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As you’ve already done the bottom 3, I’ll gie my opinion on the rest…
17. Stoffel Vandoorne
16. Marcus Ericsson
15. Romain Grosjean
14. Carlos Sainz
13. Kevin Magnussen
12. Valtteri Bottas
11. Sergio Perez
10. Esteban Ocon
9. Pierre Gasly
8. Daniel Ricciardo
7. Fernando Alonso
6. Nico Hulkenberg
5. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Charles Leclerc
3. Sebastian Vettel
2. Max Verstappen
1. Lewis Hamilton
Probably one of the better seasons in terms of the way in which drivers performed for quite a while – everyone 16th up had a pretty solid year at least, and certainly their excellent moments. Some drivers it was quite hard to fathom how they could be so low.1. Hülkenberg
Almost always on top of his game, very unlucky with material; Baku was a shame. But he would really go for the title in a good car.I like you @magon4.
Will be interesting to see Gelael at Prema. Will he be terrible even at Prema?
Also very excited for Carlin joining Formula 2, and they have a good line up. Norris is excellent as we all know, and Sette Camara really impressed me towards the end of the year.22 – Jolyon Palmer: Dropped for good reason. Was terrible, didn’t outqualify his team mate once, only got points due to luck from people retiring around him, and meant that Renault could only struggle to 6th, when if they’d have Hulkenberg and Sainz all season long, they’d have finished ahead of Williams.
21 – Daniil Kvyat: Another one dropped for his poor performances. Only got 5 points compared to Sainz’s 48 while they were team mates, and while he was a bit closer to the pace in qualifying, he was still completely outperformed.
20 – Brendon Hartley: 4 races isn’t really enough to show what you can do, especially when you haven’t driven the machinery before then and you get grid penalty’s at every single race, but he was off the pace. Am excited to see how he’ll do next year though, even though he’s more of a filler at Toro Rosso until Red Bull produce another good young driver.
19 – Pierre Gasly: Again, only had 4 races to prove himself, but did better than Hartley I think. Has the potential to drive for Red Bull, and did pretty well all things considered.
18 – Lance Stroll: Had his good moments, of course notably the podium at Baku, and most impressive to me was his qualifying at Monza, where he was spectacular. However, the rest of the season was terrible. He became more consistent over the season, but was still well off the pace of his team mate who we all know is past it. He was fast tracked into F1, and that definitely wasn’t good for him, as he has potential but his image has been tainted by this season.
17 – Kevin Magnussen: Didn’t get into Q3 all year, and took out multiple drivers over the season as well as being immature and unsportsmanlike. Writing this, I’m thinking he could be lower, as he never really showed any pace, and Stroll at least had a few good moments, but overall he wasn’t quite as bad. Not sure why Haas are keeping him, I’d rather they take Leclerc so he can actually challenge for points, and Magnussen is costing them.
16 – Marcus Ericsson: Still not F1 standard. He did better compared to Wehrlein than I expected, but was still outperformed. Hopefully once Joel Eriksson comes of age Marcus’ sponsors will drop him and go to Joel, a driver who actually has potential. Can’t think of a race where Ericsson really showed good pace, although he was in a Sauber to be fair.
15 – Pascal Wehrlein: Probably the most disappointing driver of the season. He outperformed Ericsson, but not by much, and was generally off the pace except for his great race in Spain. As mentioned with Ericsson though, he was in a Sauber, so it’s all relative. But after this season, I can’t see a bright future for him in F1. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him as the headline driver for Mercedes’ Formula E venture.
14 – Romain Grosjean: Gets more annoying as the years go by. Had some good races, like at Austria, but overall wasn’t impressive, and yet again he’s most known for his radio complaints, which is never a good thing. Underwhelming is the word, but not terrible.
13 – Felipe Massa: His performances were made to look more impressive by his poor rookie team mate, but he still did a fairly decent job considering he didn’t really want to drive this year, and he was driving for a team who have lost out badly in the development race over the last few seasons. Will be odd not to see him in the paddock next year, and I feel like this was a better year for him than last to leave on as he did beat his team mate.
12 – Kimi Raikkonen: At this point, I’m pretty sure he’s just being kept so Ferrari don’t have to commit to another driver until Leclerc is ready for the seat. Was just eh all year, apart from his pole lap at Monaco, but never had the pace of Vettel, and is clearly not motivated and is getting too old. Hopefully next year will be his last.
11 – Stoffel Vandoorne: Considering he was up against the driver many consider to be the best on the grid, I think he did very well. Quite a few times he was on the pace of Alonso, and has been the biggest improvement over the course of the year, which says a lot about a rookie and how determined they are to improve. Very excited to see what next year will bring for him with Renault engines and a hopefully more competitive car. First driver on this list who I think did a good job.
10 – Sergio Perez: He did outscore his team mate, but was clearly rustled by him, and had quite a few silly moments throughout the year. Got more points yes, but since Spain he was outscored 68-66. Still did well though, and continues to be one of the ‘best of the rest’. Season will mostly be remembered for his battle with his team and team mate.
9 – Carlos Sainz: Did brilliantly in general at Toro Rosso, bar the mistakes at Bahrain and Canada, and every race he finished with them, except for Monza, he finished in the points, which is a very impressive feat for a team who didn’t look strong. Then went to Renault and looked fairly quick, though not quite as quick as Hulkenberg, but for a move midway through the season I feel he did well. Excited for the prospect of him and Hulkenberg next year in what is probably the 3rd or 4th best driver line up.
8 – Esteban Ocon: Against a guy who has the car built around him and is well established at the team and in the paddock, Ocon did superbly, and it’s easy to forget that this was his first full season in F1. Showed brilliant pace all year, and I was especially impressed with his starts. Another who shined at Monza in the wet, and is definitely set for a Mercedes drive in the future.
7 – Valtteri Bottas: After the first half of the season, there was a strong argument for him being first on this list, but now, not so much. He was pretty woeful in the majority of the second half, bar Abu Dhabi and Brazil qualifying. He’s cemented his place as the second driver, despite looking like he could challenge Hamilton in the first half. Overall he did pretty well though, and being just the 4th driver to get over 300 points in a season is impressive.
6 – Nico Hulkenberg: Some may think I’m being a bit biased, but I disagree. He completely thumped Palmer to the point where fans went from thinking he wasn’t quite good enough, to questioning how he was even there in the first place. He really excelled with these new generation cars, and having a car that wasn’t built around the other guy in the team. Especially in qualifying he was excellent, and was very good in the races too. Also, had a ton of bad luck, as he always does, especially in the second half of the season, and often had races ruined by team strategy and pit stops. Had an excellent season, and in my opinion showed he is the best of the rest right now. Think his best race was Silverstone, excellent in qualifying as he always is in those conditions, and had a brilliant race,
5 – Daniel Ricciardo: Didn’t reach the heights of 2014 or 2016, and was overshadowed by Verstappen, but nevertheless drove very well. As ever, put on a great show with his late braking and personality, as well as being the most likeable guy on the grid, fast and consistent and a credit to the sport. Drove well this season I thought, and had some great races like in Baku and Austria. Him and Verstappen really push each other to improve, and are definitely the strongest and most exciting driver line up on the grid.
4 – Fernando Alonso: Year after year Alonso drags terrible cars to places they shouldn’t be. This time, that place often ended up being the garage again, but only after running incredibly well and showing great pace, especially in qualifying. Probably made the worst career decisions of any driver ever, but that doesn’t take away from his speed and hunger. Really, really excited to see where he can drag the McLaren too next year when it has (hopefully reliable) Renault engines.
3 – Sebastian Vettel: He was brilliant all year. Had his red mist moments, which is probably why he’s not higher than this, but overall he had an excellent season. If not for the Asia part of the calendar, he’d have won the title. Bad luck plagued him at Malaysia and Japan, and of course the start at Singapore was of no help. In the end, the Ferrari just couldn’t cope with the Mercedes, and Vettel just couldn’t cope with Hamilton.
2 – Lewis Hamilton: For me, since the summer break, he’s driven the best he ever has. He’s become a lot smoother, and was well ahead of his team mate. Sure, Ferrari and Vettel lost the title, but Hamilton earned it. He would be first if not for his poor first half of the season, especially Russia, Monaco, and Austria, but overall, he was the 2nd best driver this year, and deserves his 4th world title.
1 – Max Verstappen: Verstappen’s season is proof that the final standings don’t always give the full picture. He had horrible luck in the first half of the season, often retiring from ahead of his team mate, meaning that he was even below a Force India at one point, but he was always excellent in qualifying and doing superbly in the races as well. Then once his car did work, he showed us what he could do with 2 wins towards the end of season, both taken excellently and maturely. I reckon, if he was in the Mercedes or possibly even the Ferrari, he could well have won the title.Well that ended up being a bit longer than I anticipated…
Woohoo! I won!
@keithcollantine Probably best if you choose a new question, I’m pretty terrible at thinking of them :)@keithcollantine Raced in F1 but never won, raced in Indycar and won?
1 – Daniel Ricciardo – Says a lot that his worst race without damage was probably Japan, where he came 6th. Should’ve picked up another win in Monaco, if not for the team, and in Spain if they hadn’t put Max on a better strategy. Drove superbly all year long, hardly put a foot wrong. If Red Bull do have the best car next year, which I expect them to with Adrian Newey and downforce cars, then I’d say he’s the favourite to win the WDC, an accolade which he fully deserves at some point in his career.
2 – Fernando Alonso – Dragged that McLaren up all year long. On so many occasions ended up as the best of the rest. One of his best seasons to date, and probably the best driver on the grid still. Deserves more than the 2 WDC’s he currently has, hopefully McLaren give him a better car.
3 – Nico Rosberg – Won the WDC, and deservedly so. Was excellent so often, got on top of problems that the car had, such as starts and engine modes in Baku etc. Would’ve liked to see him push for wins in the last few races, but just got the results he needed, a la Alain Prost, and got his first title.
4 – Max Verstappen – Seen many on other sites saying he should be DOTY. I disagree, drove superbly on occasions (Brazil), but poorly on others (Monaco, Singapore). Expect him to be a multi-WDC in the future if given the right equipment, mad amounts of potential.
5 – Carlos Sainz – Fantastic season for him, fully deserves a car that can challenge for podiums. Got some great consistent points early in the season, and just seemed to be able to drag that car up at the end of the season when 2015 Ferrari engine started to show. Good that Spain have got another driver coming through, with Nando not getting any younger.
6 – Lewis Hamilton – Outperformed Rosberg on many occasions, and you can argue he lost the title with reliability all you like, but he lost it on the starts, where he wasn’t able to manage the problems as well as his team mate, which made the difference in the end. Yes he won the last 4 races, but that was when Rosberg was happy to settle for second. Nevertheless, a great season from him to get 10 wins.
7= – Nico Hulkenberg – Such an unlucky and underrated driver. In the races they’ve both finished, it was 8-8 with Perez, and outqualified him 11-10 this year. So many times when he looked strong he was taken out or had problems. Could’ve got 3rd in Brazil if not for the puncture. Hopefully the Renault can give him the car he needs to get that podium and win he deserves.
7= – Sergio Perez – 2 podiums and best of the rest in the standings, very strong season. Honestly can’t split the two Force India drivers in terms of ability, expect him to comfortably beat Ocon next season. Hopefully we’ll get to see him in the Ferrari after Kimi retires, and see what he really can achieve at a top team in a good car.
9 – Sebastian Vettel – Not the best of seasons for him or Ferrari, however he was hampered by their strategy at times, such as in Canada. Was unlucky with failures in Bahrain and Austria where the car looked good, and did well to get a lot of early podiums before the Red Bull’s overtook them, thus getting him 4th place overall.
10 – Pascal Wehrlein – Got Manor’s only point of the season with a great race in Austria, beat Haryanto in every race they were team mates, and comfortably looked faster than Ocon. Was apparently passed up on a Force India seat because the team preferred working with Ocon in testing. Hopefully he can be given a car that can challenge for points more regularly.
11 – Kimi Raikkonen – Strong start with the 3 podiums in the first 5, then a poor middle, and a strong end to the season after he got married and got his contract sorted. Seemed to really be on it recently, especially in qualifying, actually beating Seb 11-10 in the aspect.
12 – Valtteri Bottas – Started very well, and got a podium in Canada, but as the car lost its mojo it seemed he did too. Despite that, he still vastly bettered his team mates tally. We all know what he’s capable of, and hopefully he gets back to being one of the most highly regarded talents. Expect him to sweep Stroll.
13 – Jenson Button – Sad to see my favourite driver go. Probably did better than the car, but it didn’t seem as good because of Alonso. He did have problems in a lot of the races Alonso did well in though, sometimes while he was ahead: Hungary, Russia, Belgium, Singapore so on. Great career, and hope to see him commentating with DC and Webber on Channel 4, as that would be an amazing line up.
14 – Romain Grosjean – At the start of the year, it looked like he’d be top 3 on this list, but brake problems and tough weekends brought him down quite a bit with 1 point finish since Austria. Still got every single point for Haas
15 – Kevin Magnussen – Especially at the start of the season, dominated Palmer. He has 7 points to Jo’s one, and I also respect him for ditching Renault when another, better offer came on the table after how publicly poorly they treated their drivers.
16 – Esteban Ocon – Did well considering how he came into the season in Spa, and was almost instantly better than Haryanto in that Manor. Will be interesting to see him pitted up against Perez. One to watch for the future definitely.
17 – Felipe Massa – Sad to see this great driver go. One can only imagine what he’d have achieved without his accident, but this year he was poor, with only one top 5 finish, and generally finishing battling it out for the points, a decent bit behind his team mate. Was the right time for him to leave, and he got the send off he deserved at Brazil.
18 – Marcus Ericsson – Despite not getting the all important points, he did outperform Nasr usually, and given how poor his 2014 was, will be interesting to see how he does if Sauber can get into the points on a few occasions. Has to prove he isn’t just a backmarker driver.
19 – Jolyon Palmer – Poor first season for him. He picked up a little to the end, but he can’t keep making these mistakes like crashing into Sainz. Good drive at Malaysia, but that’s all I can think of this year. Will probably be ruined by Hulk in a similar way Gutierrez was, unless he bucks his ideas up.
20 – Felipe Nasr – After a great 2015, in particular the start, he was poor this year. Got the all important points for Sauber to put them 10th at his home race, but that was the only memorable race from him. We need a Brazilian in F1, but not sure he’s the one.
21 – Daniil Kvyat – As the meme says, started the year in a Red Bull and ended it on a bicycle. Got a podium in China, despite torpedoing Vettel, but it all went downhill from there. 3 points to Sainz’s 24 while they were team mates really shows how poor he was. Hope he comes back with his 2014/15 form next season.
22 – Esteban Gutierrez – Another poor season, showing he’s no more than a pay driver. 0 points, in the 2 seasons where his teammates have got points, he’s been outscored 80 to 6, and all those 6 were in 1 race. Hopefully he doesn’t get a seat next year, I think he should go to IndyCar or something, he could do well there. Yes he won GP3, but he had no real good competition.
23 – Rio Haryanto – Went midway through the season because of money, and don’t think he’ll be coming back. Finished behind Wehrlein in every race (except 1 where Wehrlein DNF’d, so that doesn’t count). He had a go but didn’t make it, should find another series that he’s comfortable in.
Stoffel Vandoorne – good debut for McLaren, excited to see how he does against arguably the best driver on the grid next season. Win win for him, if he outperforms Alonso he’s held in high regard, if he gets outperformed he can say it’s his rookie year and he’s up against the best driver on the grid.