Well considering I started the bloody thread I better put my thoughts down!!
1. Fernando Alonso
What a driver this man is. Yes we can debate until we all turn blue about his emotional insecurities and his whinging and his personal vendettas but plain and simple, he is simply astonishing behind the wheel. Great over one lap, good at car set up, brilliantly consistent, doesn't seem to burn out tyres like he used to and apparently immune to pressure. The benchmark.
2. Kimi Raikonnen
Has had a poor season and considered dropping him down to 4th but a lot of his problems this year have been out of his control. Has shown clearly this year that he has lost none of his speed and is therefore very close to being the fastest driver in F1. However his inability to put heat in his tyres which served him so well in Malaysia and Catalunya means that when we moved to the cooler European climate his qualifying pace deserted him. Hopefully we see a resurgent Kimi in '09
3. Lewis Hamilton
Drove both better and worse than in '07. The downs were no doubt as a result of adapting to the pressures of being team leader. His ups showed him to be a simply incredible talent, his ability over one lap is unbelievable. His drive at Silverstone deserves to go down as one of the best ever. Still so many questions need answering before he can even being to lay claim to being the best of his generation, let alone one of the best ever. How will he react if McLaren's current legendary reliability deserts them a la 2005??
4. Robert Kubica
Blotted his copybook with some decidedly average performances in the last two races of the year, particularly in Interlagos, but for the majority of the year was the driver that made the most of the machinery at his disposable. Very demanding of the team so wants to make sure that he remains at the top of his game.
5. Sebastien Vettel
World Champion material. Had a horrific start to the season unable to complete the first lap. Since then has gone from strength to strength and his performance at Monza was just dominant. Very very talented, hopefully remains grounded and Red Bull give him a decent car!
6. Felipe Massa
6th place seems perhaps a little harsh for the man that was World Champion for about 30 seconds. 6th place is a lot closer at the beginning of the year than it was at the start though. Has made huge strides this year, another year of improvement next year and he could be one of the best. Has a strange inability to accept wrongdoing (eg. Japan) but his grace at Interlagos was the mark of a true champion.
7. Mark Webber
Stock has slipped somewhat in an uncompetitive Red Bull. Still managed to perform one lap wonders on a regular basis but after a solid start to the year no points to be found. The Renault engine surely didn't help, they better make sure next year they secure the proper engine as when Renault found more pace, Red Bull didn't.
8. Jarno Truilli
Placed ahead of Glock due to his strong start to the year. Good to see him get some results after a few very lean years. Hopefully with his guidance Toyota will find some more pace next year.
9. Timo Glock
Took half the season to settle in and find what he liked in a car set up but was impressive in the last half. Certainly deserves his place on the grid.
10. Heikki Kovalainen
Hasn't performed at the level required of a McLaren driver. Has shown he has the speed, pole sitting speed and race winning speed but shows it far too infrequently. If he can find that he will be competitive, but he has had a full season already.
11. Nick Heidfeld
Much like Kovalainen, has shown he has the speed but can't produce it often enough. Had similar trouble to Raikonnen in getting the tyres to work properly. Despite what Red_Bull says
P) he is a quality driver but I don't expect him to trouble Kubica too much next year.
12. Ruebens Barrichello
Now that I think about it Ruebens could probably be placed in the top 10 above Truilli. I feel that given the Toyota he would have done at least as good a job this year. However given that the Honda has been so woeful it is hard to know how much pace he still really has. Was brilliant at Silverstone.
13. Nico Rosberg
Yet another driver who has flashes of pace yet is mostly nowhere. Needs a competitive car to show his true worth....can Williams deliver it? I doubt it.
14. Sebastien Bourdais
Got to grips with F1 better than some. A quality driver but has left his move too late to make a real impact. If he is on the grid next year I have no problem with that, but if he isn't....it isn't a great shame either.
15. Jenson Button
Jenson finally cracked. The pain of driving an appalling car finally got to him and he gave up somewhat. Has been over shadowed by Ruebens, perhaps he is saving up his energy for a massive assault on '09. Needs a good car to save his career.
16. Giancarlo Fisichella
Has been the more impressive of the two Force India drivers (apart from Singapore) and Interlagos showed there is life in the old dog yet.
17. Adrian Sutil
Hard to gauge how good someone is when they are trundling around at the back and retire 11 times during the season. Seems to like Monaco, although it may also give him some nightmares now too.
18. David Coulthard
Bowed out at the right time.
19. Kazuki Nakajima
Has been ok but there are a lot of better drivers around.
20. Nelson Piquet
In one way I am glad Nelson and Kazuki get second seasons as too often young drivers get thrown away. While these guys aren't particularly great at least they have a chance to develop somewhat.