Your top ten drivers of 2010.

[Knowlesy]

Let's do this!

My top ten

1. Lewis Hamilton - barring Monza and the Singapore collision with Mark Webber, a largely unblemished year. Will rue those two races, but can be happy to have run the Red Bulls so close in what was a fairly inconsistent car that dropped away at the end of the season.

2. Fernando Alonso - A scrappy first part of the year, but really came on song after and almost got the title. Back to the Fernando of old! Still a massive whinger though.

3. Robert Kubica - extracted everything from the Renault this season. Made Petrov look a prize tit.

4. Nico Rosberg - TGF won the pre-season battle of the car number. Nico responded by breezing to a comprehensive Mercedes inter-team victory.

5. Mark Webber - Up until the final stages of the season, he had been largely excellent. Still lots of mistakes though. Tightened up late on and never looked the same. Consulted the Jarno Trulli book of jessieness at Korea and almost seemed to psyche himself out before crashing. Consulted Fernando Alonso guide to team relations at Brazil and slagged off his team. You believed him but it was never going to work. Will he ever get another shot like this?

6. Sebastien Vettel - error strewn season really. Also unlucky. The car was good enough to patch up all those lost points though. When Vettel led from the start he was unstoppable. He will get better.

7. Jenson Button - some canny early wins, but massively overshadowed by his teammate. Brought a calm experience to the McLaren fold.

8. Timo Glock - tried his heart out, wish he could have a good car again.

9. Kamui Kobayashi - so exciting, if somewhat dangerous at times!

10. Rubens Barrichello - a solid, Indian Summer of a season for Rubens. Williams should retain him after his move on TGF at Hungary alone!


Disappointments

Michael Schumacher - his season was summed up today really. An atrocious year for a seven time champion. Flashes of old at seasons end, but still Rosberg contained him with ease. Next season has to be better surely?

Felipe Massa - goes to show how good the 2007 and 2008 Ferraris were that Massa could dominate race weekends. Abysmal, the Massa of old. Being teamed with Alonso is undoubtedly hideous, but he has to produce more than this.

Vitaly Petrov - I did not expect him to be so shabby, but he has had some good days and it would be nice to see him given another season.

Please go away...

Pedro de la Rosa - a waste of everybody's time. What is the point in him? Old, slow, boring.

Sakon Yamamoto - a joke.

Bruno Senna - was never gonna cut it and he didn't, frankly.

[Skam85]

My top ten

1. Sebastien Vettel - 10 poles, 5 wins, 75pts lost from mechanical failures, around 40pts lost from petulance. Gosh I don't like the guy but I can't not put him at the top, especially with the WDC in his pocket.

2. Mark Webber - fitting that it's a Red Bull 1-2, it's how the season should have been if they had strung everything together. Stunning drives in Monaco and Silverstone, could have won Turkey as well. Korea really killed it though, and as much as I wanted it to happen, I knew deep down it wasn't going to. He'll keep pushing on in 2011.

3. Fernando Alonso - called a title win in Silverstone, so nearly did it as well, with his team rallying around him. Some luck, some Fernando-esque drives. Ironic really that it was his team who lost him the title in the end....

4. Robert Kubica - put that Renault a lot further up than it should have been, especially in the first half of the season. Out of the top 10 only once in quali, and, apart from Bahrain, finished every race he finished in the points. Superstar.

5. Nico Rosberg - tore Schumi a new one, something none of his teammates have been able to do. Ever. 2010 Schumi or not, that's impressive. A good 2011 car could see a first up win.

6. Kamui Kobayashi - he did what Sato couldn't do, overtake without taking himself out. Most entertaining driver of 2010, and smashed de la Rosa. Early days, but best Japanese driver ever?

7. Lewis Hamilton - look, he won 3 races, got a pole.. but really should have done a lot more. Made a lot of mistakes, that if he hadn't made, could have given him more of a shot at the title.

8. Rubens Barrichello - showed how good he can be the last couple of years, free of being a reliable wingman. At 38 with his form not getting worse at all, I just can't see this guy retiring.

9. Jenson Button - sneaks into the top 10, only because I expected Hamilton to blow him out of the water this year. Some good strategy calls won him early races, and was generally Button-esque consistent.

10. Heikki Kovalainen - seemed to have a new lease on life this season, drove really well nearly every weekend. Easily accounted for Trulli.

Honorary mention - Jaime Alguersuari - drove very well this season, slipped under the radar and destroyed Buemi in the 2nd half of the season. Unlucky to have five 11th place finishes and three 12ths. IMO a candidate for RBR in 2012.

Disappointments

Felipe Massa - uninspiring is really the only word that I can think of here. Much of the same in 2011 and sentiment may just run out at Ferrari.

Vitantonio Liuzzi - had his chances in F1... hasn't done much at all to justify continuing. Although he probably will, which is a shame for someone young and promising such as di Resta.

Pedro de la Rosa - much better as a test driver. Blown away by his Japanese rookie teammate.

Please go away...

Sakon Yamamoto - slower than a wet week. Not worth the $$, which even HRT realised in the end bringing in Klien.

Sebastien Buemi - had to be a controversial call in here ... uninspiring, drab driver who will just be another "solid" midfield runner for his entire career. Give his seat to someone with real potential. We want superstars in F1, not solid but unspectacular drivers.

[Super Hans]

1. Fernando Alonso (ESP) - Narrowly missed out on the title after a storming second half of the season. Dominated his team-mate and kept the far superior Red Bulls honest until the end. Question marks over his temperament remain but what a racing driver.

2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) - Blotted his copybook towards the end of the season with a few errors borne of desperation and impetuousness, but his highs remain higher than those of his opponents and on his day he was simply spellbinding. Joint best driver in F1.

3. Mark Webber (AUS) – Finally given a truly competitive car, he showed that on his day he can compete with the best. At times he even had his own team against him, yet showed resolve to go out and get the job done. He said it best himself – Not bad for a No.2 driver.

4. Sebastian Vettel (GER) – Capable of dominating from the front like Prost in his pomp, he ran home a deserved champion. Unlucky with failures early on and beset by a crisis of confidence mid-season he got the job done when it counted and will surely go on to even more success.

5. Robert Kubica (POL) – Spearheaded Renault’s recovery after a wretched couple of years for the Regie. Got the absolute maxiumum from the Renault, never put a foot wrong and help restore dignity to the beleaguered marque. Flavio who?

6. Jenson Button (GBR) – Bold in joining McLaren alongside Hamilton, he gave a more than respectable challenge and even outwitted his younger team-mate on occasions when conditions required intelligence and cunning over outright pace.

7. Nico Rosberg (GER) – Did wonders for his reputation by comprehensively dominating the illustrious Schumacher. If Mercedes give him a competitive car next year, a maiden victory won’t be far away. Perhaps even a title challenge.

8. Kamui Kobayashi (JAP) – Never seemed to set the world alight in the lower formulae but exploded onto the F1 scene in spectacular fashion. Never afraid to throw his Sauber into the smallest of gaps and laughing in the face of braking zones, he won the hearts of F1 fans the world over.

9. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) – Rarely impressed in the McLaren but seemed right at home in the Lotus, picking up some respectable results for the new team. A long term association with the marque surely beckons.

10. Timo Glock (GER) – Punched above his weight in a fairly poor car. Larger teams should take note of this oft-overlooked talent.

[jab]

1) Alonso - nearly won the title in the 3rd best car, which is unprecedented

2) Hamilton - virtually flawless until Monza, having led for ages despite unreliability and not having the best car

3) Vettel - 10 poles, 5 wins, should've had 2 more, and deserving champion

4) Webber - ran Vettel close, won at Monaco and Silverstone, was in the box seat with just 3 races to go...

5) Rosberg - walloped TGF

6) Button - consistently good, occasionally excellent, but his quali pace let him down

7) Kubica - some great drives on occasions but I'm sure he could've got more out of the car

8) Barrichello - best of the proper midfield team drivers

9) Kobayashi - the most entertaining driver this year and showed his talent

10) Sutil - finished on the same number of points as Rubens and put in some decent showings

[stripedcat]

1) Vettel. Yes he made a massive mistake at Turkey. But was the best qualifier and from the second half of the season was quicker than his team mate. Would have had a few more wins as well but for mechanical failures.

2) Webber. Upped his game from last year. Was very consistent all season, plus had to stunning back to back poles and victories(Spain and Monaco). Made two big mistakes(Valencia and Korea) which ultimately cost him the title.

3) Alonso. Helped improve his car. Which was probably overall the third fastest. Managed to come back mid season and take the title fight down to the wire. Bad strategy played a part in denying him of a championship.

4) Hamilton. Was good in the second fastest car on the grid. Did some inspired races(Malaysia, Canada and Belgium). Still too rash. Made two really bad mistakes - Italy and Singapore. Plus the pit call in Australia.

5) Rosberg. Made Schumi look like a rookie this season. Plus a superb podium in China(he might have won there if he hadn't of spun).

6) Button. Took a risk coming to Mclaren. In some ways it has paid off. Had two amazing wet weather wins that for a while put pressure on his team mate. A good performance in Canada as well. Plus an interesting race in Italy. Qualifying is always his downfall. Plus he can't drive around the car's problems.

7) Kubica. Improving all the time. Hopefully next season Renault will be strong and he can challenge for wins.

8) Kobayashi. Always entertaining driver. Does some killer overtaking when you least expect it. Was superb at Suzuka where he used the Spoon curve as his weapon of choice for overtaking.

9) Barrichello. Driving in a mid field team at the moment(come on Williams get your finger out). Put in some good performances, notably his race at Hungary where he took on his old nemesis and former team mate Schumi and performed the best overtaking move of the season in my opinion. Although he had to tangle with death from Schumi wanting to put him in a wall at 180 mph!

10) Sutil. Drove some good races in the mid field.

[duke_toaster]

1) Sebastian Vettel (DE) - Dominated qualifying this year, albeit with some errors in races. Lost many points due to mechanical failiures.
2) Fernando Alonso (ES) - Lost out on title by four points, but had better reliability (albeit a slower car) to work with compared to the Red Bulls.
3) Jenson Button (UK) - Punched above his weight last year in a great car, punched above his weight this year, keeping up with a team-mate who I thought would utterly kerbstomp him this year.
4) Mark Webber (AU) - Good placing, albeit with mistakes, against the grain of the team.
5) Kamui Kobayashi (JP) - He deserves more than the car he got this year. Mark my words, he's WDC top six material. Could have got a higher ranking in this list if everyone had the cars they finished in 2009.
6) Lewis Hamilton (UK) - Could have done more, really.
7) Nico Rosberg (DE) - Handed his seven time world champion team-mate his arse back to him on a plate.
8) Rubens Barrichello (BR)- Good performances in an average car, appears to have shown Nico Huelkenberg the ropes well.
9) Robert Kubica (PL) - A reasonable season but he needs a top line car to get the best out of him, but will need to get the best out of himself to get that top line car.
10) Vitaly Petrov (RU) - Actually done quite well in the pressure cooker, obviously had the rookie teething troubles that are inevitable.

[Born Racer]

1. Lewis Hamilton-

Bizarre as it may seem to place him top, given some big errors in races, most of the championship contenders were making these and this was partly due to the hugely competitive nature of the battle this year between all these top drivers and teams. Monza was a big error from a championship perspective, Singapore more debatable (70-30 Hamilton's fault, I'd say), but he also had big points finishes taken away due to car problems in numerous races- Spain and Hungary being prime examples (Vettel was the only other of the title contenders to have so many car problems). Sometimes I think of course Hamilton would love to win the championship but it would be a whole lot less fun for him if he were to 'drive for the championship' in terms of safe points finishes. Hopefully one day his all-out approach will pay off for him in a championship again.

2. Fernando Alonso-

I was seriously close to placing him top of my list because I was going to exclude the unnecessary situation he created at Hockenheim. Alonso was formidable again and had a great second half of the season. He got so much more out of the car than Massa, and nobody thought Felipe was exactly a slouch. I don't want to just praise someone for being quicker in the latter half of the year than the first, as there were a Hamilton-esque number of errors in the first half. Silverstone was silly; of course he was going to have to give the place back to Kubica. Obviously a very, very good driver. I could swap the first two in my list around fairly easily. It's just so hard to know, isn't it? Arguably Alonso is a better driver than in the McLaren days when Hamilton had the measure of him. They're still F1's two best drivers.

3. Sebastian Vettel-

Well done to the world champion. Ultimately we all knew he had more talent than Webber and he put it to good use overall, finally pulling clear at the end of the season. His peaks were way higher than Webber's. When he tapped into that pace, he did the business by some mile. As evidence of that, his qualifying efforts were often mightily supreme. He still has to demonstrate he can overtake because when I think of him overtaking, I remember his catastrophic approach to doing so at Istanbul. When he wasn't leading, he did make some bad mistakes but as I documented, most of them did, such was the intensity of this championship battle.

4. Nico Rosberg-

I thought he merited breaking the strangehold the title contenders have so far had on my top ten. He got not anywhere near as much of the credit as he ought to for outclassing Schumacher all year. It was all "has Schumacher lost it?" when there should have been more "Hey, look how good Rosberg is". Every time Schumacher did something better than Rosberg for once, like a pass or out-qualifying him, Nico soon rectified that.

5. Mark Webber-

He proved he can do great things with a more limited talent than Sebastian Vettel's. I have always rated Mark in F1 and thought he was often a bit hard-done-by in criticism on Ten-Tenths (Mark seems to somehow have been a controversial point of debate over the years), but this year he impressed even me in how he improved vis-a-vis Vettel. That improvement was no mean feat, and he had some excellent wins like at Monaco. He did have less car problems than Vettel and Hamilton though.

6. Robert Kubica-

Deadly effective. He certainly seemed to get everything out of that Renault, and some (that sounds like that 'he got more out of that car than it had in it' line. which I know is technically impossible, but it's just an expression).

7. Kamui Kobayashi-

Brilliant. One of those instances of a driver not looking like one of the stars of the future until they get to F1 somehow, and then it clicks and they more than deserve to be there. He makes dramatic overtaking manoeuvres and crucially isn't dangerous. It would be unfair to stereotype Kamui with the 'banzai' tag, because he's actually shown that he's a driver who races very hard but also leaves others drivers room. Hurrah! More of that would be nice from others. Abu Dhabi was a good example of this. His moves in Suzuka made me wonder what the others were doing. And crucially, he's actually very quick. Better than de la Rosa (the doubters naturally wanted to see someone better for him to beat), he's also been largely quicker than Heidfeld who in turn. is quick. My signature contains some worship from Eddie Jordan that I think is a nice line, but as I said, that's not all- he is quick.

8. Jenson Button-

A very good season by Button, I think he actually garnered more respect from the world at large in 2010 than in 2009. He surprised Hamilton on occasion. He made some clever strategic decisions. His Achilles' Heel is still his qualifying pace. It's a shame to see him end races so close to Hamilton having qualified way down. You sense that sorting out qualifying would put him in front of Lewis at least a bit more often at the end of race day. Hamilton's clearly the better driver in my mind, but Button is very good and was right to go to McLaren and prove himself. He's done that so he should be pleased. Potentially more championships await him.

Going to have to have a good think about who I'd want to complete my top ten.

[Chatters]

Righto then!

Top 10

1. Fernando Alonso - Only let down by his car in the first half of the season, he truly has been the class of the field for the second half. From a lowly 14th place at Silverstone to WDC leader at the final round, once he got the car to work for him he turned his season around from nowhere to almost win the WDC. Unfortunately he let himself down at Abu Dhabi and that is what cost him the championship.

2. Nico Rosberg - Absolutely brilliant season from Rosberg. Only once was he beaten by Schumacher this season at races they both finished, and 100% had his measure throughout all aspects of the year. I'm struggling to think of any mistakes he made during the season, his car was never the most competitive but he drove brilliantly with help of his team strategists to pick up a handful of podiums in a year when he made a seven time champion look like an utter rookie.

3. Sebastian Vettel - Let down by his car too many times, and eagerness to win cost him dearly when he really should have wrapped up the championship with plenty of time to spare. Turkey and Belgium will stand out as blips on his record unfortunately and along with mechanical problems in Bahrain and Australia, that is what allowed Webber and Alonso to still be contention so late in the season.

4. Mark Webber - This will likely be the best year of his career. Nothing to be ashamed of, 4 wins, but his inconsistency to be faster then Vettel week in and week out left him unable to drill home the advantage he had at the late point of the season. One could almost argue that if he hadn't DNFed in Korea the title would be his, but one could also say the same of Vettel at that race...

5. Robert Kubica - For someone not expected to be extremely competitive this year, he has managed to do what any good driver should be able to: Build the team around him and score the results. The competitiveness of the Renault fell away towards the end of the season, but nevertheless he was one of only 7 drivers this year to score a healthy bag of points through consistent Top 5 and Top 8 finishes.

6. Lewis Hamilton - Never had the car to be extremely competitive, especially at the high downforce tracks. However he managed to stay in contention for the title all the way to the end and save for errors at Italy and Singapore would have had a much stronger chance at winning the title in Abu Dhabi.

7. Kamui Kowasabi - A brilliant signing by Peter Sauber. Quick, exciting, thrilling to watch, his ability to actually overtake other drivers no matter what circuit it was and his car speed prove he deserves a place in Formula 1. It's good to actually know these cars can actually pass one another!

8. Jenson Button - Earned his two wins this year, and was able to stay close to Hamilton due to his consistency, but could not match Hamilton overall for pace over the year except at Monza and Turkey. Next year will be interesting to see if he can work the new tyres to his liking and take advantage off this.

9. Rubens Barrichello - A solid season for Williams, held his nerve magnificently against Schumacher in Hungary, a move which proves to me that he still has the edge to get the most out of any car he drives.

10. Heikki Kovalainen - Shame to see him in an uncompetitive car, but he proved to any lingering doubters that Trulli needs to retire quietly with a little fanfare for Monaco 2004.

The Disappointments

Michael Schumacher - I think everyone expected more from him in his Formula 1 return. Was it the car, was it the tyres, was it his age, and will he be able to show us what won him seven world titles next year?

HRT - Never mind that the car was awful, if you have to resort to using pay drivers in this day and age you do not deserve to be in Formula 1.

Vitaly Petrov - Flashes of skill unfortunately overshadowed by too many errors. After 5th place in Hungary, that spin in Q1 at Spa was poor.\

Force India- A promising start to the year tarnished by seemingly no positive developments to the VJM03.

Please, go away!

Sakon Yamamoto - An unfortunate example of how having a fat wallet can score you a seat in the biggest motor racing series in the world.

Pedro de la Rosa - Unlike Barrichello, this elder statesmen of the F1 field never really showed huge potential to begin with...

Reality - All I want to see is a British owned team racing under the name of Lotus or Lotus-Renault, is that so much to ask??

[Peter Mallett]

Vettel: Despite some silly errors of judgment, he handled serious pressure to get that crown.

Rosberg: Stomped on TGF and that was possibly more impressive than Vettel's performance.

Hamilton: Daft red mist moments ruined his championship chances.

Alonso: Made too many errors, not something you'd expect from a 2 time WDC.

Webber: Sometimes brilliant, put in the best season of his career but ultimately folded under pressure.

Button: An excellent season of consistency and of course ran his team mate pretty close. No mistakes from him IIRC, but that Saturday pace needed to improve.

Barichello: Driving better than ever.

Massa: Coming back after the head injury would always be difficult but he coped well and Germany should have been his on the basis of sheer pace.

Kubica: Great performance and made the Renault look better than it perhaps was.

Hulkenberg: An impressive rookie season, topped off by that pole position in Brazil. Hopefully will be employed next season.

[steve_r]

My top ten

1 - Alonso - A duff stratagy in the final race probably cost him the title. Put together a great run at the end of the season to nearly take the title.

2 - Vettel - Not without his mishaps, but with back-to-back wins at Brazil and Abu-Dhabi, he deleivered when it really mattered while title his rivals did not.

3 - Hamilton - Like Alonso and Webber, its very easy to point the finger at the races and crashes that cost him the title. However he gets my upmost respect for staying in title contention in a car that was for large periods of the season only the 3rd fastest one out there.

4 - Kubica - Please can someone give him a race-winning car? I would love to see what he could do in a Red Bull or a Ferrari. Often in the mix, I think he got the maximum potential out of his car.

5 - Webber - Not bad for a number 2 driver. Buckled under pressure with the championship there for the taking, a crash and an 8th place in the final 2 races.

6 - Rosberg - Out performed an F1 legend. Seemed consistantly fast, and race wins will surely follow.

7 - Button - Some great tactical stratagies gave him race wins. Poor qualifying throughout the season put him on the back foot all too often.

8 - Kobayashi - Eye catching overtaking, brought some excitement to the midfield. Outperforned more experienced team-mates.

9 - Sutil - Some great drives at the beginning of the season. Looked like the team dropped off the pace towards the end though.

10 - Kovalainen - Always cheerful, great attitude, occasionally shined, often the best of the new cars.

Disappointments
TGF - Lets hope he does better next season, or else he may not be remebered for the right reasons.

HRT - Dissapointing car, annoying driver shuffles

Force India - Going backwards as the season went on.

Please go away...
Yamamoto - Money talks.
Klein - Still not good enough.

[Paradise City]

Top Ten.

Vettel.

Unrivalled speed. I think he was the beneficiary of favouritism but was still genuinely faster than his team-mate. He made some stupid mistakes and is a brittle personality when pushed but that's a mark of alot of world championship campaigners.

Alonso.

Seemed out of it towards the end of the season but embarked upon an astonishing come back to be in the hunt at the end. He was much, much better than Kimi.


Rosberg

Few mistakes, very fast and developed an excellent temperment this year. Beating Schumacher is never anything other than a great accomplishment. For the first time, it's hard to criticise him.

Button

He had a poor end of the season but the start of the season was superb. Should've been completely outperformed by Hamilton on conventional logic in a team known to be unsympathethic to new comers but in fact performed healthily and even retained good relations with his team-mate.

Hamilton

Stunning driver and a master of the overtaking move but I felt his performances where a bit more dog-eared than last year when his performances should this year should've in fact been more refined.

Webber

Good year but needs to adopt the 'faith moves mountains' mantra rather than be too realistic and overthink these things. He hasn't the raw speed to compete with Vettel but he might yet have another tilt at the WDC.

Kubica

Strong season and he flattered the car.

Barrichello

He's not greatly fast but save that important trait has mastered the art of Grand Prix racing as much as any driver can. He's cool, calm and consistent. He leaves the tears until he gets out of the car.

Kobayashi

Fun, fast and flamboyant. I could be wrong but he seemed to drive without a care in the world and was having alot of fun doing it. I wonder though will he progress or will he wind up like the Japanese Jean Alesi?

Schumacher

Schumacher actually met my expectations this year tho' I expected him to be a bit nearer to NR and there was 3 or 4 races that was truly dreadful. The basis of Schumacher's skill was always testing, testing, testing to dawn, this year he couldn't and therefore he struggled. He did stay cool and calm in the face of some crazy media attacks and wild fan expectations. I think he did O.K this year and I expect him to challenge NR next year. He deserves to stay with his team.


Dissapointments

Senna

Made a very rash decision to join the HRT shambles out of desperation of never appearing on the grid I assume but became demoralised with the whole disaster. One wonders how he would've performed with Brawn if he'd got in there last year but given his poor temperment almost certainly not WDC material in any event.

Massa

Doomed to be the Jochen Mass or Riccardo Patrese of the 21st century.

Lotus Racing

All that misfortune over the naming thing.

Get lost.

Renault F1 management/Genii.

The result of Renault Inc. passing the bill around the table after refusing to pay for the meal. These Genii people bought the team just to speculate. While dreaming for unrealistic profits they won't have a great grasp of the books. They aren't sports men and RenaultF1 will experience prolonged, agonising failure because of this.


It's all reminds me of the Ligier dramas and the recent Lotus mess just adds to it all

[ralf fan]

1. Kubica - Controversial? Yes, but for me the guy who was the most consistent and provided the most entertainment. Can't wait to see him fighting for wins and championships

2. Alonso - He's rather good isn't he?

3. Hamilton - Would have been my no.1 but for one error in Monza

4. Rosberg - Destroyed the 7 times world champion

5. Webber - Most improved driver. Remarkably his qualifying not his racecraft let him down in the end. Usually his strong suit.

6. Vettel - Champ. But his early season form was very poor and hence doesn't make it into my top 5.

7. Button - Ultimately failed to cope with the might of Hamilton

8. Kobayashi - Entertainer

9. Barrichello - Keeps going on and on.

10. Glock - He really should be further up the grid

[Mr V]

1) Vettel
2) Webber
3) Alonso
4) Hamilton
5) Button
6) Kubica
7) Rosberg
8) Kovalinen
9) Hulkenberg
10) Kobyashi

[BMW_F1]

1. Fernando Alonso – He continues to impress me with his high adaptability skills.. New to a team and immediately faster than his experienced teammate. His mistakes are overrated IMO and they happen to all the drivers all the time since there is no perfect driver. His only big mistake I think came at Monaco where he could have easily been on the podium with a normal qualifying. I think his great motivational skills and positive words towards his team after Silverstone are part of the reason why Ferrari was so close to winning the WDC.

2. Sebastian Vettel – Although he made so many errors, I have to give it to the kid since when it was crunch time he delivered and there was no one who could beat him.

3. Lewis Hamilton – great first half of the season but I just can’t forgive him for throwing away his title challenge with two consecutive non scoring races.. – In Japan and Korea he was also outraced by Alonso.

4. Robert Kubica – IMO, he’s is top 3 driver in F1 currently.. –you rarely see him make mistakes . Awesome racing displayed in Singapore.

Nico Rosberg (tied with Kubica)- The best of the rest (Ferrari/Mclaren/RedBull) Trashed the 7xWDC MS. I think he could have gotten a podium in Monaco but he botched qualifying.. Mercedes had a very competitive car that weekend and both drivers failed to capitalize.

5. Mark Webber – He did good in the sense that he was only a few thousands of a second behind Vettel on pace but as Lewis he crumbled at the end although to a larger degree.. He could not beat his teammate in the any of the final races of the season.

6. Jensen Button – Very consistent but lacking pace compared to Lewis.. when the car is not perfect he drops like a stone.

7. Rubens Barichello – Some very good performances from Rubens despite his age.. – The highly rated rookie was never able to dominate the veteran.

8. 9. 10. Alguersueri/Kobayashi/Sutil

[JackN]

1. Kubica - Unquestionably the best driver all season. I dont recall any errors and always seemed to stick the Renault where it didn't deserve to be. Fantastic.

2. Vettel - Excellent raw pace. Spa and Turkey were the only two blemishes, he was always going to win the championship.

3. Alonso - Crappy start to the season, but Silverstone was the turning point. Absolutley blew Massa into the weeds. Say what you want about Massa's crash in Hungary, but I think it's the superior teammate that has got him unstuck this season.

4. Hamilton - Another man often outperforming his car. Not many mistakes this season either, although he does still whinge a bit too much for my liking!

5. Button - A good solid season for JB. Very pleased that he wasnt destroyed by Lewis and his race pace was always there or thereabouts.

6. Kobayashi - I love this guy. He has somehow earnt a reputation for being dangerous and a crasher, but I dont actually recall him being involved in a crash during an overtake? A bit of a bump in one of the Suzuka moves but that's it. Why cant every driver overtake??

7. Webber - For me, the car has flattered him. Yes he had a great run in Spain/Monaco, but the guy just cannot overtake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkBtK3aFwvs This crash in FF is identical to the stunt he pulled on Hamilton in Austrailia. Combined with crashing into Vettel, Kovalienen and then Hamilton again in Singapore AND crashing his way out of Korea, it was only the unreliability of Vettel's car that put him in a Championship winning position. And what a lacklustre performance in Abu Dhabi.

8. Barrichello - We all thought he was finished AGAIN! But he has come back and regularly ended up in Q3. Great work.

[Chiefy]

01. MARK WEBBER.
Nobody was able to 'step it up a gear' quite like Mark Webber this year. His 2009 campaign was certainly respectable but this season he really opened the taps, delivering a string of performances that few could have seen coming. He went against the grain at Red Bull but achieved a remarkable amount. Sadly his championship challenged faltered at precisely the wrong moment, but it was an inspired run of which he can be proud.

02. ROBERT KUBICA.
The Polish driver seldom makes mistakes and cemented a classy season in Formula One with some very striking overtakes around the outside of other drivers in the Abu Dhabi finale. He quietly pulled the team around him and thoroughly asserted himself out on track. In a car of the Red Bull's calibre he would have taken no prisoners en route to a championship win. He has a consistency and composure like no other top-of-the-range F1 driver.

03. FERNANDO ALONSO.
The twice-winner of the world championship might display questionable ethics at times but he has given us a masterclass in contesting the title this season. From relative obscurity on the outskirts of possibility he has compiled an impressive set of performances to come within a whisker of winning it all. Whether you like what he did to Massa or not, he had the title in mind. His determination is as high as anyone's and he is a class act on the track.

04. NICO ROSBERG.
Despite having to make do with the No.4 car this season, Rosberg has beyond any doubt demolished his team-mate over the year. He has fought Schumacher wheel-to-wheel on the track and won. He has scored consistently and well. In truth, Rosberg has hardly put a foot wrong all year, and it makes you wonder what he might have achieved in a better car. Certainly he doesn't seem prone to hot-headedness on the circuit.

05. SEBASTIAN VETTEL.
Vettel has been the quickest driver all year. Undoubtedly he deserved to win the world championship based on his performances as a whole. I do believe that Kubica and Rosberg could put up a frightening challenge with better equipment, but Vettel has been threatening to win the world title since we first saw him at the wheel. He was unlucky in a sense to have team-mate Webber put up such a fight; he lacks Alonso's in-house dominance.

06. LEWIS HAMILTON.
Hamilton tackled 2010 with typical flair and determination. He has raced well for much of the year and has had the measure of Button throughout - though perhaps not quite to the extent many expected. Sometimes Hamilton appears to struggle to keep his cool, most notably in Monza and in battle with Webber, but he is lightning quick and he has not let not having the best car keep him from mounting an impressive title challenge.

07. RUBENS BARRICHELLO.
Barrichello has done a quality job for Williams this season. Often in the points on a Sunday and through to Q3 on a Saturday, he is delivering beyond question. What's more he seemed often to have Button not far from his sights, particularly in qualifying. Even in an inferior car he is keeping his former team-mate and title rival in check. He is also pushing car development at the team as well as slipping by Michael Schumacher at 180mph!

08. JENSON BUTTON.
Jenson Button has matched up to Lewis Hamilton reasonably well in 2010. His title defence lasted an admirably long time, though he relied heavily on his wisdom to net his best results. When guys like Hamilton have Button's experience, he will be dead in the water. As it was he performed well on the whole; his style complements his team-mate's and they seem not to get in each other's way at all, all the while delivering good results.

09. KAMUI KOBAYASHI.
The Japanese pilot never failed to impress in terms of his flair or his pace. Countless gutsy overtakes in Japan and elsewhere have cemented his legacy very early on in his career! What pleases me most is that he never hides how aggressive he intends to be, and he openly refuses to change his approach. Not adverse to careful planning, he has used a contrary strategy to his rivals' all year and used it well.

10. NICO HULKENBERG.
Remember that he is a rookie in a mid-grid car. He has, several times, hauled it into Q3 and even claimed an impressive pole position. As the year has progressed he has improved, steadily, eventually matching his team-mate in many respects more often than not. That's no mean feat. He has a level head on young shoulders and has set himself up for a strong F1 career in the future. He has adapted well to his new surroundings.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER was by no means a disappointment for me. He has performed well on his F1 return. I think SEBASTIEN BUEMI has arguably been the most lacklustre driver this season, but LUCAS DI GRASSI and BRUNO SENNA didn't impress me very much either. SAKON YAMAMOTO is more than a disappointment.

[Trev Campbell]

1) Vettel - Was the fastest guy all year and managed to jag the championship in the end

2) Webber - I would love to put him number 1 but in the end was beaten by his teammate and not quite as fast in the second half of the year, but like he said, not bad for a number 2, and someone noone gave a chance to at the start of the season

3) Kubica - Just some awesome drives in what was a midfield car at best

4) Alonso - Nearly got his 3rd title, got a few lucky wins but was in a position to take advantage of others misfortune/team orders

5) Hamilton - Some great races and also quite a few duds.

6) Rosberg - Smashed Schumacher, enough said

7) Button - A couple of smart wins early and made the least mistakes of anyone bar Kubica but like Webber didn't quite have the pace of his teammate

8) Kobiashi - The most entertaining driver of the year, some of the best overtakes seen all year

9) Barichello - Was very good in the mid field Williams, Hungary stands out for sheer big balls moments

10) Sutil - Some pretty decent drives during the year, smashed his teammate, I'd love to see him in a better car

[cptkablamo]

1. Alonso
Was nowhere mid season but came back to almost clinch it. The team came round him like in his Renault days and much like Senna and Schumacher did. The car was not great but great driving and use of the rules saw him almost take it.

2. Hamilton
A great season in the third quickest car. Really should not have been in the running but kept it there. Two mistakes at the end really hurt.

3. Webber
Certainly became the racing driver he could be. A great year, had team politics against him and a couple of silly crashes but almost won anyway. Had the best car - if he did this with McLaren or Ferrari in 2010, he would have been #1

4. Kubica
Hauled a broken team to a better season than anyone would have expected and again proved his worth.

5. Vettel
Loved by his team like no other and had the best car. He had a few mechanical woes but he also threw a lot of points away. Really he should have had this wrapped up many races before the end. Showed his young age a lot but still, somehow came through. A worthy Champion, and surely will win another. In this era of many greats on one grid, he doesn't really rate that highly for a 2010 performance.

6. Koboyashi
Mr Entertainment of the 2010 season, proving you can pass in an F1 car and dragged an underfunded Sauber to some points.

7. Rosberg
Put in a solid year to make Schumacher look like he should have stayed in retirement.

8. Barichello
The guy ain't young but showed his mettle in some great dices. A number of solid finishes was all the car could do.

9. Button
Defending Champ, never looked on to repeat it in 2010 and was outgunned by his teammate

10. Glock
Best performer of the new teams and deserves more

Disappointments

1. Michael Schumacher - he was going to be hero or zero, and it came out as a zero

2. Mercedes - winners for Brawn, back to the Honda days?

3. New Teams - not one of them were able to drag themselves into the top 10 once. Granted they didn't have unreliability of the others but they did have a few wet races

[bjohnsonsmith]

1) Vettel - Some bad luck to start with almost lost it mid season but came back to win it.
2) Webber - Won Monaco, no mean feat and dominated most of the season.
3) Alonso - A great driver but Hockenheim did him no favours.
4) Hamilton - Not the best car and let the bit get between his teeth at Monza.
5) Button - Established himself at McLaren and was no slouch as defending WDC.
6) Kubica - Amazing what he did for Renault.
7) Kobyashi - Showed the others how it can be done, even on a Tilkedrome.
8) Rosberg - Some great drives, must have been hard playing second fiddle to Schumi.
9) Massa - Don't think he'd fully recovered from his accident and then there was Hockenheim.
10)Schumi - For returning. Who could forget that smirk at Monaco.

[chunterer]

Super Hans has picked pretty much the same guys I would go for but in a slightly different order. Knowlesy too, I think.

1/ Alonso - only lost out (as in 07 imo) due to dodgy strategy/decision making by his team and to a degree by himself. Still the numero uno in terms of ability and the one they're all aiming for.

2/ Vettel - 10 poles out of 19 in such a competitive year says it all really. Super quick driver and worryingly for the other's he's got quite a lot of development still in him!!

3/ Webber - Upped his game still higher after a decent 2009 and forced even better out of his teammate. When all was right he did look untouchable. Monaco was sheer class as was Silverstone. Maybe hit his absolute peak now though and has missed his chance.

4/ Hamilton - By far the most exciting driver this year but he lost his head too many times which cost him badly. The best racer by far and I still think he's got some more development in him. If the car had been as competitive as the RBR all season then I think the others wouldn't have stood a chance....

5/ Rosberg - Blew me away with his consistency and pace. I never really rated him but his car wasn't easy to drive and it looks like he could really hit hard if he had a car as good as the guys above. I'm not taking his beating of Schuey into account as it looked like he was mugging an old lady. I base my opinion on what he did compared to everyone else.

6/ Kubica - Absolutely stellar at times but strangely dipped alarmingly at a few rounds without apparent explanation. I'd still like to see him ain a truly top car with a really quick teammate to see how he far he can go, as my views on him are a bit like I used to think of Rosberg - fast but ultimately untested.

7/ Glock - Did wonders with a right 'shed' and at times had that Virgin way, way above where it should. Ultimately he was racing Lotus and really they should have put Timo away when in reality only Heikki could deal with him regularly.

8/ Kovalainen - Similar to above. He looked very very polished and kept his head down trying to make the most of what he had. Fairly comprehensively trounced Trulli and reminded us all of what he could do pre 2009.

9/ Button - Early season form was great with a real tactical masterclass to get his season off to a great start. Found wanting at times but solid. However I still think he could've done better. The Turkey thing with Hamilton sticks in the mind, a harder man would've kept Lewis back after that initial cheeky pass......

10/ Barrichello - Ok so the Hulk stole the headlines, but dependable old Rubens was invaluable for his experience and was super quick at times. Rather naughtily backed Schuy into the pack into that chicane on the opening lap last Sunday though I thought. Ha ha.

Others:
Kobayashi - great value and really does look like a proper Japanese GP winner in the making.

Alguersuari - put the hot headed Buemi in the shade at times just needs more consistent pace in qualifing. Still think he has a good future and might be Alonso's real Spanish successor and may drive himself into a Red Bull drive in 2012.

[Ralf's Girl]

My top ten

1. Lewis Hamilton - made some errors which could, with the benefit of hindsight, have cost him the title, but I really think he only made them in his fight to outperform a car that McLaren just didn't get right the way they usually do. I'm really hoping they produce a car that's worthy of him next year.

2. Robert Kubica - fast, consistent, blew away his team-mate and pulled a whole team together around him within a few months. Clearly a much more positive influence on Renault than Alonso was.

3. Fernando Alonso - Incredible to think that at mid-season he was 47 points adrift and convinced that he would win it. And he really should have; somebody at Ferrari will be in a lot of trouble for their strategic ineptitude.

4. Sebastian Vettel - I don't think I can really put the champion any lower than 4th! Over one lap I think he's the quickest driver out there, and he was probably hampered more than his rivals by reliability problems, which cost him 2 or 3 almost certain victories. Made some mistakes which I thought made him look amateurish, but he turned out the performances when it mattered.

5. Nico Rosberg - Blew TGF away, which no other team-mate has done before. Even with TGF well past his best, it's more than anyone expected. Shame the Mercedes wasn't a better car to give him a chance of fighting for victories.

6. Mark Webber - Has almost certainly seen his only chance of a title come and go. Some fantastic performances, like Monaco and Silverstone, but made a huge error criticising the team before Brazil, screwed up in Valencia and Korea, and just ultimately wasn't quick enough.

7. Heikki Kovalainen - I am so impressed with how he's bounced back from a difficult time at McLaren. Where his team-mate skulked around moaning about things, he's really embraced the Lotus project and has easily outperformed all the other new teams' drivers. I really hope he can compete in the midfield next season.

8. Jenson Button - I really don't think he would have won any races had it not been for odd weather conditions. Did better against Hamilton than I expected, but reading between the lines he couldn't really get near him most of the time.

9. Kamui Kobayashi - needs a bit of polishing, but how refreshing to have a driver on the grid who isn't afraid to have a go.

10. Nico Hulkenberg - came on very strong in the second half of the season, presumably because the first half was hampered by lack of testing. Immense pole lap in Brazil.

Disappointments

Michael Schumacher - shouldn't have bothered coming back.

Felipe Massa - 2008 was as good as it will ever get for him. Alonso has Ferrari completely under his thumb now.

Sebastien Buemi - I heard him talked about as a possibility to step up to the senior Red Bull team, and couldn't quite understand why. Hasn't looked much better than Alguersuari this year.

Please go away...

Michael Schumacher - I'm putting him in here as well, because I really think his comeback was a bad idea.

HRT - embarrassing, slow and no sign of improvement.

Jarno Trulli - admittedly had the worst of Lotus' reliability issues, but was fairly comprehensively trounced by Kovalainen in the races they both finished. I just don't get why he's still going.