Half-Term Reports

[BSchneiderFan]

Well, Martin Brundle offered his at Silverstone, so I thought I'd have a go.

Michael Schumacher A muted year from the reigning champion, but the 2005 Ferrari on its Bridgestones seems to have little pace. He still seems to be trying hard, and Imola and Monaco were feisty drives. Never count him out. 8/10
Rubens Barrichello Also struggling with Ferrari's slump in form, but coping less well. There's a sense that he's no longer as happy at Ferrari as he was, and Rubens is a driver who needs coddling. Unless there are big results in the second half of the year, it's hard to see him seeing out his contract at Maranello. 5.5/10

Jenson Button After the peaks of 2004, this season has been one big trough. Occasionally looks bemused by the car's lack of pace, but is still plugging away. He can't be encouraged by Williams' performance either... Still, showing real class in adversity. 7.5/10
Takuma Sato Not really showing the flair he occasionally demonstrated in 2004, but, like his team-mate, struggling with a deeply recalcitrant car. Doing as well as could be expected, but not dazzling. 6/10

Fernando Alonso A strong contender for the driver of 2005. Blessed with a quick and reliable car, but making the most of it. Awesomely consistent (which, paradoxically, his rare slip in Canada only served to highlight), and now has at least one hand on the title. 9/10
Giancarlo Fisichella It all started so well. A dominant (if fortunate) victory in Melbourne seemed to suggest that Fisi had at last found an outlet for the talent many suspected he had. But it's all fallen apart since then. Reliability has played its part, but all too often he's simply looked scrappy. 6.5/10

Mark Webber This was going to be the season when he really stepped up to the, ahem, mark. But Williams-BMW has not been the combination it used to be, and Webber's desperation to succeed has occasionally shone through in the form of silly mistakes. Full marks for effort, but... 7/10
Nick Heidfeld The quiet man of Formula 1, cruelly dropped by long-term backers Mercedes-Benz when he was believed to be surplus to requirements. Is there some regret in Stuttgart now? The late news of a Williams drive was his life-line and he's grabbed it with both hands. Quick, neat, unobtrusive and an engineer's joy, by all accounts. Gaining the upper hand over Mark Webber has been no mean feat, but Heidfeld is the form driver at Williams. 8.5/10

Kimi Raikkonen Quick, quick, quick. Driving out of his skin in 2005, in a car which has speed but lacks the metronomic reliability of Alonso's Renault. The title is a long-shot but still possible. 9.5/10
Juan-Pablo Montoya The off-season was promising. McLaren was full of praise for JPM's work ethic and the way he'd upped his fitness levels. But it's been a scrappy half-season, and missing races because of a "tennis" injury was a silly mistake he can ill afford. Now, inevitably, riding shotgun to Raikkonen's championship challenge. Silverstone demonstrated how different it could have been. 7/10

Jacques Villeneuve Why did he bother? Some improvements have been discernable in the past few races, but the driver of 1996/97/98 is hardly visible now. Semi-public feuding with his team might owe something to media hype but demonstrates an ego which is no longer backed by results. He should be burying Massa and making us marvel at what he can make the Sauber do - but he isn't. 5/10
Felipe Massa A calmer man than the one who first arrived at Sauber - but too calm? This isn't the Hinwil team's greatest car or year, sure, but Massa has been a little anonymous. That he's holding his own against a former world champion says as much about Villeneuve's poor performance as it does about Massa's quality. Needs to up his game if he is to continue to be mentioned as one of the stars of the future. 6.5/10

David Coulthard A solid and rewarding season after his enforced departure from McLaren. DC looks happier and more relaxed than he has for years, and his new bosses are obviously happy with him. Another year at Red Bull in 2006, this time with Ferrari power - an Indian summer, perhaps? 8/10
Christian Klien A changed man from 2004, demonstrating how much his inexperience was telling at Jaguar. His pace has been hardly off that of his team-mate, and he has started to look genuinely quick. Still has a lot to prove if he is to keep the seat for 2006. 7.5/10
Vitantonio Liuzzi No-one really wants to admit it, but Liuzzi has disappointed. The man who carried all before him in F3000 was expected to burst onto the F1 scene and dazzle, but he has proved at best solid, at worst scrappy. Perhaps he needs more seat time; certainly there is a feeling that Red Bull has rushed him into a race seat. 6.5/10

Jarno Trulli His qualifying pace continues to flatter Toyota, and has put in some fine race drives to notch up three podium finishes. Doubts still linger over his ultimate racecraft, but he has been a service to Toyota so far. 8/10
Ralf Schumacher An anonymous season so far. Some solid drives, but nothing to mark him out from the midfield. Perhaps Trulli's speed has rattled him; perhaps the effects of Indianapolis '04 still linger. Needs to do more to convince. 6/10

Tiago Monteiro Put in an invidious position at a team which is barely ticking over in 2005, though his Indianapolis podium will have been a boost, even if it is hardly representative. A solid driver who is improving incrementally, and has a remarkable finishing record. 6.5/10
Narain Karthikeyan As enigmatic as always. Fantastic car control allows him to wring speed out of a fundamentally bad car, but he has proved a little erratic. Starting now to get his head together, but has he done enough to convince team bosses that he should stay in F1? 7/10

Patrick Friesacher A man who perhaps spent too long in F3000 for any good it may have done him. Pedalling a Minardi was never going to be particularly fulfilling, but he has kept his head above water. 6.5/10
Christijan Albers Is he wondering why he ever left the DTM? Occasional flashes of speed wrung out of the Minardi have been impressive, and he should get another chance. But will he? 7/10

[santori]

Michael: 8.5
Rubens: 7.5

Jenson: 8
Takuma: 7

Fernando: close to 10 (best driver by a nose over Kimi)
Fisi: 8

Webber: 8
Nick: 9

Kimi: close to 10
JPM: 8

Jacques: 6 over the whole season but much better than that now.
Massa: 7

DC: 8
Klein: 7 (disrupted by Red Bull's silly move but very good)
Liuzzi: 6 (but he'll do much better)

Trulli: 9
Ralf: 7

Monteiro: 6.5
Karthikeyan: 6.5

Friesacher: 6
Albers: 6.5 (who seems to have improved a lot lately)



But none of them have done as well as Sebastien Loeb who, right now, is the best driver in the world.

[Kicking-back]

Michael 8
Rubens 7

Jenson 7
Takuma 6

Fernando 10
Giancarlo 7

Mark 6
Nick 7

Kimi 10
Juan Pablo 8

Jacques 7
Felipe 7

Jarno 8
Ralf 6

David 8
Christian 7
Vitantonio 5

Tiago 6
Narain 6

Christijan 5
Patrick 6

[Ralf's Girl]

Michael Schumacher Not in the running for the championship this season (YES!) but always a threat. Struggling with the Ferrari, and I'm not sure he'll be around for that much longer. 7.5/10
Rubens Barrichello Doesn't seem particularly happy at Ferrari anymore, and hasn't done anything of note this season. 5/10

Jenson Button This season has been a big disappointment compared to the promise that BAR showed last year, but things are looking up. 7/10
Takuma Sato I can't really think of anything to say about him because I can't recall him doing anything impressive this season. 6/10

Fernando Alonso Has to win the championship - hugely impressive this season, fulfilling all the potential he's shown in past seasons. 9.5/10
Giancarlo Fisichella Fallen off since the first race. It doesn't help that he has such a talented team-mate who's completely dominating in the team, but he really isn't delivering. 6.5/10

Mark Webber Not impressing me at all; the car is surprisingly slow, but I'm not seeing in Webber what the sycophants at ITV do. 6/10
Nick Heidfeld Hugely underrated in the past, it's now becoming apparent just how good he is. It's just a shame that he doesn't have a better car to show what he can do. 8/10

Kimi Raikkonen Super-fast. Kimi vs. Fernando just has to be the future of F1. With McLaren hitting form, the championship fight should be a good one, if only Mercedes would stop with the engine failures! 9/10
Juan-Pablo Montoya Always second-fiddle to Raikkonen, but we saw at Silverstone how much more involvement he could have had in the championship fight. Pretty disappointing, Silverstone excepted. 7/10

Jacques Villeneuve Improving, but hardly returning in a blaze of glory. 5/10
Felipe Massa Another one who's been pretty anonymous - average, at best. 6/10

David Coulthard Seems like a driver reborn after a pretty demoralising few years at McLaren. Not setting the world alight, but he's done enough to justify Red Bull resigning him. An experienced head in a young team. 7.5/10
Christian Klien Starting to look quick after a ropey start to his F1 career. It'd be a shame if he lost his drive at the end of the season, with Ferrari engines he could be a regular points-scorer. 7/10
Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull's driver-swapping is unsettling for both Klien and Liuzzi, but at the moment Klien seems to have the vote of confidence, and I'd say it's justified. 6/10

Jarno Trulli Showing just how far Toyota have come with his qualifying pace and some strong podium finishes, but I'm still not totally convinced by him in races. 7.5/10
Ralf Schumacher Neither particularly impressive nor particularly bad, if he could sort out his qualifying he'd be a podium contender. Setup input is invaluable. 7/10

Tiago Monteiro A solid finisher, and can always say that he finished on the podium at Indianapolis, no matter what the circumstances. Not about to start winning races, but reliable. 7/10
Narain Karthikeyan The only thing about him that belongs in F1 is his money. Unreliable and erratic, we only seem to see him when he's making a mistake. 5/10

Patrick Friesacher Doing his best under the circumstances, but driving a Minardi he was never going to set the world alight. 6/10
Christijan Albers Pretty much the same as Friesacher. A faster car in recent races has made a difference, but at the end of the day they're still going to be backmarkers. 6.5/10


Wow, I feel like that idiot in the Motorsport News who writes those horrendously unfunny team-by-team analyses after every race...

[beau1]

Micheal Schumacher- Been fast at some tracks. Been a bit unlucky Barcelona, getting stuck behind Trullii etc. 8/10
Rubens Barrichello- been a bit quiet so far. Has not his usual raw speed to challenge.
7/10

Jenson Button-The first half of the season was to be honest:laughable. But things a look a bit beter for him. 6.5/10
Takuma Sato- see above. 6.5/10

Fernando Alonso- wow what a great first half of the season. He has to win the the championship. 10/10
Giancarlo Fisichella- See Rubens. except Fisi had a great win at Austrailia, unluckyness has played a big part as well. 7.5/10

Mark Webber- Way overrated last year. Just has not got the speed. yes the car is slow but he is being well out done by Heidfeld. 5.5/10
Nick Heidfeld-Way underrated. Everyone was saying that he would get blitzed by Webber at the begining of the year but that has not been the case. Making the most he can out of a slow Williams. 8/10

Kimi Raikkonen-see Alonso. had a bit of a bad to the season though. The car is a bit unreliable and his letting him down.9.5/10
Juan Pablo Montoya- Doing well after a difficult begining to the season. That McLaren has some serious speed.8/10

Jacques Villeneuve-I was a bit worried about him at the start of the season but he has began to drive better and pick up points. 6/10
Felipe Massa-see above. But he has picked up some solid race results. 7/10

David Coulthard-Done well so far. those years at McLaren did him good. i can't see him being world champ now though. 7.5/10
Christian Klien- i don't like the idea of swaping driver around to see who is the best.Could'nt they just decide at the start of the season. This has disrupted both drivers. He has shown shown some good speed so far.6.5/10
Vitantonio Luizzi-see Klien just not so fast.6/10

Jarno Trulli- Brilliant pace in qualy but that Toyota is a bit of a road block. Some strong podium performances at the start of the season. 7.5/10
Ralf Schumacher- Not had the pace in the race or qualy to perform. i think he's still a bit shaken from his Indy crash last year. 6/10

Tiago Monteiro- 7.5/10
Narain Karthikeyan- 5.5/10

Patrick Friesacher-6/10
Christijan Albers 7/10

[Kirk]

Michael 8
Rubens 6.5

Jenson 7
Takuma 5

Fernando 9
Giancarlo 6.5

Mark 5.5
Nick 7.5

Kimi 9
Juan Pablo 7.5

Jacques 6.5
Felipe 7

Jarno 7
Ralf 6

David 7
Christian 6
Vitantonio 5

Tiago 6.5
Narain 5.5

Christijan 5
Patrick 5.5

[Snrub]

IMO you guys are too nice.

MS - I've not seen him do anything extrodinary this year despite troubles with the car. A few quick laps at certain points. 7/10
Rubins - Reliability and driver problems, sometimes fairly quick. 5/10

Button - Same as MS in terms of performance relative to the car. 7/10
Sato - Same as Rubins in terms of performance relative to the car. 5/10

Alonso - Good, but not nearly as good as his hype. Most of his wins have come with little real competition from Kimi, Fisi or JPM. 8/10
Fisi - Way behind Alonso. It would be one thing if Alonso was simply faster, but he's in a whole different area code. The difference is clearly beyond any conceivable ability difference. 3.5/10

Webber - Okay job. Some mistakes, but he's pushing. 6/10
Heidfeld - Terrific job. More a racer than a qualifier, so sometimes he's behind Webber. 8/10.

Kimi - Faultless performances. He has the fastest car, but he's using it to good effect. 9/10
JPM - Other than Montreal, way behind Kimi. He's been generally slow. In the past he's tried to pace himself at points in the race, but often he's just going slow. It seems like he has more, but he's not delivering. Some slack is deserved due to the new team and injury, but it seems to be going beyond that. I just don't get it, I'm certain he has more in him. 5/10

JV - Up and down. I don't know what to say about him other than that Massa has been faster. 4/10
Massa - Competant driver who seems to get a lot out of the Sauber. With each year he seems to be more refined. 7/10

DC - Awsome job. I think he's racing very well, but his contribution to RB goes way beyond that. 8/10
Klien - Very good job. He's been unlucky since he came back and contrary to popular belief, he did show signs of this level of performance last year. 8/10
Liuzzi - He's a rookie, but nothing earth shattering from him. Why does he always go off in practice? 6/10

Trulli - Very respectable job out of the Toyota. There's nothing negative that you could say about him. 8.5/10.
Ralf - Lousy. Similar kind of season to JPM in that he clearly has more talent than he's showing. 4/10

Monteiro - Underrated driver. He started slow and thus many wrote him off, but truth be told he's doing well in the races. He's generally beating Karthikeyan who most rated higher. 7/10
Karthikeyan - He's a little inconsistant, but I don't see anything wrong with what he's doing. That Jordan is an evil beast, probably a more difficult car to drive than any of the rest of the field have ever experienced. 6/10

Albers - Seems to be doing a respectable job. 6/10.
Friesacher - Seems to make some mistakes, but he's doing okay. 5.5/10

[andy_b]

Here's mine based both on driver rather than car

Michael Schumacher Has he become a little distracted? While I'll happily accept that the Ferrari isn't as good as 2004, he does seem to be still struggling, but RB seems a little closer to him. 7/10
Rubens Barrichello Must be his last year at Ferrari, but despite the poor car and his little wingey comments, Mr No2 is actually doing an OK job against Mr No 1....for a Number 2 of course 6/10

Jenson Button Dreadful year really after 2004, but Jenson does seem to have knuckled down and got on with it. Seems to have few mistakes and now quite a refined driver. Outshown Sato in every respect again. Car getting better, so hopefully more points in the bag in the 2nd half of the season.7/10
Takuma Sato Oh dear, Seems like Sato really hasnt got a hang of things this year. Not helped by the car, the fuel problems and possibly the No4 sticker, Sato seems to have lost his way and certainly appears more ragged than Button when he gets TV coverage. 5/10

Fernando Alonso Wow! I thought he was very good last year, but he's moved up a gear again this year. The early form for Renault is now paying off, but the Alonso of 05 makes sure he keeps a little in reserve to look after the car. Will be an amazing, but deserved result to become a World Champion. Who would have said that in 2000? 9/10
Giancarlo Fisichella Little bit luck in Melbourne, but to finish first you first have to finish. Seems to have gone off the boil since, not helped by possible mind games. Fisico has always been an emotional character and looks like he has suffered a real hit in his confidence. Fisico when he's in the groove is almost unbeatable for pace. Sadly we havent seen much of it this year. Not helped by Clutch probs (either Fisico or Renault) in the last two GP's. Really should be higher up considering the car 6/10

Mark Webber Other than a few in-form races the Williams has once again been a bit of a let down. I was very dissapointed with MW early on where he seemed to make real simple mistakes when under pressure such as Button/Chicane at Imola. Maybe trying to hard. Did well in France considering. IMHO over shadowed a fair bit by quick-nick 5/10
Nick Heidfeld Lucky enough to have known him from when he was a tester at McLaren. Always had great feedback and prooved his worth in the BMW test. In my eyes he's done very well, but as I expected. Remember how well he did in the dog of the Jordan last year.Critical Nick and Mark get Williams out of a rut pretty damm quick. 8/10

Kimi Raikkonen This year, Kimi and Alonso are in a class of their own. Despite McLaren reliability issues, Kimi has knuckled down and never given up. Probably loose the title to Alonso, but the better driver IMHO....just 9.5/10
Juan-Pablo Montoya So much promise, but thanks to playing tennis on a motorbike this year has been a disaster up until 'stone. The win will be important for his mind. Not helped by reliability issues. 2nd half of the year will be critical. 6/10

Alex Wurz Everyone seems to have forgoteen him and DLR in this review. He did a good job and netted some decent points when McLaren desperatly needed them. Tidier than DLR, but then didnt have much choice - didnt have the same run off 7/10

Pedro da la Rosa Very determined performance, probably over drove, but the important thing is he knew the track allowed him to, and he got the job done for McLaren. Shame he didnt get another chance as by the end of the year, he will probably be forgotten in the driver line up 7/10

Jacques Villeneuve Oh dear. I was a massive JV fan years ago but the last few years have just been painful. I recently moved from the UK to Vancouver, Canada and they seem to winge more about him here than we do in the UK. An embarrassment. Go back home to Montreal and dont do the Villeneuve name any more damage. Very sad. 2/10
Felipe Massa He's really come on quite well really when you consider how armco prone he was just a few years ago but still having the odd moment. He hasnt really got the Sauber into a regular points positon, but he has outshown JV. Still yet to be convinced overall 6/10

David Coulthard Always rated DC and always felt (being ex-McLaren myself) that the edge had been lost over time. In his mind he knows he doesnt have anything left to prove, so maybe that has made him more relaxed. Both DC and the team have done better than I thought despite the lack of power in the Cossie. Seems to have almost got the 1 lap qualifying licked as well. Really pleased for him 8/10
Christian Klien CK has been a real improvment. Last year was an embarrament, but somewhere he's really got it together. On occasion he's been quicker than DC, but generally he's only just behind. The sharing of the seat cant have helped and with that in mind he has done well 7/10
Vitantonio Liuzzi Maybe sharing the seat has hindered his progress but in the little track time he has had, he has been a dissapointment. He's very much a rough at the moment. His reputation from F3000 wont last long so he needs to pull his finger out 5/10

Jarno Trulli Qualifying has been very good, helped by some iffy fuel levels on occasion, but he just seems to drop back in the race. Seems much happier though. Wish he'd cut his hair Probably flattering Toyota. 8/10
Ralf Schumacher Another driver on a downard emotional rollwecoaster. Like Fisico, he's been overshadowed by his team mate and doesnt seem to be anywhere. Given Toytoa's reputation of fireing drivers, you have to wonder where he will be next year if he doesnt get a grip 4/10

Tiago Monteiro Probably the single biggest improvment this year. He seemed nowhere in Melbourne, not helped by the dog of a car that seems evern worst than last years car. Despite this, he seems to have good a resonable balance and driven quite well recently. 7/10
Narain Karthikeyan A little bit dissapointing and now being overshadowed by Tiago, he does seem to be able to exhibit the car control I remember in F3, which has saved him on more than one occasion. Done a good job considering the heap he has been given, but he really does need to be ahead of Tiago 6/10

Patrick Friesacher one of the hardest jobs in F1 surely! He's done an OK job, but hard to tell given the car 6/10
Christijan Albers Probably regrets leaving Merc and the DTM but has shown some good car control on occasion. Seems to just about have the edge recently on Freisacher, but hard to proove how good you are in a car so far off the pace unless youre truley exceptional 7/10

[andy_b]

taking the car half term report:-

Ferrari not quite there still after a poor start to the season. A preview to the future once MS, Brawn, Byrne etc move on? considering the budget and their start point, quite a fall from grace. Concentrating on Ferrari in 02-04 has really hurt Bridgestone and the Scuderia this year 5/10

BAR what can you say! dissapointing performance, doesnt seem to have rallied around Sato and thats before you mention the fuel situation 3/10

Renault Other than a potential clutch problem on Fisico's car and questionable support for him a perfect job. Excellent car and pace 9/10

Williams Dodgey start, seemed to have got a handle on things around Monaco and now lost their way again. not helped by their public fight with BMW. Must do better 3/10

McLaren Another dodgey start but McLaren have continued to improve leaps and bounds, not helped by Juan Pablo McEnroe, but Silverstone will have helped. Just need to sort out Engine probs and it will be unbeatable. Early season woes will cost them and Kimi dear 8/10

Sauber Quite a dissapointment after last year. Traditionally they have started off well and fallen back during the season, so that doesnt bode well. 5/10

Red Bull Wow! talk to RB employees and they a real happy positive family now. There on a smaller budget than Jaguar and not a massively different car from last year. I bet Ford are embarassed. Taken over from Jordan as the fun team. Easily the most improved team 8/10

Midland I refuse to call then Jordan! Pathetic and a total embarassment -2/10

Minardi A new car is a significant step for the team, although questionable with new rules next year. Oz was a joke for the team which once played out didnt do Minardi any good. Considering their budget they have done an OK job, hence the higher score than you may expect. 5/10

[Knowlesy]

I usually like to write a short summary for everyone, but right now I can't be arsed!

Michael Schumacher: 7/10
Rubens Barrichello: 6.5/10

Jenson Button: 7.5/10
Takuma Sato: 6/10

Fernando Alonso: 10/10
Giancarlo Fisichella: 6.5/10

Mark Webber: 6/10
Nick Heidfeld: 8/10

Kimi Raikkonen: 9/10
Juan Pablo Montoya: 7.5/10

Jacques Villeneuve: 6/10
Felipe Massa: 7/10

David Coulthard: 8.5/10
Christian Klien: 8/10
Vitantonio Liuzzi: 4/10

Ralf Schumacher: 6/10
Jarno Trulli: 8/10

Narain Karthikeyan: 7/10
Tiago Monteiro: 7/10

Patrick Friesacher: 6/10
Christijan Albers: 7/10

And those stand in performances!

Pedro de la Rosa: 7/10
Alexander Wurz: 8/10
Ricardo Zonta: They won't let me sodding race!/10

[ralf fan]

1. MS- 9/10... apart from the Nurburgring IMO he has pushed his car to the limit and achieved the maximum his car has allowed him to...
2. Rubens- 6/10.... a step behind Michael as usual

3. Jenson- 6.5/10 ... Static....
4. Taku- 5/10.... where has he been this year? unlucky with realiability but he hasnt set the world alight with his performances....

5. Webber- 6.5/10.... stunning in qually...average in the races
6. Heidfeld- 8.5/10.... the reverse of Webber... stunning race speed and some very good results... deserves a top drive next year.

7. Alonso...9.95/10.... a near perfect season apart from the mistake at Canada..
8. Fisi...6.5/10...He has largely been unlucky.... which i think make the gap to Alonso look a bit inflated...

9. Kimi... 9.7/10.... again a super effort a class driver IMO!
10. JPM.. 6.5/10... has played second fiddle to Kimi in terms of overall pace...

11. DC- 7.5/10... super year!
12. Klein- 7/10... has looked a bit of colour after his return but a great start to the year
13. Liuzzi...4/10... poor!

14. Trulli..8.5/10... well done to him.. some stunning qually results and very competitve in the early part of the year
15. RS.. 6.5/10.... quitely sneaking in points... solid if not spectacular

16. Narain...5/10... had a good start to the year but has been poor in the last few weeks... spins and generally slower than Montiero..
17. Montiero...6/10... has improved

18 Friesacher... 6/10....
19. Albers...6.5/10

20. JV... 5.5/10... been up and down but frankly the downs have outweighed the ups so far..
21. Massa... 7/10... Raw speed and consistancy!

[BertMk2]

A right load of old waffle:

M Schumacher: A pretty lacklustre season so far with the exception of some startlingly quick laps at Imola and Monaco. The Ferrari is no longer the dominant car but Michael doesn't seem to be hustling it too hard either. 6/10
Barrichello: Playing second fiddle to TGF again and starting to get frustrated as realisation dawns that he's never going to be no1 at Ferrari. I don't remember any outstanding performances from Rubens this year - time to move on? 5/10

Button: After last years success this season has been a disaster, a slow unreliable car transformed into a quick disqualified car and has only just shown signs of life. Jenson still looks smooth but also looks too easy to pass. 6/10
Sato: I like Sato. He's a lunatic, F1 needs more like him. The results may not have been there but as ever he looks to be a gnats danglies away from an accident with the car at some bizarre angle. 5/10
Davidson: Got a bit of good fortune when Sato had to miss a race, got a bit of bad fortune in the shape of an early season Honda grenade. N/A (can't score him on 2 laps)

Alonso: Apart from the wall in Canada nothing much has got in Alonsos way so far, quick and neat for the most part, difficult to pass when he's in trouble. 9/10
Fisichella: Another driver I like, started well but has fallen away since. Not sure I buy into the 'Renault conspiracy' but it is wierd how the second Renault never seems to perform. Unreliable car but it's a Renault so what else do you expect? 7/10

Webber: Went to Williams being touted as a possible WDC contender, the car hasn't helped but Webber has disappointed hugely. A burnt backside adds injury to insult but I expected a lot more from Webber. 5/10
Heidfeld: Why it took Williams so long to make the choice between Pizzonia and Heidfeld I'll never know. Quick in a shoddy Jordan last year and the more impresive driver in a shoddy Williams this year. 8/10

Raikkonen: A driver who has gone up drastically in my estimations. Quick as ever and more reliable than his car but it's the dolphin incident I liked the best. 9/10
Montoya:: I thought he'd be closer to Kimi than he has been, the tennis/motorbike was unfortunate but the embarrassment and confusion it caused the McLaren press office made it worthwhile. 6/10
Wurz: He's very tall. So tall he nearly didn't get to play. 6/10
DLR: He's not as tall. Drove in the style of Sato. 6/10

Villeneuve: It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Stunning overtaking attempt on Massa at Monaco. His overalls appear to be acting as a huge air brake. Improved recently (smaller overalls?). 4/10
Massa: Dissapointingly he seems to finally have the car under control most of the time. Good road rage at Imola but otherwise distinctly average. 6/10

Coulthard: Old Blockhead is another driver I've had to revise my opinions of, I always thought he was dull. Turns out it's just McLaren that are dull - freedom to speak his mind has done wonders for his image. None too shabby on track either, done a great job all round for Red Bull - more of the same please. 8/10
Klein: Driver swapping is a bad idea. Especially when the driver you swap out actually appears to be doing a good job. Much better than last year, he actually looks like he belongs now. 7/10
Liuzzi: Arrived in F1 with a lot of hype and a mullet. The hype I can excuse. On track performances would be better if he actually kept it on track. Not lived up to his billing and has been put in the shade by Klien. 5/10

Trulli: Jarno has been qualifying as well as ever, this season however he's managed to race better than before. The Trulli roadblock has been a common feature of races this season but credit where it's due he's had a good one so far. 9/10
R Schumacher: Big money for Ralf but the return hasn't been good enough, outpaced by Trulli Ralf has been second best at Toyota this season. Needs to improve to justify his salary. 5/10
Zonta: Last seen giving Mr Bibendum a right good kicking. Didn't get to play even when he did get in the car. N/A (no score. no laps)

Monteiro: He's done more race laps than any other driver so far this season. 100% finishing record is impressive (and somewhat surprising in a Jordland). The podium was lucky but he beat his team mate to get it so there was some merit to it. 7/10
Karthikeyan: Seems to have great car control, which is lucky really because his car always handles like a shopping trolley. He's put in some good performances but seems to break his car on a regular basis. 6/10

Friesacher: I can't actually picture what he looks like. That sums it up really, pretty anonymous but not surprising given the equipment. 5/10
Albers: Leaving the DTM probably seems like a bad idea now but recently he's started to show some of his ability as the Minardi improves (it'll soon be as good as the DTM cars he left behind). 6/10

[MichaelH]

Michael Schumacher
the car's slow, he isn't. In my mind he's as good as ever, but not used to battling like this. A few more mistakes than normal can be excused because he's having to push that bit harder to find the extra tenths. Imola was as good a drive from Michael as I've seen in the last few years, and his last lap at Monaco was amazing, you can never count him out, he's an 8 time WC for a good reason. 9/10

Rubens Barrichello
Actually I think on balance he's been closer to Michael that ever this season, it's a good, consistant effort again. But he just can't find the extra gear Schumacher can. Would we have seen an Imola like charge from Rubens? I don't think so; he seems more content with his lot wheras Michael's always wringing the car's neck. Spat out his dummy after Monaco for no good reason; it's called motor racing for a reason. 7/10

Jenson Button
the pace is obviously still there, but after such a difficult year it's quite hard to judge him. You can't totally blame the whole Imola saga and ban for his lack of points, and nor can you just blame unreliability, he hasn't been bringing the car home as much. At Montral we saw a huge effort for a podium end against the wall, but more recently he's got his head down and brought home the points. Tough times for him. 6/10

Takuma Sato
who? He's been totally anonymous this season, showing little of the flair and promise which suggested such a big future last season. Early in the season, comparable with Jenson in that neither of them were able to do anything but while Jenson's got it together, Taku hasn't, yet. 5/10

Fernando Alonso
Canada aside, perfect. Car slightly slower than the McLaren, but Alonso can be guaranteed to maximise his points every time out with a maturity way beyond his years. Kimi's maybe a bit faster, but Alonso's by far and away my driver of the season so far. Loses half a mark for his outburst and then stuffing it into the wall at Montreal. 9.5/10

Giancarlo Fisichella
I'm sad for him because it looks likely he's going to end this season with his reputation damaged. Alonso's potentially the sports next Schumacher, so in a way it's not too surprising that he's being beaten, but unfortunately he's had so much bad luck (?) this season in his own right. When Fisi's in the mood, I still think there's very little in ultimate speed between him and Fernando. He could have won at Montreal, should have beaten FA in Spain, should have been on the podium at Sliverstone, etc. And every time he's had a problem where he's been blameless. It's funny Fernando's reliability has been so rock solid considering they're in identical cars...........7/10

Mark Webber
Really hasn't impressed me. In qualifying he's occasionally been superb, in the races he just doesn't seem to do anything. The contrast with Nick Heidfeld is clear for all to see, Mark starts ahead, finishes behind and makes 1001 excuses to the press about why he was beaten by his team mate. 6.5/10

Nick Heidfeld
Webber seems to have an edge in qualifying, but when the car's semi competitive in the race you'd bet your mortgage on Nick finishing ahead anyway. His aggressive, consistant driving has been a joy to watch, particularly at Monaco. 8/10

Kimi Raikkonen
On his day this season he's been brilliant, but people are quite forgiving of his inconsistancy. At Melbourne he delivered one of the messiest drives I've ever seen, at the Nurburgring when he was miles ahead and had no need to push he kept on running over the gravel, locking up and generally made a mess of what should have been an easy ten points. Poor Kimi? I don't think so. But on the other hand, he has had his fair share of bad luck and at times has been sublime. I think he's the most exciting driver on the grid and would love him to mount a serious title challenge in the second half of the season. 8.5/10

Juan Pablo Montoya
Still got it. Kimi might be quicker but unlike Fisi at Renault, JPM is able to step out of his shadow and impress in his own right just by being himself. Has had a lot of misfortune, hasn't let himself get downhearted and his Silverstone win was well deserved. It didn't matter that Kimi was faster, JPM put in a classy drive and got the points. Wheel to wheel he's great and is afraid of no-one. Hardly perfect but still an F1 star. 8/10

Jacques Villeneuve
Getting better. You can't be a World Champion without talent and JV has that, but he looked hopeless early in the season. Recently his performances have gone from being a second slower than all but the Jordans and Minardis to top tens and points finishes. Good to see. 6.5/10

Felipe Massa
Exciting driver, and with a more mature head on his shoulders these days. At times has looked very strong, suggesting the Sauber's not actually such a bad car - but like Sato, I'm feeling he might have found his level and long term could struggle to get much further up the grid. 7/10

David Coulthard
Great at Melbourne, steady therafter, was all ready to say that he wasn't really setting the track on fire (again), then comes the Nurburgring and he's great. Overall, Red Bull must be delighted with him, he's providing the experience and consistancy they needed and is doing a better job than Webber did at bringing the car home in the points regularly. 7.5/10

Christian Klien
Seems to be basking in his reputation as the most improved driver on the grid, but since Melbourne and Bahrain, things seem to have gone off a little. Had to step aside for Liuzzi, but since regaining his place in the race team, has lacked sparkle. 6.5/10

Tonio Liuzzi
Disappointing. Everyone's hyping the guy up as a potential superstar, he gets his chance and doesn't really do much. Still has potential, but pushing him into a race seat at the expoense of Klien didn't seem to do anyone any good. 5/10

Jarno Trulli
Bahrain and Sepang, brilliant. Toyota appeared to have race winning pace and Jarno was making the most of it, keeping Alonso honest and it looked like Toyota had finally turned the corner. But neither he nor the team have really replicated that form elsewhere and lately he's been less convincing, starting well up, holding the cars behind him up and finishing in the lower reaches of the top ten. Seen it all before, you give Jarno an imperfect car and he just doesn't quite seem able to make the most of it. Still a fine season. 7.5/10

Ralf Schumacher
Slow start to the season, but he's been racking up a surprising number of points. In qualifying seems constantly a step behind Trulli, but since Toyota have dropped off the development a bit and slipped back, Ralf seems to be very close, and indeed over a race distance, has been beating Jarno. 7/10

Tiago Monteiro
Got the headlines for his Indy "podium" but all he had to do was beat his team-mate and the Minardis. Has generally shown less flashes of brilliance than Narain (read, none), but quietly gets on with his job in a car way off the pace. Hard to assess. 5.5/10

Narain Karthikeyan
Looked very promising at the start of the season, and sometimes a bit scrappy. We've certainly seen more of him that Monteiro, and long term I think his prospects are better, but lately he seems to have dropped off a bit. Many thought third at Indy was his for the taking but he fell way short of his team mate on the one day it really mattered. 5.5/10

Patrick Friesacher
Doing as good a job as you'd expect, hasn't been embarassingly bad, has kept it on the track and has made no headlines. Another who's hard to judge but at least he's a lot better than Yoong. 5.5/10

Christjan Albers
Gets an extra .5 for that excellent qualifying lap at Montreal. Otherwise, has looked on a par with his team mate, maybe just a little bit better ; and has done a good job in the circumstances. 6/10

[Gerben24]

Judging on their performance with the equipment given to them:

Alonso 9.5 His drive in Melbourne and Imola were memerable. The nerves got to him in Montreal, therefore not a 10. Needs a haircut

Raikkonen 9.5 When he has a weekend without any mechanical failures he wins. He is a pleasure to look at when behind the wheel. Messed up in Sunday qualifying at Sepang.

Michael Schumacher 8.5 Had some good drives, Imola was amazing, was very quick in Bahrain as well. Had a lot of bad luck. I think his move on Barrichello in Monaco was his highlight of this season. The weekend in Silverstone was one of his worst. Made a lot of mistakes.

Montoya 8.5 Typically has had bad luck. Has been on the pace since Nurburgring (with injections against the pain???). Still Raikkonen is quicker.

Trulli 8 Everybody knows he is quick in qualifying and had a couple of podiums. I'm still not convinced of his race pace though. Ralf can not match him in qualifying but is just as quick if not quicker in raceconditions. Also needs a haircut.

Coulthard 8 Is not always as quick in Qualy as he should be, but his racepace is always there. He's been a revelation this year. Welcome back DC.

Heidfeld 8. He has surprised me a lot this year. Nurburgring was a very good drive by Nick. Has a lot of solid drives under his belt this season. It wouldn't hurt if he took it little more risks now and then.

Albers 8 Best of the rookies I think. Don't forget he is driving a Minardi on a lot of new tracks. In the race he is ussualy a lot faster than Friesacher. I enjoyed his qualifying lap in France although it wasn't quick. I hope he gets a better drive next year but probably won't because his homecountry isn't really interesting for the car manufacturers market.

Massa 7.5 Everybody was talking about Villeneuves bad performances, could this have something to do with Massa doing a good job? Montreal was a very good race by Fellipe. Has to watch Jacques though, he is coming!

Klien 7.5 Has improved a lot since last year. Makes DC work for his money. Deserves his seat. Further than that, I don't really rememeber anything in particular from him.

Tiago Monteiro 7 Finishes every race. Well done. Is always quicker in the race than his teammate, should improve in qualifying.

Button 7 France & Silverstone must have been a win for him, because the cars that finished in front of him seem a lot more faster. He has surprised me a couple of times in qualifying, still during the race he always looks the one that is very easy to overtake.

Fisichella 7 Brilliant drive in Melbourne. He has had a lot of bad luck, but he is also not fast at every track. Was a contender again in Silverstone. He must have been so gutted in Canada where they told them to push, because his team mate was a second a lap quicker (I know he had a few laps more fuel on board).

Webber 7 Is doing what is expected from him. Like Trulli good in qualifying, not good enough in racepace. Has made some stupid remarks about his teammate that made me lose my respect for him.

Villeneuve 7 Has had a rough start, but he is getting there. Still room for improment!!!

Ralf Schumacher 7 You never see this guy, but he is scoring points though! Has to improve on Saturday afternoon around 1pm.

Friesacher 6.5 Usually reasonable quick in qualifying, but he is slow during the race. Because he has been in F3000 I expected him to be quicker than Albers because he knows a lot more tracks.

Barrichello 6.5 What to say of him??? He has had a few podiums. Nurburgring was good where he came from way back. He should be constantly quick which he isn't. He also shouldn't have whine so much about that overtaking manoevre of Schumi in Monaco.

Sato 6 He hasn't shown anything this year. Button has got him in his pocket. Still makes too many mistakes.

Karthikeyan 5.5 Got a lot of publicity because he comes from India. Seems a very nice guy. Still doesn't belong in F1 (yet)!

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by MichaelH

Michael Schumacher
he's an 8 time WC for a good reason.

He isn't

[MichaelH]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

He isn't

oops.

7, even.

[Dani Filth]

Michael Schumacher: 8/10
Rubens Barrichello: 6.5/10

Jenson Button: 7/10
Takuma Sato: 5/10

Fernando Alonso: 9/10
Giancarlo Fisichella: 7/10

Mark Webber: 6/10
Nick Heidfeld: 7.5/10

Kimi Raikkonen: 9.5/10
Juan Pablo Montoya: 7.5/10

Jacques Villeneuve: 4/10
Felipe Massa: 6.5/10

David Coulthard: 8/10
Christian Klien: 7/10
Vitantonio Liuzzi: 6/10

Ralf Schumacher: 6/10
Jarno Trulli: 8/10

Narain Karthikeyan: 6/10
Tiago Monteiro: 6.5/10

Patrick Friesacher: 6/10
Christijan Albers: 7/10

[Louis B.]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Michael 8
Rubens 7

Jenson 7
Takuma 6

Fernando 10
Giancarlo 7

Mark 6
Nick 7

Kimi 10
Juan Pablo 8

Jacques 7
Felipe 7

Jarno 8
Ralf 6

David 8
Christian 7
Vitantonio 5

Except for Nick to whom I would give 8, I must confess agreeing with KB on the above.

[mac]

I think Nick has been massively over-hyped by the press. He's been good and has not made many mistakes at all, but he's hardly been the new messiah in terms of blowing away his team mate for pace. Usually they're pretty much in the same place on the track.

I'd give Nick a slight edge for consistency. It's certainly been the most interesting team battle this season!

[Kirk]

Webber's has disappointed (at this point) while Nick has, as many predicted, been solid. I think it is this combination that has resulted in some over enthusiastic reviews of Nick. I doubt Webber will ever be as consistent but he is expected to (eventually) be quicker. A half season is still not enough time for a proper assessment or for either driver to reach their maximum at Williams but I suspect Webber will improve, while I'm not so sure if there is anything more in Nick's tank. But he has been underestimated before. A more competitive car would be desired by both obviously, however it's difficult to say if that will favour either.

[Super Tourer]

Some drivers suffer from a basic inconsistency that doesn't improve with time or change of team/car.

Ralf being one example, and I suspect Webber is another. JPM veers into this category slightly, so it will beinteresting to see if the win at Silverstone really galvanises him in the 2nd half of the season/

[BootsOntheSide]

Michael 8 - Flashes of the old genuis despite alot of crcusmtances going against him. Coming 3rd in the championship in what is probably the 4th-best car would be quite an achievement
Rubens 6 - His time at Ferrari has probably ran its course, and it's time a young talent was given the drive, with Rubens perhaps leading a team like Sauber forward.

Button 8 - Only the Canada retirement has been his fault, and he's showed real pace in an uncompetitive car.
Sato 6 - Awful circusmtances can't hide his lack of killer pace, especially as his eraticness returned to cost the team further points in France.

Alonso 10 - Has scarcely made a mistake all season, dominant on pace in every direct comparison with Fisichella, and really starting to look like the finished article.
Fisichella 6 - Disappointment of the season. You can't entirely blame mechanical failures, as Silverstone and perhaps Montreal were his only chances to beat Fernando

Webber 7 - The faster but less reliable Williams driver
Heidfeld 7 - The slightly slower but more reliable Williams driver (sorry for the fence-sitting)

Kimi 9 - A shame he overdid it on the tyres at Barcelona, as the rest of his season has been superb
JPM 7 - I'm sure 2006 will be better, as he was matching Kimi in the first 2 races, and by the time he got back the momentum had swung. Hopefulyl Silverstone is the beginning of a stronger second half of the season

JV 6- Has been faster than Massa almost every time since Monaco, and was unlucky not to get a big result in Montreal. To my suprrise he's overcome his awful start quite well.
Massa 7 - Startig to be reined-in by JV, but still a reliable and pacy driver who can pick up the odd point

DC 8 - Perhaps the surprise of the season, although I always suspected that RBR would maximise his strengths and minimise his weaknesses. Other than the odd lacklustre qualifying lap, fabulous, and I bet he's added a lot to the team's overall pace and cohesion
Klien 7 - Could've been more if he had the full season, but the momentum seems to be gone. Tied with Heidfeld for most improved driver.
Liuzzi 6 - It's too soon to write him off, but he scarcely impressed for a moment in his first block of races

Trulli 8 - Both Jarno and Toyota have a reputation for flattering to decieve in qualifying, so it's hard to know who's at fault. In any case, 3 front-rows and 3 podiums is a good haul in a mediocre car
Ralf 6 - It's sickening that he gets paid so much more than Jarno. He's simialrly fast in race trim, but getting blown away in qualifying.

Montiero 7 - His amazing finishing record is the highlight of a respectable and solid rookie season, which has seen his pace improve recently.
Karthikeyan 6 - Early promise has been compromised by an awful weekend at Monaco (caused by his lack of experience of the track, coupled with Tiago's street-circuit record), Trevor Carlin's departure and the feud with Colin Kolles. Still, I'd like to see him get a seocnd chance somewhere else

Albers 6 - Needs to tidy up his speed, but still better than you'd expect given his F3000 record and long spell out of single-seaters.
Friesacher 5 - Probably not capable of speeding up his tidiness, and now unlikely to get the chance. Not a huge loss to be honest.

I won't bother rating the one-offs, as it's hard to make any verdict from them.

[Redlake27]

Michael Schumacher: 9/10
I'm more impressed with MS than ever. His last lap at Monaco proved he is still a racer. If he hadn't been caught in the Monaco shunt and not had a puncture in Spain, he would be well placed in the title race should Bridgestone get the upper hand in the second half of the year

Rubens Barrichello: 6/10
Very anonymous. And resorting to moaning about his team mate isn't going to help his job prospects. However, I don't think anyone outside of the Alonso/Kimi league could do a better job.


Jenson Button: 7/10
My memory seems to tell me that Button has only really battled hard in one race in the last five seasons (Germany last year). In every other race he is as good as his car. Ranging from super-lightning (not-lightening) quick to mediocre.


Takuma Sato: 5/10
I'm a big Sato fan. And he looked feisty at Imola. But he really needs to nail Button to be taken seriously.

Fernando Alonso: 10/10
Apart from Canada, faultless. After seeing Trulli beat him in the first half of 2004, I was wondering, but this year has buried any doubts.

Giancarlo Fisichella: 7/10
He needs a confidence boost. I used to hail GF as the 2nd-best driver in F1 and was relishing this year. I fear that instead we have a Ricardo Patrese for the new millennium. However, like his compatriot, give him a fast reliable car and things could be so different. Should be second in the championship if it wasn't for mechanical issues, and the possible wins in Canada and UK would have restored confidence

Mark Webber: 6/10
Very disappointing. The pace is there, but simply too many mistakes.

Nick Heidfeld: 8/10
Needs to prove he is faster than Webber over one lap, but in the races he seems to deal with overtaking far more cleanly than most

Kimi Raikkonen: 9/10
Difficult to see how he could have done better. Will be interesting to see how he deals with Montoya if his team mate has rediscovered his form.

Juan Pablo Montoya: 7/10
Silverstone apart, a disappointment. He may have been hard done by in Canada, but he compounded it with errors. Same at Monaco.

Jacques Villeneuve: 5/10
I'm amazed he is still around. Someone of his reputation should be poking this car into places it hasn't been before. But he just pokes it into team-mates, sand-traps etc etc


Felipe Massa: 7/10
I find him quite enigmatic. He was thrashed last year at Sauber by Fisi, but this year has proved pretty solid

David Coulthard: 8/10
Has emerged as a team leader, F1-statesman and rookie coach par excellence. As one of the biggest DC bashers of the past, I have to say I have been massively impressed this year, and I hope that the Red Bull Ferrari of 2006 is a car of podium potential

Christian Klien: 7/10
At this stage of his career, a rookie needs to be thrashing his benchmark team mate. Schuey did it to Piquet, Ralf did it to Hill, Button did it to Villeneuve. Nothing that Klien does suggests that DC's career is ending, and for that reason I have to say that the Austrian is not someone with huge long term potential.

Vitantonio Liuzzi: 5/10
I really expected him to do better than Klein, and better than DC. A huge disappointment.

Ralf Schumacher: 6/10
Very average. Obviously stunned by Trulli's pace in a team Ralf wanted to make his own. Considering how well Ralf used to qualify a Williams, it makes me wonder how many poles Frank would have had with Trulli instead.

Jarno Trulli: 9/10
At Prost he buried Panis. At Jordan he ended Frentzen's top-line career. At Renault he thrashed Button and matched Alonso. At Toyota he is destroying Ralf. Yet the jury remains out for most people. Not any more for me. If I was Ferrari, this is who would replace Barrichello.


Narain Karthikeyan: 6/10
Difficult to rate, but I like his style. Would do well as a third driver in a top team where he could learn a lot.

Tiago Monteiro: 6/10
Seems steadier than his team-mate, but I can't see him being in F1 for long. But at least he has a podium.

Patrick Friesacher: 6/10
Almost unnoticed, but now out of money.

Christijan Albers: 7/10
The extra point over his team mate comes from a couple of impressive qualifying performances

FORECAST
I hope that there is an upturn in Bridgestone performance. Three successive Schuey wins would set up a three way title fight between the three best drivers out there. Apart from that, I'd like to see wins for Fisichella and Trulli.

[N I Tram]

Kimi, Alonso and Trulli all deserve 9s. Michael, Jenson and DC 8. JPM, Fisichella and Heidfeld 7. Webber, Rubens, Karthikeyan, Montiero, Massa, Sato and Klien can all have 6. Otherwise nobody has really impressed, although JV has improved recently.

[Skam85]

Michael Schumacher - 7.5 He has driven a good car great, in my opinion, the car isn't the Ferrari of old, and he, as a 7 times WDC does, is putting it where it doesn't really belong. Although it has to be said, not as much fire this season as others. 3rd in WDC flattered by USA GP.

Rubens Barrichello - 5.5 A good drive in Oz and a great drive at the Nurburgring highlights. Kudos for being a little more outspoken, but on track efforts need to match his big words.

Jenson Button - 8 I admire Button for trying. Hasn't let his head drop, and a podium will come. Qualifying well, and BAR seem to be heading back on the up.

Takuma Sato - 6 I don't get all this garbage about Taku being a crasher, makes to many mistakes etc...BAR have been making the mistakes this season, and Taku, like Jenson, has been trying. France was a little sloppy, but he was pushing like hell, and over drove a little. Tidy performance, not outstanding.

Fernando Alonso - 9.5 Only not getting the 10 because of his unforced error in Canada. Brilliant drives in Oz, Bahrain, Imola. Benefitted greatly in Europe, but he better watch his back - McLaren are coming! Might just have enough in the tank. Just.

Giancarlo Fisichella - 6 An utterly dominant (somewhat fortunate) display in Oz, but his season has really hit a brick wall. Are Renault rigging his car? No. Is he overdriving? Oh so slightly. Bad luck? Yes, but not ALL bad luck...

Mark Webber - 7 A little disappointing so far, but it is 80% the cars fault. Unlucky in Malaysia (damn Fisi), SHOULD have been 2nd in Monaco, other than that, fantastic qualifier, car needs to be better race-equipped.

Nick Heidfeld - 7.5 Just beats Webber, as he is a little neater and more polished in races. So he should be as he has been in F1 two more years than Mark. Struggles a little in qually, but I'm impressed so far. I have always rated Heidfeld, and he and Webber are a good team up for Williams. Again, 80% car, 20% driver.

Kimi Raikkonen - 8.5 He has hit his straps, and as long as McLaren Mercedes lift their reliability (over the WHOLE weekend), he SHOULD run away with most races. Too many variables to say he will win WDC just yet. Kimi of 2003 performance so far minus Micheal.

Juan Pablo Montoya - 7.5 His shoulder injury slowed him up in the first part of the year, but he is on a roll now and will give Kimi a good challenge for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, McLaren will be nearly fully focussed on Kimi's season, with Juan being a rear gunner to keep the Renaults behind. He won't like it, and I hope it doesn't come to that.

Ralf Schumacher - 7 Has been strangely anonymous so far, but he is putting in some really solid drives. Has outdriven Trulli of late, but needs to improve in qually, as he is getting smashed in that aspect. Impressed in Monaco with a sterling 6th.

Jarno Trulli - 8 Qualifier of the year, but slightly flattered by the podiums early on while McLaren had their teething problems. Seems to be slowing off a little of late, needs to reinvent the spark of Malaysia and Bahrain.

Felipe Massa - 8.5 I simply can't fault this guy. Tempted to give him a 9, but he has been a little bit shadowed by a momentum-increasing Villeneuve. Super drive in Canda. Hope to see him in a Ferrari soon.

Jacques Villeneuve - 6.5 Really slow start to the season, but he has improved a lot in recent times. But so has the car. Whether he has been good enough to keep the drive remains to be seen.

David Coulthard - 9 A faultless performance, but has been pushed by Klien. Question - is the car better than last year, or is DC better than Webber? I am not answering that.

Christian Klien - 8 A huge improver, and I haven't found anything wrong with his performance to date.

Vitantonio Liuzzi - 4 Hardly seen him, but I have to say in his 4 races he hasn't impressed.

Tiago Monteiro - 7 Like, Klien, has shown great improvements, but this is his rookie year. I would love to see him drive on in 2006. Between him and Albers for Rookie of the Year.

Narain Karthikeyen - 6 Started well, hasn't shown improvement from Monaco on though. Will struggle to keep his seat if he doesn't improve. Imola 12th fastest lap time highlight.

Christijan Albers - 7 Has been the best of the Minardi's so far, shadowed by Friesacher slightly in qually, but race pace has been good.

Patrick Friesacher - 6.5 Pretty tidy, keeping a slow car on the track and out of the way of front runners. Deserves to keep his seat for the rest of the season, but will he? Unlikely.