I actually (as usual) have a few candidates:
There's the main ones, with Alonso, Perez and Senna, but I thought Vergne, Raikkonen and Maldonado (yes Maldonado) drove very well too.
Here's why:
Alonso - Like Monaco 2011, I did not consider him for the race victory at all even when he was leading until the latter stages, I thought Hamilton and the Red Bulls would gain on him, but they never did. Qualified 9th? Or 8th? Or was promoted to 8th after the penalty?
Fernando Alonso was 7th in the Fastest Lap standings and 8th in Qualification. He finished 97 seconds clear of his team-mate. He leads the Championship in a car that has been ridiculed for the first fortnight of this season. He was in a car that was at no point the fastest, but he won. Incredible! I really cannot vote any other way.
- Tetley's Teabag yokel.
Perez - Got into the top 10, this is just a wee bonus point for me, unlike other midfielders that usually get into the top 10, he actually set a qualifying lap in Q3. Astonishing pace, like Alonso, I did not consider him for victory or a even a podium when he was up in second, thought it was a lucky strategy call and he would undoubtedly slip back. But he proved The Sly wrong (getting proved wrong happens constantly to me
) , really should have won the race, but he just pushed too much and got excited, a bit like Grosjean although to a lesser extent. Not only that, he was apparently told by his "future employers to stay put", yet he still closed the gap to his "future team-mate"
Senna - Out qualified by Frankenstein, but his pace like Perezezezez was great, was dead last for the first 13 laps, came through the field charging (HE WAS ON A CHARGE!!!) completing some nice overtakes and earned himself his best finish in F1 to date.
Maldonado - Out-qualified Senna, had a great start and was up into fifth, lost out in the pistops and was fell down to 14th, made his way up to 10th, either he collided with someone, or it was him missing his pitbox entry (I did not see it, but Galahad and TBY mentioned it) which contributed him being in 19th, nevertheless he made his way through the field and was up in to tenth lapping faster than his team-mate until his egnine problemo.
Vergne - Well the Toro Rosso's looked strong in practice, but the opposite in qualifying for whatever reasons, started 18th, made his way up into 10th, then stayed out brilliantly on the intermediates, and never left the track unlike those on full wets going off even when the safety car was out! Managed to stay calm and scored his first ever world championship points finishing in 8th.
Raikkonen - Started 10th, on the backfoot throughout the weekend, out qualified his team-mate, and never used the intermediate tyres or wet tyres before, yet he managed to finish in 5th comfortably, even with a KERS issue at the start of the Grand Prix. Got the fastest lap of the race, elevating him to 3rd in the all time fastest laps, rather than joint 3rd with Alain Prost.
Sorry for the long post, but I thought some drivers may have been overlooked, and I am struggling on who to give it to.
Alonso or Perez?
Think I will give it to Jean-Eric Vergne.
