1. Fernando Alonso - a true, well-deserving champion. He drove sensibly in what was the
best car of the year (read best, not fastest). One mistake all year, and my highlight was
that move on Michael Schumacher thru 130R. Still can't believe he did it!
2. David Coulthard - many reading this will ask 'why?', but he drove the wheels off that Red Bull. May not be crash hot at qually, but come race day, he's the man.
3. Kimi Raikkonen - I'm not going to hide the fact I don't like the guy, but hey, he drove really, really well sometimes. Just not well enough to beat Alonso.
4. Christian Klien - Most improved driver of the year, and caps off a great year for the Red Bull pair. Some terrific races, and I would say his race today has probably gained him a position or two. Would be a terrible shame if he ended up driving for STR and the car is a dog because this guy can go places if managed right.
5. Michael Schumacher - A terrible year for him, really, but the fact he was P3 in the WDC (okay, he would have probably been 4th or 5th if everyone had raced in the USA) shows what a true star he is. Put the car where it didn't belong, especially in Hungary and Imola, but just the fact he was so far ahead of Rubens in the same car gives him points in my book, because, let's face it, Rubens is no tugger.
6. Juan Pablo Montoya - I'm not sure what to make of his season, because he outpaced Kimi more often than not from Silverstone on, but before that he was no-where. I did think it would take him a while to get used to the car, but as I said, brilliant finish to the year (bar the final two races, where the points difference to Kimi blew out a bit)
7. Ralf Schumacher - I reckon he actually had a better year than Trulli. Look at qualifying vs. finishing position and you will find Ralf 90% of the time went up, while Trulli dropped. He smashed Trulli in the 2nd half of the season, and it all bodes well for another good teammate battle in '06.
8. Mark Webber - In qualifying, he was the man. Again, put the Williams where it shouldn't be, and was only outqualified 5 times. Solid finish to the year and hopefully the Williams Cosworth will be a good car...
9. Jenson Button - Vey solid finish to the year, but there were time early in the season where he should have been higher, but he just wasn't. I am still left to wonder a lot of the times, where does his mid race speed go, he just doesn't seem to have any. But, he did get a lot more out of the car than his teammate did.
10. Tiago Monteiro - Rookie of the Year, by a comfortable margin. A solid driver, maybe not super dooper Kimi/Fernando quick, but more like a Panis-esque driver, where 9 times out of 10 (or 18 times out of 19
) he will bring the car home in one peice, and sometimes in the points. Hopefully we see him back in a better car. A team like Sauber would have fitted his talent well, but looks like only Midland is his option.
Dissapointing seasons for Sato, Barrichello, Fisichella and Villeneuve.