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Midseason review Part 1: The outstanding drivers

Sebastian Vettel is gunning for an elusive fifth championship. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Expert
10th August, 2015
1

The Formula One midseason is an opportunity for teams and drivers to get some rest, but a dearth of action and news for the rest of us.

The quietness of the near month of racing suspension is a boon, however, for categories and lists – and the internet loves a good listicle.

So for the next two weeks prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, this column will be considering the drivers and teams that have surprised in the first half of the season, and those in need of some serious improvement in the second.

Carlos Sainz
P16, 9 points

He’s the Formula One driver who almost never was. Red Bull twice looked over him for promotion – first with Daniil Kvyat, then with Max Verstappen – out of concern that its junior driver programme was struggling to replicate its Vettel-level standards.

Vettel’s switch from Red Bull to Ferrari opened the door for Sainz by forcing them to look back to their own talent pipeline, and the Spaniard has since exceeded all expectations.

He flew under the radar for much of the season as Formula One enthused over teenage sensation Verstappen, who has lived up to his child prodigy tag, but his ninth-place finish on debut coupled with his P5 on the grid in Spain set the bar. He’s been unlucky to suffer three consecutive DNFs before the midseason when Toro Rosso looked good for points, exacerbating the 13-point gap to his teammate.

Felipe Massa
P6, 74 points

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#BelieveInMassa is finally paying dividends. The almost-2008 world champion has come alive at Williams in a way that few truly expected, to match and sometimes beat his highly rated teammate Valtteri Bottas, who has re-established himself as a genuine top-line Formula One driver. The Fernando Alonso-teammate version of Massa is but a distant memory.

Williams wants to be a genuine title contender, which means they cannot employ hangers-on. Barely two years ago Massa’s career would be ripe for the chopping block, but if his performances stay sharp, a contract extension into 2016 and beyond to spearhead the team should be a mere formality.

Sebastian Vettel
P3, 160 points

Moody Vettel be gone! The downcast, underperforming Sebastian Vettel of 2014 has been reenergised into his title-winning best, and suddenly everything seems right with the world once more.

Do not underestimate the significance of his good showing this season – his dismantling at the hands of Daniel Ricciardo last season did serious damage to his reputation. Meanwhile, though his move to Ferrari was long prophesied, he switched at one of its lowest ebbs, replacing a Fernando Alonso totally exhausted of his enthusiasm after just five years with the Scuderia, illustrating the myriad of deep-seated problems plaguing the famous team.

Vettel’s bubbliness in the face of the monumental task of restoring Ferrari – and himself – to greatness should not be underrated, and his near-immediate claim of ownership over the squad in a way that has proved constructive rather than destructive has all the hallmarks of the last German to spearhead a Ferrari golden era.

Felipe Nasr
P12, 16 points

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Felipe Nasr’s debut was overshadowed by the Sauber-Giedo van der Garde contract dispute in Melbourne, but the Brazilian was able to put his sudden contractual certainty behind him, and reach Q2 in Australia when his more experienced teammate Marcus Ericsson was knocked out in P16. He backed up qualifying with a fantastic fifth in the race to take home 10 points. Outperforming his teammate has been the story of his season.

Early branding of Nasr as a ‘pay drive’ because of his Banco do Brasil sponsorship missed the point – his junior record suggested the potential was always there.

His driving has been mature beyond his Formula One years, putting his performances on par with Sainz and Verstappen, though admittedly the ever-worsening Sauber car has made a consistent comparison difficult.

Honourable mention: Robert Merhi
P19, 0 points

Roberto Merhi, while juggling parallel Formula One and Formula Renault 3.5 campaigns, has shown a critical capacity for improvement despite languishing at the back of the field.

Early disappointing comparisons with teammate Will Stevens were blamed on him being taller and therefore around 10 kilograms heavier, adding as much as 0.5 seconds per lap to his ultimate pace, but he has since wrested back the advantage, culminating in a P12 at Silverstone.

Granted, any real analysis of his performance is difficult in what is a 2014 car powered by a 2014 engine with no real competitive prospects, but a solid showing against his teammate at the top level on what is essentially a race-by-race contract is certainly justifying his place in Formula One and a potential position in midfield driver calculations.

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Friday: which drivers are in desperate need of improvement?

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