1. Lewis Hamilton – You know what? I still think Lewis is the best out there. Why? Consistent. Fast. Smart. Competitive. Oh, and he also drives for the best team in Mercedes. Can anyone beat him this year? Well, good luck y’all.
2. Max Verstappen – Mad Max is probably the quickest driver on the grid. He’s also agressive, fearless and incredibly talented. Red Bull Honda is still not ready to win a championship though and Max suffers from that.
3. Charles Leclerc – I must admit, Leclerc suprised me last year. Even though he made a lot of mistakes and I must add that he also overdrove way too many times, he still made some strong showings and came out huge in his first season with Ferrari. With all the pressure he had on his shoulders, he put up some solid results. Let’s see if he can keep up the pace in 2020.
4. Valtteri Bottas – Valtteri 2.0 lasted 4 races, but man, I almost believed he had what it takes to win the championship. He came back to normal pretty quickly, it’s a long season… but let’s be fair, Bottas is fast, and he will win some races in 2020. Can he beat Lewis though? Hmm… Nope.
5. Carlos Sainz – Carlos suprised me so much last year. He was kicked out of Renault after they signed Ricciardo, was even beaten by Hulkenberg! And I wasn’t even sure he had what it takes to have a long career in F1. Last year, he proved me and many others wrong. The best of the rest, as they say, even better than Gasly and Albon, the Red Bull #2 drivers… I keep wondering, does Red Bull have regrets? Wouldn’t he be the ideal partner for Max?
6. Sebastian Vettel – Last year, we got a 2014 version of Seb, which is bad. Beaten by Leclerc, just like he was beaten by Ricciardo a while ago, there were even rumors of retirement surronding him. 5 years ago, he bounced back. Can he do the same now?
7. Sergio Perez – To me, Perez is the most underrated driver out there. He’s not the fastest out there. But boy, he is consistent, and always seems to make the most of any opportunities he gets. I wouldnt be suprised to see him back on podiums this year.
8. Daniel Ricciardo – Daniel is still one of the best out there, a shame that his Renault car is still way behind the competition. Arguably the best overtaker out there, he made this Renault team his own. This year will be crucial for him, if he still wants a shot at a top team.
9. Lando Norris – Lando Norris made a great first impression. He’s quick, and would have score way more points without reliability issues. Watch out Carlos Sainz, Lando is not far begind.
10. Alexander Albon – This guy came from out of nowhere. I still don’t understand how he did it, but he was good enough at Toro Rosso to beat Kvyat and get the Red Bull seat. While there, he did better than Gasly. If he can keep his consistency, he will be the ideal #2 driver to Max Verstappen.
11. Kimi Raikkonen – Good old Kimi still has it. The Alfa car isn’t good at all, but Iceman made the most of it. He is not as fast as he used to be, but for those wondering if he’s to old to be here, I don’t think he is.
12. George Russell – How good is George Russel?
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Kevin Magnussen
15. Daniil Kvyat
16. Esteban Ocon
17. Antonio Giovinazzi
18. Lance Stroll
19. Romain Grosjean
20. Nicholas Latifi
CW's F1 Editorial Blog 