F1: 5 drivers who need to up their game for the remainder of the season

Kimi Raikkonen defended brilliantly from the menacingly quick Lewis Hamilton for the better part of 45 laps. In the end, it took something special and mercurial, something that only Hamilton could have provided, to pass Kimi.

On lap 45, the fate of the battle at Monza turned on its head. But not before unveiling right in the opening lap itself as to who the frontrunners for the podium were.

Amid massive support for both Raikkonen, as some placards stated loud and clear, "Kimi is the best", impassioned in their support of the Iceman, Lewis Hamilton who melted the ice this time duly thanked those who upheld the British flags.

But in a sterling Raikkonen versus Hamilton show, there were only a few gains, for instance, great gains for the likes of the Racing Point Force India'. But generally, a few formidable drivers didn't exactly endure a great race at the heart of a very princely Lombardy.

So which five drivers need to better their form for the remainder of the season?

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#5 Sebastian Vettel

Vettel has got to find a way to win ahead

It doesn't help Vettel one bit that he currently trails championship-leader Hamilton by a margin that only seems to be protruding. With a 30-point deficit that he's yet to cover, there can only be one possible option for Vettel in what lies ahead.

He has to win at Singapore, should Ferrari (395 points) currently also trailing Mercedes (415 points) on the Constructor's manage a turnaround.

And for that to happen, what will be utterly unacceptable for Vettel would be to finish behind Lewis. From a form perspective, Hamilton's form guide points to great wins at USA and Mexico in the past, tracks where Vettel has struggled.

That said, what can Sebastian, who could only manage a fourth do in the races ahead?

#4 Daniel Ricciardo

Monza marked a second DNF for Daniel since Spa

To be honest, there's an awful lot expected from the 'honey badger.' He's the one driver that everyone enjoys seeing win.

But that told, Ricciardo, who has gone winless since his fantastic Monaco triumph has only been able to register a best-place finish of P4, since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.

It hasn't helped his game one bit having endured not one but two DNFs, since the resumption of the contest post-Hungaroring wherein he managed fourth.

After Spa-Francorchamps' heartbreak, at Monza, Dan-Ric, as he's often referred to endured another 'smoky' moment as his car failed to run the full measure of 53 laps.

#3 Max Verstappen

Verstappen couldn't do much at Monza in the end

Capricious and talented, one doesn't quite know which Max Verstappen would turn out on race day.

For starters, there was every bit of an opportunity to land himself up on the podium at Monza. But at the end, sticking with a rather needless show of 'daredevilry', a facet whose exhibition has also fetched Max some great results, such as the 2016 Interlagos drive, at Monza, Verstappen would get a racing penalty.

Not that it didn't compromise his own race. It snatched the third-place on the podium from his grab only to swap it with Bottas.

But Verstappen's needless contact with Valtteri as the duo approached the chicane in the final stages earned him the ire of the Merc fans and in the end, what was left was the sight of Max hitting out at the racing stewards.

Now, as the racing caravan heads to Singapore, where Max was sort of sandwiched by the two Ferraris, he'd be well-advised to drive well and understand that he may have got a reputation to save. Perhaps, being labelled 'Crashstappen' cannot give him the pleasure that making a bold and clean move on the tarmac or asphalt can.

He's still running in fifth on the standings and should focus on driving clean, error-free races.

#2 Valtteri Bottas

Bottas was partly fortunate to get a third at Monza

To be fair to Bottas, one doesn't quite know how to label Bottas' 2018 season.

Clearly, before the mid-season break, he was touted as among the quickest but unluckiest of drivers. His woes underlined by the non-finish at Baku, a track where he seemed certain to win.

His troubled continued at Spielberg, Austria where immediately after another non-finish he would fail to manage a podium at Silverstone.

Finally, at the Hungaroring, it can be safe to say, a Grand Prix that he'd much rather forget, it didn't help the talented Finn one bit to have made contact on two occasions, first with Seb and later with Ricciardo.

As he failed to finish inside the top four at Hungary, it didn't help his cause to have played clearly a second-fiddle to Lewis at Monza. Despite trailing Raikkonen on the standings where he's currently fourth, Bottas would be more worried about having gone winless this year.

#1 Fernando Alonso

Alonso failed to finish at Monza

There were be drivers every now and again. But none would be able to match the energy and emotion that only a Fernando Alonso can provide.

Sadly, however, that's something Alonso is being drained out off; that thrill of fighting and the thrill of being able to finish a Grand Prix competitively.

In a car that on most racing days turns volatile and barely drivable, there was heartbreak for the Spaniard at Monza where he'd retire. It is also here at Lombardy where thanks to his efforts that Ferrari last won in 2010, in a show of immense skill and daring.

But that said, having seen Alonso crash out, thankfully ditching what might have been a fatality, given the suddenness with which he was struck, a DNF at Monza only amplifies his struggles.

As the 2018 season now moves on to its last legs, beginning with the rounds at Asia, there would be nothing more important than seeing Alonso at least break into the top five of a race. Can you do it, Fernando? May the force be with you