F1: Top 5 drivers of the 2013 season

The 2013 season ended with Formula One bidding goodbye to the V8 engine’s as it awaits to enter a new era in 2014. But undoubtedly the season belonged to one man Sebastian Vettel who was dominant to say the least.

Here’s a list of the Top 5 driver’s of the 2013 season with an honorable mention at the end.

1. Sebastian Vettel

He reined supreme in 2013. Crowned a Champion for the fourth time in succession, Sebastian Vettel re-wrote history books quite often during the season.

An absolute no-brainer. The 26 year old more than covered up for a slow start to the season by breaking records with each passing race in second-half. Red-Bull and Adrian Newey were able to get their act together after the tyre-fiasco at Silverstone and from there on there was no stopping Vettel. He won races with incredible ease wining nine races on the trott starting from Belgium till the season finale in Brazil. Another record that he matched was of 13 race wins in a season held by his compatriot Michael Schumacher.

High-point – Dominant in winning races and fourth driver’s Champion title

Low-point – Multi-21 incident involving teammate Mark Webber in Malaysia.

2. Nico Rosberg

Nico Rosberg rose to the occasion in 2013 giving a tough fight to his star teammate Lewis Hamilton as he won in Monaco and Silverstone.

The German proved his critics wrong in the 2013 season. After having out-performed seven time world Champion Michael Schumacher in Mercedes, he was impressive matching his British teammate and former Champion, Lewis Hamilton, often in qualifying and with race wins in Monaco and at Silverstone. Even though he finished 18 points adrift of Hamilton he maintained his composure and had a mature drive in 2013, which infact was his most successful season in Formula One. He might have finished better than Hamilton if it wasn’t for the unreliability of the Mercedes in a few races that let him down.

High-point – Winning in Monaco, matching his father, Keke Rosberg’s feat exactly after 30 years.

Low-point – Finishing ninth after starting from pole in Bahrain

3. Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso finished second in the points but it wasn’t the best year for the Spaniard in a struggling Ferrari.

The Spaniard was done in by a not so impressive Ferrari as he finished another year behind Vettel. Even though he won in China and his home race in Spain the F138 wasn’t able to match the consistency and speed of the RBR9 which it had done in the previous season. The Spaniard would be hoping for a turn around in 2014.

Highlight : Home race win in Spain.Low point : Unable to convert his second places(5 overall) into wins

4. Romain Grosjean

Romain Gorsjean showed he has what it takes to be in Formula One as he finished on the podium despite his first lap incidents in the 2012 season,

Quite remarkably is the most improved driver of the year. From being tagged as a “first lap nutcase” last year to a regular podium finisher in the season, Grosjean was able to match team-mate Raikkonen in the second-half of the year, not only in qualifying but also in the races as well. He was spurred on by being given the preference once Raikkonen decided to quit Lotus at the end of the season. But at the end it was his maturity, less eccentric and more confident driving on the track that helped him finish the season with 6 podiums and also a contender for matching the Red-Bull’s in 2014.

High-point : Getting rid of the sobriquet- first lap nutcase and 2nd place finish in Austin, TexasLow point : Crash in Monaco a reminiscent of his last year first lap mishaps

5. Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen, with a single win in Australia, consistently reached the second spot on the podium though the later half of the year he performed well despite a sour back.

The Flying Finn was consistently fast throughout the season. The proof of that was his record 27 successive Formula One races in the points that came to an unfortunate end when the Lotus driver retired from the Belgian Grand Prix with brake failure. He was able to adapt to situations and that helped him moved up the order after falling back in a few races. He started the season with an emphatic victory in Australia but was 2nd on the podium for a remarkable six times. Towards the end of the season he had to battle with his back not to mention a rift with Lotus that eventually led him to move to Ferrari for 2014. Undoubtedly, the Iceman is quick when he is at his best.

High-point : Win in Australia after starting seventh on the gridLow point : Rift with Lotus and the back problem which started in Singapore

Honorable Mention

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg remained the dark horse for another season as he pushed his Sauber to the limits and was able to match the speed of the front runners quite immaculately.

He undoubtedly remains the dark-horse of Formula One. His achievements in the Sauber were simply outstanding. He was matching the speed of the likes of Alonso and Hamilton(in Korea)after the mid-season break and as Sauber was able to get on track with their development and upgrades. He was able to qualify in the top 10 consistently and remained eager to finish races among the top 5. Force India would consider themselves lucky that his back in the driver’s seat for them as the top-teams failed to hire the highly talented driver due to lack sponsorship backing.

High point: Fourth place finish in Korea and qualifying third in ItalyLow point: Unable to start in Australia due a to fuel feed issue with the Sauber.