I often think that these driver rating lists too often mostly mirror the actual points standings, i.e. the drivers with more points are further up the list and those with few or no points are usually in the middle or at the bottom of the list.
I think the way to rate drivers is to ask oneself: 1. How well has the driver done with their own machinery? 2. How do they compare with their teammate in the same machinery? 3. To what extent have they been unlucky with their machinery, i.e. technical faults, engine blow-outs or involved in accidents not their fault?
It goes without saying that there are a million nuances that may dictate the races and fortunes of any driver - bad pit calls, strategies gone wrong, being ill or not physically at their peak for whatever reason, etc., etc. We as fans can never know all the nuances anyway, so we can only go on what is evident and what we do know for sure.
And I don't factor in so-called 'politics' into the equation, e.g. so-and-so is given preferential treatment, the other guy is not treated the same, etc. None of us know for sure and it's all speculation.
It's based on my criteria that both our drivers feature quite weakly on my list - because, to be brutally honest, neither of them have really been up to the quality of the machinery they've had this year. Sorry, but they have not. Imagine Michael Schumacher in this car...
My list of driver ratings thus far in 2018:
1. Leclerc
2. Alonso
3. Gasly
4. Ocon
5. Perez
6. Magnussen
7. Hamilton
8. Hulkenburg
9. Verstappen
10. Ricciardo
11. Vettel*
12. Raikkonen*
13. Sainz
14. Ericsson
15. Grosjean
16. Sirotkin
17. Vandoorne
18. Bottas**
19. Stroll
20. Hartley
* In my mind's eye I thought I was going to rate both our drivers even lower (i was thinking around 13th-14th initially) but all the drivers behind them on this list have had even more erratic or poor performance this year, even relative to their machinery.
** I cannot rate any driver highly who allows himself to so blatantly play second fiddle to another driver, especially with such excellent machinery at his hands - regardless of team orders and contracts. I think he was better last year anyway.
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