• 20th. Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) 2/10 Pretty forgettable debut year. Was often involved in clashes at the back of the field and his mistakes were not what Williams needed during their rebuilding phase. Will be very fortunate if he is still on the grid in 2019. All images by Getty Images
    20th. Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) 2/10 Pretty forgettable debut year. Was often involved in clashes at the back of the field and his mistakes were not what Williams needed during their rebuilding phase. Will be very fortunate if he is still on the grid in 2019. All images by Getty Images
  • 19th. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) 2/10 The affable New Zealander has struggled to make an impact with Toro Rosso. Rarely a match for younger teammate Pierre Gasly and Abu Dhabi will be his swansong from the sport.
    19th. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) 2/10 The affable New Zealander has struggled to make an impact with Toro Rosso. Rarely a match for younger teammate Pierre Gasly and Abu Dhabi will be his swansong from the sport.
  • 18th. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 3/10 The Swede gave it his all, but his efforts were put into context by those of his rookie teammate Charles Leclerc. Abu Dhabi will almost certainly be his race in F1, having lost his seat for 2019.
    18th. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 3/10 The Swede gave it his all, but his efforts were put into context by those of his rookie teammate Charles Leclerc. Abu Dhabi will almost certainly be his race in F1, having lost his seat for 2019.
  • 17th. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) A mixture of having a bad car and Fernando Alonso being his teammate wrecked the Belgian's confidence. Really struggled at times, but he deserves credit for sticking at it and his eighth place in Mexico, under the circumstances was laudable. 4/10
    17th. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) A mixture of having a bad car and Fernando Alonso being his teammate wrecked the Belgian's confidence. Really struggled at times, but he deserves credit for sticking at it and his eighth place in Mexico, under the circumstances was laudable. 4/10
  • 16th. Lance Stroll (Williams) 5/10 Hard to really judge the Canadian given how bad the Williams has been this year. Largely done a better job then his teammate and has made some impressive starts to races. Fortunate to be getting a rumoured drive at Force India for 2019 and that will be a better gauge of his performance level.
    16th. Lance Stroll (Williams) 5/10 Hard to really judge the Canadian given how bad the Williams has been this year. Largely done a better job then his teammate and has made some impressive starts to races. Fortunate to be getting a rumoured drive at Force India for 2019 and that will be a better gauge of his performance level.
  • 15th. Romain Grosjean (Haas) 4/10 Crashing behind the safety car in Azerbaijan and then his first-lap spin that caused carnage in Spain were real low points. Has good speed when he stays out of trouble but his hopes of ever getting a top seat are probably done after this year.
    15th. Romain Grosjean (Haas) 4/10 Crashing behind the safety car in Azerbaijan and then his first-lap spin that caused carnage in Spain were real low points. Has good speed when he stays out of trouble but his hopes of ever getting a top seat are probably done after this year.
  • 14th. Carlos Sainz (Renault) 5/10 An odd year for the Spaniard. Was unfortunate that as his form improved during the year the speed of the Renault became more inconsistent. Will hope for better at McLaren in 2019.
    14th. Carlos Sainz (Renault) 5/10 An odd year for the Spaniard. Was unfortunate that as his form improved during the year the speed of the Renault became more inconsistent. Will hope for better at McLaren in 2019.
  • 13th. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 5/10 Is likely to end up at Mercedes in 2020, but the fact he did not consistently beat Perez in his second full year in F1 was disappointing after his impressive debut year. His role in the controversial clash with Max Verstappen in Brazil also did him little credit.
    13th. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 5/10 Is likely to end up at Mercedes in 2020, but the fact he did not consistently beat Perez in his second full year in F1 was disappointing after his impressive debut year. His role in the controversial clash with Max Verstappen in Brazil also did him little credit.
  • 12th. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 6/10 The Dane's best year in F1. Had the edge over the inconsistent Romain Grosjean and 10 points finishes is a good level of consistency. Still has a tendency to get sucked into incidents with his aggressive driving style though.
    12th. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 6/10 The Dane's best year in F1. Had the edge over the inconsistent Romain Grosjean and 10 points finishes is a good level of consistency. Still has a tendency to get sucked into incidents with his aggressive driving style though.
  • 11th. Sergio Perez (Force India) Only driver not racing a Mercedes, Ferrari or a Red Bull to get on the podium in 2018 when he got third in Azerbaijan. Held his own against teammate Esteban Ocon throughout the year.
    11th. Sergio Perez (Force India) Only driver not racing a Mercedes, Ferrari or a Red Bull to get on the podium in 2018 when he got third in Azerbaijan. Held his own against teammate Esteban Ocon throughout the year.
  • 10th. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 6/10 Would have won in Russia had it been earlier in the season and he not had to fall victim to team orders to help Lewis Hamilton's title challenge. Season has largely faded after a promising start and needs a good result in Abu Dhabi to lift his mood going into the winter.
    10th. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 6/10 Would have won in Russia had it been earlier in the season and he not had to fall victim to team orders to help Lewis Hamilton's title challenge. Season has largely faded after a promising start and needs a good result in Abu Dhabi to lift his mood going into the winter.
  • 9th. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 6/10 His win at the United States GP showed he still is capable of beating the best. Too often went missing in races, however, when his car was capable of better, and that is why he has been dropped by Ferrari. for Charles Leclerc. Abu Dhabi will be his 152nd and last race for the team before he moves to Sauber.
    9th. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 6/10 His win at the United States GP showed he still is capable of beating the best. Too often went missing in races, however, when his car was capable of better, and that is why he has been dropped by Ferrari. for Charles Leclerc. Abu Dhabi will be his 152nd and last race for the team before he moves to Sauber.
  • 8th. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) 7/10 It is a shame the last memory most F1 fans will have of the double world champion is of him being demoralised, moaning on the radio, while driving a poor car. Made the most of what was available to him and the fact he has consistently out-performed teammate Stoffel Vandoorne shows the effort was always there.
    8th. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) 7/10 It is a shame the last memory most F1 fans will have of the double world champion is of him being demoralised, moaning on the radio, while driving a poor car. Made the most of what was available to him and the fact he has consistently out-performed teammate Stoffel Vandoorne shows the effort was always there.
  • 7th. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 7/10 Another solid year from the German. Nothing too spectacular but to be the highest driver in the standings that is not racing for one of the top three teams should not be underplayed.
    7th. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 7/10 Another solid year from the German. Nothing too spectacular but to be the highest driver in the standings that is not racing for one of the top three teams should not be underplayed.
  • 6th. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) Finishing fourth in Bahrain was one of the performances of the season by anyone. The Frenchman was sometimes let down by the vagaries of the Toro Rosso's performance but he is definitely worth his promotion to Red Bull for 2019.
    6th. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) Finishing fourth in Bahrain was one of the performances of the season by anyone. The Frenchman was sometimes let down by the vagaries of the Toro Rosso's performance but he is definitely worth his promotion to Red Bull for 2019.
  • 5th. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 7/10 Winning Monaco with an ailing car was a fantastic achievement. He was hurt badly by mechanical unreliability and eight retirements in a season is a freakishly high number in the modern era of F1. But, he was consistently beaten on raw pace by Max Verstappen even when he did have a clean weekend.
    5th. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 7/10 Winning Monaco with an ailing car was a fantastic achievement. He was hurt badly by mechanical unreliability and eight retirements in a season is a freakishly high number in the modern era of F1. But, he was consistently beaten on raw pace by Max Verstappen even when he did have a clean weekend.
  • 4th. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 7/10 Five wins is not to be sniffed at, but too many mistakes proved costly and is why the four-time world champion is second best again. When he hooks up the perfect weekend he is unbeatable. The problem is they do not happen enough.
    4th. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 7/10 Five wins is not to be sniffed at, but too many mistakes proved costly and is why the four-time world champion is second best again. When he hooks up the perfect weekend he is unbeatable. The problem is they do not happen enough.
  • 3rd. Charles Leclerc (Sauber) 8/10 Leclerc has more then lived up to the hype. The 2017 GP2 champion has done some superlative things at times in a Sauber and how he fares in a Ferrari in 2019 is a very exciting prospect.
    3rd. Charles Leclerc (Sauber) 8/10 Leclerc has more then lived up to the hype. The 2017 GP2 champion has done some superlative things at times in a Sauber and how he fares in a Ferrari in 2019 is a very exciting prospect.
  • 2nd. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 9/10 After a poor start to the season in which he had too many crashes or incidents with other drivers, the Dutchman really stepped on in the second half of the season. Consistently quicker then his much vaunted teammate Ricciardo and deserved his wins in Austria and Mexico.
    2nd. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 9/10 After a poor start to the season in which he had too many crashes or incidents with other drivers, the Dutchman really stepped on in the second half of the season. Consistently quicker then his much vaunted teammate Ricciardo and deserved his wins in Austria and Mexico.
  • 1st. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 10/10 Superb season. Did not always have the best car throughout the season but usually got the maximum out of his package at every opportunity. Fully deserves his fifth drivers' championship, winning 10 races along the way.
    1st. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 10/10 Superb season. Did not always have the best car throughout the season but usually got the maximum out of his package at every opportunity. Fully deserves his fifth drivers' championship, winning 10 races along the way.

F1

Ranked: From Lewis Hamilton to Sergey Sirotkin, how did the 2018 Formula One drivers score?

Ahead of the season-finale Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 25, Graham Caygill ranks how all 20 drivers performed this year

Graham Caygill

November 15, 2018

  • English
  • Arabic

Only the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 25 remains of the 2018 Formula One season.

The first 20 races have yielded plenty of action, with Lewis Hamilton having already secured his fifth drivers' championship.

Ahead of the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit, sports editor Graham Caygill assesses and ranks each of the 20 drivers who have competed this year.

Each driver has been rated on a scale of 1-10. If there are two drivers on the same score, the one with the best result achieved in a race will be placed higher.

Scroll through the gallery above.

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Read more

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Comment: Lewis Hamilton enjoys his best ever season and his dominance is set to continue

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Everything you need to know about tickets and the 2018 race weekend

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025Fernando AlonsoF1Max Verstappen