2019 F1 season articles articles archive

Max Verstappen was on top of our driver rankings at mid-season, but couldn’t quite sustain his high standard in the second half of the year, and slips to the number two spot.

Carlos Sainz Jnr was the midfield’s most formidable force throughout 2019, and snatched an unexpected but fully deserved sixth place in the points standings.

Charles Leclerc looked instantly at home in his first season at Ferrari, took more pole positions than anyone and deserved much more than his two victories.

Valtteri Bottas raised his game in 2019 – though perhaps not enough to justify the nickname ‘Bottas 2.0’, nor to beat his title-winning team mate.

Sergio Perez left very few points on the table throughout 2019 – with one significant and costly exception.

Daniel Ricciardo no doubt hoped to be further ahead of the midfield when he signed for Renault, but produced some excellent drives in his first year at the team.

We learned two things about Lando Norris in his debut F1 season: He is very quick, and also incredibly hard on himself when he doesn’t measure up to his exacting standards.

Sebastian Vettel led the way at Ferrari over the opening races but did not react well to the rising threat of Charles Leclerc as the season wore on.

Lumbered with Williams’ uncompetitive FW42, George Russell nonetheless demonstrated his talent is one which deserves a much better car.

From his unexpected hiring by Toro Rosso last year, to his shock promotion to Red Bull at mid-season, Alexander Albon’s F1 debut was thoroughly unconventional.

If anyone had a season of two halves it was Pierre Gasly. Or, to put it another way, what a difference a change of chassis makes.

Kevin Magnussen’s, performances fluctuated during 2019, though not to the same extremes as Haas’s highly sensitive and inconsistent car, and he out-scored his team mate again.

Nico Hulkenberg was eclipsed by team mate Daniel Ricciardo from an early stage in the season, which ultimately spelled the end for his Formula 1 career.

Despite a podium finish in Germany, Daniil Kvyat underwhelmed too often in 2019 and didn’t measure up particularly well against either of his team mates.