Rank the current field

[Necx0]

Ok was going to make a thread like this a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't be bothered. Turns out I should have as the 2009 Rumour thread has turned into a war. So now I am making it so everyone can discuss this topic that I find fascinating. As some people know I don't follow a team I follow drivers, to me F1 is all about the drivers.

So here's the question. 22 drivers, rank them from 1->22. We have seen this year already there are numbers 1's and numbers 2's in any team. But where do they all fit relative to one another? Remember this is based on pure driver talent, not which teams they drive for etc. etc. Not necessarily even who is the fastest. The most complete race drivers.

I'll go first!

1. Kimi Raikkonen
The fastest man in the field. Prone to having off days but when he is on form simply untouchable. If there was justice would be a multiple WDC already but hopefully he still gets another 1 or 2 before the end of his career. Rarely makes mistakes (Australia this year excepted) and his speed at times is just ridiculous.

2. Fernando Alonso
Doesn't seem to have many fans these days outside Spain but still a simply amazing driver. His driving this year has been awesome, shows the value of a decent car. Last year apparently got "thrashed" by Lewis, despite finishing on exactly the same points. Only reason he isn't number 1 is he is a bit like Mansell, seems to thrive on being emotionally insecure. We saw it at Renault with some strange remarks while leading the WDC and saw it last year when he didn't have outright number 1 status. Raikkonen would have put his head down and blown Hamilton into the weeds. Shame he lost his unique driving style though. Best overtaker in the field.

3. Lewis Hamilton
Still lack a real gauge of just how good he is. Spent last year in the fields best car and made the most of it usually. This year has seen him be brilliant (Australia) and mediocre. Interesting that he has never won a race from anything other than the front row. Amazingly quick over one lap, fabulous style to watch with the rear end swinging.

4. Jenson Button
Wonderfully smooth and complete racing driver. If he doesn't win a WDC in his career there is no justice in the world. Reputation somewhat tarnished by his contractual arguments. Got fucked over by Briatore at Renault being replaced by Alonso after a good season. Drove like a hero last year and hopefully Honda sees him where deserves....up front!! Seems like a super top bloke as well!

5. Mark Webber
Another brilliantly complete racing driver. Some of his qualifying performances are beyond belief. Belongs in a top field car, yet only has himself to blame after choosing Williams over Renault. Has seen his chances of a WDC disappear, but may yet win a race. Undoubtedly the unluckiest driver F1 has seen in a long time, some say you make your own luck?? Has brought him many peoples sympathy vote.

6. Robert Kubica
Mega fast and on the improve. At the moment could easily swap him and Heidfeld, they are very very close. Robert pips him as he is clearly the faster of the two and is on the improve. The driver Lewis fears most and possibly with good reason. Still makes mistakes, running wide after his first pit stop at Bahrain. Will only get stronger.

7. Nick Heidfeld
Under threat from a very very quick teammate, will have to be careful not to be relegated to number two driver. Good solid driver but nothing spectacular. A solid points banker so valuable to a team after the WCC

8. Jarno Truilli
Has rocketed up my list this year. His driving has been superb. His reputation as a qualifying master is restored and given a quick car can drive a good race as well. Feels rightly hard done by by Renault being dumped but hopefully Toyota can give him some success before long. Must be cursing Ralf Schumacher for holding Toyota back so long.

9. Felipe Massa
Very fast but very flawed. Probably came to F1 too early, made so many mistakes and got the wild man tag. Was meant to be the great successor to Michael but certainly not showing it. Can be mindblowingly quick on occasion, and is nigh on untouchable when leading from the front. Serious chinks in his armour when under pressure or back in the field though. A great B-driver, but don't think he will ever win a title.

10. Heikki Kovaleinen
Haven't seen enough of Kovi to put him higher. Drove well in Melbourne and Japan last year was impressive. Has beaten the worlds best at RoC but needs to take the fight to Lewis and seems to lack a tenth or two in raw pace. Solid and dependable though and could be a valuable asset in the WCC.

11. Giancarlo Fisichella
Was comprehensively blown away by Alonso then overshadowed by Heikki last year. Seems to have found a new lease of life at Force India which leaves you wondering where was this passion when at Renault?? Another good B-driver. Best days are behind him I think yet hopefully gets Force India some good results.

12. Nico Rosberg
I get the feeling he should be higher but haven't got any real reason to put him higher. Drove some great races at the end of last year and Melbourne was also quite strong. Went nowhere in Malaysia though so will be interesting to see what happens this year. Hasn't done anything mindblowing to my mind, a definite star of the future but WDC material?? We shall see.

13. Sebastien Vettel
Just like Nico feel he should be higher. Big big fan of his since watching him at RoC2007, amazingly adaptable driver and still so young. Fuji was a big shame but redeemed himself at Shanghai. Hasn't had any results this year which will have to turn around soon. Hopefully gets put in the Red Bull team next year to prevent his career stalling. Could be a WDC of the future.

14. Reubens Barrichello
Twilight of his career but still capable of driving a race car quickly. Will be a great development driver with his wealth of knowledge. Has shown he has the pace to threaten Michael and Jenson on occasion last year. Will be a solid performer for Honda if the car improves. Doesn't seem to want to retire yet, looking for an 09 contract.

15. Timo Glock
Got a rare second chance at F1. Seems to be a steady driver, capable of backing up Truilli. Lacks a couple of tenths to him but given Jarno's speed that isn't surprising. Could be quite a handy wheelman.

16. Anthony Davidson
Talented driver wasted at Super Best Friends. May get the next spare seat at Honda, but can SA hang around long enough for him to keep in the minds of team principals?? Probably not and it would be a shame.

17. David Coulthard
Was once a great B driver, never had the pace to challenge the Mika's and Schumi's of this world, despite his constant assertions that this year would be "his year". Consistently outperformed by Webber, has done himself no favours this year by getting involved in accidents. Can't see him keeping his seat next year.

18. Takuma Sato
Prone to mistakes but good to watch. Never really challenged Button at B.A.R but always drives his heart out. The underdog and glad he is in F1, if only for his fearless overtaking.

19. Adrian Sutil
Needs to get the upper hand on Fisichella to show he is a force to be reckoned with (no pun intended). Has been erratic this year and needs to settle down and drive as fast as he can. Has shown potential but needs to capitalise.

20. Sebastian Bourdais
Has 4 straight Champ Car titles so is obviously a talented driver. Prone to dummy spits and rash moves in Champ car though so not sure how he will handle F1. Probably not well, hasn't covered himself in glory so far. Starting his career late so he better get on with it.

21. Nelson Piquet
Driving on daddy's name. Despite Nelson Snr's assertions that his son is better than him......cant see this guy winning 3 WDC's. Good to watch though and really throws the car around. May improve later in the season, at this point no threat to Alonso thats for sure.

22. Kazuki Nakajima
Definition of pay driver. If it wasn't for Toyota he wouldn't be there.

Whew.....that took hours. May get tweaked here and there.

 

[GraemeH]

1. Kimi Raikkonen
Seems to have days when he can't be bothered. Other than that, he displays Schumacher-esque dominance.

2. Lewis Hamilton
In terms out out-right speed through talent, right there with Kimi. Still learning and making mistakes though.

3. Fernando Alonso
Good driver but he needs everything to be going his way to perform. If something is even slightly wrong or not the way he likes he falls to pieces.

4. Robert Kubica
Like Lewis, fast raw talent, but inexperienced relatively.

5. Jarno Truilli
Been held back by his Toyota's over the last few years. Great pace when he can show it though.

6. Heikki Kovaleinen
Seems very fast, but seems to be building his ability slower than fellow rookie(ish) Hamilton.

7. Nico Rosberg
Super quick on his day but it's hard to tell with the equipment he has.

8. Sebastien Vettel
Same as Nico.

9. Jenson Button
He's good and fast, but is letting his career slip away from him with awful business descisions. I doubt he'll ever earn a place in a top team now, so if he doesn't win the WDC with Honda, he wont ever.

10. Mark Webber
Very unlucky and pretty quick and consistent. Like Button, I don't think he'll earn a place in a top team though, so a lucky win here or there is as much as I see in his future career.

11. Nick Heidfeld
Was mediocre until he got a quick team-mate, then found half a second pace. Why wasn't he driving that quickly all the time? Not winning material.

12. Takuma Sato
I'm putting him here based on pure raw pace. He's made silly mistakes before, the only reason he fell back down the team order after BAR.

13. David Coulthard
Solid reliable and experienced, but never a banzai lap-timer. I think he's good to have alongside a younger rookie driver too. He should probably have left McLaren sooner and not stagnated as the second driver. I enjoy how out-spoken he is.

14. Anthony Davidson
Seems to be able to out-perform his car. Unfortunately there are just too many drivers for the seats available for him to move up. Hopefully he'll stay in F1.

15. Reubens Barrichello
Like Coulthard, solid but unspectacular. Spent too long as Schumacher's bitch and let his career stagnate.

16. Felipe Massa
Only at Ferrari because of who his manager is. Seems to be under the delusion that he isn't the number 2 driver in Ferrari's minds. Like Irvine and Barichello before him, he's just the Ferrari bitch there to mop up the points the first driver leaves. Puts in the quick times, but only when everything is going his way, when others aren't driving their best and when (and beacuse) the Ferrari car is superior to everything else.

17. Adrian Sutil
Seems to be tipped as a hot driver of the future but I haven't seen anything worthy of note. Doesn't seem to be outperforming his machine.

18. Giancarlo Fisichella
Always been mediocre. Never bothered to drive quicker than he had to at Renault when he has his chance. Seems to do the minimum.

19. Sebastian Bourdais
To be honest I've only seen him in one race this year (work means i missed all but one of the races), but Scott Speed comes to mind. Think he'll remain midfield and disappear in a season or two.

15. Timo Glock
Seems fairly steady but not quick.

21. Nelson Piquet
Looks shit, doesn't he.

22. Kazuki Nakajima
Seems to be underperforming for his car. Doubt anybody was expecting him to set the track alight.

 

[Sir Stiggington]

How about I don't include a description for each


1. Hamilton...simply the best, much more to come
2. Raikkonen...the guy is special and has talent
3. Alonso...Great driver, but too much temper, needs to be no 1
4. Button...deserves a great car
5. Kubica...amazing pace, will win championship if he ever gets a great car
6. Kovaleinen...not as fast as Hamilton, but there is more to come
7. Webber...also deseves a better car
8. Massa...Can be great, can be crap
9. Heidfeld...a lot like Kovi, very consistent, not a WDC winner, clever racer
10. Vettel...much, much more to come from him
11. Trulli...great pace, deseves better car
12.Rosberg...has to grow in his role as team leader, but very quick guy
13.Barichello...great second driver, not a WDC winner
14. Sato...a bit aggressive but good to watch
15. Coulthard...great second driver, not a WDC winner
16. Fisichella...consistent, not so great
17. Sutil...deserves a much better car
18. Bourdais...clever racer, will get his chance to shine
19. Piquet...interesting driving style, stil has to get used to F1
20. Davidson...deserves a good car, but haven't seen genius from him like Sato
21.Timo Glock...OK, but really doesn't deserve a Toyota
22. Nakajima...utter crap...

 

[Red_Bull]

Ok, you said for many of them 'deserves better car'. If you could put them all into F2008s, is that how you'd still stack them? Bear in mind also that great drivers will find the great cars, the cream will rise, and the rubbish drivers will inevitably find themselves among the back end of the grid.

 

[vikiradTG2007]

Here's my personal rank...

1. Alonso, obviously. I have to admit that I was a bit unsatisfied with some things that he might have said last year, but I suspect that it was the press's fault, when they took his statements and blew them out of proportion to make him into the "arch-nemesis" of Hamilton.

2. Kubica. I have to say that his crash in Canada transformed him into a faster driver than he ever was. This man is a World Champion in the making.

3. Kimi. Unfair to rank the current World Champion outside the top 3, I think. And I find it amazing that he's still really really quick despite abusing himself probably even more than James Hunt. I just hope he doesn't die young like Hunt did in 1993.

4. Kovalainen. Yes, I know, I know... but the points now speak for themselves. He looks now like a driver that doesn't fail under pressure, matching Hamilton and even beating him now.

5. Webber. One-lap demon, quick driver, very nice person, however... terribly unlucky. I hope, for the sake of his career, that someone gets him into either a Ferrari or a BMW.

6. Trulli. The other one-lap demon, showing his stuff now again in a Toyota which is on the up after the ballast known as "Ralf" has left the car. Too bad he missed his early opportunities because of bad team choices or unreliability.

7. Massa. Quick, consistent and unbeatable on his good days, but a bit too erratic otherwise. He needs to be a lot smoother with the car. But now he might be on a winning streak, especially since it's time for Barcelona and Istanbul.

8. Hamilton. I know I'm going to get flamed for this position, but I feel that he has recently been even more erratic than Massa. Plus, the press is always on his head and ignoring everybody else's performances.

9. Fisichella. Seems to have found his speed again, and he's making the most out of a relatively average car, blowing Sutil into the weeds in the process. I just hope that he's going to stay around for a couple more seasons...

10. Rosberg. Needs a slightly faster car, but once he gets it, I'm sure he'll move quiclky up the rankings. I sincerely hope that a major revival and return to the front for Williams will be linked to his name, just as the last naturally-aspirated title before the turbo era was linked to his father.

11. Button. Good in the wet, smooth, but he's a non-value for the other teams after being hard to buy. He needs to work hard alongside Brawn to get that car made into a winner. 2009 is probably his last opportunity.

12. Heidfeld. The beard is slowing him down. He needs to get rid of it before going faster. Consistent, but not in a race-winning way, and that's the problem.

13. Glock. Quite an unknown quantity now, but he's looking fast, if not as unlucky as Webber. But in a rapidly-improving Toyota, he's got chances.

14. Davidson. Honda needs to get him out of that dog of a team. He's got potential, but years and years of testing might have ruined it. He needs to prove himself quickly.

15. Sato. "Bonsai, not banzai", F1 Rejects said after his 2005 season. But some of his drives last year were stunning. Now, though, the pressure of the team's situation might be getting to him.

16. Piquet Jr. He hasn't yet received a chance to prove himself properly. If the R28 gets better, expect him to get better. Until then... I don't know what else to say.

17. Sutil. Pretty fast, but pretty erratic now. He needs to get his head down and learn as much as possible now that he has a properly experienced teammate. There's a good driver in there.

18. Vettel. Same as Sutil: fast, but erratic at times now. If the car gets better, he'll get better. But I think he might have come just a bit too early into F1.

19. Bourdais. Reverse case. Late arrival in the sport... Needs more experience to get unused to the American way of racing open-wheelers.

20. Crazy D. As his Sniff Petrol nickname mentions, I think he's gone nuts since 2005. Maybe daily overdoses of Red Bull... His F1 career is nearly over. Maybe he'll get kicked out of RBR this year.

21. Rubens. Disappointing end to his career. Last year's Honda ruined his motivation. Australia was a twinkle of the former glory, but also combined with silliness which led to his eventual DSQ. Will eclipse Riccardo Patrese's race start record this year, but that's about it.

22. Nakajima. Don't even get me started. This man does not belong in F1, and I guess neither did his father.

 

[devil500]

Here's my personal rank...

1. Alonso, obviously. I have to admit that I was a bit unsatisfied with some things that he might have said last year, but I suspect that it was the press's fault, when they took his statements and blew them out of proportion to make him into the "arch-nemesis" of Hamilton.

2. Kubica. I have to say that his crash in Canada transformed him into a faster driver than he ever was. This man is a World Champion in the making.

3. Kimi. Unfair to rank the current World Champion outside the top 3, I think. And I find it amazing that he's still really really quick despite abusing himself probably even more than James Hunt. I just hope he doesn't die young like Hunt did in 1993.

4. Kovalainen. Yes, I know, I know... but the points now speak for themselves. He looks now like a driver that doesn't fail under pressure, matching Hamilton and even beating him now.

5. Webber. One-lap demon, quick driver, very nice person, however... terribly unlucky. I hope, for the sake of his career, that someone gets him into either a Ferrari or a BMW.

6. Trulli. The other one-lap demon, showing his stuff now again in a Toyota which is on the up after the ballast known as "Ralf" has left the car. Too bad he missed his early opportunities because of bad team choices or unreliability.

7. Massa. Quick, consistent and unbeatable on his good days, but a bit too erratic otherwise. He needs to be a lot smoother with the car. But now he might be on a winning streak, especially since it's time for Barcelona and Istanbul.

8. Hamilton. I know I'm going to get flamed for this position, but I feel that he has recently been even more erratic than Massa. Plus, the press is always on his head and ignoring everybody else's performances.

9. Fisichella. Seems to have found his speed again, and he's making the most out of a relatively average car, blowing Sutil into the weeds in the process. I just hope that he's going to stay around for a couple more seasons...

10. Rosberg. Needs a slightly faster car, but once he gets it, I'm sure he'll move quiclky up the rankings. I sincerely hope that a major revival and return to the front for Williams will be linked to his name, just as the last naturally-aspirated title before the turbo era was linked to his father.

11. Button. Good in the wet, smooth, but he's a non-value for the other teams after being hard to buy. He needs to work hard alongside Brawn to get that car made into a winner. 2009 is probably his last opportunity.

12. Heidfeld. The beard is slowing him down. He needs to get rid of it before going faster. Consistent, but not in a race-winning way, and that's the problem.

13. Glock. Quite an unknown quantity now, but he's looking fast, if not as unlucky as Webber. But in a rapidly-improving Toyota, he's got chances.

14. Davidson. Honda needs to get him out of that dog of a team. He's got potential, but years and years of testing might have ruined it. He needs to prove himself quickly.

15. Sato. "Bonsai, not banzai", F1 Rejects said after his 2005 season. But some of his drives last year were stunning. Now, though, the pressure of the team's situation might be getting to him.

16. Piquet Jr. He hasn't yet received a chance to prove himself properly. If the R28 gets better, expect him to get better. Until then... I don't know what else to say.

17. Sutil. Pretty fast, but pretty erratic now. He needs to get his head down and learn as much as possible now that he has a properly experienced teammate. There's a good driver in there.

18. Vettel. Same as Sutil: fast, but erratic at times now. If the car gets better, he'll get better. But I think he might have come just a bit too early into F1.

19. Bourdais. Reverse case. Late arrival in the sport... Needs more experience to get unused to the American way of racing open-wheelers.

20. Crazy D. As his Sniff Petrol nickname mentions, I think he's gone nuts since 2005. Maybe daily overdoses of Red Bull... His F1 career is nearly over. Maybe he'll get kicked out of RBR this year.

21. Rubens. Disappointing end to his career. Last year's Honda ruined his motivation. Australia was a twinkle of the former glory, but also combined with silliness which led to his eventual DSQ. Will eclipse Riccardo Patrese's race start record this year, but that's about it.

22. Nakajima. Don't even get me started. This man does not belong in F1, and I guess neither did his father.

Very good list and well said

 

[Lurch0001]

1. Kimi Raikkonen
Flashes of ordinary peek through his normally unflappable brilliance.

2. Fernando Alonso
Unbeatable when he's in the right team with the right car under him.

3. Robert Kubica
Very fast and learning quickly. Deserves to be a future champion.

4. Lewis Hamilton
Still learning but has incredible car control. Will be a future world champion.

5. Nico Rosberg
Super quick and consistent for his relative inexperience. Could challenge for a chamionship in the right car.

6. Heikki Kovaleinen
Fast but appears to lack the outright confidence of his peers.

=7. Jenson Button
Quick and very consistent but makes lousy team decisions. Unlucky at times.

=7. Mark Webber
Quick and very consistent but makes lousy team decisions. Unlucky almost all the time.

9. Nick Heidfeld
Seems to need a fast teammate to spur him into some decent speed. Needs to find some self-motivation.

10. Jarno Truilli
Great qualifying pace but then appears to be distrcated during the race and falls off the pace. With his vast experience he should be doing better.

11. Sebastien Vettel
Great potential, just needs to improve his concentration.

12. Adrian Sutil
Seems to be tipped as a hot driver of the future but I haven't seen anything worthy of note. Doesn't seem to be outperforming his machine.

13. Giancarlo Fisichella
Good solid driver, but is a bit past his use-by date. Was shown up by Alonso at Renault.

14. Felipe Massa
Acceptable. Only at Ferrari because they want a driver who'll accept being "the second driver".

15. Anthony Davidson
Seems good, but desperately needs a better team or he's going to be consigned to being an also-ran.

16. David Coulthard
Used to be OK, but now he's just ... OK.

17. Sebastian Bourdais
Has undoubted talent but still needs to let it show.

18. Nelson Piquet
Still finding him feet. Needs more time to tell if he'll be the genuine article.

19. Timo Glock
Seems pretty good, but not spectacular.

20. Reubens Barrichello
Could only win when he qualified on pole and Schumacher let him win. Can't overtake for shit.

21. Takuma Sato
Psychotic. Has ruined too many races for other drivers to be placed any higher.

22. Kazuki Nakajima
Definition of a pay driver

 

[MadCow809]

1. Kimi
'07 Champion, fastest man on the track without a shadow of doubt. Should have won a title or two with McLaren, but the constant reliability problem and bad luck let him down a bit. Definetely in league of his own, very hard for other drivers to challenge him when showing his true pace, also the highest paid driver on the field, for a bloody good reason.

2. Alonso
Former double world champion. He didnt get the title by luck, but through skills. A very aggressive driving style and can bring the most from a race car. But he is a loose cannon, not very good with emotional and team pressure, which is why I placed him after Kimi, but he is still championship material, just not sure if Renault can keep up with him. Moving to Ferrari will be a turn over point for him, but I'd hate to see that happen. I'm not his fan, but I truly appreciate his driving talents.

3. Kubica
Super quick in a non winning car, who knows what will happen if you put him in a McCheatie or Ferrari. Makes small errors from time to time. But overall, a very fast driver that yet needs to win his first race.

4. Button
While not being the fastest man on the racetrack. Button's smooth and consistent driving style deserves a 4th place in my heart. He has been around for quite sometime now, so experience is definetely not the problem for him. Again, like Alonso, Jenson is being tied down by his race car, he deserves something much better.

5. Heidfeld
Solid driver, speed is up there with Kubica, but tends to get neglected. He has been in F1 long enough to get all the experience he needs. A solid driver that can score solid points.

6. Massa
Very quick driver when having his day, but he simply makes too many unforced errors, definetely not living up to Schumacher's name. Judging from his current performance, he is not a championship material, although can be really close.

7. Trulli
Qualifying specialist, one lap master. If he can only keep the same performance throughout the entire race. Not doing bad in this 08 season, but have no chance in terms of challenging for the WDC.

8. Webber
Definetely the unluckies driver in F1. A good driver nevertheless, can show some solid pace and skill. He just need a better car. Redbull and their reliability problems, argh.

9. Kovalainen
If McCheatie wins this year's WDC, I sincerely hope it will be Kovalainen. A fast driver that is consistenly in the top 5. His driving skills is definetely up there with the best, we can see that from his results in ROC 06 and 07. I hope be becomes the next Mika H?kkinen for McLaren.

10. Hamilton
07's rookie of the year. This year, a rookie team leader. Hamilton has got talents and skills. But his inconsistency, unforced errors, silly mistakes and not being able to cope under pressure are the reasons why he is not on the top of my list. He doesn't deserved to be in McLaren, too much race car and too little of a driver. He should have worked his way up like any other good experienced drivers. Luckily, he has plenty of time to redeem his mistakes, a WDC is possible for him in the near future, provided that he has a fast car. He still needs to win a race from the back to really impress me. Too much press and media attention and too little of a driver to be talked about.

11. Barrichello
Heading towards the end of his career, but soon about to set the world record of the most experienced F1 driver. Has always lived under the shadow of Schumacher, but a solid driver nevertheless.

12. Rosberg
Young, talented driver, we still need to see the best from Rosberg. Lets see if he can live up to his father's name.

13. Vettel
Another young talented driver that needs to show his true pace in a winning car. He has got the talent, lets just see if he can prove it in F1.

14. Coulthard
Ah... good old Coulthard, kind of like Barrichello to be brutally honest. Couldn't beat the great H?kkinen when he had the chance, now its all too late. Like Barrichello, he is reaching towards the end of his F1 career. He really need to avoid contacts with other drivers.

15. Glock
Havn't seen much from the German driver, but since he is not too far off from Trulli's pace, he gets a 15th place from me.

16. Giancarlo Fisichella
Another one of those "World Champion's team mate" driver, out performed by Alonso, now driving a tata. I'm not expecting much from him.

17. Davidson
Not paying too much attention to Davidson, just one of those back markers to me.

18. Bourdais
Absolutely garbage at F1. He should stick to Champ car.

19. Sutil
Another back marker, they just need to stay out of the top driver's way and I will be impressed.

20. Sato
Makes too many mistakes, crazy driver of note. Too many crashes and the jump start in Shanghai GP was an example of his many mistakes.

21. Piquet Jr.
Terrible terrible driver, can't live up to his father's name. But lets face it, a lot of other drivers cant live up to their father's name, Nakajima is another example. Only man that pulled it off was Damon Hill.

22. Nakajima
Useless driver, so was his dad. He is up there with Piquet Jr. Try not run over your pitcrew, okay?

 

[Peter3hg]

Jesus, some people really let their bias's get in the way.
Anyway here is mine:

1. Kimi

The "Iceman" may be beaten by one or two for absolute outright pace but he can drive so close to the limit for so long without making a mistake. No one really comes close for me.

2. Button

This might seem to be British bias but I believe he is the smoothest driver in the field, and like Raikkonen, can put in consistent laps at 98%. Unwise choices off track have probably stopped his chances of winning a WDC but this doesn't matter on this list.

3. Alonso

Whiny bastard but still one of the fastest. Pressure seemed to get to him a few times last year so knocks him down.

4. Kubica

Fast and consistent. Could go all the way to the top with time.

5. Hamilton

Pushed below Kubica due to a few daft mistakes but not as low as some people put him due to me not being blinded by hatred. People seem to remember the mistakes Hamilton makes but forget about the various mistakes made last year by Kimi, Massa and Alonso.

6. Kovi

Seems to lack the raw pace of Hamilton but not far off.

7. Barrichello

Getting a bit long in the tooth but still a good solid performer.

8. Massa

Blistering fast on his day, but the day doesn't come often enough.

9. Webber

Unlucky but the one lap master.

10. Sutil

Immense talent hidden by crap car.

11. Davidson

See above.

12. Heidfeld

May seem too low but he just seems completely unspectacular to me.

13. Rosberg

Needs to prove himself a few more times.

14. Trulli

15. Fisi

16. DC

17. Glock

18. Sato

19. Bourdais

20. Vettel

21. Pique Jr.

22. Naka...

 

[Sir Stiggington]

Yeah, what's with all that hate guys...this is about talent, I doubt McLaren would have given the guy a seat if he was the tenth best driver in the field...

 

[Lurch0001]

Yeah, what's with all that hate guys...this is about talent, I doubt McLaren would have given the guy a seat if he was the tenth best driver in the field...

It's not necessarily about talent, it's just people's opinion. To some people, he may have great talent but lacks concentration at times, which erodes the value of his talent.

 

[MadCow809]

Yeah, what's with all that hate guys...this is about talent, I doubt McLaren would have given the guy a seat if he was the tenth best driver in the field...

DC used to drive for McLaren, and he is not too high on my list as well. And look at you, you placed Kimi behind Hamilton, so let's don't talk about biased opinion here.

Also, its not hate, it's just my opinion and how I rank the drivers accordingly. And its not all about talent, otherwise Webber would have been top 5 on my list. Its about everything that a complete driver needs, and Hamilton is far from being a complete driver. He still needs to win a race not starting from pole position to really impress the crowd. When he can pull off something like what Kimi did in 2005's Suzuka race, then I'll move him up on my list. For now, he stays 10th.

07's rookie of the year. This year, a rookie team leader. Hamilton has got talents and skills

On a side note, M Schumacher is probably the most complete driver ever in F1 history, despite his ability to run people off the race track, which Massa seem to have picked up when overtaking Coulthard.

 

[Red_Bull]

Well, I'm gonna kick off with Kimi Raikkonen, who I think is the best driver on the current grid. That's not to say he's the fastest, because I think there are others out there who are quicker over a single lap, but he's the most complete. He can deliver some stunning race performances (Belgium 2004, Japan 2005, Silverstone 2007) and is very consistent. Like every driver, is prone to some mistakes, but those days are few and generally far between.

Fernando Alonso begun his career at Minardi in 2001 and it was immediately apparent that this young Spaniard was something special. Sat out 2002 and gained valuable experience as a Renault test driver, then returned fulltime in 2003 and took a majestic win at Hungary. A little bit anonymous in 2004, but was crushingly dominant in 2005 and 2006, soaking up the pressure from Schumacher on several occasions and some strategic driving ensured consistant podiums, which shows that he has a lot of intelligence. Can be very tempramental as we've found out in the last couple of years, and really needs to feel that the team is behind him to perform at 100%. Needs to get into that Ferrari if he is to win another championship, but the problem is that he'll then be up against Raikkonen...

In third place is Lewis Hamilton. Ok, like many of you, I'm not sure he has fully justified such a position, but a brilliant debut season in 2007 netted him four wins and a hatful of podiums. He had a great car, yes, but he fully made the most of it, and was only robbed of a championship in his debut year by some poor management by McLaren. Alonso could of course, argue the same. Prone to some mistakes under pressure though, and as team leader at McLaren now, he can't afford to be making such errors. It's an experience thing, and he'll only improve.

Jenson Button is still my fourth best driver in F1 at the moment, despite currently not featuring towards the front of the field in recent years, due to the rubbishness of his Honda. I think he still has what it takes to give the top three a good run for their money. Hugely experienced, but a water tight Honda contract (the result of the Williams dispute) puts him out of reach of the rest of the teams.

Robert Kubica is improving with every race, and I think he is a blindingly fast driver. Possibly lacks the race craft required at this stage to really shine, but once he sorts that out, expect him to dominate.

In sixth place is Mark Webber. The Australian has had an unlucky time of it in F1, suffering through endless reliability problems with Minardi, Jaguar, Williams and Red Bull. A move to Williams was supposed to put him in a competitive car and challenging for race wins, but it didn't happen and Williams fell into steep decline following the loss of BMW. Should've gone to Renault...

Heikki Kovalainen had a truly disasterous start to his F1 career, and in the firing line to be replaced after the North American races. However, he turned it all around and started out qualifying and out racing his teammate Fisichella, culminating in a brilliant second place, defending from Raikkonen's Ferrari. He's shown that he can keep a cool head under pressure, but I suspect he lacks the ultimate pace shown by the higher ranked drivers. Still a relative rookie, so racecraft is still an area that needs work, but that'll come with experience.

Jarno Trulli seems to have found a new lease on life now that Ralf Schumacher is out of the Toyota. He was always quick though, a qualifying master, but would often tend to fade during races. I still think this is the case, but given the machinery, I'm sure Jarno could get the job done.

I'm still not sure whether Nico Rosberg deserves to be higher on this list because he seems to have the talent and the speed to go all the way. He gave Webber a good run for his money in 2006, and has totally dominated Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima, although I would've expected nothing less. Wurz failed to shine at Benetton, and even at the start of 2007 I found it incomprehensible that Williams would offer him a race drive.

I think Sebastian Vettel, along with Kubica, Hamilton, and maybe even Kovalainen (but we'll see) is one of the rising stars of Formula One. Ferrari have their eye on him, and for good reason, but I cant forgive him for inexcusably ramming Webber at Fuji.

Dull as dishwater Nick Heidfeld wombles into 11th place here. Begun his career at Prost in 2000, managed to match and beat Raikkonen in 2001, and has done nothing since. Accidently found himself in a front running car with BMW and has continued to deliver underwhelming performances while being unable to match the pace of his teammate.

Felipe Massa really only got the Ferrari drive because his manager happens to be the son of the then Ferrari team manager Jean Todt. I can think of 11 other drivers who could do a better job than Massa, although on his day he is untouchable. The only problem is, those days are few and far between.

Giancarlo Fisichella was once touted as the next Italian world champion, and certainly it seemed to be working great for the Roman, until Briatore won the court case in 1997 and put him in a Benetton. Still managed to handle every teammate he was paired against, but ultimately couldn't match it against Alonso and appeared on many occasions to simply give up. Appears to have found a new lease of life at Force India, but his time is almost up.

14th place goes to Takuma Sato. Can be staggeringly fast, and even brilliant at times. However, he was very erratic at Jordan and BAR before moving to Super Aguri where he has constistently been quicker than Anthony Davidson. Probably deserves a better drive, but unlikely to get it.

David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello are surely at the end of their grand prix careers. They seem to be only driving for their pay checks, and probably know in their hearts that there are now younger, hungrier guys out there who are willing to put in that bit more effort. Dont expect to see either of these guys in 2009.

Timo Glock has yet to impress me in his career so far. Still, I think it's a little too early to make a judgement. Could be quite good, but unlikely to ever challenge the top runners.

So that leaves....Nelson Piquet Jr, who, to his credit, does seem to be on the improve, but he still needs to do much more if he is to forget his appalling Melbourne debut anytime soon. I'm not convinced by Sebastien Boudais or Adrian Sutil either. Who else is there? Anthony Davison? Fact is, he's been around for years and has failed to impress on every occasion he was given in F1. A couple of races at Minardi where he was destroyed by Webber, then a piss poor showing in Malaysia for BAR in 2005, and has done nothing spectacular at Super Aguri. As for Kazuki Nakajima, well he's just terrible.

 

[Sir Stiggington]

I'm noticing a pattern with Nakajima...or is that just me?

 

[vikiradTG2007]

I'm noticing a pattern with Nakajima...or is that just me?

What can be said about a driver who rams his pit crew in his very first race and rams another driver from behind next time round?

 

[pfrocker]

You guys are pretty hard on Nakajima, he is a rookie. Not all drivers can be outstanding in their rookie year. Look at Kovi, he was horrible when he started, but then he pulled himself together. Same goes with Piquet, at least let these guys finish their season, before judging them.

I'm too tired to do a ranking, just look at my sig and you know who goes on top.

 

[Sir Stiggington]

^^Sure, but with Nakajima after Brazil I had the same feeling as you, I was like this guy will get better. But from what I've seen, he just can't drive...most rookies that need time have a couple of races in low positions but this guy doesn't at all seem in control of his car and his race...

 

[ViperVX]

1. Kimi Raikkonen

2. Fernando Alonso

3. Lewis Hamilton

4. Nico Rosberg

5. Robert Kubica

6. Felipe Massa

7. Mark Webber

8. Heikki Kovaleinen

9. Jarno Truilli

10. Nick Heidfield

11. Giancarlo Fisichella

12. Sebastien Vettel

13. Reubens Barrichello

14. Sebastian Bourdais

15-20. The rest.

Want to remind ppl also, we are raking racing drivers by their performance/skills/talent. It has nothing to do with their "off the racetrack" lives, including trips to the pub and parties with 5 hookers dressed in Nazi uniforms (let's say).

The hardest ones to fill are places 3-8, imo. We didn't have a chance to see Rosberg, Vettel, Trulli and even Bourdais behind the wheel of a proper car. So it's a little difficult to compare. Lewis and Alonso are looking quite down on luck, and Kimi as always looks like he doens't care at all.

 

[MadCow809]

I'm noticing a pattern with Nakajima...or is that just me?

I think its everyone, including the pit crew who got ran over

But its great to have ppl like Pieuqet Jr and Nakajima. Someone you can laugh at while watching F1, every motorsport needs a butt of the joke, and right now, it belongs to Nakajima.

 

[Necx0]

^^Sure, but with Nakajima after Brazil I had the same feeling as you, I was like this guy will get better. But from what I've seen, he just can't drive...most rookies that need time have a couple of races in low positions but this guy doesn't at all seem in control of his car and his race...

Nakajima can drive very well.....in terms of speed anyway. Set fastest lap in Brazil, was close-ish to Rosberg over the winter and has qualified ok. Just hasn't got his head together to drove F1 yet. Despite Williams towing the PR line we all know Nakajima is there because he means free Toyota engines, just like his dad partnered Senna because it meant free Honda engines.