With that, I can now do a driver's season review!
Hamilton: At glance this has looked like Hamilton at his strongest, but this was by far his easiest championship. The car's as fast as ever but at least Rosberg was pushing him each race. This year he either cruised to the win or had everything fall into place for him. Nonetheless, he didn't jinx it, and he made almost no errors throughout the entire season. Unless Red Bull's pace carries over then it should be an easy 8th title next year.
High point: Winning the title in Turkey on inter-mediums.
Low point: Losing his race streak at Sakhir.
A+
Bottas: I would be less fed up with him if he didn't keep claiming he's gonna fight Hamilton for the championship, because after four years it's obvious that he can't. He's been very good in qualifying, but he's been consistently slower in the races and had lousy starts putting him in positions that the car isn't designed for. He has also had all the bad luck in the world, as many as 70 points may have been lost through circumstances out of his control. Next year will be much of the same, he'll probably win the first two races or so while Hamilton's still a bit shaky, then drop off from then on.
High point: Winning the season-opener outright.
Low point: Every race he didn't win.
C
Verstappen: Verstappen has been very strong all season, but unfortunately until today the car has not been fast enough to properly challenge Mercedes, and he's had to do all the work himself as Albon is never in a position to be a wingman. Once again reliability has been terrible. Possibly as many as 100 points have been lost through mechanical failures and accidents that weren't his fault. He drove the car to the max (no pun intended) but has also been a little impatient with race craft.
High point: Winning Abu Dhabi.
Low point: Losing the gearbox in Austria, which set the tone for his whole year.
A
Perez: Perez has really shone this year in a car that is genuinely competitive after years stuck in the midfield. He clearly has plenty left in him and still has plenty of drive and determination. We'll just have to see what happens to him next year.
High point: Winning Sakhir.
Low point: Missing two races cause of COVID.
A
Ricciardo: Silent but deadly would sum it up well. Very opportunistic racing that meant he could snatch valuable points at key times. The start was a bit shaky but Spa was the real turning point which started 11 consecutive points finishes. He should do well at McLaren next year.
High point: 3rd place at the Nurburgring.
Low point: 5th to 14th at Silverstone.
A
Leclerc: Overall I would say he's driven better than last year, despite the car being much worse. He's out-driven it at many moments but is also still having disastrous opening laps. A championship will happen but it may not be for a little while.
High point: Getting 2nd at Austria.
Low point: Taking himself and Vettel out at the following race.
B
Sainz: Sainz is very strong, very reliable, and isn't afraid to fight with the leaders when he can. He is the full package, but I don't really see him as championship material unless he lucks himself into a fast car like Rosberg. If we have any races next year like the ones this year he very well would win his first race.
High point: Taking the lead at Portimao.
Low point: Being in the pile-up at Mugello.
A+
Albon: Oh dear. I've basically ran out of sympathy for the position he's in. Something went wrong at nearly every race. Today he did what he should have been doing all season. He qualifies badly, then starts the race even worse and makes no progress. There's very little positives to take this year, and he shouldn't be on the grid next year.
High point: Having the potential to win in Austria.
Low point: Everything else.
E
Norris: Norris has really come of age, both on and off track, where he has provided huge amounts of entertainment. He's really pioneering a new way that F1 drivers present themselves to the world, and proving himself to be no slouch in the races too.
High point: The last lap at Austria.
Low point: Having no pace in Portimao.
A
Stroll: Overall this has been a reasonably good year for him. He's performed better than before, but still not well enough to justify his seat. Like with previous years he's had brief flashes of brilliance but otherwise been average.
High point: Pole at Turkey.
Low point: A five-race run with no points.
B
Gasly: A very strong candidate for driver of the season. His win at Monza was truly magical considering everything he went through last year. AlphaTauri is not really a team you're supposed to build a career at but he may have as there's nowhere else to go, but he is really shining there.
High point: Monza.
Low point: Bowing out at Imola.
A+
Ocon: He hasn't lived up to expectations this year. Ricciardo more than got the better of him, and don't think Alonso as a team-mate will be good for him. The year off has definitely taken the edge off his speed a bit.
High point: First podium at Sakhir.
Low point: Scoring almost half the points of his teammate.
C
Vettel: Despite it being his worst year on record, I view this in a more positive light than last year. It was clear from the get-go that the car was not going to be competitive, and that took at away any real expectations. When the announcement was made that he'll go to Aston Martin next year that started to reinvigorate him a bit, and it's clearly to see how much the team has let him down over the past few years with a twitchy car, dodgy strategies and lousy pit stops.
High point: A controlled and mature drive to 3rd in Istanbul.
Low point: Monza.
C
Kyvat: He's been far less destructive than normal, but I don't think he should have come back, and he hasn't been as consistent as Gasly. Hopefully Tsunoda takes the seat next year.
High point: 4th at Imola.
Low point: Crashing out at Silverstone.
C
Hulkenberg: Mr Super-Sub! Maybe we'll see him back in 2022, but either way he needs to be racing somewhere!
High point: Qualifying 3rd at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
Low point: Failing to start the British Grand Prix.
A
Raikkonen: The Iceman has been about as half-arsed and indifferent as ever. I'm amazed he's still getting any thrill out of fighting for 16th each race. Sure next year will be his last?
High point: His amazing first lap at Portimao.
Low point: Finishing last at Silverstone.
C
Giovinazzi: Italian Jesus has had another very quiet year in which very little happened. He kept Raikkonen reasonably honest but with Raikkonen's age and lack of motivation he really should be doing better, especially with drivers like Callum Ilott in the mix. He's racing for another year but ultimately he's destined to join the long list of unremarkable midfielders that come and go and leave little to no impact on the sport.
High point: Going from 20th to 10th at Imola.
Low point: The pile-up at Mugello.
C
Russell: Oh George, what could have been. He's proven this year just how good he is. Sakhir was a real wake-up call for the sport, even if he didn't get much from it in the end. My main concern is his inability to capitalise on mistakes in crazy races. He's often ended up finishing way lower than he should, several opportunities for points went by him, and he doesn't deserve another year rotting in that Williams. It's time for something better.
High point: Sakhir.
Low point: Sakhir.
A
Grosjean: That's not the way anyone wants to end their career, but Grosjean's days were numbered anyway. He's been well past his best for quite some time now.
High point: Getting up to 9th at the Nurburgring.
Low point: His career quite literally going up in flames.
D
Magnussen: A career that started strong but never really fulfilled its potential. His tongue is sharper than his driving but he's been a well-liked and dependable driver in an extremely toxic team.
High point: The genius last-minute strategy call to start Hungary on intermediates and finish 9th.
Low point: Having to retire from Imola because the car was giving him a headache.
C
Latifi: He's here because of money. Enough said. He's not destructive or reckless, and has been more opportunistic than Russell, but he hasn't performed any better than Kubica or Sirotkin did.
High point: 11th at Imola.
Low point: Possibly being the catalyst of the pile-up at Mugello.
C
Aitken: Sakhir was going reasonably well until the spin. He's a candidate for a 2022 seat.
High point: Maintaining pace with Raikkonen and Magnussen.
Low point: Spinning and possible taking Russell's win away.
C
Fittipaldi: He's done a very good job as Grosjean's replacement, especially considering the lack of running in any race cars this year. He doesn't have a drive next year but it's possible we may see him in the future, who knows.
High point: Outqualifying Latifi at Abu Dhabi.
Low point: Being forced to start last at Sakhir.
B
