Formula One 2013: Drivers' Report Card

The number one name in racing driver coaching today rates the class of the 2013 formula one season.

The number one name in racing driver coaching today rates the class of the 2013 formula one season

Sebastian Vettel
Red BullStrengths:Has mastered the art and craft of squeezing the maximum out of an F1 car. Superb direction change, thereby shortening the time he actually spends cornering. Has an excellent relationship with Adrian Newey.Weaknesses:Becomes very tetchy if being out-performed by a team-mate.

Jenson Button
McLarenStrengths:Skilled and fast with more F1 experience than anyone. A very delicate touch with the car which helps bring it home in good condition.Weaknesses:Less manipulative than some on the shorter corners (of which there are an increasing amount ) and this costs some time. With his “longer corner” driving style, if there is any handling issue with the car, it occurs for a greater percentage of the lap.

Lewis Hamilton
MercedesStrengths:Always in the top four or so, and always fast. A great natural driver.Weaknesses:Less involved with the team than he can be and therefore less likely to contribute to the development process.

Fernando Alonso
FerrariStrengths:Relentless and fast. “Always there”, as he puts it.Weaknesses:Politically manipulative, which up to a point can help, but he over-stepped the line this year and it didn’t help his situation at Ferrari. Like Vettel, very unhappy with team-mates who can threaten him. Will be hugely unsettled by Raikkonen’s appearance this season.

Kimi Raikkonen
LotusStrengths:Zero interest in politics, zero interest in team-mates. Probably won’t even say “good morning” to Alonso. Easily one of the fastest drivers on the planet.Weaknesses:Enjoys a night out every now and then.

Felipe Massa
FerrariStrengths:Has huge experience and is capable of some good qualifying laps and this can affect race results for others.Weaknesses:Not always maintaining this pace throughout the whole race or season. However, his time at Ferrari had him looking in his mirrors at Alonso rather than looking ahead and this cannot have helped him. The change to Williams may do him good.

Pastor Maldonado
WilliamsStrengths:A real fighter with great car control and speed.Weaknesses:Seems to be relying on said car control a bit too much and his input rates look more aggressive since his great victory in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.

Valterri Bottas
WiiliamsStrengths:Considerable. Absolutely the best of this year’s newcomers. Terrific natural ability and a willingness to learn and work closely with his engineers. Excellent rates of input as a driving style.Weaknesses:Nothing apparent. This one can go to the very top.

Romain Grosjean
LotusStrengths:Has developed dramatically during the second half of 2013. If he keeps this up, could turn into true number one material. The 2014 season is crucial.Weaknesses:Has yet to prove leadership qualities with a team starting with a new car. Helped by Raikkonen’s presence during 2013 perhaps more than he acknowledges.

Nico Hulkenberg
SauberStrengths:One of the fastest of the new blood and tragically over-looked by some teams because of his size (too tall) He is determined to prove them wrong.Weaknesses:Only his size.

Nico Rosberg
MercedesStrengths:A true hard worker who certainly involves himself in as much of the development as he can, and derives advantages from this. It helps him cross the finish line sooner than Hamilton from time to time.Weaknesses:A fraction slower than Lewis in the natural driving stakes.

Adrian Sutil
Force IndiaStrengths:Very skilled, very fast.Weaknesses:Does he involve himself with the team enough?

Jules Bianchi
MarussiaStrengths:An attacking and determined driver and owner of some notable performances. Highly rated in certain circles.Weaknesses:Still needs to prove himself against a tougher team-mate

Sergio Perez
McLarenStrengths:Unafraid to attack, particularly in the braking area and pretty good on the manipulative stuff for direction change. Massively determined.Weaknesses:Needs to tidy his driving style a bit more, and operate within narrower constrains.

Charles Pic
CaterhamStrengths:Steadily gathering experience.Weaknesses:Over-shadowed by his less experienced team-mate. Must work on his driver development.

Giedo van der Garde
CaterhamStrengths:Extremely fast and the next in line behind Bottas of the new drivers Determined to learn and earned a lot of credit for his 2013 performances.Weaknesses:Only his newness.

Max Chilton
MarussiaStrengths:Sensibly brought the car home in every race.Weaknesses:Never showed the pace of his (also) rookie team-mate.

Paul Di Resta
Force IndiaStrengths:Experienced and rapid.Weaknesses:Not as easy to address as some drivers and therefore difficult to warm to. Likened to tennis player Andy Murray (a fellow Scot) by some.

Esteban Gutierrez
SauberStrengths:Surprised some people with his qualifying speed (and race pace on occasion).Weaknesses:Still hasn’t looked to himself enough in terms of his own development.

Daniel Ricciardo
Torro RossoStrengths:Huge qualifying speed and generally a very fast racing driver.Weaknesses:Doesn’t always get the race results his qualifying speed suggest. Perhaps he was just out-performing his car on a single lap. This year will provide the answers.

Jean-Eric Vergne
Torro RossoStrengths:Astounding wet weather car control and always a pleasure for true enthusiasts to watch in these conditions.Weaknesses: Could be relying on his natural ability and car control too much at the expense of some technical detail in his driving.

Mark Webber
Red BullStrengths:A good high speed, solid performer. With a lot of experience. Will be hoping his switch to sports cars achieves for him as much as it did for Jacky Ickx. But team-mates in the Porsche squad will make that tough.Weaknesses:His driver inputs (steering, throttle etc) are larger than those of Vettel and this promoted higher tyre wear.