Here's my summary of each driver:
1 - Sebastian Vettel - After a fantastic start to the season, with podiums at every race until his home race at the Nürburgring, the mid-season 'blip' has made him score the most points bar Alonso in the last 2 Grands Prix. He looks good for a second World Championship in as many years, and at age 24 is, although it is perhaps too early to say, quickly becoming a record breaker. (10/10)
2 - Mark Webber - This year has been indifferent for the Australian so far, with no race wins and only 3 Pole Positions compared to his teammate's 8. Yet he still finds himself 2nd in the Drivers' Standings, by being consistently in the points. He has, in fact, finished every race this year in the top 5. He will need a seriously strong finish to match his teammate, however, and if he can keep onto 2nd, he will have done OK. (7/10)
3 - Lewis Hamilton - Whilst some have criticised his overly flamboyant nature, both on and off the track, his 2 wins this year have been amongst his best. Although some bad races in Monaco and Malaysia have caused rants against both his team and the FIA, and a collision with his teammate at Montréal caused a DNF with broken suspension, he is still 3rd in the World Championship and leading his vastly more experienced teammate in the points tally, and has potentially the fastest car for the second half of the season. (8/10)
4 - Jenson Button - Great drives in Canada and Hungary, at his 200th Grand Prix, meant that his reputation for changeable conditions has increased to a great extent. However, he has not won a fully dry Grand Prix since Turkey 2009, and his pure speed compared to Hamilton is definitely not as good. (8/10)
5 - Fernando Alonso - A strange start to the year, with a collision with his old enemy Hamilton in Malaysia, but a decent 3rd place in Istanbul. However, he has outqualifyed his teammate at all Grands Prix except for Hungary, and he has finished on the podium in 5 of the last 6 Grands Prix. He feels confident that he can win the Championship, however that would be an incredible achievement should he do it. (8/10)
6 - Felipe Massa - Whilst the early season pace was matching Alonso's, his last few Grands Prix have been very mediocre, and he has fewer than half the points of Alonso. We can only assume that he will never be as fast as he was pre-Hungary'09, and Ferrari will have to think about a replacement pretty soon if he continues in this form. (5/10)
7 - Michael Schumacher - He's had a very inconsistent start to his 2011 campaign. His teammate has been quicker in most races, and although I think he is still one of the greatest drivers ever, some pundits (like a certain Mr. E Jordan) believe his reputation has gone. Although he might stay on for another year, I hope both he and Mercedes try and give someone else a drive for next year (any one of three Force India drivers are in with a chance). (6/10)
8 - Nico Rosberg - After beating the (statistically) best driver ever for the past year and a half, he should be held in much higher esteem, but as he has not won a race yet, the jury is perhaps still out. (8/10)
9 - Nick Heidfeld - Although his team thinks he needs to improve, as well as both UK commentary teams saying he is under pressure, he has more points than Petrov, and although he has been outperformed in qualifying, the points tally says otherwise. His highlight, his podium at the Malaysian Grand Prix, was a great drive, but two engine/exhaust fires have been bad to his races, with him having to sit out of qualifying in Spain and retiring from the race in Hungary. (7/10)
10 - Vitaly Petrov - This year has been a massive improvement over 2010, however he still needs to be consistently in the points to be seen as a success for 2011 (7/10)
11 - Rubens Barrichello - Although Rubens is the second fastest driver round the Top Gear Test Track, he is yet to emulate that on the F1 calendar. He has had the beating of his teammate, however that is perhaps not an achievement too worthy of mention. I don't feel he has another chance at the title, and perhaps he should retire to let a GP2 star enter the F1 circus. (6/10)
12 - Pastor Maldonado - Very simple this summary. Inconsistent driver with not much potential. Bad season so far, and he is below even Liuzzi in the Drivers' Standing. (4/10)
14 - Adrian Sutil - Some great drives in Monaco and Germany have boosted both his and his team's hopes in their respective Standings, and with doubts over his motivation, a strong end to the season will be vital in his quest to find a better seat (8/10)
15 - Paul di Resta - He's been talked up by the BBC, however his points tally compared to his teammate is substantially not as strong. Although this is his first season, and he has had some bad luck, he does need to improve his consistency to prove he is worthy of Michael Schumacher's seat. (7/10)
16 - Kamui Kobayashi - Some stand-out performances in Monaco and Canada, finishing 5th and 7th respectively, have boosted his reputation as both an attacking driver and a great saver of tyres. The latest races have been a problem for Sauber, and staying out too long on badly worn tyres have cost both drivers dearly. (8/10)
17 - Sergio Pérez - He had a great début in Australia, managing to do 58 laps on 2 sets of tyres, and finishing 7th, before being disqualifyed for a technical infringement. A massive crash in Monaco stopped a good race weekend for him, where he had made it through to Q3, and the Canadian Grand Prix, where Pedro de la Rosa took his place. However, he had a great drive in Silvestone, finishing in 7th and collected 6 points in the process. (7/10)
17 - Pedro de la Rosa - He has driven one race, Canada, and would have finished in the points was it not for staying out too long on intermediates. He finished 12th, and had a solid race. (6/10)
18 - Sébastien Buemi - He finished with 4 points in Australia, and finished in the points 4 more times over the first half of the season. Plagued with bad luck, including being excluded from qualifying in Germany, and being hit with a 5 place grid penalty for a collision with Nick Heidfeld. Overall, a consistent season in a not too competitive car. (7/10)
19 - Jaime Alguersuari - He started the year fairly poorly, but a gamble on a wet setup in Canada paid off, finishing 8th, something he repeated in Valencia. 2 10th places in Britain and Hungary means he has 10 points for the season so far. His seat, like Buemi's, is under pressure from Daniel Ricciardo, however consistent points will help his cause. (7/10)
20 - Heikki Kovalainen - Has always had a smiling face throughout the tough season, and has nearly always outqualifyed his teammate. Hopefully, with his guidance, they can overtake Wiliams towards the end of the year, but that will be a tough ask. If the car can remain reliable, a point or two may be possible at a later race. (8/10)
21 - Jarno Trulli - A call for early retirement was aimed at the Italian earlier in the year, blaming the power steering on his car for his poor performances. After a race sitting on the sidelines, a rejuvenated Trulli should match Kovalainen in the rest of the year, or his seat may be going to Chandhok. (5/10)
21 - Karun Chandhok - Had one race in Germany, and it was generally unsuccessful, with many spins and finishing behind the HRTs. Hopefully with more Friday Practices, he will be ready for 2012. (5/10)
22 - Narain Karthikeyan - 'The World's Fastest Indian' had a difficult 8 races in 2011. Evidently at HRT for money and sponsorship, he offered nothing in terms of speed or consistency. He'll be back for the Indian GP, proof he is at the team for money only. (3/10)
22 - Daniel Ricciardo - After just three races it is hard to say how the young Aussie has done. At HRT in a 'loan-deal' with Red Bull, will he be in a Toro Rosso seat next year? Overall, a good start to a promising career. (6/10)
23 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - I think he deserves more than the worst car on the grid, however with his experience, beating Virgin by the end of the season is perhaps possible. Where will he be next year, with the new look, extra-Spanish HRT line-up? My money would be on Javier Villa and Dani Clos, but who knows? (7/10)
24 - Timo Glock - It's difficult to pass judgement on the German. In arguably the second worst car on the grid, he gets very little TV exposure or interview time. I hope that the car is better next year, as he has signed until at least 2013. To be fair, he has outqualifyed his teammate on 8 occasions, so he is obviously still a very good driver. Does he have the motivation, however? (7/10)
25 - Jérôme d'Ambrosio - I rate him highly, and although his qualifying could be improved, his races are an improvement. Hopefully he has done enough to stay at Virgin next year, but will they need a pay driver to offset the McLaren partnership? Time will tell. (6/10)
Hopefully my analysis was OK, and you enjoyed reading it. I look forward to seeing what you guys think. Please feel free to argue with what I have written.
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