more consistant then when he was at Renault before. But there hasnt been any races similar to the Aussie GP last year or even signs hes overdriving the car. I wouldnt keep him next year if I was Tony.

16) Ricciardo – Is performing better then his teammate, has out scoring him and is more solid in qualy. But like Jean-Eric, there hasnt been a clear reason why people rate him so highly yet.

15) Schumacher – I didnt know if it was fair to place Michael in #15. I think his racing has been, to some degree, better then his previous seasons in the Merc. He’s had some awful luck at times and should have more points then current but for. But he’s also made some mistakes that Michael wouldnt ever have made in his previous F1 career. His qualy performances at Monaco and Hockeheim show there is still something there, but is it enough to warrant a seat next season? I really don’t know.

14) Kovalainen – In a better car then last season, he’s yet again been the star of the team and of the back end of the field. He remains Caterhams best chance of getting any form of success this year, and has gotten the car into Q2 on more then just luck and has had some good pace in the race. Caterham would do well to keep him there for 2013.

13) Maldonado – But for an excellent win in Spain, Maldonado might have been placed further down. Not quite to the same extent as Senna, its anyone’s guess if we will get the fast performer or the crash kid each race. His Qualy performances have been good going excellent and he has arguably gotten the best out of the car. If he can just put a lid on his magnetism to the rest of the field, there is no reason why he couldn’t finish well into the top10 of the WDC. Look at it another way, if he hadn’t won at Spain he would have as little as 4 points.

12) Hulkenburg – The year started slow for Nico, with his teammate being the better of the pair for the fist 5/6 races and outscoring him. But Nico looks to have turned a corner now and is the better of the 2 in the last few races, perhaps having a little rust from his year off. Hoping for more of the good performances we know he can produce.

11) di Resta – Out performed his teammate in the opening races and still infront on points, which is why he is infront on my list. He needs to crank it up a little and outdrive his car (as does Nico) to challenge the Saubers and Williams in the 2nd half.

10) Kobayashi – 11th seems a little bit harsh on the Japanese driver, he has a lot more points already then he did last year and has just gotten his best result in Germany. But for every good race he has, theres one he fails to score in. The car is good enough, and so is he. Kamui needs to put the 2009/10 Kamui in the 2012 car and get the results we all want him too. He’s good enough.

9) Button – Despite his season opening win, Button has not reproduced the form of late-2011, and has struggled at times. His qualy is still something of an issue at times and unlike last year, he hasnt overcome this with race results. Needs to improve ASAP or play wingman to Hamilton.

8) Rosberg – He finally managed his maiden win, with an impressive display in China, and has gotten some good results since and is the clear #1 at Mercedes.

7) Raikkonen – I’ve never got what it is about Kimi that makes people love him so. He’s fast, I wont deny, but there have been times when I have questioned his commitment this season. I wonder who of the Lotus drivers is actually the most dependable to improve the car and get results. His drive in Hungary is proof he can challenge in the car, but will he get a win?

6) Vettel – Yep, a 2x WDC winner and I’m placing him 6th. And that might still be quite generous. After last year and the waffle about how Seb was going to rule the world (err…. F1) I am shocked to see him performing well below the standards associated with a 2x WDC winner, let alone someone who broke every record going last year. Was it the car or the driver was a hot debate last year, and one that could be guessed at after 11races in 2012. Still, we had him in 2010 never having led the standings, and we know how that ended come seasons end. Don’t count him out, but he needs to use whatever it was that murdered the field last year in the next 9 races, otherwise he wont get near that triple WDC in a row.

5) Webber – Remember the Mark Webber of last season? Remember how in the same car, his team mate throttled him so badly after the near-miss of 2010. That was the old Mark Webber, the new improved Mark Webber of 2012 is so much different, and better. Yes, there have been some dodgy results but he’s won 2 races and his victory at Silverstone was right in the middle of Alonso’s hot streak, only adding to the credibility. Will 2012 be the year Mark gets the title he so clearly wants? Could be you know.

4) – Grosjean – Who would have thought after his 1st outing in F1 that Grosjean would have impressed this much? Eric Boulier took the biggest of gambles with Grosjean and it looks to have paid of, and some! He’s made some rookie mistakes, but thats to be expected, but his performances have overcome those massively. Lotus needs to keep on top of their development to give Romain the best chance to shine.

3) Perez – There is 1, and 1 good reason that I’ve put Perez so high and infront of others. This is a review on the drivers, and the Mexican has been superb. In a car thats probably 5th fastest (at best) on the grid, he has managed some amazing races, obtaining podiums and singling himself out as someone with some serious potential if given a fast enough car.

2) Hamilton – Like Webber, had a torrid 2012 and has bounced back. Lewis might still be a way behind Alonso in the standings, but his racing has been nothing short as being back at his best. He’s gotten 2 wins with excellent and mature drives in Canada and Hungary, but also prior to Valencia consistently was scoring points, but has had some DNFs that was not his fault which have hurt his scores total. But you cant keep a good driver down, and with Mclarens famed development ability, and with his mojo back, I expect that Lewis can take the fight to Alonso and make this an unforgettable ending to 2012.

1) Alonso – Like anyone else could be #1? If Vettel was accused of winning the title in an beatable car, the same can not be said of Fernando and the Ferrari, which flatters to deceive on its genuine pace. Even as I write this, I am unsure where exactly the Ferrari is on pace against the competition. One thing is for sure, the Spaniard is driving it to the very limits and is THE guy to beat so far. If Alonso doesn’t win the title this year, it won’t be because of him. But because of what he has done, Ferrari owe it to Alonso, to make sure they can keep the car in touching distance to everyone else. At the very least, that’s all the need to do, and Fernando will do the rest. Even as someone who isn’t an Alonso fan, I can’t praise him enough this year.

24. Narain Karthikeyan: One word effectively describes him as a Formula 1 driver, and that word is “cucumber”. What the Indian mobile chicane brings to Formula One: tiny Tata branding on the HRT, and that’s about it.

23. Charles Pic: Sure, he may have beaten Glock in the last couple of races, but the French media is reporting that he held up Glock on three occasions, which may help illustrate his success against Glock in qualy. Because when he’s not ahead of Glock, the HRTs are.

22. Felipe Massa: Why is he still at Ferrari? Simple- Robert Kubica is gone from the sport and Adrian Sutil disgraced himself by glassing Eric Lux in the neck. Which leaves the little Brazilian at Ferrari, playing second fiddle to Fernando Alonso, and quite out of tune, actually. For a car whose recent form may be likened to a Stradivarius, Massa’s played some chords in the accompaniment in tune but ultimately, he’s been outclassed by his stand-partner’s Sunday performances.

21. Timo Glock- not much to say about him; his days of running in the top five have dissolved into beating GP2 graduates at a subpar team.

20. Vitaly Petrov- is basically a 2010 Trulli with mounds of rubles at his disposal. At least last year’s incessant whining about power steering has retired to the vineyards of Italy.

19. Pedro de la Rosa: Has earned the distinction of the greatest HRT driver of all time, a feat similar to being the best Samoan to never qualify for the Olympics. All joking aside, he’s had some strong races for HRT and has been very modest in getting out ofmthe frontrunners’ way.

18. Jean-Eric Vergne: Has displayed rookie antics and weak qualy performances, but there were glimpses of promise in Malaysia and Monaco.

17. Bruno Senna: he’s been bruising his nosecone throughout the season, yet slowly but surely he’s collected points despite generally rubbish qualifying performances. While he still makes mistakes, he’s in a race-winning car and race-winning pace is something he has yet to display.

16. Pastor Maldonado: Yes, he won a race, and yes, it was a brilliant and mature drive. But the rest of his season has been anything but brilliant and mature. His collisions have been cartoonishly stupid and he’s thrown away so many points.

15. Kamui Kobayashi: Erratic and inconsistent, yet demonstrating pace and improvement. Needs a podium to retain his coveted seat at Sauber.

14. Daniel Ricciardo: Has completely outclassed the hotly-rated Vergne and his P6 result in qualy in that dog of a car was truly impressive. Still, he needs to improve his racecraft.

13. Jenson Button: Has had very strong drives in his top-five finishes this year, but has otherwise been dreadfully and surprisingly slow. Fortunately, he’s showing improvement.

12. Hülkenberg: Had a sluggish start to the year, which allowed teammate di Resta to gobble up points as the Hulk acclimatized to the new Force India. Since the European rounds, however, he’s delivered mighty impressive qualifying results but has struggled to convert them into points-paying positions, with the exception of a strong drive in Valencia.

11. Paul di Resta: Although his car this year is worse than last year’s, di Resta commenced the season with a strong first half, but is now falling behind his teammate, similar to his scenario last year when partnered with Sutil. He needs to catch up with Hülkenberg’s improved pace if he wants to stay ahead in the WDC and usurp Schumacher’s silver throne.

10. Schumacher: Has been much closer to Rosberg and has held the upper hand on his teammate on numerous occasions, but has been held back by silly mistake and mechanical gremlins.

9. Heikki Kovalainen: Quick, sold, consitent, if not somewhat invisible. With talk of Raïkkonen defecting to Ferrari, he’d be a worthy replacement for his countryman at Lotus.

8. Sergio Perez: Has had a handful of strong drives but inconsistency races and especially qualifying have been hurting the Ferrari hopeful.

7. Nico Rosberg: While losing ground to Schumacher, he’s done well to keep his nose clean to deliver solid points finishes. His high point was his commanding win in Shanghai but on the flipside, he’s had some mediocre qualy sessions.

6. Romain Grosjean: Very quick, in the qualifying and the races, but also crash-prone on the first few laps. That’s about it, really.

5. Mark Webber: Much-improved from last year, he’s closer to Vettel and has a shot for the title.

4. Raikkonen: A surprisingly successful return, he’s a solid points finisher and still drives like a World Champ- he just needs to qualify like one.

3. Vettel- Following an invincible campaign, he’s shown vulnerability this year. He obviously has tremendous speed, but potential results have been hampered by frustration and anger.

2. Hamilton: Back to World Champion form, he’s destroyed one of the best drivers from last year: Button. Great racing and qualy from last year’s up-and-down soap opera character.

1. Fernando Alonso continues to do amazing things.

24 – Karthikeyan – Nice guy.
23 – De la Rosa – Gotta respect him for still being around.
22 – Petrov – Heikki makes him look horrible.
21 – Pic – Pretty much invisible.
20 – Glock – A little less invisible.

19 – Ricciardo – Expected more of who was to become Sebastian Webber.
18 – Vergne – Doing better than Daniel, but not much more.
17 – Massa – Very sub-par but has had a few races where we saw old Felipe.

16 – Hulkenburg – A little disappointing but seems happy in the wet.
15 – Di Resta – Inconsistent and too big a mouth.
14 – Kobayashi – Still a fan, but kinda missing the speed.
13 – Maldonado – Good speed, horrible driving; deserves unlucky no. 13.
12 – Senna – Not always the fastest, but he’s clearly improving.
11 – Button – Had three good drives, but very disappointing otherwise.

10 – Rosberg – Despite his win in China, not as impressive overall.
9 – Schumacher – The few laps we could see him do, I saw bits and pieces of old Schumi.
8 – Kovalainen – Great performances considering the car he has.
7 – Perez – Often find myself wondering how Perez got up there again.

6 – Grosjean – You gotta love that big smile on his face, and really impressing with his drives.
5 – Raikonnen – Has had some great performances but failed to capitalize on them.
4 – Webber – Obviously happier with this year’s car style, having had some great performances.

3 – Hamilton – Has had his great performances, but not making the most of the car.
2 – Vettel – Shows he can still perform in a Red Bull that’s often off pace.
1 – Alonso – Some great performances and otherwise solid results.

24 – Karthikayen – Admittedly not going to make waves in such a slow car, but has been continually out-performed by his team mate. Earned a lot of respect however with his [relatively] dignified response when clouted by Vettel in Malaysia.

23 – Glock – Looked at home at Marussia/Virgin but now starting to be out-performed by a rookie team-mate. Oh how he must regret not taking up the offer of a Renault seat when he left Toyota

22 – Petrov – Not done anything of note really.

21 – De la Rosa – Still driving for the love of it and produced an extraordinary qualifying performance in Canada

20 – Kobayashi – Unfortunate to be paired with one of the best rookies of recent times last season, and has consistently been out-performed. Historically his great overtaking would compensate for poor qualifying performance, unfortunately he hasn’t been able to pull of as many as in the past.

19 – Pic – Unfortunate to get no pre-season testing but has started to out-perform his vastly more experienced team mate, culminating with a very impressive performance in Hungary

18 – Massa – Well he’s doing better than last season. But that’s about it.

17 – Riccardo – Astoundingly qualified in 6th in Bahrain. Unfortunately his average race result is lower than his team-mate’s despite generally better qualifying

16 – Vernge – Has shown decent race pace, miserable qualifying pace and a disaster when he Maldonado’ed Kovalainen

15 – Kovalainen – Very strong in a 3rd-tier car. Very at home though, deserves points.

14 – Schumacher – Yes a legend, yes he’s been unlucky with the car, but his performance is better summed up by Hungary than Monaco

13 – Maldonado – Jekyll and Hyde. Unfortunately for me the danger that he presents on track completely outweighs his win in Spain. It should be noted that he is only 5 points ahead of his teammate despite having a win when Senna failed to finish.

12 – Senna – Not nearly as spectacular as his teammate, and seems to be worryingly error-prone. A very important season but has started to show some solididty

11 – Di Resta – Note shone, although not had a disaster. Needs to get legal wrangles out of the way to avoid suffering the way Button did after he left Williams

10 – Button – Won well in Australia and was strong early on. Disastrous middle of the half-season hardly befitting someone who won a world championship.

9 – Perez – It’s hard not to believe your own hype if you’ve had as strong a start to a second season as this. Di Resta take note!

8 – Hulkenberg – slow start to the season but has started to put in some strong qualifying performances. Di Resta’s manager should be worried, unfortunately he was sacked…

7 – Rosberg – Finally got the win he’d been threatening. Unfortunately hamstrung by a very temperamental Mercedes

6 – Grosjean – Excellent performance from who is essentially a rookie, and has done really well. Unfortunately has missed out on many big points opportunities due to mistakes, mainly first-lap collisions.

5 – Raikkonen – Has done it quietly but has impressed greatly. Unlucky not to have at least one win. MSC – this is how you do come-backs!

4 – Webber – Put 2011 woes behind him and has really stepped up to the rise of Vettel. Would not begrudge this man a championship

3 – Vettel – Very hard to decide between the team-mates, but Vettel shades it on account of producing the stand-out astonishingly devastating performance in Valencia

2 – Hamilton – Done well despite McLaren’s best efforts to shoot themselves in the foot!

1- Alonso – Always considered the best on the grid. Now can back it up statistically. Truly outstanding

24 Karthikeyan – Out qualified every race by his team-mate, often by a large margin. Difficult to overtake but that’s mainly when he is being lapped.

23 Glock – Might be harsh, but I do expect better from him. After wiping the floor with Di Grassi and Ambrosio, Pic has proven much more of a challenge. Needs a change of scenery.

22 De La Rosa – Doing as well as he can with the machinery beneath him.

21 Pic – Doing well compared to his team-mate and looks very promising. Hopefully he won’t fade into obscurity like his predecessors.

20 Senna – Constantly being shown up by his team-mate on qualifying. Has his occasional moments such as in the wet in Malayasia or in Hungary but is generally slow and cumbersome.

19 Massa – Probably the biggest gap between two team-mates since Schumi and others in 94. Considering Massa was once a consistent pole taker and race winner this is another massively disappointing season especially as his car has the joint most wins.

18 Petrov – Not great, but certainly not as bad as he seemed in 2010. Kept his team-mate far more honest than Trulli (quali-extraordinaire) managed even in qualifying.

17 Maldonado – Probably the maddest, craziest, most dangerous, horrifying and hilarious F1 driver I’ve ever seen. Would have been much, much lower had it not been for that sensational win in Spain on Sir Frank Williams’s birthday. His qualifying is generally excellent and occasionally sensational, making his antics all the more confusing/infuriating/hilarious.

15 = Riccardio/Vergne – Cannot split these two at all. Riccardio generally does better in quali whereas Vergne has better races. Neither looks better than Buemi/Alguerasi and neither look like they will make the jump to Red-Bull a la Vettel.

14 Kovalainen – Good driver but looks to be going nowhere fast in Catheram.

13 Kobayashi – Really hasn’t refined himself or improved since breaking through. Exciting but doesn’t have the consistency or racecraft to match his overtaking skills. Been well outdriven by his younger, more inexperienced team-mate.

12 Di Resta – Started the season brightly but has suffered in recent races. Seems more steady whereas his team-mate his capable of the more spectacular.

11) Button – Considering he was one of the drivers of 2011, this has to be the biggest nose dive of the season. Had 3 great drives in Australia, China and Germany but we have come to expect more from a driver who prides himself on consistency. Another thing he is known for is the ease he puts on tyres but he has been embarrassed this season by his ‘tyre chewer’ team-mate in this regard.

10) Hulkenburg – Struggled against his team-mate but has come alive in the last few races putting his car in really impressive grid slots. Been out of F1 for a year but considering how good Di Resta was against Sutil than Hulkenburg has really shown potential against a tough team-mate.

9) Schumacher – Has had the best year since his return but has been unlucky with reliability somewhat ironically considering he seemed immune from it in his first career in F1. Highlights include pole in Monaco (befiore a penalty), a great podium in Valencia where he seemed more surprised than anyone and qualifying 3rd in both rain affected qualifyings in Silverstone and Hockenheim proving his wet weather prowess will never die. Unfortunately had the mother of all shockers in Hungary.

8) Rosberg – Could easily be behind his team-mate if not for his brilliant pole & win in China. Does not seem to be able to elevate the car in places it shouldn’t like his team-mate at times but still has him at arms reach in the standings. Both Mercedes drivers must be disappointed at another season where they at the best of the midfield rather than challenging for wins.

7) Perez – Breakthrough year? Was breath-taking in Malayasia and produced another stunning performance for a podium in Canada. Would love him at Ferrari. Able to take care of his tyres whilst also being faster than his team-mate, something he has in common with Hamilton and Alonso.

6)Grosjean – Rookie of the year? After disappointing in 09, not much was expected of Romain but he has the better head to head in qualifying against his WDC team-mate and has 3 podiums and looks electric.

5) Vettel – Comedown after the highs of 2011. Shown petulance after probably achieving too much, too soon (a la Alonso/Hamilton). A great win in Bahrain but generally his outbursts and behaviour have been poor. Put in the most dominant performance of the year in Valencia before retiring in the lead. Can never be written off.

4) Kimi – the iceman cometh. Doesn’t have the win he craves but his consistency sees him with a serious shot at the championship. Lacks none of the magic he dazzled his fans with in his first f1 stint. Hungary especially was reminiscent of the way he’d wring the neck of the McLaren after starting from a low grid position (through no fault of his own).

3) Webber – After being written off after a dismal 2011, Webber finds himself back in the thick of things, ahead of his team-mate in the WDC, qualifying far closer and the closest challenger to Alonso. Shown great character after being written off. Again.

2) Hamilton – Back to his best. Dominating his team-mate, using his tyres better and generally performing to the highest level. Hungary was the most dominant weekend I can remember him having. Consistently let down by his pit crew and not making the most of having the best car at the start of the season, he’d be much closer and, on the basis of how good he and his car looked at Hungary, a shoe-in for the title.

1) Alonso – Not much can be said that hasn’t already been said. Just enjoy watching one of the greats at the top of his game.

I’m going to make an argument that I’m sure will go against many people and say that Hamilton should be above Alonso. Both have absolutely destroyed their teammates, but Hamilton is in a 2 man team with a WDC as his teammate. Hamilton has also had a lot more misfortune to deal with, and has done so with great maturity. Alonso also made the mistake in quali back in Australia, Hamilton hasn’t made a single mistake as far as I remember.