Driver Of The Year - 2nd to 5th

We are now getting to the very best drivers of 2011. The 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd  best drivers of the year will now be examined.

5th - Fernando Alonso
Team - Ferrari   Races - 19   Best Finish - 1st (British GP)
By Ferrari's and Fernando's very high standards, 2011 was a poor year. Just one race win, and only fourth in the Drivers Championships was not what they expected at the start. Alonso's biggest trophy this year was from the British GP. A great driver at Silverstone, was slightly tinged by the ban on the Blown Exhausts. The closest the Spaniard got to a second win was at Suzuka, where he was pushing a Jenson Button who was running out on fuel. It can also be said though, that the Ferrari's pace was the only thing that let Fernando down. Only one retirement this year, which was due to a collision with Button at the Canadian GP. For next, Alonso must demand better. A chance at both titles is a must, and so is more race wins. If they do not, then it would be three winless years for the Ferrari-Fernando combination. Not something that was expected at the start of their relationship.

4th - Jenson Button
Team - McLaren   Races - 19   Best Finish - 1st (Canadian, Hungarian & Japanese GP)
This was the year that Jenson Button became a future Drivers Championship contender. After winning it 2009, there was still some doubters. Some saying that it was the car that won him the title. However, this year, Jenson proved that he could win a second Drivers Championship. He produced a great comback at Canada and Hungary. Then drove a also dominating drive at Suzuka, Japan. These three wins ensured that he was the closest drive, in therms of points, to Sebastian Vettel. However, he does still have a few week points. His qualifying is not his strongest point. He is still looking for his first Pole Position for McLaren. That will be the thing he will be trying to improve on for next year. If he became a solid qualifier, then he would really be in with a chance of knocking Sebastian Vettel off his crown.

3rd - Lewis Hamilton
Team - McLaren   Races - 19   Best Finish - 1st (Chinese, German & Abu Dhabi GP)
Lewis has had a hard year both on and off the track. Or has he. I'm not going to deny he has had troubles off the track, but on it, it hasn't been that bad. He gained three wins in 2010, and three this year. We was the only non-Red Bull driver to take a Pole Position. He had only three retirements, with one of them being down to the car. He also stayed in the battle for second in the Drivers Championships. Yes, there were his infamous battles with Felipe Massa, and then his poor performance in Monaco. However, his key this year was how his best performances seemed to come straight after the poor ones. His Chinese win came after an eight in Malaysia. Lewis' victory at  Germany was after his dreadful containing Canada & Slverstone. Then he won at Abu Dhabi after another collision with Felipe Massa at India. It was these performances that reminded the F1 circus of his quality. Going into 2012, this quality will still be there, and should be on show a lot more often.

2nd - Mark Webber
Team - Red Bull   Races - 19   Best Finish - 1st (Brazilian GP)
2011 has been a very difficult season for Aussie Mark Webber. With a team mate who has dominated the entire year, it is hard to shed some good light on Mark's 2011. But, there were some good things. Easy to pick out is his win at Sao Paulo, Brazil. Even though he "gained" the victory from Vettel's gearbox issue, but he still had to work for it. He couldn't have sat back, or Vettel would have been on his tail. Also, there was the fact that he was already miles ahead of Alonso, Button & Hamilton when the issue started up. He was there to take the spoils, when others were fighting with themselves way back. Qualifying has also been a strong part of Mark's year. 3 Pole Positions at Spain, Britain & Germany shows his raw pace. That stat is also highlighted with the stat that he had the most fastest laps in 2011 - 7. This, like Hamilton, shows that Mark still has quality, and he will determined to show that quality straight from the off next season.