Lewis Hamilton has once again been voted the best current driver in Formula 1 by the F1 team bosses. Hamilton has topped the poll for the fourth consecutive year, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas slipped down to tenth place.
Hamilton claimed his fourth world title this year, wrapping it up at the Mexican Grand Prix. While Hamilton was first on the list, he was followed by 20-year-old Max Verstappen in second place. In third was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Daniel Ricciardo was fourth, heading Esteban Ocon. Ocon's teammate Sergio Perez dropped entirely out of the top 10 list. Behind Ocon was the double-world champion Fernando Alonso, who is hoping to return to the front of the grid next year, when McLaren run with Renault power.
There was a tie for eighth place, with Kimi Raikkonen and Carlos Sainz both occupying the spot. Sainz's teammate at Renault Nico Hulkenberg was ninth, while Bottas rounded out the top 10. Bottas' position is one down from where he stood in 2016.
Replies (4)
Login to replymcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
This voting list is from bosses. So, the point is who gives more "bang for buck", is n't it? Perhaps, thats why Ocon rated more than Alonso.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Ricciardo, Vettel close to the top, but Fernando behind Ocon? Raikkonen in eight tied with Sainz, and both ahead of Bottas who won three races? Sergio Perez outside of the top ten? I mean... I take is seriously because it came from F1 bosses but I have no idea what the criteria was for this. Especially Raikkonen, how the hell did they rank him ahead of Bottas, Sainz, Perez? I'd rank him alongside Felipe Massa.
dr002
Posts: 141
For F1 bosses to rank Bottas at 10th, it just goes to show how strong they perceive the Mercedes car to be.
If it is indeed that strong a better driver would surely give Hamilton a run for his money!
More should be done to put the best drivers in the best cars. They should move Bottas back to Williams whilst they still have the chance, and give a better driver a chance to take on Hamilton....... Likewise with Raikkonen
With such a disparity between the performance and reliability of the cars in 2017 most of the excitement came from the inter team rivalries. Pitting Hamilton and Vettel against a top competitive driver would be worth switching on for!
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I never classed Rosberg as a great driver, but either this point at how good the Mercedes car is, or it point something at how good Rosberg actually was.
About the reliability: worst thing is, I actually dont think the reliability woes would've been this bad had the teams been allocated more parts from the get go.