2011 F1 Race Rankings

Here’s the current rankings for the season. This page will be updated after every race.

Excitement level: Good/Mildy boring – At the start of the season there was still plenty to be excited about and I eagerly waited for the other teams to challenge Vettel. Unfortunately by the half-way point of the season it seemed clear that Vettel was going to take the championship. Those early scuffles and especially the Canadian Grand Prix still made me hold out hope that we’d see a serious battle for the championship late into the season, but Red Bull has simply made a car which no-one can beat… at least when the right driver is behind the wheel.

Golden Pineapple Charts:

Driver:	Awards:
Adrian Sutil	4
Sergio Perez	3
Nico Rosberg	2
Paul di Resta	2
Pastor Maldonado	2
Vitaly Petrov	2
Jaime Alguersuari	2
Felipe Massa	1
Kamui Kobayashi	1

 

Team:	Awards:
Force India	6
Sauber	4
Mercedes	2
Williams	2
Renault	2
Toro Rosso	2
Ferrari	1

Here’s the ranking and links to race reports:

1. Canada Grand Prix – A dramatic end to a bizarre race which couldn’t even start properly until after a two-hour long red-flag. Jenson Button stole the victory from under Vettel’s nose. Several excellent drives and plenty of on-track mayhem made this easily the best race of the season.
2. Monaco Grand Prix – Though Sebastian Vettel snagged another easy victory, the Monaco GP was filled with exciting events already in the qualifying when Sergio Perez had to be taken away by ambulance. Vitaly Petrov suffered the same fate in a crash which brought the red-flags. Hamilton’s controversial driving and statements made sure this race was also the talk of the F1 crowd for weeks.
3. Turkish Grand Prix – Vettel’s third victory with Mark Webber coming from behind to ensure Red Bull’s would occupy two of the three podiums. Sebastian Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi impressed me with their rise from the back of the lot.
   
4. Chinese Grand Prix – Lewis Hamilton’s first victory of the season after a one-on-one battle with Vettel. Button botched a pit-stop by driving in front of Red Bull’s garage instead of McLaren’s. Only one retirement from Jaime Alguersuari, who unfortunately was at his best start-position.
5. Belgian Grand Prix – Loads of crashes, contact and overtakes at the start, but Sebastian Vettel once again took the victory to his name. The Spa race was unfortunately not nearly as exciting as last year, but Hamilton’s dramatic crash and Button’s impressive rise to the podium still made this a race worth watching.
6. Monza Grand Prix – After an exciting opening and a safety car, Sebastian Vettel took back the lead and drove it to the finish. However, Hamilton and Schumacher kept things interesting as did Button and Alonso.
7. Malaysian Grand Prix – Sebastian Vettel drove his second race victory of the season unchallenged. Button finished on the podium for the first time this season as did Nick Heidfeld of Renault. Apart from Mark Webber and Kamui Kobayashi’s daring overtakes and Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular crash, not much else happened for the rest of the race.
8. Korean Grand Prix – Another easy win for Sebastian Vettel who had already won the Championship. Webber’s third place also won Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship. Excellent one-on-one racing action was thankfully seen after the race’s uneventful start. Petrov ramming the back of Schumi also brought the Safety Car on track.
9. Singapore Grand Prix – On the tight Singapore track, there were surprisingly few crashes but plenty of fights and drive-through penalties. Sebastian Vettel drove to the finish unchallenged. Schumacher’s crash with Perez brought the safety car after which nothing notable happened for the rest of the race.
10. Indian Grand Prix – Sebastian Vettel phoned it in with yet another easy victory. There was luckily some exciting racing and a few hairy accidents in the Indian GP.
11. British Grand Prix – Fernando Alonso snagged an easy victory from under Vettel’s nose when the Red Bull team botched up a vital pit-stop. Other mayhem occurred in the pits which provided some (unfortunate) excitement.
12. Hungarian Grand Prix – Unstable conditions and a light rain caused this race to break the record for the most pit-stops this season. Jenson Button drove to a solid victory with his opponents making mistakes. Lots of on-track action in the first half of the race but very little after Nick Heidfeld’s car exploded.
13. Spanish Grand Prix – The best fight for the top-position this season even though it was clear from the half-way point onward that Sebastian Vettel would take the victory. Beyond that, nothing particularly interesting happened for the rest of the race.
14. German Grand Prix – The German Grand Prix was only mildly interesting as a race, but the battle between Hamilton, Alonso and Webber was the definite high-point. Lewis Hamilton took the victory with superior driving and tyre-strategies.
15. Australian Grand Prix – Apart from Rosberg and Barrichello’s crash, I can’t even remember what happened in Australia this year, which is quite rare. Sebastian Vettel started his defense of his championship title with a victory in the first race. Also, the first podium finish for Renault’s Vitaly Petrov.
16. Japanese Grand Prix – A real let down this year. Even Japanese F1 fans were let down by Kobayashi’s poor peformance, and an almost season low, only one retirement in the whole race. The only person happy with the outcome was Jenson Button who took his third victory of the season.
17. Brazilian Grand Prix – Mark Webber took his only victory of the season in the final and one of the least exciting races when Vettel started to suffer from gearbox trouble. Some collisions and solid racing, but very little genuine excitement.
18. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Without the Championship excitement of last year, this year’s Abu Dhabi GP was much less exciting. Lewis Hamilton drove to an easy victory when Vettel dropped out of the race on the first lap due to a tyre-puncture.
19. Valencian Grand Prix – Compared to last year, the utter lack of drama completely killed interest in the Valencia race this year. There was not much over-taking (even with the added DRS and KERS) and a historical no retirements situation was seen. It really begs the question if two races on Spanish soil are really necessary. Sebastian Vettel won.