2008's Top 10

Skysports.com presents its top 10 drivers to impress during the 2008 Formula One season.

Following the excitement of Interlagos, skysports.com has taken stock and after applying a rigorous, almost forensic, analysis to events witnessed in the season just gone, we hereby unveil our top 10 drivers for the 2008 Formula One season. Controversy surely lies just around the corner... 1. Lewis Hamilton The World Champion, in case you haven't heard. Of course, in Formula One, that honour isn't necessarily bestowed on the best driver in the field but there was apparent in some of Hamilton's performances this season, particularly in the wet, a talent that may well, one day, be placed in the pantheon of greats. All the best drivers reveal the true extent of their talent in wet conditions and Hamilton took full advantage of the godawful European summer to display his. The Monaco win was impressive (albeit helped by a lucky escape from the barriers and a well-timed pit stop for dry tyres), the Silverstone victory was sublime (his victory margin an amazing 68 seconds, although it should be remembered that Kimi Raikkonen was homing in before Ferrari made the wrong call on rubber) whilst Spa-Francorchamps was ridiculous - in more ways than one. Mentioned in dispatches must also be his late fightback win at Hockenheim - Boy's Own stuff. Yes, there were errors aplenty in (deep breath) Bahrain, France, Canada, Italy (in qualifying) and Japan, not to mention the fact that he was only a few hundred yards away from another disaster in Brazil. Hamilton certainly doesn't make life easy for himself but you sense that's simply the other side of the same coin - never a dull moment, in other words. F1's youngest champion is also not yet 24 and greater experience will surely temper - but perhaps not eradicate - the rashness. 2. Felipe Massa Who could not feel sorry for the Brazilian when he did everything asked of him in his home race, only to see the World Championship snatched away in circumstances about as cruel as sport can muster? Massa's dignified reaction earned him plaudits and was also somehow totemic of a newfound maturity that brought six wins (one more than Hamilton) and also the unofficial plaudit of F1's most improved driver. Let's not forget that Massa was deprived two more wins (in Hungary and Singapore) by, respectively, a blown engine and Ferrari pitlane bungling. Let's certainly not forget that, in the final reckoning, he trounced a much-esteemed team-mate and defending World Champion. The problem has hitherto been erraticism, the impression being that it only works for Massa when he's in some kind of bubble within which everything is perfectly set: get a front row grid slot, make a good start, pull away and keep clear. If the bubble bursts then things tend to unravel: Massa unaccountably spun out of the Malaysian GP when trying to keep pace with his team-mate, while the less said about Silverstone the better. Then again, perhaps his performance in the changing conditions at Interlagos might point towards a more consistent future. His winning the World Championship would have been a great story; can he go close again? 3. Fernando Alonso The 'pound for pound' champion. Two race victories were the highlight, although both owed a little - or maybe a lot in the case of Singapore - to good fortune. But they were deserved in recognition of the way Renault have hauled themselves up the grid during the second half of the season. Alonso would have been World Champion had the season started in Belgium. Unfortunately for him it didn't, but the opening two-thirds of the season still brought plenty of points as the 2005 and 2006 title winner did his best with the R28. Surely no-one can contend with the argument that drivers make less of a difference than they used to; nevertheless, of all the drivers on the 2008 grid, Alonso appeared to make the biggest difference of all. His reputation took quite a battering last season but returning to his 'spiritual home' - a team that revolves around him with a team-mate who presents little in the way of a challenge - seems to have worked wonders. Assuming Renault can keep their momentum into 2009, you have to question why he would actually want to go anywhere else. 4. Robert Kubica That Kubica was still in contention for the title in October given that BMW Sauber had effectively been treading water since June stands as testament to a season which only really brought one error (spinning out of the British Grand Prix) and podiums aplenty. There were seven in all, including, of course, his and the team's first victory in Canada and a pole (geddit?) position in Bahrain. His rise to prominence came after a trying-at-times 2007 and the decision by the already skinny 23-year-old to shed a few extra pounds pre-season amply demonstrated his desire. Spoken of as Hamilton's arch-rival in years to come, rumours have unsurprisingly started to circle Kubica and his eventual appearance in a Ferrari or McLaren. Top marks also for offering something a little bit different outside the cockpit. 5. Sebastian Vettel Hamilton often says he's 'living the dream' but that phrase appears even more applicable to Vettel who, if appearances are anything to go by, should just be starting out at university. Instead, he's driving a 750-odd bhp F1 car and started delivering just as soon as Toro Rosso finally got their 2008 car at Monaco in May. Thirteen races yielded 10 points finishes, with the highlight, of course, coming in the rain at Monza - Vettel's Italian Grand Prix triumph making him the sport's youngest-ever race winner. No-one really expected him to turn pole position into victory and yet he took full advantage of the rolling start and clear visibility afforded the leader to pull away from the field and deliver a near-perfect performance. Red Bull now await, with new team-mate Mark Webber already admitting that all concerned must up their game to try and match the 21-year-old's talent.6. Heikki Kovalainen The Finn made the same move Alonso did 12 months earlier, albeit without two World Championships under his belt and with a new team-mate who now had a whole season of F1 experience under his. Kovalainen and Hamilton came together as equals in terms of race starts, but the Englishman's amazing rookie season and long-term familiarity with McLaren left him miles ahead in most respects. A tyre-wear problem hindered Kovalainen and he was also desperately unlucky at times, particularly in Turkey, Monaco and, of course, Spain, where he escaped the season's nastiest-looking shunt with little more than mild concussion. Despite all of this, he scored his maiden victory in Hungary (albeit after Massa's engine blew with less than three laps to go) and also took his first pole at Silverstone. There exists an argument that team strategy - qualifying the Finn with relatively more fuel than Hamilton - hindered his progress but Kovalainen nevertheless produced pace on occasion that genuinely appeared to rattle his team-mate. He'll need to do that regularly next season. 7. Kimi Raikkonen Surely the most half-hearted defence of a World Championship since Niki Lauda called it quits for a second time in 1985. Damon Hill (1997), Jacques Villeneuve (the following year) at least had the defence of poor equipment, whilst Michael Schumacher still finished third in 2005, despite a car that was poor relative to what he'd become accustomed to. But even as he toiled in about seventh place, you always got the impression the seven-times World Champion actually meant it. Raikkonen finished joint third this year and won two races, but the last of them came way back in April. Bad luck inevitably played its part (France, Britain) but a year which saw the Finn hit the Forbes Magazine's Celebrity 'Rich List' (poised at number 36, right behind Miley Cyrus) also saw a distinct lack on hunger. The reasons given for his under-performance are apparently two-fold: that car developments made during the season suited Massa more until Raikkonen went 'back to basics' in Belgium; he also has had problems with the F2008's relative inability to get heat into its front tyres, particularly during qualifying. Whatever, Raikkonen struggled to justify his $44 million salary in 2008. 8. Nick Heidfeld Raikkonen was not the only driver to struggle during qualifying in 2008. The early part of Heidfeld's season was more or less defined by his inability to match Kubica over a single lap. The German worked hard to rectify his difficulties and a 13-5 qualifying scoreline does not really suggest he actually overcame them. But he has been retained by BMW Sauber regardless as they once again opt for continuity in their attempt to break the Ferrari/McLaren stranglehold. You sense it's the right move: although Heidfeld would surely question the assumption being made, F1 teams seem to work best with a 'number one' and 'number two' driver - even if the distinction is rarely made. While never appearing a contender, Heidfeld's nine years of F1 experience - not to mention the tactical nous which helped bring four second-place finishes this year - will be needed by his team in 2009 as they look to make the next step. 9. Timo Glock Perhaps Hamilton's exploits last year pushed the bar too high in terms of what a debutant can achieve. A scan of the 2008 Drivers' Championship reveals Nelson Piquet as 'rookie of the year', the Brazilian nevertheless considered fortunate to hang on to his Renault seat after largely being seen to struggle (team-mate Alonso out-qualified him 18-0). Although four race starts for Jordan in 2004 mandate against rookie status, the arrival of 2007 GP2 champion Glock at a resurgent Toyota had that feel about it, particularly when his first race in Melbourne ended in the wall. He finally turned the corner with a points finish in Canada, capped his season with a fine second-place in Hungary and then out-scored team-mate Jarno Trulli on the run-in. The veteran Italian finished higher up the drivers' standings but Glock made the bigger impression - and not only on the last lap in Brazil. Credit the 26-year-old German also for finding a way back into Formula One. 10. Rubens Barrichello Jenson Button has said that he would rather have Barrichello's experience at Honda in 2009 than that of a rookie. And, after a season in which the Brazilian has scored more points (11-3) and also out-qualified (10-8) his English team-mate, you'd assume the team's management will feel the same. The only thing seemingly holding them back is that he turns 37 next year and they want to look at some new blood first; everything else points towards the same pairing for the fourth successive year. Even ahead of the season just past, Honda said their eyes were really cast upon 2009 and the sweeping rule changes they hope to exploit in an effort to move back up the field. Making his F1 debut back in 1993, Barrichello possesses a wealth of development experience which, according to team principal Ross Brawn, even Michael Schumacher bowed down to when the trio were dominating at Ferrari a few years back. That might tempt them into fudging the issue and offering him the reserve/test driver role, but his effectiveness would be neutered by testing restrictions. Anyway, his superior performances during 2008 warrant a 17th season.