Rank the drivers

[jens]

Another thread to discuss about something in mean-time.

Often it is fun to think, how drivers compare to each other. To exercise this in practice I created four tiers.

Tiers:
A: Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo, Vettel
B: Rosberg, Button, Bottas, Räikkönen, Hülkenberg, Grosjean
C: Massa, Pérez, Kvyat, Verstappen, Sainz, Nasr
D: Ericsson, Maldonado, Stevens, Merhi

Note 1: Several tier C drivers, like KVY, VES, SAI, NAS are very new to F1 and have potential to move up. Especially Verstappen, who may even have Tier 1 talent! But it is all too early. They need to prove their skills much more before even moving up to group B, where we already have very accomplished and proven drivers.

Note 2: Stevens and Merhi are impossible to rate, since they do not have a meaningful car. Based on feeder series evidence, gut feeling and how they are judged by teams I can't put them higher. Or I can leave them out altogether.

Note 3: I can't say I am convinced of putting Vettel that high. But he doesn't fit into "B" either, maybe something like inbetween. He has great opportunity to wash 2014 away as a one-off season. On the flipside I am very convinced in Ricciardo. His 2014 is up there with the best seasons I have seen being performed in F1 by a driver. And the rest of his career looks impressive too, just in rubbish cars, so nobody took notice!

More detailed comments on different drivers perhaps later on.

[Mia 01]

Thoose type of ranks occur on several forums. They are interesting, but, very subjective to.

[jens]

Thoose type of ranks occur on several forums. They are interesting, but, very subjective to.

Of course they are subjective, because there is not scientific criteria to rank driver skills. Otherwise all the facts would be there and nothing to discuss!

And naturally tiers do not exist. It is just a method of compromise. In each tier you can question whether one or another belongs there, but you make this compromise, because you feel he doesn't belong to the other group either, and just fit in there.

[Storm]

Very subjective but then this forum business in general is

Are we ranking only on current form or historically? (I mean Kimi used to be much better than he is rt now, same with Massa before and after his shunt)
A: Hamilton, Alonso, Kimi
B: Vettel, Rosberg, Bottas, Ricciardo
C: Massa, Verstappen, Button
D: the rest

[pino]

Very subjective but then this forum business in general is

Are we ranking only on current form or historically? (I mean Kimi used to be much better than he is rt now, same with Massa before and after his shunt)
A: Hamilton, Alonso, Kimi
B: Vettel, Rosberg, Bottas, Ricciardo
C: Massa, Verstappen, Button
D: the rest

Totally agree with your list !

[jens]

Very subjective but then this forum business in general is

Are we ranking only on current form or historically? (I mean Kimi used to be much better than he is rt now, same with Massa before and after his shunt)

Erm. Let's put it this way. Rank both based on current form and historically. It does not mean that based on P2 in Bahrain Räikkönen is the best driver. It doesn't work like that. It also doesn't work so that Räikkönen is the best, because he was the best in 2005, so that is "historic". Just like Michael Schumacher wasn't the best in 2010-2012, even if he had been a decade ago.

My personal approach is to take the summary of last couple of years. Which means the form is "current" enough. We are not rating Massa based on 2008, but what he has done in the last few years. We also can't rate only based on last couple of races, because driver forms fluctuate. Even during a season they have better and worse periods. As the saying goes - form is temporary, but class permanent. We can evaluate, what can they do over a full season and include their general (in)consistency trends. If we evaluate last few years instead of last few races or races 10 years ago, I think the picture would be somewhat adequate.

[Koz]

A: Hamilton Alonso Vettel
B: Kimi Ricciardo Gosjean Rosberg Hulk
C: Massa Button Bottas Perez
Can't rate the new guys yet.
Donkey: Maldonado

[pino]

A: Hamilton Alonso Vettel
B: Kimi Ricciardo Gosjean Rosberg Hulk
C: Massa Button Bottas Perez
Can't rate the new guys yet.
Donkey: Maldonado

Grosjean and Hulk, ahead of Bottas and Massa ?

[Koz]

Grosjean and Hulk, ahead of Bottas and Massa ?

My bad, Bottas should be in #B, Massa not so much.

[journeyman racer]

I would put Raikkonen in that first group.