Season 2002 Review

What these statistics show is that in terms of raw speed over a single lap, the Ferrari F2002 did not in fact enjoy the massive advantage that the McLaren MP4/4 and the Williams FW14B did. Juan-Pablo Montoya managed to white-knuckle his way to seven poles this year in his Williams. But a championship is about races and race results, and the statistics show that Ferrari were more reliable and relatively faster on Sundays than McLaren were in 1988 and Williams were in 1992. It was the result of Ferrari doing the best job it could possibly do, and all the other teams not meeting the challenge. Schumacher and Barrichello romped to a comfortable 1-2 in the championship, the great German now up to 5 world titles and 64 career wins having finished every single race this year on the podium. Mind-blowing. It meant that Ferrari have now gone over 50 races consecutively without being unrepresented on the podium, as they stormed to their fourth manufacturers' title in succession.

Respected journalist and former Williams man Peter Windsor argues that in fact the 2002 championship was decided in October 2001, when Ferrari's decision to stick with Bridgestone left McLaren caught between a rock and a hard place. The Woking team's choice of Michelins left Ferrari as the only top team on Bridgestones, guaranteeing that the Japanese rubber would be tailored for the F2002. Impeccable logic. Michelin's conservatism and generally poor job in 2002 only served to turn logic into harsh reality. In hindsight, there were other warning signs. Williams had been fast but unreliable in 2001. They cured that for 2002, but as is often the case, to obtain reliability teams start playing safe and the Grove team's failure to push the envelope in 2002 was largely their undoing. Also in 2001, Mercedes could hide the effect that the ban on beryllium in engines had had, but when it came to designing a new beryllium-less motor for 2002, they were caught out and the title challenge was over for McLaren before it began.

And if Williams and McLaren had it tough, then everyone else looked decidedly average. Renault and Sauber were commendable at times but overall were stagnant, Jordan and BAR were hampered by a poor package, Toyota were on a learning curve, Jaguar improved from a horror baseline at the start of the year to score the only podium from outside the top three teams, Minardi were under-funded and it showed more than ever, and Arrows ran out of money completely, in heavy debt with hostile creditors. In addition, reliability was generally very good. All the teams had found the same optimal pit strategies for each race, and would only rarely depart from that. With at least four cars from the top three teams finishing most races in the points, everyone else was fighting for scraps. Sadly, it all made for tedious viewing. Furthermore, in a sport where the attention is more often on drivers rather than teams, Ferrari's lame use of 'teamwork' to justify how they arrogantly rigged results turned audiences off in droves.

So by season's end, Formula One was one big unhappy family. The drop in TV viewers and race attendances was getting worrying, and even if Ferrari decide to race for real that would only bring back the disenchanted, and not the fringe fans wanting to watch some entertainment. Perhaps F1's saving grace was that 2002 was a year of dominance in other branches of motorsport too, from Cristiano da Matta in CART to Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, from Peugeot in rallying to Mark Skaife in Australian V8 Supercars. Add to that the world's uncertain economic climate and F1 was facing real sponsorship and cost concerns. Throughout 2002 there was much discussion, culminating in the FIA's nine-point plan, about how to reduce costs and improve the show all in one hit. But with a three-way political tug-of-war between the team owners, the manufacturers who were investing more than ever in F1, and supremos Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, no answer, not even some of the radical changes for 2003, was going to satisfy everyone.

But despite the doom and gloom, there were some positives to take out of 2002 and into 2003. Ferrari's achievements deserved to be marvelled at and applauded, even if not unqualifiedly condoned, but a number of outfits, especially Williams, McLaren, Renault, Jordan, Jaguar and Toyota, have the potential to make life tougher for Ferrari next season. A new points system, shoot-out qualifying and a ban on team orders (however that is to be enforced) will undoubtedly make things more interesting. Though most of the 2002 rookies were disappointing in one way or another, there is still excitement over the 'next generation' who will take over after Schumi inevitably wins his sixth (or even seventh) title. If Juan Pablo Montoya can convert qualifying pace to race pace, if Kimi Raikkonen continues his upward spiral, if Mark Webber can take advantage of his Jaguar drive, and if Fernando Alonso is really that good, then there is still a lot to look forward to on the driving front for next year.

Here are our team reviews for the season, ranked here according to a rating out of 10 awarded by us. We have taken into consideration their equipment, past form, luck (or lack thereof) and our initial expectations for 2002.

1. Ferrari

Let's talk about the good things first. The Ferrari F2002 was arguably the best F1 car ever, with tightly-packaged aerodynamics, an engine on par with the best, a fabulous titanium gearbox and rear-end assembly, tailor-made Bridgestone tyres and near-perfect reliability. From 29 starts, the F2002 failed to get off the dummy grid twice, and that was it in terms of retirements. The F2002 had been a giant leap forward from the already-superb F2001. Piloted by a hungry Michael Schumacher and a confident Rubens Barrichello, the domination was complete, with only one 'lucky' win out of 15. Ross Brawn could still be relied upon to come up with daring pit strategies, and the Ferrari crew were as faultless as ever. The team spirit was undeniable. But where they fell in most people's eyes was the way in which they turned Formula One, notionally a sport, into a cold-blooded numbers game. Not satisfied with the inevitability of their final placings, they had to ruthlessly set out to contrive results, thumbing their noses at fans and authorities alike, arrogantly flaunting their superiority in a distinctly selfish and unsporting manner.

What made it worse, for a team otherwise so astute, was the ridiculously clumsy way in which they tried to explain and atone for farces like Austria and Indianapolis by podium antics and constantly talking about 'teamwork', skirting around the fact that they had undermined the value of a Grand Prix win. Add to that Jean Todt's broken promise that the Ferraris would race once Schumi's title was sealed; further team orders were subsequently used to guarantee Rubens 2nd overall. It was all such a tragically unnecessary taint on what should otherwise have been the perfect season. Prospects for 2003: It is flabbergasting to think that Ferrari could improve even more in 2003, but they probably will. Regardless, the gap to the rest is probably too much to bridge, so expect another manufacturers' title and Schumacher's 6th drivers' crown. It will be interesting to see how they will cope with (or get around) the new 'no team orders' rule though. Our Rating: 9.0

2. Williams-BMW

If the atmosphere within McLaren was good, then the same could not be said of Williams. Having matched Ferrari for speed but not reliability in 2001, it would have been bitterly disappointing for Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head to find that the FW24 was certainly reliable enough, but just nowhere near the Ferrari's race pace. Not that there was anything wrong with the car's speed over one lap. All 34 times they started in the top 6 (even Ferrari didn't manage that), and Juan-Pablo Montoya took 7 poles, but Sunday after Sunday it was a case of unfulfilled potential. The car was pretty much bulletproof, and the engine more so than it was last year, and still just about the most powerful. But Williams paid dearly for conservative aerodynamics that demanded the use of Michelin's harder tyres and then wore them out with alarming regularity. So often the Williams drivers would find their lap times exploding as they struggled for grip and the car became as difficult to handle as a rodeo bull on caffeine. Often, their difficulties were magnified by the way in which the McLarens were making their softer rubber last longer.

The frustration grew, and it showed. It didn't help matters when they seemed unable to get both drivers on peak form for a whole race weekend at the same time, and by year's end there was once again animosity between JPM and Ralf Schumacher. They had touched at the Nurburgring, almost done so at Monza, and finally tangled at Indy. Strategically, Sam Michael is talented but not as dynamic as Ross Brawn, and at times he seemed uneasily caught between the drivers' wishes and Head's iron-fisted determination. Williams shade McLaren for 2nd in our rankings, only by virtue of a marginally more rounded package. Prospects for 2003: Williams are talking revolution in terms of their 2003 design, but while it's the only way to combat Ferrari, it could sink them back into unreliability. The relationship between the drivers seem testy, as does the partnership with BMW, which seems to have plans beyond being just an engine partner. A crucial year lies ahead. Our Rating: 7.0

3. McLaren-Mercedes

Third place in the constructors' title with 'only' 65 points meant that 2002 was the first time since 1997 that McLaren has been out of the top two. That would no doubt have been galling by Ron Dennis' usual standards, but in truth the major problems were fairly easy to pin-point and there was still a lot to be positive about. Their big Achilles Heel, of course, was the breathless Mercedes engine, which was not only down on power but also unreliable (with 7 blow-ups in races during the year). Commendably, McLaren refused to criticise Mercedes in public, but it was clearly the one thing that held them back all year. Being new to the Michelins, and without the raw speed of the Williams, McLaren found themselves as the French tyre-maker's number 2 team. They could have done with more support in using Michelin's softer tyres. Whereas Williams often wore out the standard tyre, the McLaren often managed to make the softer tyre last, which was a tribute to Adrian Newey's beautifully-handling MP4/17. Its ease on tyres was noticeable at the Nurburgring, Magny-Cours and the Hungaroring, which in turn allowed for longer stints. Finishing 4th and 5th in Hungary having started 10th and 11th was a case in point.

The brilliance of the aerodynamics came out especially in Monaco, France and Belgium, and it was an awful shame that the engine couldn't do the car justice. One other thing that stood out was the general ambience within the team. David Coulthard was happy to finally have Newey in his corner, and worked well with Pat Fry. The team helped Kimi Raikkonen fit in quickly, and any expected post-Hakkinen unease never eventuated. Their new motorhome, or Communication Centre, was more a symbol of strength and unity than brashness. These were ominous signs for the rest of the field. Prospects for 2003: McLaren will start 2003 with a revised MP4/17 before a new car comes along. Smart move. The drivers seem motivated. Ron Dennis and will push Mercedes to come up with the goods. Most importantly, McLaren have the momentum of improvement. Every chance that they, not Williams, will challenge Ferrari the most. Our Rating: 7.0

4. Renault

In some respects, considering Benetton's upward spiral towards the end of 2001, Renault didn't improve too much throughout 2002 and could thus be said to have been a touch disappointing. But they earn fourth in our rankings largely by default. 4th in the constructors' championship with 23 points, scored over 10 separate races no less, was testimony to their relative upper-midfield consistency. Having said that, they started the year challenging the McLarens; by season's end, the McLarens were off challenging the Williams, and Renault had not been able to keep up the pace of development. They were admittedly still hampered by their radical 111-degree engine, now in its second year but with the jury still out as to its effectiveness. It was apparently down some 75 horsepower on the best, and actually blew up seven times in races. That they managed to score as many points as they did was thanks firstly to their brilliant launch control system, far and away the best in the field, capable of catapulting both cars up a number of places at the start of each race, and what must have been some mightily effective aerodynamics on the R202 under the guidance of Mike Gascoyne.

Having said that, there were races such as Austria, Canada and Italy where the yellow and blues (easily the ugliest paint job of the year) just couldn't get a set-up, and yet Monza was the only time both cars finished in the points. That was due to an audacious pit strategy of an early one-stop tactic, which was repeated at Indianapolis and was a credit to the team's brains trust. Less impressive, though, was the way in which Jenson Button was shut out as soon as it was clear that he was on the move for 2003. But that's always been Flavio Briatore's way - and if he gets results, then who are we to criticise? Prospects for 2003: There's no reason why Renault can't remain 4th, but the top 3 looks out of reach. The engine could remain a liability. Jarno Trulli is now finally racing well, while Fernando Alonso will step up to the plate without problems. His talent was wasted as a tester this year. Oh, and can we please have a new colour scheme? Our Rating: 6.0

5. Toyota

During some races in 2002, it was easy to forget that Toyota were in their debut season, and sometimes the red and whites were so unobtrusive you hardly knew they were there at all. While for teams like Sauber that sort of thing may have indicated rather unsatisfactory stagnancy, for Toyota that was actually a compliment. Unlike recent debut flops like BAR and Jaguar, Ove Andersson's team set modest targets, were determined to learn, and didn't take points (or even qualifying for races) for granted. In the end they scored two points, and came 10th overall, behind Minardi only on count-back. As such, they achieved their goals, set a platform for future progress, and could be said to have been impressive. Mika Salo scored on the team's debut in Australia and again in Brazil, and should have scored in Italy, likewise Allan McNish in Malaysia. The engine was superb and strong, but Gustav Brunner's nimble but conservative chassis came in for more criticism. Yet while it was generally true that Toyota performed better on high-speed tracks, the only time both cars qualified in the top 10 was in Monaco. In fact, Toyotas started in the top 10 nine times, more than Jordan.

Not that everything was a bed of roses. Thirteen times a Toyota started below 16th on the grid, and 14 times they retired, five due to gearbox or transmission problems. But after Salo suffered a mid-season run of six straight DNFs, he managed to finish the last six events, showing that the team was able to successfully cure reliability issues. It showed that the team was moving up the learning curve, helping to create a positive impression overall. But one wonders if it was wise to let go of both their drivers at the end of the year instead of opting for some level of continuity. Prospects for 2003: Expect another very powerful engine, while Gustav Brunner will have the liberty to design a more adventurous chassis. Getting Olivier Panis on board is a great coup, though he may struggle in shoot-out qualifying. Thank goodness they didn't sign Felipe Massa though! Da Matta is a much better choice. Outside chance for the top 6 in the constructors' title next year. Our Rating: 6.0

6. Sauber-Petronas

In our season review last year, we questioned if Sauber could maintain their 'best of the rest' form, and we were not alone in doing so. In the end, the doubters were proven correct. Sauber still came 5th in the constructors' title and scored 11 points, but all but one of them came in the first 10 races. It seemed as though the Swiss team were resuming normal service and returning to their previous party tricks, producing a bulletproof car that would run solidly in midfield, but with hardly any development to speak of as the season wore on. The C21 was an evolution of the pioneering twin-keel C20 from 2001, but without a designer of note, one wondered just how far the design philosophy could be stretched. It was worth pointing out that the C20 started off with vertical plates joining the nose to the front wing, and ended the season with diagonal ones. The C21 started with diagonal plates and ended up with vertical ones. It was as though they were going around in circles. There were noticeable occasions when the car didn't work, such as at Monaco, Spa and Monza, but there seemed no pattern that the engineers could understand.

That wasn't really good enough for a team using last year's championship-winning engines. Only a handful of mechanical retirements all year meant that Sauber's reliability record was bettered only by Williams and Ferrari, allowing both cars to finish in the points in Malaysia and Spain. Otherwise the team didn't manage to strike gold with Felipe Massa. They ought to share some of the blame for the Brazilian failing to temper his over-driving style, but from their use of team orders at Hockenheim it was clear that the rookie was out of favour with the team as early as the mid-season. Prospects for 2003: With Nick Heidfeld to be joined by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, there are no worries in the cockpit. They will be inheriting potentially the best engine and rear-end assembly of 2002. The rest comes down to aerodynamics and chassis design, which could prove to be a major problem. Frankly, they could squander the engine advantage they have. Our Rating: 5.5

7. Jaguar-Cosworth

Another unhappy season overall for Jaguar, but one in which at least they showed signs of being able to solve problems and make genuine improvement. Despite the constant question marks over Ford's enthusiasm, and scepticism about the Blue Oval's affirmations of support, the fact is that from the time Steve Nichols got the chop for the inherently horrible R3, there were no more big-name sackings until the end of the season. For the first time Jaguar could be said to have had some stability, and it worked wonders, considering the fact that they started the season languishing amongst the Minardis, and ended the season as 'best of the rest' in a couple of races. These results were thanks to a genuine step forward via the R3B, ameliorating some of the major front-end aerodynamic issues. The R3B seemed particularly effective in low-downforce configuration, qualifying in the top 10 at Spa and Monza and potentially in the top 6 at Indianapolis if only they had made their Michelins work. Although weaknesses remained in terms of high-downforce set-up, the fact is that Eddie Irvine's 3rd place at Monza was the only one scored by a team outside the 'big 3', and that was a tribute to the work Jaguar engineers had put in.

But there could be no excuses about how bad the car was at the start, nor about their awful unreliability, with 19 retirements throughout 2002, 5 due to hydraulic failures. The driveshaft, transmission and suspension were also weak, and it was a suspension failure that caused James Courtney's testing crash at Monza, the biggest F1 accident of the year. Also, the ambience between Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa was not good, but with both now put out to pasture, this won't be an issue in 2003. Instead they will have to cope with a lack of F1 racing experience behind the wheel of both cars. Prospects for 2003: Hopefully the effort put into improving the R3 does not hurt the design of the R4, but rather that the momentum of improvement will be carried over. Despite his BAR track record, the acquisition of Malcolm Oastler is a plus. While sacking both their drivers in favour of Webber and Pizzonia is a risky move that may pay off in the long term, it implies the lessons of the value of stability simply haven't been learned. Our Rating: 5.0

8. Jordan-Honda

Eddie Jordan had reason to be disappointed with how 2002 went. Their tally of 9 points was their lowest since 1993, and the lowest for a 6th-placed team since 1992. In truth, the yellow cars were not consistently competitive, hamstrung by their gutless Honda engines and the fact that the man responsible for the EJ12 chassis, the highly-regarded Eghbal Hamidy, was very quickly not on the scene to help develop it, replaced by Gary Anderson, now back in favour, and Henri Durand. Like fellow Honda users BAR, it seemed as though they were quickly looking forward to 2003 long before 2002 was over. As such, there seemed to be minimal improvement as the year progressed, although a more gently-sloping front wing replaced the original split-level design. One area where they did address early-season weaknesses, though, was in terms of their finishing record. In the first five races, Jordans retired 7 times, and in Malaysia, where both cars saw the flag, they had collided with each other during the event. Although the Honda engines continued to explode, ironically affecting number one driver Giancarlo Fisichella more, at least Jordan itself ironed out their early hydraulic and gearbox woes.

Still, there was a shortage of car speed, and they only qualified in the top 10 eight times. And of those eight, only three times did it result in a points finish. Jordan did have the advantage of a big fuel tank though, which allowed Fisichella in particular to run long, climb up the order, get some clear air, make use of the durable Bridgestones, and then come in for a lightning stop. The yellow cars could make up some places this way, but if they were depending on this then they were clutching at straws. EJ eventually got his customer Ford Cosworth deal, and was quickly pinning his 2003 hopes on that. Prospects for 2003: A new design pairing, a new powerful engine, no wonder Anderson and Durand are talking about a clean slate for the design of the EJ13. But then again, Anderson's last major design was the Jaguar R1. The engine will be up to the task, so it will be up to the chassis to ensure that Fisi's talent is not wasted again as it was in 2002. Our Rating: 5.0

9. Minardi-Asiatech

In 2002, Minardi (officially KL Minardi) scored 2 points and came 9th in the constructors' title, beating Toyota and Arrows. But in truth, their performance did not quite match expectations, and by season's end they were relatively less competitive than they were at the end of 2001. Without Gustav Brunner's input, the average chassis underwent very little development, and Asiatech seemed more interested in making grandiose but ultimately thwarted plans to become a constructor in its own right rather than improve its engine. In the end, Asiatech rather embarrassingly pulled out of F1 altogether. In this era of megabucks manufacturer involvement in the face of general economic downturn, money was Minardi's problem yet again. The backing from Malaysia was not as much as expected, and it came with the lamentable Alex Yoong. Stoddart was forced to take on a raft of paying test drivers, such as Slovakian Jirko Malcharek, but it wasn't as though they had enough money to test anyway, which contributed to the lack of development. Parts were probably still being utilised beyond their use-by date, contributing to their conspicuous unreliability in the latter half of the year.

Stoddart had planned for Minardi to move into the midfield, but they were still mired at the back, and in truth they were looking expendable as participants. The ongoing saga over the Prost TV money showed that. Stoddart kept trying to pull the 'we will go bankrupt soon' line, but by year's end that was starting to become wearing. He did not seem to realise that he had neither the resources nor the political grunt to get the big deal that would propel his team up the grid, but his ambitions remained unfettered even if somewhat unrealistic the way F1 is these days. Prospects for 2003: With European Aviation being sold off, Minardi will survive into 2003, but it looks like the elements will be thrown together at the last minute again. An engine deal was meant to be announced at Indianapolis, but there's no news as yet. Jos Verstappen may be one of the drivers, but chassis design is a worry. In terms of results, expect more of the same. Our Rating: 4.5

10. BAR-Honda

A generally disappointing performance from BAR in 2002, but not entirely unexpected, and not without hope for the future. Geoff Willis was a good acquisition at the end of 2001, but the designer could not be expected to have any major impact until the design of the BAR 05 for 2003. More importantly, David Richards was the right man to bring on board to steer the team in the right direction, except that by the time he joined it was too late to do anything about their 2002 program, and before this season began Richards was already looking forward to next season. As it was, 2002 was a season to be endured rather than enjoyed. Richards slashed the workforce, dumping designer Malcolm Oastler whose 04 chassis underwhelmed yet again. He used the media to try to get Jacques Villeneuve to accept lower pay and to fire up the Canadian, and from the fact that Villeneuve was staying with the team for 2003 and seemingly driving with more purpose at season's end, Richards' ploy may well have worked. He was quick to snaffle up Jenson Button, and he managed to convince Honda to shed Jordan to commit to BAR alone in the years to come.

That all points to a bright 2003. But this review is about 2002, and this season Honda was certainly a liability, their engine powerless and in terms of reliability a bit like a hand grenade with loose pins, although not all of BAR's woeful finishing record could be attributed to the motor. The 04 only worked from time to time, rarely in qualifying trim, and aerodynamic development was less than vigorous. The double points finish at Silverstone was rather flukey, and 8th in the constructors' title with only 7 points was their worst performance since their infamous 1999. Prospects for 2003: Willis should be able to come up with a more nimble chassis for 2003. Richards now needs to convince Honda to up their commitment and become BAR's partner, not just their works engine supplier. If they can do that, then Villeneuve and Button should be able to do the rest, and bring BAR back into the top 6. Our Rating: 4.0

11. Arrows-Cosworth

The seeming demise of the Arrows team from Grand Prix racing towards the end of 2002, and their efforts to disguise their financial problems and avoid the wrath of the FIA, was one of the sadder stories of 2002. Their A23 chassis was late and readied only at the eleventh hour before the season began; their Cosworths were the fourth different engine they had had in as many seasons, and costly too; their sponsors were wavering, their creditors hostile, and there were takeover bids left, right and centre. By year's end, the future of the team was in complete limbo. Since taking over the team in 1996, Tom Walkinshaw has lurched from one unsuccessful deal to the next in trying to live up to his promise of taking Arrows to the top. It all came back to bite the Scot in 2002. His undermining of Paul Stoddart's attempt to acquire Prost's assets, and his involvement in Phoenix/DART, in hindsight obviously an attempt to save his own team, was too duplicitious for us to accept. In the end, we had the farce of their deliberate non-qualification in France, their on-off appearances, and eventually their no-show in the last few rounds.

Which was a pity for all involved. Sergio Rinland had produced a nimble if unorthodox A23 that was initially making better use of the Cosworths than Jaguar. It had allowed both drivers to mix it competitively in the midfield, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen knocking on the door of the top 10 in qualifying and finishing a brilliant 6th in Spain. But with the car arriving so late, reliability was always going to be a problem, and the sight of both orange cars stalled at the start of the parade lap in Melbourne, and eventually disqualified from the race, rather summed up their season. Prospects for 2003: At the end of 2002, Arrows looks like being engine-less, sponsor-less, driver-less and new owner-less. Tom Walkinshaw hasn't been yet able to convince anyone to buy his team, although rumours circulte about a German consortium. Crowded House may suggest that you 'Don't Dream It's Over', but unless something drastic happens soon, it's probably safe to say that it is. Our Rating: 3.0

Here are our driver reviews for the season, ranked here according to a rating out of 10 awarded by us. We have taken into consideration their equipment, past form, luck (or lack thereof) and our initial expectations for 2002.

1. Michael Schumacher

Seven poles, seven fastest laps, unblemished reliability that put him on the podium in every single race, a record eleven wins, a record 144 points, and a record-equalling 5th World Championship. Could there have been a more perfect year in modern Grand Prix history? This was what happens when you put one of the best drivers of all time in one of the best cars of all time. His season showed that others could occasionally be faster over a single lap in either qualifying or the race, but to win a championship you simply need to be consistently better, faster and stronger than everyone else.

Such was his dominance that he hardly had to resort to unethical racetrack tactics, but criticisms could still be levelled at him. Ferrari would not need to use team orders if Michael did not feel the need for them. It was sad that he did not have enough confidence in the superiority of his machinery to try to win the championship by himself and allow Rubens to take 2nd on his own with his intervention. That, and his absurd antics on the Austrian podium and at the Indy finish line, continued to leave blots on his copybook, and on his comparison with other F1 legends.

Prospects for 2003: Quite simply, a sixth World Championship, breaking Fangio's record, is there for the taking. The new rules will only make it moderately harder for him. It will be nice to see him doing it without team orders, and without him ever helping Rubens either. Enjoy more magic next year from one of the all-time greats. Our Rating: 9.0

2. Rubens Barrichello

So the likeable Rubinho took 2nd in the World Championship with 4 wins, 3 poles, 5 fastest laps, and 77 points. How much of that was due to him, how much was due to the peerless Ferrari F2002, and how much was due to Michael Schumacher was not particularly clear. But even if Schumi had gifted him Indy and possibly Italy, and then shown his overall superiority by blowing Rubens into the weeds in Japan, there was little question that Barrichello had by his own right driven excellently throughout 2002, matching and even out-driving Schumacher for pace at certain times.

He most probably deserved to win that infamous race at the A1 Ring, but he definitely took the European and Hungarian GPs on merit. Often placed on a more adventurous pit strategy by Ross Brawn, he responded by being able to push his car to the limit in races perhaps more often than even Schumi did, and always without making a mistake. He was clinical in the many passing moves he made, especially at Interlagos, Montreal, the Nurburgring, Silverstone and Monza. Although he suffered all of Ferrari's reliability woes in 2002, he could have easily taken 2nd in the championship on his own.

Prospects for 2003: Team orders are banned for 2003, but it seems unlikely that Rubens will stop being Michael's lackey. He'll find other ways of benefiting the German, for he seems content in that role anyway, sadly. His smoothness could give him a great advantage in qualifying. One only wishes that he could genuinely be let off the leash. Our Rating: 8.0

3. Kimi Raikkonen

We know for certain that the young cool-as-ice Finn had an excellent 2002. Just how good is not easy to tell. Ten retirements including six engine failures left him with only 24 points and 6th in the championship. Often those failures occurred relatively early in the race, so it was not always possible to gauge how he compared with DC in race trim. But in qualifying, there was no doubt. He out-qualified Coulthard 10-7, and aside from Hungary (where he started 11th) and Belgium (where he was a sensational 2nd), he started every other race between 4th and 6th. Consistently impressive stuff.

He should have taken his maiden win in France (were it not for McNish's oil) after a scintillating drive, and his effort in Hungary to finish 4th included an awesome pass on Montoya. He still had his rough edges, though, such as when he collided with Sato in qualifying at Monza, and one might still have preferred Coulthard's race pace solidity. But it was easy to forget that Raikkonen was only in his second F1 season, and his first in a top team. He exploded doubts over his season-long stamina, and showed that he could handle the pressure, although his lack of PR skills did not endear him to all.

Prospects for 2003: If the Mercedes engine improves and stops blowing up in his car, then Raikkonen will certainly take his first win in 2003. In a season-long straight fight with DC, it will be interesting to see who emerges on top. Could quite easily finish in the top four of the 2003 title, and could establish himself as McLaren's spearhead. Our Rating: 7.5

4. David Coulthard

Just like last year, DC couldn't really be blamed for not meeting his 'I will challenge for the championship' prophecies. In a year when the Hakkinen monkey had finally been lifted off his back, the Scot would have been appalled to find that the Mercedes engine rendered the McLaren so uncompetitive against the Ferraris. And what's more, although he probably won't admit to it, he must have felt slightly disconcerted by the shadow Hakkinen left behind, in the form of Mini-Mika, one K. Raikkonen, who out-qualified him 10-7. That did not look too good for David.

But whereas Raikkonen was perhaps a little quicker, he was also struck down by mechanical problems more often, and Coulthard was really the solid points-scoring core around whom McLaren operated this year. DC responded with a series of very commendable race drives, with only the odd downers such as at Silverstone. Eleven points-paying results and six podium finishes including that dominant win at Monaco was about as much as McLaren could have asked of him. Apart from his so-so qualifying pace, there was no reason for his confidence or reputation to be dented in 2002.

Prospects for 2003: Expect McLaren to bounce back in 2003. DC will want to work on his one-lap speed over the winter though to ensure that Kimi doesn't get the upper hand, and the unspoken McLaren favouritism that comes with it. But once again he's talking about a championship challenge. Yeah, right. Who's he trying to kid? Our Rating: 7.0

5. Jenson Button

What a roller-coaster ride it's been for Jenson in his F1 career so far. From the brilliance of his debut season with Williams to a 'Reject of the Year' performance with Benetton in 2001, then back up to 14 points, 7th in the championship, and 5th in our rankings in 2002. Perhaps the jury may still be out as to whether or not Button is really champion material in the Montoya or Raikkonen sense, or just a very good driver in the Riccardo Patrese mould, but there was no doubting the young Englishman's consistency this season, which saw him score points in no less than seven races.

Apart from starting 17th at Monza, Jenson qualified between 6th and 14th at each round, which is not sensational but fair enough. To have only lost 11-6 to Trulli in the qualifying battle was not too shabby at all. Nothing wrong with his race pace, though. He was unlucky not to have scored podiums in Malaysia, Brazil and Spain, and if anyone from the 'big three' teams faltered, it was he who often collected the points on offer. He did seem to have a bit of a down period when his departure from Renault was confirmed, but his final flourish at year's end spoke volumes for his commitment and determination.

Prospects for 2003: Button may well be joining BAR at just the right time, as long as Honda ups their game. Going up against a resurgent Jacques Villeneuve is a challenge that he can meet. He does need to improve his qualifying speed a little, but his combination with the Canadian could be a very strong one indeed. Our Rating: 7.0

6. Mark Webber

OK, there's some shameless parochialism here, but in terms of overall impression the Australian was easily the rookie of the year. He was not quite as brilliant as Fernando Alonso had been last year, but it had to be said that the Minardi Asiatech package seemed surprisingly less competitive, relatively speaking, than Paul Stoddart's cars had been the year before. Undoubtedly, the highlight of Webber's year was his debut in Melbourne, when he scored that popular 5th place despite his lack of traction control, a bungled pit stop, Salo's late-race surge and a broken differential after five laps.

A telling fact was that in six races Webber genuinely out-qualified non-Minardis, including de la Rosa 4 times, Bernoldi 3 times, Irvine twice, and Salo once. He was usually stellar in races, doing all that was asked of him and then some, scoring a brace of results from 10th to 12th, having often diced with BARs, Jaguars and the like. He sometimes had trouble getting off the line cleanly, and he was susceptible to the occasional brief off-track excursion, but only once at Silverstone did it look as though he threw the car off the road, although the team blamed a clutch failure for that.

Prospects for 2003: The big news is that Webber joins Jaguar for 2003. With plenty of testing miles under his belt over the off-season, he will be ready to tackle his fast team-mate Antonio Pizzonia. If he can come up with better starts, a little bit more qualifying speed, and consistent race pace, he could score quite a few points if the car is up to it. Our Rating: 7.0

7. Juan Pablo Montoya

Few would have been more despondent at Ferrari's domination than Juan-Pablo Montoya. It made an embarrassing mockery of his ambitions to confront Michael Schumacher head-on, and it left him without a win in 2002. One win in two seasons compared to Ralf Schumacher's 4 and Michael Schumacher's 20 in that time makes for very sobering reading. But even if the Ferrari wasn't quite as good as it was, would 'The Monster' have been able to sustain a championship challenge? Our answer is a resounding 'no'. The Colombian's inconsistency was one of the telling stories of 2002.

Yes, he surged his way to 7 poles including 5 in a row from Monaco to France. But if he was meant to be first up behind the Ferraris, then nine times he qualified between 4th and 6th, i.e. he had been beaten by either Ralf or the McLarens. Some weekends he was dynamite, others he was absolutely nowhere. In some races, such as Brazil, Europe, Hungary and Italy, his attempts to be his aggressive self only got him into trouble, and too often he went beyond the ragged edge. Yet his pass on Raikkonen in Germany was one of the year's best. It was truly a case of brilliance and mediocrity in equal measures.

Prospects for 2003: Having said all that, JPM did secure 3rd in the championship with 50 points. It's a good platform for him from which to launch a more concerted title bid in 2003. He will need a better car from Williams, but he also needs to add consistent race pace to his qualifying pace, and be at his best all the time, not just some of the time. Our Rating: 7.0

8. Jarno Trulli

For much of 2002, it appeared as though the Italian would be doing nothing except add to his reputation of being a sensational qualifier, among the best there is over one lap, but a pretty hopeless racer. His consistency on Saturdays continued to amaze; apart from the aberration of 16th in Austria, he qualified for all the other races in the top 12, and in 13 of them started from between 6th and 9th, which should have placed him perfectly for points on Sunday. But despite out-qualifying Jenson Button 11-6, he was out-scored by his team-mate 14 points to 9. On paper, that did not look too flash.

Races like Hungary, where he started 6th, dropped back at the start, and finished a lowly 8th seemed to back up the point. But, for starters, it had to be said that Trulli suffered the bulk of Renault's reliability problems during year, something of a surprise considering that he and not Button was Flavio Briatore's chosen man. He had done well to hold off Fisichella for 4th place at Monaco, but it was the three races at year's end in Italy (4th from the back of the grid), America (5th) and Japan (mechanical failure whilst en route to 5th) which showed that perhaps, finally, Jarno was coming of age as a racer.

Prospects for 2003: One-lap qualifying shoot outs will suit Trulli immensely. If the Renault improves, and if he can regularly back up his grid positions with solid race drives as he is beginning to do, then he could land lots of points. He will also be keen to resist his new team-mate Fernando Alonso. I'm predicting Trulli's best season yet in F1. Our Rating: 6.5

9. Ralf Schumacher

At the start of the year, we suggested that Ralf needed to add a bit more mongrel to his driving in order to take the battle up to his team-mate and to the Ferraris. The bottom line is that he didn't, and with only 42 points duly got fourth place in the title behind his brother, Barrichello and JPM. If consistency was the key, then Ralf had it in spades, qualifying for every race between 2nd and 5th, and only being edged out in the qualifying battle 9-8 by the potentially faster but fluctuating Montoya. But in truth, Ralf needed to find that extra something in himself during 2002, but was plainly unable to do so.

He did pick up Williams' only win of the year in Malaysia, but his late-race display in Brazil, when he caught his brother but refused to challenge for the race win, seemed to say it all about Ralf's deficiencies. Thereafter came a preponderance of 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, and only at Hockenheim did he show any sort of spark. He remained a dependable, reliable, quick driver, but he lacked the spirit of his team-mate, and his brother's skill of driving above the car's ability. In view of that, his end-of-season attempts to clumsily pick fights with JPM seemed a touch unwise.

Prospects for 2003: Ralf can feel safe in a long-term contract with Williams, but both Frank Williams and Patrick Head would love to see him return to the style and panache that he showed back in 1999. 2003 calls for a more consistently dynamic approach from everyone at Williams BMW, and Ralf desperately needs to step up to the plate. Our Rating: 6.5

10. Eddie Irvine

Judging by his early-season form, the Ulsterman was mightily disappointing indeed. Left unmotivated by the horrors of the Jaguar R3, apart from Brazil where he started 13th he started all of the first seven races from between 18th and 21st, and was out-qualified by Mark Webber's Minardi twice. But throughout the year he was still a commendably steady racer, with Silverstone being his only self-induced DNF in a season blighted by an outrageous sequence of mechanical maladies.

But here's the thing. Much more than Pedro de la Rosa, Irvine deserved to be credited with the development work that saw the R3 morph into the R3B, and transform into the 'best of the rest' car at Spa, Monza, and throughout free practice at Indianapolis. It may come as a surprise that his 8 points this year was the most he had scored in a season for Jaguar, and although his 4th in Australia was flukey, he earned his 6th at Spa and his sensational 3rd at Monza. In addition, Motormouth's daily proclamations to the world often made for sensible and amusing reading in what was a momentously dull season.

Prospects for 2003: Despite his efforts, Jaguar has gone for new blood for 2003. Not a total surprise, but it leaves Irvine in the cold. It remains to be seen if he will be motivated enough to go to Jordan, or simply find something else to do with his life. With Benson and Hedges looking for a Brit, maybe we'll yet see more of The Swerve. Our Rating: 6.5

11. Giancarlo Fisichella

There are plenty of people who rave about the Roman's abilities, and he was certainly one of the stars of 2001. How he would have loved to have stayed with Renault instead of being shunted off to Jordan, its so-so EJ12 chassis and the problematic Honda engine! As a temperamental fellow, there was no way that that wasn't going to get to him at some stage during the season, and his horrible qualifying efforts of 18th and 17th at the Nurburgring and Silverstone, and his generally pathetic weekend at the former, were big black marks on what was otherwise a competitive season, even if not as good as 2001.

His race results speak for themselves. Eight DNFs, including 4 engine and 2 hydraulic failures indicated an unfair share of bad luck. When he finished, only once was he out of the top 10, in Malaysia when Sato rammed him and robbed him of potential points. Otherwise, there was a solid 6th from 5th on the grid in Hungary, and that fabulous but easily-overlooked run of three consecutive 5ths from Austria to Canada. Even if only seven top-10 qualifying results and an average grid position of around 11th was a shade disappointing, Giancarlo still consolidated his growing reputation throughout 2002.

Prospects for 2003: Fisi has renewed hope for 2003, with some stability in the Jordan design team and customer Cosworths which, even if not the latest, will still be powerful and better than the Hondas. His confidence is generally up, and he is now driving consistently well. With luck, could score the odd podium next season. Our Rating: 6.5

12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Like his personal character, Frentzen's F1 career has been taking some enigmatic turns in the past two years. Dumped by Jordan and finding refuge at Prost, he hung out over the winter to see if the French team would survive, before finally signing a favourable contract with Arrows. Joining the team late to drive a new car arriving late, the German knew what to expect, and he did have his share of mechanical problems, although less so than team-mate Bernoldi. But he felt comfortable in the Arrows environment and it showed in his on-track performances, where he never gave less than his best.

His 6th in Spain where he tailed the Saubers for much of the race was one of the drives of the year, and he picked up a further point at Monaco. Some of his qualifying efforts were enough to show that his raw speed was still there, and his motivation, always a big factor in how well he competes, seemed to be high. Jumping ship from Arrows after the German GP (and becoming one of the team's creditors), he had already signed a deal with Sauber for 2003 when he was called in to replace Massa at Indy. A solid effort there with limited time in the car added to what was generally a good impression in 2002.

Prospects for 2003: From Sauber to Williams, Jordan, Prost, Arrows and back to Sauber. HHF's past few years risked turning him into a mediocre journeyman, but the return to Sauber will be a welcome homecoming. Despite Sauber's stolidness, they will have a good package in 2003, and it could be a great last hurrah for Heinz-Harald. Our Rating: 6.5

13. Mika Salo

Overall, the Finn had a good 2002, and were it not for the huge number of drivers who had good-but-not-great seasons, he would have been in our top 10. Not to discredit Allan McNish's contributions in any way, but Salo was the linchpin around whom Toyota's efforts and car development revolved, and it was fitting that he scored that point for 6th on the team's debut in Melbourne. He was also in the right place at the right time to pick up another 6th in Brazil, and whilst it was not a surprise that McNish had been dumped for 2003, the news that Salo was also departing was certainly unexpected.

Sadly, Mika seemed to let the news of his sacking affect his driving more than most. It is true that in qualifying he could sometimes be red-hot, and starting in the top 10 no fewer than eight times was evidence of that. Not one of his six retirements was by his own hand, and that sort of driver reliability was what Toyota needed. But after his departure was announced, a poor qualifying effort at Indy and some silly mistakes on race day at Monza, such as running wide at the Parabolica and crossing the white line on pit exit, pointed to a loss of motivation.

Prospects for 2003: Salo has announced his retirement from F1, wishing to spend more time with his wife and son, but then he adds that if an offer came from another series he would take it, and the latest rumour is he'll be testing the Renault! Regardless, Salo joins the long line of other ex-F1 drivers whose obvious talent went wasted by a sequence of average cars. Our Rating: 6.5

14. Nick Heidfeld

A look through our race reviews will reveal that there was not much to say about Nick Heidfeld all season, and it was dispiriting to see how Sauber's return to mediocrity dragged their lead driver, whom we ranked 2nd last year, down with them. The quiet German was certainly consistent: apart from a brilliant 5th on the grid in Austria, a 12th in Japan and some shockers in Monaco, Belgium and Italy when Sauber just didn't fire, he started the other 12 races all from between 7th and 10th on the grid. Despite the hype about team-mate Felipe Massa's raw speed, Heidfeld out-qualified him 12-4.

Fourteen finishes including the last 11 races in a row pointed to a finishing record second only to Schumi, and Heidfeld could certainly be counted upon to bring his car home. He had a weakness when seeing concertina situations ahead of him, such as in Australia, where he was largely responsible for the first corner mess, and in Austria, where his too-heavy braking plus a mechanical fault caused his gigantic collision with Sato. That, coupled with the fact that pretty much all of his seven points came by default, and that he hardly pulled a passing move of note all year, cast doubts on his genuine racing skills when the chips are down.

Prospects for 2003: Back in the Sauber for 2003, but this time with an experienced team-mate in the form of Frentzen, who really is Sauber's favourite son. It'll be intriguing to see how Nick copes with not being number 1 in the team. Let's hope that he can elevate himself beyond the level of his car and rediscover some of his 2001 spark. Our Rating: 6.0

15. Jacques Villeneuve

A look down the Canadian's grid positions throughout 2002 says everything about his season. After two 13ths in Australia and Malaysia when he was still sussing out the abilities of his steed, there came a seven race run where, apart from a 9th and a 10th, he was mired between 14th and 19th on the grid, as it became obvious that the car wasn't great, and that David Richards' plans for 2003 included him taking a pay cut. By contrast, for the last 8 events, when Jacques decided to commit himself to BAR on merit instead of going to CART for a year, he qualified between 7th and 13th.

Villeneuve's much-fabled racer's instinct still came out on occasions, such as in Austria, Britain (a good 4th place on the right tyres in the difficult conditions), Germany, the USA and Japan. He claimed that he was driving better than ever, but there was no denying that he was too comfortable when Craig Pollock was at the helm of BAR, and Richards' no-nonsense regime left him acting like a bit of a spoilt brat for the first half of 2002. When he realised that, if he didn't shape up, Richards was more than happy to ship him out, a renewed determination shone through, but such inconsistent motivation did not impress.

Prospects for 2003: Jacques' end-of-season saw a welcome return to form, and after the initial niggle between Richards and himself, played out in the media, it seems as though he is adjusting to his boss' standards. He will need to in order to match Jenson Button in 2003, but there are promising signs for a Villeneuve resurgence. Our Rating: 6.0

16. Allan McNish

Throughout 2002, Allan McNish made no bones of the fact that he wasn't happy at the way pundits were discussing his post-2002 future before his rookie season had begun. But he would have been blind not to realise that, as a thirty-something debutant, he had to do more than merely a respectable job to ensure that his first season in F1 was not his last. In other words, he had to match and then beat Mika Salo. The final statistics speak for themselves: the qualifying battle was tilted heavily in the Finn's favour 15-2, and only once (in Monaco) did McNish start in the top 10. Salo did it 8 times.

There was no doubting that the Scot was reliable enough. His massive qualifying crash at Suzuka was a sad way to round out a year in which his only blemishes in races were a spin in Brazil and a crash at Monaco. He also suffered a succession of mechanical mishaps, including a wheel problem which cost him a point in Malaysia, and a suspension problem which put him out at Monza when he looked like possibly taking 4th. As it was, he was classified 8 times including four top-10 finishes, but didn't score his first Grand Prix points. In what was a critical debut season, it was not quite enough.

Prospects for 2003: McNish should have been in F1 long ago, and deserved more than just one season in the top flight, but that's all he'll get. The Audi sports car team have already said that they are willing to receive him back with open arms, but he could use his Toyota ties to get a drive in the IRL where, frankly, his ability will be wasted. Our Rating: 6.0

17. Olivier Panis

In 2002, Olivier Panis was very much in the Pedro de la Rosa or Nick Heidfeld mould - steady but stultifyingly unspectacular. The Frenchman was still as highly regarded as ever as a tester and racer, even though there really wasn't much he could do to develop the BAR 04, but the way F1 is these days qualifying is more important than ever. In this area Olivier was still found wanting, even if his average grid slot was only one behind Jacques Villeneuve's. Only 4 times did he start in the top half of the field, but he was also a hopeless 16th in Italy and Japan, 17th in Brazil and 18th at Imola and Monaco.

His best qualifying effort, 7th in Germany, should have earned him points in the race were it not for an engine seizure. Indeed, unreliability blighted his season; he did not finish a race until Canada, round 8, and in total he only saw the chequered flag 6 times. Olivier also seemed ill-at-ease with launch control, sluggish getaways dropping him back to near last at the Nurburgring and the Hungaroring. Conversely, it was a dynamite start at Monza that saw him come home 6th from 16th, although he could have even been 4th had he not been trumped by Renault's pit strategy.

Prospects for 2003: In 2003, Panis leaves BAR for Toyota, where he will finish his F1 career. For a team desperate for development, he is a real asset with his testing expertise, and he could help Toyota surprise. However, he is still weak over a single lap, and the new qualifying shoot-out format could hurt him especially. Our Rating: 5.5

18. Enrique Bernoldi

Apart from Tom Walkinshaw's hard-working mechanics, Enrique Bernoldi was the forgotten victim of the slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune. With eight retirements, all of them due to mechanical problems, he was the one who suffered from the inevitable unreliability that came with the A23's lateness. He was the one given the ignominy of a disqualification when his team sent him out in the spare car in Australia after his race car failed to start. He was the one left in a lurch when Frentzen left the team and Arrows started playing hide and seek on race weekends.

With an average grid spot of around 17th, a qualifying battle 11-1 in Frentzen's favour, and a best finish of 11th at the Nurburgring, it was true that the Brazilian did not have a particularly brilliant season, and there seemed to be more deserving drivers than he waiting on the fringes. But if anything stood out it was his appetite for a scrap. He had shown that in Austria and Monaco last year, and this year he was good in battle situations at Monaco, where he opportunistically passed Massa on the drag down to Ste Devote (only for his countryman to punt him off the road), and at Hockenheim.

Prospects for 2003: Bernoldi has only ever been in F1 because of his connections with Red Bull. But now their supremo Dieter Mateschitz seems to have given up on acquiring a team, focussing on the US driver development program instead. All of which is bad news for Enrique. Time to go to the tennis courts to watch girlfriend Jelena Dokic. Our Rating: 5.5

19. Pedro de la Rosa

In a word, it was a very mediocre season for the likeable Spaniard, one of the most articulate and discerning drivers in the field. Saddled with a Jaguar the handling of which he never seemed to get used to, Pedro was one of the most unobtrusive drivers of the year. Rarely did he do anything daft - only one of his nine retirements was self-induced, and that was at home at Barcelona, where he always seems to spin off! But rarely did he do anything that made you sit up and take notice either. His 11th grid position in Brazil was a good effort, but in total he was out-qualified 10-7 by Eddie Irvine.

His 8th grid spot in Italy was wasted by a poor start, and he missed out on points there and also in Australia, where mechanical problems robbed him of a near-certain 5th in the attrition-hit race. All but one of his eight finishes were between 8th and 11th, showing that he was solid all year, but you look for something a little bit more in a Grand Prix driver. By year's end he was involved in a public slanging match with Irvine over who was responsible for the slow rate of development on the R3 and R3B, each blaming the other, although the truth was probably somewhere in between.

Prospects for 2003: Despite having a contract for 2003, Niki Lauda was equally unimpressed by Pedro's efforts in 2002, and has given both he and Irvine the boot. In hoping to hang on for the Jaguar drive, de la Rosa hasn't been mentioned in connection to any other drive. Finding anything decent for 2003 now could be very difficult indeed. Our Rating: 5.0

20. Takuma Sato

There was no doubt that Takuma Sato's 5th place drive in Japan was one of the best performances of the year, but sadly it was too late to recover his dented reputation. At the start of the year we suggested that Taku, arguably the most talented Japanese driver in F1 yet, would not be performing miracles and should be given time to settle in. Unfortunately, he started the year trying too hard, and when he finally did calm down and look like settling in, his efforts did not compare favourably with Giancarlo Fisichella, although it must be said that Jordan were also having a most unimpressive year.

From the moment he went out in Melbourne, it was clear that he was over-driving. It made for great banzai viewing, but it also contributed to a big repair bill, with a litany of accidents and spins in Australia, Spain, Austria (not his fault) and Monaco, and in the Historic Monaco GP when he crashed a Lotus 49. 6 finishes in a row at year's end pointed to a safer approach, but overall he found himself out-qualified 12-5 by Fisi, and usually about 0.4 to 0.5s slower than the Italian which, rookie inexperience notwithstanding, was not particularly brilliant. Suzuka was his only top 10 grid slot all year.

Prospects for 2003: We think Eddie Jordan is telling fibs when he says that the Honda connection had nothing to do with Sato getting a drive this year. With Jordan switching to Cosworths, Taku may lose his seat unless extra Japanese sponsorship is forthcoming. He deserves a second chance, though, but will probably end up as Jordan or (more likely) BAR tester for 2003. Our Rating: 4.5

21. Felipe Massa

There was little doubt that, like Kimi Raikkonen whom he replaced at Sauber, Felipe Massa had talent and speed to burn. But unlike the Finn, who distinguished himself by his level head and smooth driving, Massa over-drove to the point of raggedness, and it made for painful viewing seeing him constantly correcting and re-correcting when a safer approach sufficed. Though he often compared well against Nick Heidfeld in races, and scored 4 points of his own, he was out-qualified 12-4 by the German. But a catalogue of incidents proceeded to put him on our 'Reject of the Year' podium.

As a sample, he collided with Webber in a 50-50 collision in Brazil; he baulked everyone in qualifying in Monaco, punted off Bernoldi and crashed at Ste Devote; he spun 4 times on race day at Silverstone; he incurred two penalties in France for a jump-start and for crossing the white line; he childishly complained about Sauber team orders in Germany; he was rightly punished for his clash with de la Rosa at Monza; and he ended the year by crashing again in Japan. Hungary was easily his best weekend as a whole, but as 2002 went on he simply didn't seem to be learning from his mistakes or tempering his style.

Prospects for 2003: His manager claimed he had a drive for 2003, but we know it wasn't at Sauber. Rumours were he was off to Toyota, but that drive has also disappeared. So it looks like he's in as umpteenth tester at Ferrari, which means his F1 career may go the same way as Luciano Burti's. Into oblivion. Our Rating: 4.0

22. Alex Yoong

There was a lot to like about Alex Yoong. He seemed a personable chap, unpretentious, aware of the limits of his ability, a hard worker, a willing learner, and comfortable with the media. Sadly, none of those qualities had anything to do with being able to drive a Grand Prix car quickly. The most out-of-his-depth driver who has graced F1 since the mid-1990s, Alex never qualified higher than last, except for Australia and France where there were extenuating circumstances. Usually, he only got within the 107% mark by about 0.5s, and three times (San Marino, Britain, Germany) he didn't make it at all. 'Reject of the Year' material, we're sorry to say.

Rested for two races by Paul Stoddart, he did have a strong end-of-year, getting close to Mark Webber's times, although that was probably due to the Minardi reaching the extent of its capabilities. Generally cautious and able to keep the car on the road, at times he was able to race quite solidly, for example in Malaysia and Japan, where he ran ahead of his team-mate. However, he seemed particularly prone to losing the back end of his PS02, especially when he was pushing harder. He was in F1 because of his money, and in 2002 there was nothing to suggest that he deserved a place on merit.

Prospects for 2003: Yoong leaves Minardi in 2003 and is making noises about going to CART. Not a wise move - he'll find the competition just as tough across the Atlantic. He would be much better advised to hone his skills in F3000 or the Dallara Nissan World Series in Spain. But it's all about where his sponsors and his money lands him, isn't it? Our Rating: 3.5

Anthony Davidson

The BAR test driver filled in at Minardi when regular driver Alex Yoong was rested for the Hungarian and Belgian GPs. Although he qualified last and spun out in both races, he was relatively close to Mark Webber's pace, despite not having sat in the car previously and generally acquitted himself well. He tended to be a bit too generous to the front-runners whilst being lapped, and at Spa was caught out trying to match the speed of the car ahead instead of doing his own thing. Still, it seemed amazing that, Minardi aside, he was on no-one's shopping list for 2003.

http://www.f1rejects.com
email@f1rejects.com