Racers Rated: How The Formula One Drivers Performed in 2017

Introduction

Formula One is a sport where talent, skill and luck all play a role in determining who wins. But it’s also a series of drivers who have shown themselves capable of winning races and championships. In recent years, many drivers have been considered contenders for this title—and some even won their first championship in their rookie seasons!

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver who currently competes in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Petronas.

He is the reigning world champion, having won his fourth title in the 2017 season.

Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas was the only driver to win a race in 2017. He won three races and finished second at the other four, making him the only driver to finish on the podium at all nine events. The Finnish driver also became only the second man in history (after David Coulthard) to win back-to-back races during one season, when he triumphed at Azerbaijan and Austria respectively.

He achieved this feat by driving an incredibly consistent season — his average qualifying position was 3rd place, while he averaged 4th place in each race except for Singapore where he started 6th due to being penalized by stewards after qualifying ended prematurely due to rain showers hitting track conditions hard enough that no one could improve their times anymore without risking crashing into barriers lining Sakhir circuit’s walls so early in practice sessions.”

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is a great driver. He was one of the most exciting drivers in 2017 and he will be one of the best drivers in Formula One for years to come. But he still has plenty to learn, especially when it comes to consistency and patience.

Verstappen was incredibly fast at times last year, but also made mistakes that cost him valuable points in races (and titles) throughout the season. For example: when he crashed into Sebastian Vettel at Suzuka after misjudging his braking point; or when he lost control on wet tarmac during qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps; or when he spun off track during practice before qualifying at Monza because his tires were too cold; or when he crashed into Lewis Hamilton while fighting for position during qualifying at Suzuka…you get my point!

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen is a Finnish racing driver who competed in the Formula One World Championship from 2001 to 2017. He is a two-time Formula One World Champion, having won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 with Ferrari. He is also the only driver to have won the championship in a Ferrari car, which he did so at his first attempt in 2007.

Raikkonen started his career with Sauber before moving on to McLaren where he scored two wins during his time there. After leaving McLaren at the end of 2009, he signed for Lotus as part of their new partnership with Group Lotus which saw them change their name from Renault F1 Team (formerly known as Benetton) after buying out Genii Capital’s shareholding in 2010 when it was renamed Lotus Racing; however both companies are still owned by Proton Holdings Berhad (Malaysia).

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel was the only driver to win more than one race, winning four in total. This is the most races won by a driver in a season since 2013, when Lewis Hamilton won nine and Nico Rosberg won five. Vettel’s four victories were also enough for him to clinch his fifth world championship title (and fourth consecutive), beating out Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas by 146 points in the final standings.

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo was the only driver to finish on the podium in all of the first five races of the season. He also finished third in the Drivers’ Championship, with two wins and seven podiums.

In a statement released on Monday morning, Ricciardo said: “I’m excited to be joining Renault Sport Racing next year! This is the start of a new chapter in my career and I’m looking forward to working with everyone at Enstone as we prepare for 2020.”

Fernando Alonso

Alonso is a two-time world champion and the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and an Olympic gold medal. He’s also won 32 Grand Prix races throughout his career.

Alonso began racing in Formula One in 2001 for Minardi, before moving on to Renault and McLaren where he remained until 2016 when he left F1 altogether after 18 years as a driver (he came back this year). In between those stints with those teams, he raced at Le Mans with Toyota in 2009 and 2010; during that time he also competed in multiple endurance races including Sebring 12 Hours (2012), Daytona 24 Hours (2014) and Bathurst 1000km (2015).

He currently competes under contract with both McLaren-Renault Racing Team Ltd., which operates as Renault Sport F1 Team–which has been renamed from Lotus F1 Team Ltd., due out of administration since February 2016–and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is a good driver, and has the ability to win races. He’s also a good teammate and ambassador for Formula One, as well as being an excellent representative for his country.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. is a Spanish racing driver who currently competes in the Formula One World Championship for Renault. He is the son of former Formula One driver Carlos Sainz, Sr., who also competed for Minardi and Prost Grand Prix in an 11-year career from 1994 to 2005.

Sainz began his motorsport career in karting from 1998 to 2004, before moving up to Spanish Formula Three and Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 from 2006 to 2008 with Epsilon Euskadi and Manor Competition respectively. In 2009 he competed in British Formula 3 with Carlin Motorsport where he won two races en route to fifth place overall; this also gave him enough points to secure entry into GP3 Series 2010 season as one of its top four drivers thanks to support from Red Bull Racing.[1]

Nico Hulkenberg10. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault – 6/10

Nico Hulkenberg is a German Formula One racing driver for Renault. He has previously driven for Force India, Sauber and Williams. He is a former GP2 Series champion and winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Hulkenberg made his debut in Formula One at the 2010 British Grand Prix replacing Robert Kubica who was still recovering from an accident that had happened during the previous year’s Canadian Grand Prix.[3] His first race with Sahara Force India F1 Team was impressive as he finished 10th despite starting 18th due to an engine change penalty.[4] In 2011 he scored his first points by finishing sixth at Monza after qualifying fifth on the grid.[5] At the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix he claimed his first podium finish when he finished second behind Jenson Button.[6][7][8] During 2013 it became apparent that Hulkenberg was outperforming teammate Paul di Resta who was eventually replaced by Sergio Pérez halfway through the season.[9][10][11] The following year saw improved results as Hulkenberg finished fourth overall behind Sebastian Vettel,[12] Fernando Alonso[13] and Lewis Hamilton[14].

After a few years of inactivity, Alonso is as hungry and motivated as ever, but his McLaren was not up to the task of proving what he can do.

Alonso is a great driver and an example of a driver who never gives up. He has won two world championships, so he knows what it takes to succeed in Formula One.

In 2017, Alonso was motivated by the opportunity to win a third title and prove that he could still drive at the top level despite his age (36). However, the McLaren car wasn’t able to match his expectations or standards during most races this year.

Conclusion

After a few years of inactivity, Alonso is as hungry and motivated as ever, but his McLaren was not up to the task of proving what he can do. He made some errors but also had some bad luck with engine problems that cost him valuable points.