Top F1 Drivers to watch in 2019

We're already a race into the 2019 season but there's never a bad time to just sit back and analyze the field to figure out where everyone stands on the grid. For anyone new to the sport or for anyone still getting to grips with the sport it's always nice to come across something like this. More importantly though, for avid Formula One fans, this is a huge topic of debate to decide who fits where in the leaderboard.

This is why I decided to take up this task of ranking the top 5 drivers on the grid. The list takes into consideration factors like achievements, peak performance, consistency, recent form and of course some bias from my side(it is my list after all)

#5 Valtteri Bottas

Maybe it's the beard after all

Races: 120

Wins:4

Poles:6

Podiums:31

The "other" driver at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas has slipped down the pecking order because of a comparatively mediocre stint until now at Mercedes. While his teammate has romped off to titles Valteri has been forced to play second fiddle with many even raising question marks over Mercedes choosing Valteri over Ocon for 2019.

On the positive side though, he's still driving a championship winning car and has started the 2019 season with a bang by grabbing the perfect score of 26(by winning the race as well as bagging the fastest lap). Many in the paddock have felt a definite change in Valtteri's approach and demeanor this year(is it because of the beard?) and even he acknowledged that he put together the best race of his life to win in Australia. The question marks will surely remain throughout the year until his contract is finalized but if Valteri can keep on replicating his form from the first race of the season then Mercedes won't have to think twice before extending his career.

#4 Charles Leclerc

Leclerc drives for Ferrari in just his second season in Formula One

Races: 22

Wins: 0

Poles:0

Podiums:0

The next big thing? Surely he is. Charles Leclerc's journey even at a tender age of 21 has been full of so many ups and downs that you really have to commend him for making it to the big stage so early. And it doesn't end at that in only his second year in F1 he's grabbed hold of one of the most coveted seats in Formula One as he was promoted from Sauber to Ferrari after just one season.

His story is not the kind of fairytale you'd expect from someone cracking a Ferrari seat at 21 yrs old. His story is of determination, hard work and crazy amounts of mental strength as he lost his Godfather Jules Bianchi and his father before he made it to the big leagues. How good is he? Bloody good, good enough to be the world champion? I think we'll know the answer to that in the next two years. For now, it would be interesting to see how his battles with the big guys shape up and how he measures up against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Vettel and Max Verstappen.

#3 Max Verstappen

Yes he's still in his early twenties

Races: 82

Wins: 5

Poles:0

Podiums:23

It's hard to believe that he's still just in his early twenties because when you think Max Verstappen you think of a legitimate title contender, a once in a generation talent and arguably a Sureshot future World Champion. He's breathtakingly fast and on his day it's hard to pinpoint anyone who could beat him.

By the end of last season, he pretty much stamped his authority over Daniel Ricciardo after consistently beating him since his crash at Monaco. But having said that why does Max find himself at third? It has more to do with the mental aspect for him than anything. The only chinks in Max's armor come from the fact that he's still very young and probably a bit too volatile for his own good which sometimes leads to mistakes. In due time he will iron that out as well but for now, he finds himself at 3rd.

#2 Sebastian Vettel

A 4-Time World Champion driving for the most prestigious team on the grid

Races: 220

Wins: 52

Poles:55

Podiums:111

A 4-time world champion who has already proven his worth in F1. His stats speak for themselves and for sure Sebastian Vettel would be counted among the greats of the sport once he decides to hang it all up.

Currently driving for Ferrari, Vettel has been the runner-up for the last two years and this is probably the reason why he's not Number 1 on this list. If the list was made in 2013 there wouldn't have been many doubters against Vettel being the best driver on the grid but in the last few years, Lewis Hamilton has stamped his superiority over Vettel to such an extent that it's hard to place Vettel above him right now.

Vettel has made some serious errors at times when he shouldn't have and in situations which are not expected of a 4-Time World Champion and that has tarnished his image a bit. 2019 will be very important for Vettel as well as he begins his quest yet again for his first world title with Ferrari.

#1 Lewis Hamilton

The best driver on the grid right now

Races: 230

Wins: 73

Poles:84

Podiums:135

There would hardly be any doubters against this one because such has been the dominance of not only Lewis but the Silver Arrows ever since the Turbo era began. Lewis seems to be the gold standard driver (if there ever is) on the grid right now and he has beaten his adversaries fair and square at every opportunity.

Last year, the Mercedes was not the outright fastest car on the grid but still, Lewis had the ability to string together better results than what someone of the caliber of Sebastian Vettel managed to speak a lot about how good he was. He's in a great mental space right now as well as he has found the right balance in his personal and professional life which clearly shows. In 2019 Lewis would be raring to put even more gap between himself and Vettel as he goes after his 6th world title.

F1 News, Calendar, Standings, Results, Predictions and more on Sportskeeda