Top 5 drivers of the season


The 2013 season marked the end of an era- the era of the powerful V8's. This season was definitely not one of the most exciting seasons, but it was the season which displayed arguably the best of the new and fresh talent along the course of the season. And of course, with the 5 world champions on the grid, we were treated to enough action for a weekend, from P2 and below of course. Because no matter what the curmudgeonly say, Sebastian Vettel was on top of the whole field racing in his very own league. Here is the rating of the top 5 drivers on the grid this season-


1) Sebastian Vettel- Remember in 2010, when he caused collisions with Mark Webber in Turkey and Jenson Button in Spa? This former 'crash kid' has dominated the last four years of the sport he loves. Perfecting his driving every year since then, this year he has definitely reached to the point where his driving can be called flawless. Absolutely perfect. From a mistake rating of 10 a season in the preceding years, he has brought it down to a nil. His consistency and skill both have been honed along with the car that had phenomenal reliability (bar Britain). He worked with the tires when needed to, and called for the right strategies that went his way. Being the most underrated driver this season doesn't deny me from giving him a 11/10 if it existed in 'rating rules'.

2) Romain Grosjean – Probably the greatest change we’ve seen from last year to this year is Romain Grosjean. The ‘first lap nutcase’ has turned into be one of the only few drivers who can do first lap wonders. From electric starts, to super podiums, Grosjean was the closest challenger to Vettel in the 2nd half of the season. His star performance of the season was his drive in India where he flew from the back of the pack in P17 to finish P3. Bar his 3 retirements, Grosjean has finished all races, and ended his season with 6 podiums. The Frenchman will be looking forward to the next season, where he will be the number one in the team, alongside former Williams driver and 1 time winner, Pastor Maldonado.



3) Nico Hulkenberg – When Nico Hulkenberg made his move from Sahara Force India to Sauber in 2013, it caused us to rise a few eyebrows. His decision fuelled by hastiness proved to be a disaster of a choice after the C32, with a whole new driver line up, Hulkenberg and Gutierrez, proved to be as slow as a lower-field car. But yet, the now-once-again-Force India-bound Hulkenberg put on some fantastic drives towards the end of the season which baffled the fans of what he can do. A series of 4th 5th and 6th places ranked him higher than the championship runner up, Fernando Alonso. Before the confirmation of Hulkenberg in Force India, there was wide spread commotion as the young German had no seat left open in F1 as weight concerns struck. But luckily and gladly, Nico has a confirmed seat and a great future ahead of him.

4) Nico Rosberg – Nico Rosberg has also been a big transformation this season. Coming back stronger this year, Rosberg took 2 victories in Monaco and Britain each, starting his season in a good manner. But as the season progressed, he did just about enough to score points on a weekend, though not aim for the 25s or the 18s. But the biggest amazement is that Rosberg never succumbed under the pressure of having a world class driver and a world champion, Lewis Hamilton as a teammate. Together, they have sealed 2nd place after Red Bull Racing, making them the most improved team from 2012 to 2013. In more comparative terms, Hamilton was much more consistent despite just having 1 win entitled to him in a season that has been Vettelized.  

5) Mark Webber – Mark Weber made sure his very last season in the pinnacle of Motorsport remains a memorable one. After clinching 3rd in the championship at the very last race, the departing Australian’s season can be classified one of his bests, if not the best. Though he never made the top step of the podium this season, 8 other second and third place finishers got him enough points to finish behind his dominant teammate, Vettel. To conclude his career, Mark Webber finished it off in style on the podium, where he slipped, fell and jumped back up again like a 6 year old child who saw his parents bought him ice-cream.

This is the top 5 of this season, but hopefully, we will see new talent on the grid next year in the younger drivers and new comers. 

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