F1 Fanatic

+ Mark Webber – leading the championship, poor judgement in Australia and being beaten off pole by Vettel in Malaysia the only two real mistakes he’s made. Managed to use the latter to spur himself on and a dominant victory at Monaco has summed him up for me this season. Perhaps his leg-break was more significant last season than we thought.

+ Jenson Button – I’ve never been a fan but he has done exceptionally well this season. Written off by myself and by people who should probably know better has walked into the lion’s den and left the lion looking pretty toothless for a wee while. Made some very brave strategy calls in the first few races which paid off for him handsomely

+ Hamilton – Unlucky in Oz, has driven superbly after poor qualifyings. Was in danger of being overshadowed by Button but is now definitely more of a team player and has matured a lot in the past year and it is showing now.

+ Kubica – Personally, I think that the Renault is a good car. But by the same token, Kubica has been driving very well. Re-affirmed his status after a very disappointing 2009. A win this season is surely a case of sooner rather than later. Valencia perhaps?

+ Sebastian Vettel – Almost untouchable at first and would be leading if it wasn’t for his car’s poor reliability. Unfortunately he appears to really be feeling the pressure of Webber coming from seemingly nowhere to take charge of the title race. Turkey was pure pressure, but he could easily have won 4 races this season but instead won 2.

+ Petrov – The cynic in me suggested that he was in the team due to his Russian connections alone, but the man has proved that he can drive. Has compared favourably with the exceptional Kubica. Can only get better once he improves his fitness. His presence in the paddock has also resulted in Kubica losing his status as “most ill-looking F1 driver”.

+ Adrian Sutil – Hard to tell if he’s outperforming his car or if the Force India is a good car due to the poor form of his team-mate. Strong qualifying and race pace. Perhaps his time in a bigger team will come in time, ending his long term association with the team.

+ Haymeeee Alguasiari – Very impressive this season. Shows what some testing miles and shots in an F1 car can do. Has diced with the bigger teams and more famous names, showing no fear.

+ Nico Rosberg – Despite the hype around Schumacher performed well in the first quarter of the season. Has tailed off a bit since Monaco but still doing well. Perhaps Brawn/Mercedes have an eye on developing him using Schumacher to become team leader in a season or two

+ Kamui Kobayshi – Many DNFs and crashes but a lot down to car failures. Finally began to show the pace and tenacity that led to him being signed up.

+ Karun Chandok – Stuck in a crap car, first time in it was qualifying Bahrain. Very much seen as the second driver in the HRT team at the start of the season, perhaps due to the unfavourable comparisons with fellow countryman Narin Karthikayen. An overall nice guy, cheery despite being in a poor car.

+ Bruno Senna – Phenomenal weight of expectations courtesy of Uncle Ayrton. Guilty of pushing the car too hard on at least one occasion, perhaps echoing his late uncle or maybe more of a reflection on his car. Senna and Chandok appear to both be very friendly happy guys. If they end up moving to better teams, I’d love it if they came as a pair.

+ The World’s Fastest Heikki – Seems to really be enjoying himself at Lotus. For the first time he’s in a seat that hadn’t just been vacated by Alonso. Outperforming his established team-mate and I’d bet he’ll get Lotus’ first points and podiums if they come. Can see him staying at Lotus long-term. Again guilty of pushing the car too much in Monaco but at least he kept it in one piece unlike the other former Renault and McLaren driver…..

+ Timo Glock – Like his team-mate, beset by reliability problems and quite a slow car. Has like his team-mate been very feisty, battling with Alonso on at least one occasion. Well out of the politics of Toyota, I don’t believe for a second that he needed to miss the last two races of the season.

+/- Lucas Di Grassi. Hard to quantify due to the poor reliability and poor car, allyed to the fact that he had to wait a while for the Limo. Again, proved to be a battler and if Virgin get things sorted has the potential to have a strong finish to the season

+/- Fernando Alonso – Performed solidly in Bahrain, altho admittedly inherited the win. Making too many errors, particularly in qualifying or practice – when was the last time we saw a jump start? Like his team mate of ’07, has matured a lot. Guilty of dozing at the end of Monaco, but his race performances have been very strong and he’s still 4th in the standings. One has to ask however, where would he be finishing if he wasn’t making mistakes in qualifying?

+/- Michael Schumacher – Took a long time to get up to speed after a long break out. For someone so talented, perhaps too long? Has not done well in comparison to his team-mate. Sneaky in Monaco, a bit like the old Schumi.

+/- Sebastian Buemi – looked good last season and has been unfortunate with reliability. Another who needs to have a bit of luck and could have a good second half to the season.

+/- Rubens Barichello – In one of the worst cars and hasn’t been doing particularly well or badly. Petulant throwing of the steering wheel in Monaco was not good, particularly from the most experienced man in the paddock

+/- Pedro De La Rosa – Again, not been racing for a long time, but hasn’t done anything to convince me that he has great pace, race or qualifying. Yes, a good tester but is he really worthy of a race seat? Also has suffered badly from poor reliability.

- Nico Hulkenberg – Won every series he’s entered in and at the moment doesn’t look like he’ll add F1 to this. Poor reliability and bad luck has been compounded by small first-corner shunts (e.g. Monaco tunnel crash was caused by a nudge on his front wing). Also conspicuous by his number of pit stops in each race (see Keith’s charts for what I mean). Experience of racing in many different series and always adapting well should have him in good stead, as does his deep knowledge and involvement with the team in the factory.

- Felipe Massa – Although he led the championship standings at one point, that was mainly due to recording more finishes than Sebastian Vettel. Not the same man who ran Hamilton close in 2008. Really struggling with the soft tyres and although he’s outperformed the mis-firing Alonso in qualifying, he frequently ends up only a place or two ahead of the Spaniard.

- Tonio Liuzzi – Unlucky in his first outing in F1 in a silly seat-share scheme with Red Bull. However hasn’t done anything to convince anyone that he’s worthy of a race seat. For someone with over 50 F1 starts to his name he really should be out-performing the inexperienced Di Resta. But he’s not. What’s the Italian for “Shoogly peg”?

- Jarno Trulli – The great qualifier has not even managed to do that well this season. Pressure was on at the end of last season with his desperate dive at Sutil and then subsequent rage. Monaco was embarrassing for a man of his experience, and almost took out Webber in the process of attempting to decapitate Chandok. Surely the end of the road for Jarno?

I’d just like to say mine or in no order just a + if I think they’ve been good or – if they haven’t.

+ Hamilton. Blamed team early in season about strategy which isn’t nice to see but also shows that he still has to develop that area of his driving. Has made mistakes such as the weaving but his performances have pretty much been stellar. Not 100% but he’s been good.

+Webber. Mistake in Bahrain quali, rampage through Aus, inspired tyre decision in Mal quali but lost it at first corner. Fair to say that was an iffy start and Seb looked the champion material. Since then however, Mark’s been more than a match for Seb. Beat him in quali 4 times in a row (Seb may have had issues in Turkey but Webber was right there in the position to capitalise which is what all smart drivers and champions do). Splendid in Spain, majestic in Monaco, fought on in Turkey and got punted off through no fault of his own and outqualified Seb yet again in Montreal. He got the grid place penalty but still ended up just behind Seb in Montreal. Noone would have expected this form.

+ Alonso. Too many mistakes which makea me feel like I dreamt 06. His recoveries have been second to none though. He’s often put the car in places it shouldn’t have been. Spain he inherited it to some degree but he was in the position to do so.

+ Kubica (but not as big as the rest). Hasn;t put a foot wrong but he has a rookie teammate, this car was a dream for him as ity has good balance and he’s notoriously fussy plus Renault aren’t getting the credit they deserve. They’re building the team around him, whenever any big guy failed (09 Sing, 08 Sing, Jap 08, the entire 05 and 06 seasons) Renault were there. They know how to make the best of what they have and Kubica’s not putting a foot wrong but it’s too hard to judge him when he’s just got Petrov. He deserves a very high mention but for me definitely not top.

+ Kovy. Cheery, bounced back, driving the team on and always fighting hard. Everything Lotus needs.

+/= Trulli. He’s doing better than most give him credit for. He had a DNS and most of the reliability issues so of course he looks glum compared to Heikki who looks like he sleeps with a boomerang in his mouth every night, he’s always grinning. He’s drawing with Heikki on qualifying. His races haven’t been that impressive but Heikki isn’t running away with it just yet. Made a daft move in Monaco that was his one true mistake this year.

+/= I’ve criticised hime nough this year and frankly that’s because I’m impatient. Alo has otudone him but Felipe was right there in Bahrain shopwing he can race since his accident so no more excuses please, he keeps it together when Alo messes up such as Monaco and Turkey (Turkey he was showed what the car really could do which was not a lot frankly and yes he was stuck behind Kubica but Alo was stuck behind Vitaly), Montreal should have been closed but very good start and through no fault of his own it turned to hell. He was just the victim that race and put in a superb fightback to get in the points from 23rd (cracking overtake on Adrian too) and then Michael shoved him off. He’s shown he can race there and was absolutely flying when he was coming through the field. His injury hasn’t hurt him, he’s had eight months out and is driving very well. Last year we thought he’d never be back. To come back, have a family and race and at times finish ahead of your teammate well that ios truly a great story. He’s struggled with the tyres which is his own fault and he needs to improve the timing of his runs in quali as he kepts getting traffic but give the guy break. His teammate is Fernando Alonso.

+ Buemi. Ruined my race yesterday but he did it with a fine drive and not being intimidated. I don’t know whether to high 5 him or slap him.

= Alg. He’s gained some confidence this year and I’ve always said he had promise but Buemi’s always had an incident it seems. He can fight but he needs to improve his speed.

- Kobayashi. I don’t think he’s been that bad just he’s made some mistakes.

-DLR seems he has an issue every race but when he doesn’t he should be further ahead of his rookie teammate.

-Vettel. Fine drives at the beginning of the seaosn but since then he hasn’t looked a champion at all. The worst bit about Turkey was when he said he would do it again. Nothing learned and shows a sense of entitlement. Markl beta him in quali and then after a penalty he nearly beat him in the race too. Has to raise his game. He’s had issues but Mark was never meant to be this far ahead.

+ Sutil. Less mistakes. He says regularly fighting for points has proiven his worth but he’s taken too long to cut out the mistakes and the points boundary has been lengthened.

+= Not doing much more than last season. He’s showing raw speed. Lewis sailed past him at Aus. Schumacher has had three years out so in my mind he should be beating him.

= Schumacher. Terrible yesterday. His pace hsn’t quite been there but he’s battling on and he’s had 3 years out. It’s going to take a while longer yet.

Rookies-
Can’t judge. We’re seeing the price of the testing ban with lakc of pace and silly mistakes. They should no how to race and testing doesn’t teach that but I can’t help but feel that they’re out of their depths. HRT drivers have impressed with their maturity though.

The drivers’ half-term rankings should be going up next week so make sure you post your thoughts before then…

1. Hamilton – He had a slow start, but it seems he now has the measure of Jenson. His recent consistency has also helped him take the championship lead. He might want to avoid courting controversy, though.

2. Button – Considering everyone expected him to be crushed by Lewis with the greatest of ease, he’s sure held his own at McLaren – and then some. He was ahead of Lewis in the standings from Australia to Turkey. Had it not been for some bad luck in Monaco, he’d still be ahead of Lewis. But he hasn’t won since China – he needs to step us his game to find that winning touch again.

3. Webber – He has had quite the season, with the highest of highs (winning in Spain and Monaco) and the lowest of lows (getting taken out by Vettel in Turkey and somersaulting in Valencia). Still, Mr. Aussiegrit fights on. He must be hoping he hasn’t used up all his good luck for the year.

4. Kubica – Talk about a fightback. After a brilliant 08 followed by an anonymous 09, the Kubica of old has returned this year. His Renault is performing well above pre-season expectations, and he’s holding his own. It looks like he will become the poster boy of a post-Flav Renault. The only reason I didn’t put him in the Top 3 is that he hasn’t won a race yet this year.

5. Vettel – Like the Top 3, he’s also won 2 races this year. But I honestly don’t think he’s truly fulfilling his potential. His actions at Turkey don’t help his cause, either. That said, he is the leading challenger after the McLarens, so it isn’t all bad news for him, either.

6. Alonso – A partnership between him and Ferrari would always have high expectations. But notwithstanding Bahrain, they aren’t even close to meeting those expectations. It’s a bit surprising that none of Alonso’s engineers at Renault followed him to Ferrari. Alonso will need to do a Schumacher and lead this team back to the front if they want to win championships. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found that it was Alonso who recruited Pat Fry to Maranello.

7. Rosberg – The key positive for Nico is that he is soundly beating Michael Schumacher. However, it seems that this isn’t doing as much for his reputation as previously expected. He will need to do better than two podiums if he is to emerge as Mercedes’ leader and true long-term bet, rather than Vettel or Kubica.

8. Massa – He has done well considering he is coming back from injury. But despite the contract renewal, he shouldn’t let Alonso beat him by so much. He is in legitimate danger of becoming the #2 driver at Ferrari.

9. Schumacher – Well. This is a bit… embarrassing. The only driver from the Big 4 teams not to have made it yet to the podium, he’s had more bad than good moments. He’s not faring too badly considering he hadn’t been racing for 3 years prior. But considering everything he’s achieved, his goal this year must surely have been to at least contest for the championship. He can’t even beat his teammate right now. Will things improve? Perhaps. But sometimes, I wonder what on earth he was thinking by coming back. It’s almost like a… well, a midlife crisis.

10. Sutil – Other than Kubica, he’s the only other non-Big-4 driver who regularly ends up in the Top 10. That said, it doesn’t seem like he’s getting that much attention this year. He has yet to pull out that breakout performance that will get him noticed by F1 fans this season.

11. Barrichello – A beacon of consistency. He’s doing well to soundly beat the young Hulk this year.

12. Kobayashi – He has a LOT of potential. In particular, his performances in Turkey and Valencia (moves on Alonso and Buemi!) have stood out. Now, if he can only sort out his qualifying…

And the rest:
13. Alguersuari
14. Buemi
15. Liuzzi
16. Hulkenberg
17. Petrov
18. de la Rosa
19. Kovalainen
20. Chandhok
21. Trulli
22. Glock
23. di Grassi
24. Senna

My thoughts so far

+ Robert Kubica: After a dissapointing season in 2009, I, along with most other people, didn’t expect much from him in the Renault this year. But he’s proved all of us wrong with an impresive season so far, even acheiving 2 podiums. I am expecting a win for him this year.

+ Mark Webber: He did not have the best start to the season, but it quite quickly evolved into something we haven’t seen from him before. 2 wins in a row, and I’m expecting some more from him.

+ Jenson Button: Another driver not many expected to do well this year. I thought that last year had his last chance at the WDC, but with two wins this season he’s another driver thats proved me wrong.

+ Heikki Kovalainen: After 2 years at McLaren that did not go his way, it looks as though he’s found a team he’s happy at. He looked unhappy at McLaren, but at Lotus, we’ve seen a completly different side of him. A side Most never knew he had.

+ Karun Chandok: It’s hard to say finishing in the back would be a good thing, but he is consistently out-finishing and out-qualifying his team mate. His character off the track as well as his manners on it, have earned him praise from many.

+ Lewis Hamilton: I may not like him but it doesn’t mean I won’t be honest about him. He’s Had many good results, but not what many expected. A Failure and a crash have held him back in terms of points, but it doesn’t stop him from being a WDC Contender.

+/- Nico Rosberg: A few good finishes and qualis have eraned some respect, but not anything special. He shown that he can consistently beat his team mate, but the Mercedes seems to be slowing down in terms of devolpment, while everybody else has sped up.

+/- Adrian Sutil: A major improvement from Force India have seen him finish in the top ten several times, but like Mercedes, they seem to have slowed down in development. Finishing in front of his team mate almost everytime, he has shown major improvement from last year, and may be finishing on the podium by next year.

+/- Tonio Liuzzi: Nobody has said anything really positive about him, so I think it’s time some one did. I am impressed by his performance, after being away for some time, most comebacks dont work. (Schumi anyone?) And after being put in a team that is only capable of a few top ten finishes, I think he has done quite well. I hope he stays for next year.

+/- Jaimi Alguersuari: His performance so far is impressive for the car, but nothing special. Maybe next year he will be finishing in the points, if he moves to a better team, or if STR improve.

+/- Sebastien Buemi: Very Impressed by his performance so far. Leading the first laps for STR since it’s begging, he has had a few top ten finishes, He has improved from last year. Sadly, 2 race finishes in 16th and 3 retirements have him pretty low in the WDC, he’s still ahead of Petrov and tied with Kamui.

+/- Kamui Kobayashi: Dissapointing start to the season with many failures and crashes have him down in 13, but his impressive race in Valencia has me impressed. At first I thought that he would be a dissapointment, but his race in Valencia is just what we want in F1.

+/- Pedro de la Rosa: My last review here is on an experianced driver that had not been perfoming so far this year. But then again, the C29 is not a car that can really perform all that well. A decent performance in Valencia had almost given Sauber its first double points finish.

+ Massa. although slower on raw pace, has not made as many mistakes as his team mate Alonso and has been pretty consistent.

+ Rosberg. has continued to outshine his famous team mate.

+ Kobayashi. had some rotten luck in most races with either reliability failures or people wiping him out. He’s overcome that now is is showing his true self, a true racer.

- Hulkenburg. expected better from him. i thought he was meant to be a superstar.

-Alonso. costly mistakes have hurt his image with the tifosi and ferrari fans. although a fast driver, can he really handle the pressure?

Given that both Italians in the field are getting a pasting from us – could we see an Italian-less field next year (driver-wise)?