F1 Mid-Season Review: 5 best drivers at the halfway stage

The grueling Formula One calendar takes a break for about a month after an impressive first half of races that saw the World Championship slide from one end to the other.

By the end of the latest race in Hungary, the Championship scene looked a little bit clear though, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton building up a bit of a gap over his closest rival in Sebastian Vettel. But Hamilton will know better than to retreat into a false sense of security at this stage, as past years have proven that the second half of the campaign can throw up a number of surprises and lead to shocking conclusions.

Hamilton raced to victory at the Hungaroring quite comfortably, but in doing so, the Briton basically kept history against him, as no driver has gone on to win the World Championship after winning in Hungary since 2004. That dubious statistic aside, the 33-year-old has yet again proved his worth for a Mercedes team that is showing some serious pace in both its cars.

At the other end is Ferrari, with Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen showing off some lightning speed of their own. While it hasn't all gone according to plan, the Prancing Horse can expect to make a comeback on the back of impressive lap sessions in testing at Hungary.

Apart from Hamilton and Vettel, a few others have emerged as outside contenders for the title based on their performances, and here we are ranking them in order of their exploits in this F1 season:

#5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

Don't be fooled by Daniel Ricciardo's happy-go-lucky nature and relaxed demeanour, because the Australian can be a real tough nut to crack on his day. After rising to the top ranks at Red Bull, the driver has excelled when others have failed and despite being a shade slower than the Mercedes' and Ferraris, has smartly been able to bring up points for his team. Ricciardo has two victories already this campaign, and the win at the Chinese Grand Prix was proof of his superior overtaking ability that was also on show in Hungary after starting from way back on the grid.

As the calendar goes on, don't be surprised if you see Ricciardo putting some pressure on the top brass in F1.

#4 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

It has been a case of so close yet so far when it comes to describing the season of Valtteri Bottas. Much was expected from the Finn after he moved to a much faster racing machine in Mercedes, and many are now witnessing the potential that was talked about in the years prior.

But a major victory has eluded the driver thus far despite putting in a number of strong performances. Hamilton has been quick to acknowledge his teammate's efforts this season and did so as recently as Hungary, where Bottas kept Vettel from gaining on Hamilton and unfortunately suffered damage late on. Similarly, Bottas missed out in Azerbaijan when a puncture denied him a famous win, but still led to Hamilton taking the chequered flag. A team player no doubt, he just needs some luck to go his way.

#3 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

Much has been said about the future of Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari and indeed in F1, but the truth is that there is something very dependable about the Finnish driver, and he has certainly proved his worth to his team this season.

Even though his partner Sebastian Vettel is clearly the number one driver at the Italian giants, Raikkonen, in somewhat trademark fashion, has quietly gone about his job and done it quite brilliantly. He regularly finishes on the podium, and though he hasn't climbed the very top as much as he would have wanted, his astonishing lap times largely during practice and qualifying show that he is capable of taking his scarlet piece of machinery all the way. He perhaps just needs that little bit of luck that Bottas at Mercedes is craving so much too.

#2 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

Since joining Ferrari, there has been an air of inevitability over Sebastian Vettel's next Championship win, but that hasn't quite materialized just yet. But it's fair to say that it sure looked like this was his year after a very strong start to the campaign.

After winning in Australia and Bahrain, it appeared as though Ferrari would open up a huge lead at the top of the standings buoyed by the pace of their car and the obvious skill of Vettel. But silly mistakes on the part of the German somewhat stalled that momentum even though a victory for the former Champion at Silverstone was something to be proud of.

Nonetheless, Vettel has emerged much stronger this year as compared to last season, and in a fast car, he has the added push he needs to go all the way. Will he do it? Only time will tell.

#1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

It is common knowledge that Lewis Hamilton was born to race. The Brit has been breaking records and setting his own since he was a toddler, and he's taken that winning spirit into his F1 tenure as well.

Practically dethroning Fernando Alonso at McLaren a decade ago, Hamilton has used some of that ruthless aggression to power his way to many victories and subsequent World Championships. He looks on course to do it again this year even though he faces stiff competition from Ferrari.

Hamilton used his luck in Baku to good advantage, and came out firing in the races following it as well. His ultimate stamp of authority came at the German Grand Prix though, where he won from 14th on the starting grid, showing his true class in the process.

With a lightning-quick Mercedes by his side, it could end up being another Hamilton special atop the driver standings by the end of the season.

Edited by Arvind Sriram