With the European season now gearing up, and F1 returning to more relationship-friendly start times (surely I’m not the only one?), the three week break can be used as a time to reflect on the season so far. With 2010 being touted as the most anticipated season in decades, have all the drivers that were meant to perform met their expectations? Who has exceeded theirs? Join me as I count down the top 5 drivers who have impressed me the most after four rounds.

Honourable Mentions:

Lewis Hamilton may be the overtaking king right now, but the reason he hasn’t made the list is his qualifying pace on Saturdays. Getting past on the track is no problem for Lewis, but if he hit the ground running when jostling for position in Q3, he would be spending Sunday generating a decent gap at the front, not spending laps behind a slower car before having to make a move.

Felipe Massa has made a decent comeback since his injury last summer, but has been over shadowed by Alonso in a team that by rights he should be claiming to be his own. Bahrain was a good indicator of what he can do, but recent performances have dropped him lower than he should be.

5. Robert Kubica

When Kubica signed for Renault at the end of last season, it was when Renault was still 100% run by the French car manufacturer and coming off of what was seen as a very poor 2009. The winter led to Renault almost pulling out until a last minute investment saved the team as it was, but with new management and driver line-up, the outlook was bleak for 2010. Not even a return to racing yellow and black could lift spirits. But, so far, Kubica has not only been a regular in Q3, but also a regular points scorer, and is helping Renault to lead the pack behind the top four teams. Second place in Australia was icing on the cake for a team that was almost on the brink, but now has a very bright future.

4. Jenson Button

Winning a World Championship can sometimes end up being a bad thing for a driver. Some lose motivation and pride when the dream is finally achieved, with Damon Hill springing to mind as an example. But, with Button, it has galvanised him as a driver, and the two rain-affected wins he has under his belt has demonstrated. Although he isn’t the fastest driver, or in the fastest car, he has shown he knows where the grip is on a damp track and can wring every last tenth out of it. Many critics declared him lucky, but lighting rarely strikes twice, showing that shrewd decisions make a very intelligent racing driver.

3. Fernando Alonso

If ever there was a match made in racing heaven, surely Fernando Alonso sitting in a Ferrari is it. Both are temperamental and prone to outbursts when things aren’t going there way. But there’s no greater sight than both working in harmony, as Bahrain showed. Apart from a damp blip in Sepang, Alonso has regularly put his car on the second row, and when a strong recovery drive is needed (such as in Oz and China) he did not disappoint to score strong points. The same kind of drive in Malaysia was even more impressive due to the downshift problem that hampered his whole afternoon, and if the engine had held for 10 more laps there would’ve been more points on the board. The Matador in the Prancing Horse is truly one to watch out for.

2. Nico Rosberg

Nico Rosberg’s job brief changed drastically over a few weeks in December. Signing for the newly crowned, and seemingly relaxed atmosphere, Brawn team looked like a great opportunity for a man many considered hindered by machinery at Williams. But, if the Mercedes buyout didn’t add more pressure, their announcement of the signing of greatest driver in the sport’s history surely did. Yet, Rosberg remained unfazed from lap one of the first session in Bahrain, while Schumacher floundered at every turn. Slowly building on a strong start, Rosberg has out-qualified Schumacher 4-0, scored regular points and now regular podiums, while every other driver on the grid has had at least one, maybe more, bad race weekend. All this in a car that Ross Brawn has admitted he got wrong.

 1. Sebastian Vettel

If Michael Schumacher is the past of German motor sport, Sebastian Vettel is the present and the future. After becoming associated with a certain energy drink, the man has been on the cusp of greatness. This season, sat in the car with the best grip of the new regulations, he has been outstanding in qualifying. The first pole position in Bahrain was marred by an exhaust problem in the race, which he had sown up by the time it struck. In Australia, scene of pole position number two, he made routine tyre decisions that had him ahead of Button with time to spare, until a wheel nut failure cost him while extending his lead. It all came together in Malaysia, qualifying third in wet conditions and punishing an error by Webber into the very first corner to come home victorious. The race results may not be that impressive, but the maturity shown by a driver only in his early 20’s definitely is. The season may only be in its infancy still, but Vettel, in my eyes, is the clear favourite for the title, mixing speed and class way beyond his years. This man is the proverbial yardstick that each one of his rivals has to meet up to for the this season, and maybe more.

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