Posted on 17th August 2015
As you all know, we are halfway through the 2015 season and what a season it has been so far. Even though the technical regulations haven't changed from the previous year; we have seen engine manufacturer Honda return to the sport with the McLaren team, Renault still struggling to catch up to their rivals Mercedes and also finding themselves in a “media war†with the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team.
But this hasn't stopped the drivers or the fans enjoying some thrilling and exciting racing where it matters; which is on the track with the fastest drivers on the planet.
The season so far has seen the dominance continuing with the Mercedes team. With their driver line up of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, they managed with the most competitive car on the grid (the W06) to fight for victories and also are now fighting for the Drivers Championship at the front of the field. It is clear that this will be the battle to watch for the rest of the season and seeing if Rosberg can catch up with Hamilton, with Vettel ever closing on the pair of them.
But we have also seen the best young drivers make their presence and their potential apparent along the way, while also giving us enjoyable battles to watch throughout the rest of the grid that have massively contributed to the magical season we have been enjoying so far!
10. Felipe Nasr
This season has seen Felipe Nasr confirming that switching from GP2 to Formula One with Sauber was the right choice and showing that he is a potential talent of the future in the process.
Nasr scored his first points in Formula One at his debut race at the Australian Grand Prix with an amazing fifth place finish after a trying week for himself and the Sauber team which was backed up at the next race in Malaysia with an twelfth place finish in Malaysia and an another points finish with an eighth place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.
In the next few races, Nasr finished twelfth in Bahrain and Spain, a ninth place finish in Monaco, finishing sixteenth in Canada, finishing eleventh in Austria, not even starting the race at Silverstone and finishing out of the points in Hungary in eleventh place.
Overall, Nasr has impressed everyone in the paddock with his speed and raw talent that he has shown in his performances so far this season. But to finish in fifth place at Melbourne and also his performances in Malaysia, Monaco and even Hungary will have made more people sit up and take notice of the talent that Nasr has. I feel it will only be a matter of time before he moves up the grid in a competitive drive that shows more of the talent we have already seen and I believe he is worthy of it too.
9. Carlos Sainz Jr
So far, Carlos Sainz Jr has shown in his debut year in the sport the performances that many expected of him as a rookie but there is no doubt that with the flashes of promise and potential he has also shown, that he has impressed many along the way with his ability to consistency bring the car home to finish a race.
Sainz Jr scored his first points in Formula One at his debut race at the Australian Grand Prix with an ninth place finished which was backed up at the next race in Malaysia with an eighth place finish.
However, the next five races saw Sainz Jr struggle to extract pace and performance from the car. Sainz Jr finished a disappointing thirteenth place in China, retired at Bahrain and but managed to have a successful home race in Spain with an ninth place finish, thereby showing that if he has the car underneath him, he can deliver.
But from the Monaco Grand Prix, Sainz Jr for me has impressed me despite having some incredible bad luck in the process. He managed to achieve a credible tenth place at Monaco, he finished twelfth at Canada and as we headed into the summer break, Sainz Jr retired from Austria, Silverstone and Hungary.
Even though Sainz Jr has had mixed results this season so far; there are flashes of promise that if Toro Tosso can extract the pace and performance from the car, he can deliver as well as his team mate. In my opinion, Sainz Jr has been no slouch behind the wheel and has tried to give Verstappen a run for his money and I feel that Sainz Jr will continue to improve and has the ability and the talent to be a talent of the future.
8.Nico Hulkenberg
After a better season than 2013 after moving back to the Force India team from Sauber last season, it would seem that the move back to Force India was the correct decision for Hulkenberg even though the situation at Force India hasn't got off to the best start this season after problems with suppliers at the start of the season impacted on the VJM08 which still continues even though a B car was launched in Silverstone.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Hulkenberg got his season off to a flying start with a seventh place finish and then finished a slightly disappointing fourteenth place in Malaysia. At the next few races, Hulkenberg had a dip in performances due to Force India working on getting their B car ready for the British Grand Prix Hulkenberg retired in China, finished thirteenth in Bahrain, fifteenth in Spain and just out of the points in eleventh place in Monaco.
Hulkenberg still fought on and was rewarded with an eighth place finish in Canada, an sixth place finish in the B car at Silverstone and retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix with a front wing collapsing underneath him while running in the points.
Personally, Hulkenberg has done a reasonable job so far this season despite the circumstances he finds himself in. He has been rewarded with some points finishes and pushing his car to put him in this position in the first place. It is only has to be a matter of time before Hulkenberg gets the call to move further up the grid and is provided with the chance to fight for victories and a championship that I feel he is well more than capable of achieving because if the situation at Force India continues, we will never be able to see the Hulkenberg that he know and love.
7. Romain Grosjean
This season has shown once again that Romain Grosjean has had a better start of the season compared to the position he was in with Lotus last season after a difficult year for both parties who have now switched from Renault power to Mercedes power starting this year.
At the first few races of the season, Grosjean retired in Australia and finished just out of the points in eleventh at Malaysia, finished seventh in Bahrain and China and then finishing eighth in Spain.
Grosjean retired at the next race in Monaco, finished in tenth place in Canada, retired in Austria and Silverstone but heading into the break managed to achieve yet another seventh place in an action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix.
It is clear for all to see that Grosjean is just able to extract pace and performance from the Lotus unlike his team mate Pastor Maldonado who has been struggling so far this season to do so. As we have seen over the past few years, Alonso is able to put himself into positions and situations that many feel should be impossible for him; given Lotus' current level of performance on the track but this is when he only when he has the car underneath him.
This season so far once again has been damage limitation for Grosjean and the Lotus team, but they should be proud that they have managed to achieve points at some of the races so far this season. But Grosjean's limited perfornances this season have showed and highlighted just how talented Grosjean is and why he deserves a car worthy of his talent while also showing his determination not to give up and to fight for the best result possible on the track like a future world champion that he is.
6. Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen has been one of the major surprises of the season so far. At the first race in Melbourne, Verstappen retired with engine problems but then produced a stunning drive to gain his first points in Formula One at his second race in Malaysia with a seventh place finish and becoming the youngest ever rookie to score points in the sport which is a fantastic achievement. Ever since scoring his first points in the sport, Verstappen has like his team mate struggled to get the performance needed to build upon this.
The next few races saw Verstappen finish a disappointing seventeenth in China, retiring in Bahrain with engine troubles and finishing just out of the points in Spain in eleventh place. Verstappen struggled in Canada and finished in fifteenth place, managed to score points with eighth place in Austria, retired in Silverstone and managed to finish in fourth at the Hungarian Grand Prix; which is best result in Formula One and of the season to date.
But overall, Verstappen has shown so far that when he has the car underneath him, he can deliver for Toro Rosso and score points just like his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. If anything, he will only build upon what he has achieved so far and will continue to get better during the season and also in the near future.
I feel it will only be a matter of time before he moves up the grid in a competitive drive that shows more of the talent and potential we have already seen so far this season and I believe he is worthy of it too; even at his age.
5. Daniel Ricciardo
Many expected before the season started that Daniel Ricciardo would build upon what he achieved in his debut season with the Red Bull team last season.
However, this has not been the case for Ricciardo and the Red Bull team who have struggled since pre-season testing to extract pace and performance from the car.
Despite this, Ricciado has shown that even though challenging for the title is going to be difficult, he has managed to gain the best results that he can from the RB11 and has impressed with his determination to succeed despite this.
At the first race in Melbourne, Ricciardo's season got off to the best start possible by finishing in sixth place. In the next few races, Ricciardo achieved after a challenging drive in Malaysia a tenth place finish, a ninth place in China, a sixth place finish in Bahrain and a credible seventh place in Spain.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in fifth place but in Canada, he struggled to finish in thirteenth place in Canada. He got a points finish at the next round in Austria, retired in Silverstone and finished in third place in Hungary which is his best result of the season so far.
Even though it is clear to see that Ricciardo has not had the best season many thought he would have after what he was able to achieve last season, he has shown why he is a future world champion and has done his best in the races with a car that is neither to his liking nor the standard he needs to fight at the front of the grid.
His third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix was one of the most exciting races of the season so far and showed that he can race and race well for the best results that he can achieve at the moment.
4. Valtteri Bottas
This season has seen Bottas showing as much consistency in a season and glimpses of what he can do if he is provided with a competitive car. He has surprised and impressed many people so far this season with his consistency and this will have done wonders for his future in the sport as a potential talent; even though it is not the standard that he was able to achieve last season with the Williams team.
The first race in Australia didn't go to plan after he sustained an back injury and was forced to miss the first race of the season under the instructions of his doctor. But Bottas was back for the next race which was Malaysia and managed to finish in fourth place.
The next few races saw Bottas continue this form. Bottas finished in sixth China, fourth in Bahrain and Spain. At Monaco, Bottas simply wasn't on the pace all weekend long and finished in fourteenth place but then he bounced back at the next race in Canada with a fantastic third place finish.
As we headed into the summer break, Bottas continued his form even further and managed to achieve two fifth places in Austria and Silverstone and a shocking thirteenth place in Hungary.
So far this season, Bottas has shown just how talented he really is despite not having the car behind him and he has the potential to develop and improve much further into the season ahead; provided Williams bring upgrades as quickly as possible.
There is still no doubt that he is a potential talent of the future and has the right attitude and mindset to achieve greater success. For me, it is clear for all to see that Bottas will win a race in the near future and I believe that if he has the chance this season, Bottas will grab the opportunity with both hands and score what would be a well- deserved victory. It will only be a matter of time before Bottas achieves his first victory in the sport.
3. Nico Rosberg
This year has saw Rosberg for me slightly dipping in his approach to racing this season; appearing to have lost the competitive edge that saw him beat his team mate in qualifying and in some of the races he won last season.
But despite this, his consistency throughout the season so far has still shown that he is still a worthy match to the championship leader and that when everything goes his way; he is still able to perform just as well as he did last season.
Rosberg finished the first race of the season in Australia in second place, third in Malaysia and in second place in China. In the next few races, Rosberg finished in third in Bahrain and winning two consecutive wins in Spain and Monaco; even if Lewis Hamilton's mistake on strategy helped him to secure the win in Monaco.
As we headed into the summer break, Rosberg finished second in Canada after problems with his car, and managed to win at Austria just like he did last season. However, Rosberg finished once again in second place and struggled to finish in eighth place in Hungary after the Mercedes struggled with their pace and tyres during the race.
There is no denying that Rosberg has performed consistency this season but still hasn't been able to challenge his team mate with the attitude many believed he would take after losing to him last season in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Rosberg has managed to achieve the best results possible when things haven't gone his way and it is this consistency that could win him the championship, but anything can happen in Formula One and Rosberg will continue to drive the way he has in order to be crowned the champion at the end of the season and hoping that lady luck swings his way too.
2. Lewis Hamilton
Even though Hamilton is leading the championship currently, throughout the season we have seen him at his very best and showing his determination and passion to never give up and fight. Personally, I feel that Hamilton deserves to be ahead of Rosberg here after some stunning performances so far this season in order to keep himself in the hunt for the championship and winning his third world title.
At the first race in Australia, Hamilton's season got off to the best possible start it could and he picked up where he left off last season with a win and a second place in Malaysia where Sebastian Vettel had the edge over him during the race.
Hamilton bounced back from Malaysia with two consecutive wins in China and Bahrain, a second place finish in Spain and a third place finish in Monaco after a mistake in pitting for new tyres when they didn't have the adequate time to regain the lead.
As we headed into the summer break, Hamilton bounced back at Canada with a win, a second place finish in Austria, a home victory at Silverstone and a sixth place finish in an action packed race in Hungary.
Hamilton has experienced his fair share of good luck during the season, but will use this to extract more motivation to make sure that he does whatever he can to beat his team mate or gain the best result possible if things do not go his way, just like he has so far when Rosberg has won in Spain and Monaco.
You cannot discount Hamilton to retain his championship this season; it would be stupid to do so. Not only does Hamilton have the experience behind him after winning his first title in 2008 and his second title last season; this could prove to be an advantage that could pay off for him at the end of the season.
He has shown especially in the first half of the season with some brilliant drives through the field that the passion and the determination burns brightly enough to take the fight to Rosberg and to retain the lead of the championship again. But can Hamilton win his third Championship title at the end of the year?
1.Sebastian Vettel
What can you say about Sebastian Vettel? Many pundits and fans believed that he had made the wrong choice to leave the Red Bull team for Ferrari. But by God, he has proven his doubters (even myself) wrong with his performances so far this season.
The opening races of the season saw Vettel finishing on the podium in his first race for Ferrari with a third place finish in Australia, winning his first ever race with Ferrari in a unexpected win in Malaysia and a third place finish in China.
Vettel continued the consistency he found in the next few races and showed the old form that he achieved during his time in Red Bull and has finished in the points in every race so far this season.
Vettel continued this form with finishing in fifth in Bahrain, a third place in Spain and a second place finish in Monaco. At the next race in Canada, Vettel finished in fifth place, fourth in Austria, third at Silverstone and claimed his second win of the season in a brilliant performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In my opinion, Ricciardo has been the biggest surprise of the season so far. Vettel has shown that he is more than a match for Raikkonen and that he is a fantastic driver in his own right when many believed he couldn't achieve the success that he did with his previous team.
The performances he has given so far this season has exceeded his own and his team's expectations and he is the only driver that has been able to win two races apart from the Mercedes pairing of Hamilton and Rosberg.
Ricciardo is consistently able to extract pace and performance from the car as and when he needs to and finds himself being in positions to capitalise if things don't go according to plan for other drivers in front of him. He has silenced his critics in the best way possible; which is on the track. I feel that Vettel will only continue to improve throughout the course of the season remaining and will sooner rather than later be in the fight for this year's championship if lady luck decides to pay a visit to the Mercedes drivers.
Who are your favourite drivers of the season so far? It was extremely hard to choose from a season that has far so far produced some amazing races from the best racing drivers in the world that has kept fans glued to their screens weekend in and weekend out.
But with only a few days until the second half of the 2015 Formula One season resumes from its summer break at the next race at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit; will we see more on track battles, controversies, surprises and shocks in store ahead from the best drivers in the world? And will my top 10 change in the second half of the 2015 season? Bring on the rest of the season!
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
