Season 2007 Review

The problem, as we have often bemoaned, was that the relative stability in regulations not only created over-reliability but also ridiculously short braking zones and limited passing opportunities. Plus this year a further variable was taken away as the tyre war ended and Bridgestone supplied the entire field. The two-compounds-per-race rule proved ineffective, and either teams and drivers managed to get themselves hooked up on the Japanese rubber, or they didn't. And that was the way it stayed all year. Some didn't manage to get it right all season in terms of aero and set-up. Renault's fall from grace as reigning drivers and constructors' champion was dramatic, as they scored one podium all season and 50 points fewer than BMW. But that nothing compared to the embarrassment suffered by the two Japanese giants, Toyota and Honda, both of which professed aspirations of victory and title challenges before the season began. On a money-to-results ratio, both their seasons were absolutely criminal.

Perhaps the greatest contradiction of all was that this was a thrilling championship which produced a worthy drivers' champion in Kimi Raikkonen in a feel-good finale, but the season as a whole left, and continues to leave, a sour taste in the mouth. The Spygate controversy was unsavoury as much for what actually happened, as it was for the way the FIA handled it, the penalty it meted out which screamed "Prejudice!", and Ferrari's moral grandstanding along the way. And, with Renault now embroiled, it's not over yet. Indeed, the FIA seemed intent on parading its officious power (not necessarily without reason, mind you) like a carnivore stalking its prey. Interventions in Canada, after Japan, and in Brazil to name a few could have had, and did have, a bearing on the title. Oh, and in Hungary of course, where it should never have got involved in the way that it did. In true website-imitates-life fashion, it was enough for us to revise our Reject of the Year podium criteria again so that the FIA could take its worthy place on it.

The events in Hungary not only had implications for Spygate but for the volatile situation within McLaren itself, which was one of the sorriest aspects of 2007. McLaren's awful sense of man-management, and the conflicting attitudes as to what the team's supposed "equality" meant, surely affected the team's focus as it got caught up in endless nightmares and contributed to their mistakes in the last two races. It also brought out, sadly, a very ugly side of Fernando Alonso whose reputation was seriously tarnished. Tied into all this was that rookie phenomenon, and a contradiction in himself, called Lewis Hamilton. He was spellbindingly brilliant until his chokes in the last two GPs, but his own blind refusal (and that of his ardent supporters - which at times seemed to include the majority of Britain) to recognise that he was extremely lucky to land in the best car, to not have to unlearn Michelin behaviour, to get his breaks with officialdom, and to be mollycoddled by Ron Dennis, meant he polarised neutral observers.

Further back in the field, there was more avoidable angst over the customer car row, which took a back seat to other events and remained unresolved, so much so that a new Concorde Agreement for 2008 has not been agreed and Prodrive's entry is now in jeopardy. But the issue had Spyker (another one-year-wonder name for the team formerly known as Jordan) in a knot all season - why? - and cast a question mark over anything good that Toro Rosso and Super Aguri accomplished. All in all, though, compared to 2006 and before, there was a palpable sense that F1 was in the birthing pains of a new era of sorts. Yes McLaren were having their usual every-second-year success, but new-look Ferrari seemed fragile at times, BMW look ready to pounce, Red Bull and Williams likewise but less so, and Renault, Toyota and Honda proved that manufacturer clout doesn't automatically guarantee success. More notably, on the driver front, Michael Schumacher had gone, but did anyone miss him?

It was the next generation's turn, but just as quickly the likes of Alonso and Raikkonen seemed to be superseded by another new breed. Not only Hamilton, but the likes of Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen were sensational as the year wore on, and Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, even Kazuki Nakajima in the last race had their moments. A season of positives and negatives then, just like the race reviews on our podcasts. As we said, a year of contradictions.

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, just as importantly, our initial expectations for 2007.

11. Honda

Sigh. After recording that first (if somewhat fortuitous) breakthrough victory in Hungary last year, and with Jenson Button scoring more points than anyone else in the last half-dozen races of 2006, the talk from Honda was that regular wins and even a championship challenge would be on the agenda for 2007. The whole sponsor-less earth livery concept was never intended to be a gimmick in itself; the environmental message was surely meant to complement, and be publicised by, success on the track. Instead, right from the beginning of the season it was clear that the RA107 was a handful. Front aero grip was the big problem, and team could not understand the root cause, and had not since 2005; which is why developments like the 'dumbo' wings and the mid-season update package largely proved fruitless. Eventually there were some gains, and front-end stability improved, but both drivers still moaned that the car wasn't quick enough. Too many times they were beaten by Super Aguri using last year's RA106.

The team ended up having a few semi-good and/or lucky weekends in Monaco, France, Italy and China, and poor strategic calls in other races like Canada cost them points, but from mid-year they were looking towards 2008 and aggressively recruiting. The likes of Geoff Willis and Gil de Ferran departed, and the biggest coup was the snaring of Ross Brawn, the team finally admitting the Shuhei Nakamoto had no idea what he was doing. All in all, six points for the season was a catastrophe of environmental proportions. Prospects for 2008: It will be better, because it can't be much worse. Honda now have some good people on board who will be marshalled effectively by Brawn, and to be fair there was some development throughout 2007 to encourage them. But, from where they are, points and respectability are the first targets, long before podiums and wins. Rating: 1/10

10. Toyota

Toyota is the Formula One equivalent of Seinfeld, only without the humour - they really are a show about nothing, and one wonders how we can dredge three paragraphs' worth to write about them. The TF107 looked like an improvement on the team's previous conservative designs when it was launched, and having already spent last year on Bridgestones, they should have had an advantage on that front. But on the track it was quickly obvious that the package was middling, again, and it got no better from there. Last year we said in our review that inspiration was in short supply at the Cologne team, and this year was no different. Reliability was decent enough, but neither driver had good, consistent seasons, and this contributed to the directionlessness of the team and lack of sustained improvement throughout the season. For example, they scored 9 of their 13 points in the first seven races, 7 of them to Jarno Trulli, before a brief mid-season upsurge by Ralf Schumacher but only one point in the last six races.

The team is now filled with faceless bureaucrats, which is probably the way that Toyota head office likes it, but the problem is that they continue to make changes when change is not necessarily, but refuse to do so when it is. Now would probably be a good time for a fresh injection of energy. Otherwise they may as well concentrate on being engine suppliers for Williams, which scored 20 more points this year. Because currently they're squandering a budget that could bring several third world countries out of debt. Prospects for 2008: Ralf Schumacher is gone, they seem to have missed out on snaring Fernando Alonso, and instead they went to the Contracts Recognition Board to prise Timo Glock from BMW. Whoopee. They need more than that to turn their fortunes around. Another purposeless smattering of points coming up in 2008. Rating: 2/10

9. Spyker Ferrari

In 2007, Spyker were like a little terrier with more bark than bite. Having taken over from Midland at the end of last season, the team approached this year with grand ambitions for the F1 team to complement the road car business. But as the parent company fell deeper and deeper into financial trouble, the F1 team's own situation suffered, and by the end of the year it was changing hands (and name) again having been sold to Indian businessman Vijay Mallya. That instability, plus Super Aguri's move up the grid, meant Spyker had to adjust to life at the back of the F1 field with its bevy of paying race and test drivers. Although their F8-VII chassis looked moderately attractive, and despite Ferrari engines, they only managed to qualify higher than 21st six times all season. Colin Kolles and co did not necessarily respond to their status as backmarkers well, expending precious resources on fighting the customer car battle that only Williams seemed to half-heartedly support.

They had their moments of glory, though: namely Adrian Sutil topping the timesheets in Saturday free practice at Monaco, Markus Winkelhock leading at the Nurburgring, their only point of the season in Japan, and of course Sutil's efforts in Belgium. That was the only race where Mike Gascoyne's ability shone through in an otherwise disappointing B-spec car that was meant to lift Spyker into the midfield. Overall, the team spent more of 2007 dealing with problems than really moving forward, and fell short of expectations. Prospects for 2008: Sutil and Gascoyne look like remaining on board with Force India F1, and it looks like they will pick up a second driver with as much ability as cash. The team may not end up being that Indian after all, but with an injection of funds, the ingredients are there for some stability and sustained progress that was missing in '07. Rating: 3/10

8. Super Aguri Honda

Aguri Suzuki's band of merry men established their credentials last year as a worthy F1 team, and in the first half of this season it was no surprise that they made full use of the fact that they were running last year's race-winning Honda. They almost qualified both cars in the top ten in Australia, and they scored points in Spain and Canada, where both cars were in with a shot of a podium finish. Indeed, with better luck and management, they could have scored more than the four points they ended up with. But running last year's Honda meant that there was less scope for development. Plus despite last year's efforts, they only attracted one main sponsor for this year - and one which stopped paying midseason. And an embarrassed Honda started cutting off the life-strings, such that by year's end finances were rather tight. As a result, Super Aguri slid backwards as the year progressed, and they seemed powerless to do anything about it. It was unfortunate that here was a team that could not take charge of its own destiny.

That was reflected in the performance of their drivers. Takuma Sato's form slipped along with that of the car, and Anthony Davidson spent the entire year not making use of his speed and fully grasping his opportunities. By the second half of the season, sadly this was no longer a team really seizing the initiative with gusto as they had done in 2006. Their tally of four points, only two fewer than Honda, plus the fact that they made it out of Q1 14 times was definitely good, but their season really lost momentum. Prospects for 2008: There are worrying times ahead. The customer car row isn't over, and regardless, they won't want this year's Honda - if Honda will let them have it. And their current car has no development left in it. The team looks like having some extra funds and retaining their affable collection of people, but points look to be a struggle. Rating: 4/10

7. Toro Rosso Ferrari

Forget a customer car from last year, Toro Rosso caused even more of a stir by running in effect the same Adrian Newey design as their Red Bull brothers. And, initially, when the potential of the car was untapped, they kept pace with their stablemates until the senior team got into their stride. But sharing the chassis meant also sharing the woeful unreliability; ten times the Toro Rossos didn't make it to the flag due to mechanical failures, and their drivers added a further nine DNFs from collisions, crashes and spins. Indeed, Vitantonio Liuzzi went nine races from Bahrain to Hungary without seeing the chequered flag. He and Scott Speed had a frosty relationship with team management, the American especially, but rather than letting it simmer the unpleasant blow-up after the Nurburgring which saw Speed depart was probably a good thing. Franz Tost and Gerhard Berger knew that tough decisions had to be made. Drafting in Sebastian Vettel gradually revitalised the team and brought the best out of Liuzzi as well.

Although both the Red Bulls and Toro Rossos were developed by Red Bull Technologies, Toro Rosso had to build and adapt the STR2s by themselves and, compared to the senior team, progress was slow and the team seemed consigned to the bottom of the midfield. It was not easy to see where points finishes were going to come from. But then came the glory races in Japan and China which, along with their proactive signing of Sebastien Bourdais for 2008, affirmed that here was a team heading in the right direction. Prospects for 2008: Vettel and Bourdais should make for a dynamic combination - so long as Fernando Alonso doesn't set off a chain reaction that upsets the applecart. Technically both Red Bull and Toro Rosso seem to be on an upward trajectory, so the team could surprise next year with more regular points finishes. Rating: 4/10

6. Red Bull Renault

Had Adrian Newey lost his magic touch? That was the question both before and during the season. Put simply, the RB03 was too radical a departure from the previous Red Bulls, without enough attention to the characteristics of the Bridgestones, and too hard to come to grips with at first. But as the year progressed, it was obvious that the car had potential in spades. They were still developing at the end of the year when others had stopped long ago, and you sensed there was even more performance to extract. But though the inherent speed was there - Mark Webber qualified in the top ten 12 times - and though there were enhancements such as a seamless-shift gearbox, reliability was woeful. There were ten mechanical retirements during the year, especially caused by differential, gearbox and hydraulic problems, and only four times did both cars come home. Worse still, far too often the DNFs came at crucial moments when it looked like the team was set for solid points. Their tally of 24 points could have been 50% higher.

In terms of race strategy, the team struggled to find a balance between running Webber on two-stop stints that weren't long enough, and David Coulthard on one-stop stints that were too cumbersome. Gone was the impression of youthful exuberance, the team fielding one of the oldest line-ups in the paddock, but with it came experience. With experience came results in places like Barcelona, the Nurburgring and Fuji, and a sense that this was a team that was really starting to get serious. Prospects for 2008: Not only does Red Bull have Newey and Renault engines, but now Geoff Willis as well - this is beginning to look like Williams in the 1990s. The obvious potential for more improvement in their current design philosophy means more podiums are possible and the rest of the field should beware. Especially if Alonso lands there. Rating: 5/10

5. Renault

No one expected Renault to remain on top of the sport, but no one thought they would only score one podium all season. The R27, as well as sporting the ugliest livery in years which by season's end still offended the eye, was a continuation of Renault's recent successful design concepts, and therein lay the team's problem. Not only were their wind-tunnel results slightly off, but the aero package simply was not in sync with the Bridgestone tyres, having been honed around Michelins for years. In the exact opposite to Honda, which rushed into supposed solutions which didn't work, Renault laudably tried to understand the issues first, but the flaws were so fundamental that this took too long. As a result, their improvements were too incremental, just as everyone else was also coming up with developments. So Renault started the season fighting for minor points, and stayed that way. They called off the development chase relatively early and by the end of the season they had slipped back into the midfield.

Their reliability was brilliant with barely a mechanical failure all season, and this helped the team to score as many points as they did. Flavio Briatore's no-nonsense driver-management style brought the best out of Heikki Kovalainen from the North American races onwards, but it also seemed to leave Giancarlo Fisichella in the cold. As always, Flav was good for a sound-byte, but with Renault now embroiled in their own Spygate saga, he may be wishing that he had kept his mouth shut on occasions. Prospects for 2008: The improvements they made throughout 2007 showed that they understood the key issues. The question is whether their own Spygate controversy and the uncertainty over their drivers will hurt them. If the team is allowed to simply get on with going racing with good drivers, they'll surely add to this year's single podium. Rating: 5.5/10

4. Williams Toyota

For a team of their history and pedigree, 33 points and what was really 5th in the constructors title (if you include McLaren) was nothing to celebrate, but Williams were the quiet achievers of 2007. Unlike their engine partners Toyota, they made use of last year's experience on Bridgestones and the result was an FW29 that was an honest-to-goodness, driveable car that didn't have the drivers complaining. Scoring 20 more points than Toyota on a fraction of the budget was the reward. Reliability was generally good, although Toyota failures in Malaysia and America for Nico Rosberg cost crucial points. Like Red Bull, they found it hard to strike a balance in terms of strategy between Rosberg who usually qualified inside the top 10, and Alexander Wurz who did not. In their usual idiosyncratic way, they offered little assistance to the Austrian who was clearly struggling to find one-lap pace, but Alex was man enough to cope and his car-development skills remained highly appreciated within the team.

Although they brought in AT&T and Lenovo as major sponsors, it was easy to overlook that Williams was now very much a privateer team. Nothing said that more loudly than the fact that they opposed Prodrive's entry for 2008, and that they were obliged to give a testing role and the drive in Brazil to Kazuki Nakajima, a man whom they would not have considered were it not for the Toyota connection. That they did as well as they did given their current status spoke volumes for the team's inherent fighting spirit. Prospects for 2008: Nakajima actually impressed in Brazil and now has a full-time drive, while Rosberg was so good this year Williams are hanging onto him for dear life. With momentum and the stability of a settled driving line-up, they can knuckle down early, and podiums and even a surprise win may not be out of the question in 2008. Rating: 6/10

3. McLaren Mercedes

Now this may come as a surprise, because technically speaking McLaren were the class of the field in 2007. Finally they combined speed with reliability, and the weight distribution of their current design concept, which hurt them last year when on Michelins, suddenly played into their hands on Bridgestones. The MP4-22's aero package was sophisticated and pioneering, and their engine cooling ability was incredible, particularly giving them an advantage in the third segment of qualifying. They were able to go toe-to-toe with Ferrari all season; the fact that they dominated on the year's slowest tracks (Monaco and Hungary) as well as the quickest (Italy) said it all. But operationally there were telling errors. They got away with infringements with their gearbox in Hungary and with wet tyres in Brazil, they broke pit lane rules in Canada, they made awful tyre calls in changing conditions at the Nurburgring and in China, and their strategic choice for Hamilton in Brazil arguably cost him the championship.

Then there was Spygate - admittedly the actions mainly of one man, but McLaren didn't do enough to stop him. Then internal harmony fell apart - the team neither placated Alonso nor brought him into line, preferring to maintain an unhealthy tension instead, and their supposed policy of equality was compromised by their paternal feelings towards Hamilton. And then they managed to snatch defeat in both championships from the jaws of victory. A year that looked so good was Ron Dennis' annus horribilis instead. Prospects for 2008: Performance-wise 2004 and 2006 were terrible, but as long as the formula stays the same and the MP4-23 isn't Spygated out by the FIA, the pattern shouldn't continue and there is no reason why they can't fight for both titles, especially with a less volatile driving pair. They'll just have to do it from the wrong end of pit lane. Rating: 7/10

2. Ferrari

Our ranking and rating here may also raise a few eyebrows, for Maranello did become dual champions for the first time since 2004 and won nine races to McLaren's eight. The F2007 started the year as the car to beat, responded to each of McLaren's improvements, remained the best in high speed corners, and exploited Ferrari's extensive experience with Bridgestone. This despite a change to a zero-keel layout, a longer wheelbase, complex suspension geometry, and the banning of their moveable floor concept. But this was not a confidence-inducing campaign by any means. The team paid the price for the longer wheelbase at slower tracks, and a wind-tunnel failure set them back badly in the second quarter of the season. They were more unreliable than McLaren, DNFs hitting at crucial moments. They seemed powerless to help Raikkonen overcome his early struggle to come to terms with the tyres, and were caught out by not being able to back either driver as they kept swapping championship positions mid-season.

Without Schumacher, Brawn or Byrne, it was definitely not the Ferrari juggernaut of old. The new technical leadership seemed tentative, and Jean Todt and Luca di Montezemolo didn't always seem to be seeing eye to eye. Despite the win tally, the team never stamped its authority on the season, and in many ways had both titles gifted to them. To top it off, their holier-than-thou attitude towards Spygate was nauseating, especially when it was their own disgruntled employee who started it all in the first place. Prospects for 2008: Regardless of the stuttering season, Ferrari ended it brimful with confidence. They did it without Brawn this year, so they can cope without him on a permanent basis. They have the advantage of stability whilst other teams are still sorting themselves out, and that head start should make them title favourites once again in '08. Rating: 7.5/10

1. BMW Sauber

BMW Sauber land in the top spot in our team rankings somewhat by default and by process of elimination, but that would be to undersell the team's level of performance, their consistency, and the fact that they should be rewarded for steering clear of most of the political controversies that tainted the season, apart from the fuel temperature saga in Brazil. The team was third best from start to finish, never quite able to match or topple McLaren and Ferrari, but largely staying clear of the rest of the field. The F1.07 was not a particularly complex machine, but a strong engine and numerous innovate aerodynamic tweaks, plus an ability to adjust to the Bridgestone tyres faster than most other ex-Michelin teams, meant that they promised great things in pre-season testing and delivered almost as much. They weren't perfect, though; there were a few gearbox and hydraulic problems throughout the year as expected, their pit crew had the occasional fumbles, and they tried several off-beat strategies that didn't always work.

But those were luxuries they could afford, as was the ability to sign off on developments and start concentrating on next season. The fact is, having scored 36 points in 2006, if you told them before the season started that they would break the 100 mark this year, not ever fail to make Q3, and score points whenever they saw the chequered flag all but twice, the team would have gladly accepted that. Plus additional props for building a car safe enough for Robert Kubica to survive that accident in Canada. Prospects for 2008: And to think that, with BMW's funds and the team's upwards trajectory, there is surely still more to come! That breakthrough victory may well arrive in 2008, but it will depend on the drivers. Heidfeld still gives the impression of being a points-scorer but not a winner, while Kubica proved this year he's still a rough diamond. Rating: 8/10

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, just as importantly, our initial expectations for 2007.

N/A. Markus Winkelhock

Until the championship decider, this was the feel-good story of 2007. Replacing Christijan Albers at Spyker in a one-off drive at the European GP, at the track where his late father had last raced in F1, he had difficulties getting on the pace in qualifying. But a brilliant tactical call meant he started from the pits on wets just as the rainstorm hit, and for a few glorious laps, and during the race stoppage, there he was leading on debut. He may never make another F1 start, but he'll have a wonderful story to tell his kids!

N/A. Kazuki Nakajima

It was easy to dismiss Satoru's son as another Japanese journeyman, going places at the behest of Toyota, but in truth he had impressed with his speed in a number of practice sessions for Williams throughout the year, and he had done well in GP2. He deserved his chance to race in Brazil, and he proved that he was worthy of an F1 drive by setting a faster race lap than Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso - even if he tried to kill his pit crew. He gets a full season with Williams in 2008 and could surprise.

24. Sakon Yamamoto

Sadly, Sakon proved once and for all that he really doesn't merit a place on the F1 grid on talent and skill alone. He started the year nominally as Super Aguri's test driver but hardly got a run for the team for which he did the last seven Grands Prix of 2006, instead racing in GP2 but barely attracting any attention. But then he received another opportunity to compete in the last seven races of this season, only this time for Spyker which, in their desperate financial plight, found his yen most attractive. Yamamoto was never anything other than slowest in qualifying, but he had a better finishing record than he did last year, reducing his number of errors even though there were still many. Although he finished a decent 12th in the torrential conditions at Fuji, one suspected that someone with more ability plus local knowledge could have done better. At times he matched team-mate Adrian Sutil in free practice, but when it counted in qualifying he was usually 1 to 1.5s behind, and that was far too big a gap.

Prospects for 2008: With Force India receiving an influx of cash and a number of able drivers lining up for that seat, it is unlikely that Yamamoto will land another F1 opportunity in the near future in either a race or testing capacity. He would be better off honing his skills in GP2 or back in Formula Nippon in his homeland. Rating: 3/10

23. Christijan Albers

These days, there aren't perennial backmarkers in Formula One in the Piercarlo Ghinzani mould any more. Either you move on and up if you're good enough, or you move over if you're not. After a few good performances in 2006, Albers entered this season as a veteran with two seasons behind him, and needing to show well against a very fast and hungry team-mate in Adrian Sutil. As it turned out, the Dutchman couldn't match the rookie for pace, only managing to out-qualify the German twice. Then there were his lazy errors, for example his crash in Melbourne, his drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags at Barcelona, and most notably his pit-stop faux pas at Magny Cours when he pulled the fuel hose out of the rig having driven off before he was released. When his main sponsor defaulted on payment, the raison d'etre for keeping him in the Spyker team disappeared, because on merit and ability he had shown that he was no longer young enough nor quick enough.

Prospects for 2008: Prior to splitting with Spyker, Albers and his manager had also gone their separate ways, Christijan preferring to look after his career himself. Quite what he intends to do with it is anyone's guess. He may yet emerge from the woodwork in '08 to find a drive maybe in Champ Cars or, more likely, in sports cars or touring cars. Rating: 3.5/10

22. Scott Speed

It always seemed as though this was a marriage that was destined to end in divorce. The brooding Californian with his very American determination-slash-attitude was hardly the sort of cooperative and compliant character that people from the European old school like Franz Tost and Gerhard Berger were looking for. Speed was not confirmed in the second Toro Rosso seat until the eleventh hour, issues to do with his 'commitment' to the cause having apparently been the stumbling block. That was hardly likely to alleviate tensions - the only thing that could have saved the relationship was if the combination put results on the board. But apart from a fine drive at Monaco on a one-stop strategy, there was very little positive to report, especially when four of his seven DNFs were due to collisions or spins, including two very avoidable clashes with Alexander Wurz. Basically, his replacement by Sebastian Vettel proved an inconvenient truth, that Scott did not have what it took to live up to his surname.

Prospects for 2008: Surprise! Scott has returned to his homeland to swim in the riches of NASCAR. But he is starting at the bottom rung, and with a host of ex-single seater stars going tin-top in '08 such as Franchitti, Villeneuve and Hornish, Speed could become a forgotten man not only in American motorsport but in world motorsport generally. Rating: 4/10

21. Ralf Schumacher

How did a man who burst onto the scene ten years ago and at times justifiably earned comparisons with his brother end up like this, as a near-caricature whom it became cool to ridicule? Maybe it was because he epitomised and personified all that was wrong with Toyota. Here was someone of undeniable ability and wealth, squandering it all, whilst presenting a mixed picture of nonchalance and surliness that suggested he thought results should come to him rather than being something he had to work hard to get. The unevenness of Ralf's season told its own story. He scored points in the first, sixth and eleventh races of the year, and he only qualified in the top ten in the first two races, in a midseason burst from the Nurburgring to Hungary, and then in China. But interspersed amongst all that was hardly anything of note in races, and five failures to make it past Q1 in qualifying. It may just be that Ralf is a misinterpreted soul, but by year's end no one seemed sorry if his place in the sport was taken by a hungrier man.

Prospects for 2008: Ralf tells anyone who'll believe him that he will definitely have an F1 drive next year - except no one believes him. Not when, apparently, he has approached the very top in McLaren, and the very bottom in Force India, and no one seems interested. Le Mans or Champ Cars perhaps? Or maybe tennis and skiing? Rating: 4/10

20. Jarno Trulli

If you look at race results and points, Jarno did not have that much of a better season than team-mate Ralf, scoring eight points to the German's five. It's just that all year there was one area in which he did overachieve and excel, and that gave the impression of a much better year than Ralf when it was in fact probably not quite the case. That area was, of course, qualifying, where Trulli worked miracle after miracle to drag the Toyota into the top ten 14 times out of 17! There is hardly a better qualifier in the sport. But, in typical Toyota and Trulli fashion, that meant running disadvantageous two-stop fuel loads with a car that didn't have the race pace to make the best of it, and race after race Jarno seemed to fall into this dispirited heap that we have become far too accustomed to. Eight times he finished lower than where he started, and he went an excruciating stretch from France to China without a point. It doesn't need saying, but whatever happens on Saturday, it's race day that counts.

Prospects for 2008: Jarno has a contract with Toyota for 2008, but his place doesn't seem that secure. In fact, Trulli doesn't seem all that secure in himself either, and he too could do with some rejuvenation. Time is running out for him in F1 unless he proves, with regular points finishes and fighting race drives, that he still has something to offer. Rating: 4.5/10

19. Giancarlo Fisichella

Up to and including Britain, Fisichella was not having a bad season by any means. He had scored in all but three races, he had only missed out on qualifying in the top ten once, and he had been superb at Monaco where he had started and finished 4th. But, like a switch, something happened from the Nurburgring onwards. In the last eight races, he only made the last segment of qualifying twice, and he only recorded one points finish in Japan. In that same period, team-mate Heikki Kovalainen scored seven times. Maybe it was the growing ascendancy of Kovalainen in the team, as the Finn's consistency in the second half of the year was relentless, and he eventually outscored Fisi 30 to 21 and pipped the Italian 9-8 in qualifying. Maybe it was Giancarlo's disillusionment at how Renault post-Alonso and post-Michelin was such an average place to be. Whatever the reason, the fact is that his year waned and spiralled into the midfield mire. Fisichella himself seemed to give up, and that was seriously unimpressive.

Prospects for 2008: In true Ralf Schumacher mould, he has been saying that he will stay at Renault next year, but he would currently seem to be Flavio Briatore's fourth or fifth choice. And, like Ralf, no one else seems interested in his services. Maybe it's time for Le Mans for him as well? Or, in his case, enjoying wine and playing football? Rating: 4.5/10

18. Rubens Barrichello

The second-most experienced driver in F1 history did not do anything overtly wrong in 2007. He only failed to finish twice, neither of them his fault, and all bar three of his finishes were between 9th and 13th. In qualifying he was somewhere between 9th and 19th at every race, including five failures to make it past Q1. It all reflected where Honda stood. Compared to team-mate Jenson Button, he was just beaten 9-8 in qualifying, and in races when they were both classified, Rubens actually won that battle 6-4. His experience, especially on Bridgestones, meant that he found a level of performance quickly, but - here's the rub - he plateaued there whereas Button kept pushing. In the first six races, he out-qualified Button 4-2 and out-finished him 4-0. In the remaining eleven outings, the qualifying and race results were turned 7-4 and 4-2 respectively in Button's favour. It meant Rubens suffered his first pointless season in fifteen years, although only poor strategic calls cost him in Monaco, Canada and Japan.

Prospects for 2008: By mid-2008, the Brazilian will become the driver with the most starts in F1 history, but workmanlike experience is not enough. He needs to bring some spark. As long as he's not shafted sideways in the imminent driver upheaval, he might just find that inspiration now that he will be reunited with his old Ferrari pal Ross Brawn. Rating: 5/10

17. Alexander Wurz

One look at our driver rankings and the glut of elder statesmen ranked from 17th to 21st tells the story of a changing of the guard in F1, and nowhere was that better illustrated than at Williams. Promoted to the race seat after his sterling testing work last year, it was the Austrian's first full-time race drive since 2000, and in that period he had only had one race weekend at San Marino in 2005. The cobwebs showed, especially in qualifying. Not once did he make it into Q3; Nico Rosberg managed it eleven times. That meant he kept being saddled with one-stop fuel loads, which combined with F1's ultra-reliability and Alex's somewhat diminished racecraft, meant he never got very far. The exceptions were, of course, three excellent points-scoring drives at Monaco, Canada and the Nurburgring including a podium, on days when experience meant more than raw speed. It kept him ahead of Rosberg in the points for a long time which always seemed unjust, and in the end his retirement from the sport was honourable and fitting.

Prospects for 2008: Wurz has already signalled a desire to return to Le Mans (which he won in 1996), and talked about it as if it's a sideways move rather than a backwards one. That is the mark of the mature and articulate man that he is. He is also incredibly well-versed in politics; the world could do worse than to have Alex move into that arena. Rating: 5/10

16. Adrian Sutil

The rookie entered his first season with question marks over his head, but by the end of the year those doubts had only partly been answered. He had been a moderately competitive team-mate against Lewis Hamilton in European F3 before becoming Japanese F3 champion, and no one knew for sure what kind of recommendation that was. But he rapidly asserted himself as number one driver at Spyker despite his inexperience, routinely outpacing his admittedly-weak team-mates in both qualifying and race trim. Adrian showed flashes of brilliance, especially at Monaco where he topped the wet Saturday practice, he was an absolute star at Spa, and he scored his first point at Fuji - so there could have been no doubt about his inherent speed. But his season was littered with errors, from spins to drive-through penalties, from crashes on his own to collisions with others, and there seemed to be no improvement or tempering in that department. That lack of growth stopped bigger teams from snaffling him up for next season.

Prospects for 2008: Although teams as high as McLaren may have taken a punt on him for 2008, the recurrent errors means he looks like staying with Force India. That may not be a bad thing; with a better credentialed team-mate, he will learn to match his raw pace with results, so that he should be on other teams' shopping lists for 2009. Rating: 5/10

15. Vitantonio Liuzzi

As the 2007 season drew to a close, the Italian who had become known more for his style than his substance had gone some way to redeeming himself on the track, but perhaps it was a shade too late. Although he got on with team management slightly better than Scott Speed, it still wasn't a mutual admiration society, and for the first two-thirds of the season he was hamstrung by a team that wasn't out to bolster his stocks and a team-mate who simply didn't make for a good comparison or yardstick. Plus he suffered from poor reliability and collisions with others that weren't his fault, and he threw away a sure 4th place in Canada. By Turkey he had gone nine races without finishing, his career was on the ropes, and he now had Sebastian Vettel as his team-mate. Tonio responded well, matching and beating the wunderkind, only for Vettel to steal the glory in Japan and China, whilst Liuzzi's equally good drives, and the fact that he had made Q2 a commendable ten times throughout the year, were sadly overlooked.

Prospects for 2008: Liuzzi has shown that he can have the speed and application, but bigger teams appear to be gun-shy of giving him a chance, and he seems to have set his sights on the second Force India drive. If he lands a race seat, more performances like those in the final third of the year may be enough to put him back on teams' radars. Rating: 5.5/10

14. Anthony Davidson

It was hard to split the two Super Aguri drivers. Finally rewarded with a full-time race drive, the unassuming Davidson was quicker than Takuma Sato overall. He put in some astounding laps in free practice, often getting himself into the top ten, and he out-qualified his team-mate 10-7, 7-2 in the last nine races of the year. His final Q2 lap in Turkey, which just missed out on getting him into Q3, was surely one of the laps of the year. But, like Jarno Trulli, it all meant nothing if he couldn't deliver when it mattered. And that's what put Sato ahead, both in the points and in these rankings. Time and again Davidson caught the eye, in practice, in qualifying, even on race day when running long put him in the points just before his stop, but in the final reckoning he just wouldn't be there. Sometimes that was down to bad luck, like in Canada when he hit a beaver, but you also felt that Anthony just wasn't capitalising on his opportunities. He had no top ten finishes, and in races when they both came home, Sato won that one easily 7-2.

Prospects for 2008: Davidson's place in the field is not secure. He would have fit in well at Williams but he's missed out there, he could slot in nicely at McLaren, but the most likely is that he'll stay at Super Aguri so long as he's not shuffled out. Once again, it's a matter of taking his opportunities - something that he hasn't shown he's able to do. Rating: 5.5/10

13. Takuma Sato

After leading Super Aguri through its growing pains last year, it was rich reward for Taku that he was at the centre of the team's finest moments in 2007. Given the bait of having last year's Honda at his disposal, he amazingly qualified in the top ten in Melbourne, scored Super Aguri's first point ever in Spain, and passed both Raikkonen and Alonso en route to 6th in Montreal on that glorious afternoon when, if he and his crew took a risk on the softer compound tyres, he could have been on the podium. But then Sato's form tapered along with that of the car. The Japanese driver had made it through Q1 five times in the first ten events, but not once thereafter. He could still be combative on occasions, especially in the early laps, and these days he has cut down on his error rate substantially, but there were to be no more highlights. Still, the important thing was that he had capitalised earlier in the season when the time was ripe, and that was what had set him apart from team-mate Davidson.

Prospects for 2008: Taku looks secure at Super Aguri - in fact it's unlikely he'll drive for any other team in F1 from now on. But next year, he must not let the car dictate his form as it did in the second half of this season. Even so, points could be hard to come by in 2008, and Kazuki Nakajima will probably take over as Japan's premier F1 pilot. Rating: 5.5/10

12. Sebastian Vettel

If it weren't for the fact that Lewis Hamilton spent the year redrawing the boundaries of what young debutants can and can't do, then Sebastian Vettel's achievements would have received even more accolades. After the opening two rounds, BMW ditched their policy of running Vettel in one of the Friday sessions, so when he deputised for Robert Kubica at Indianapolis he hadn't driven the car for a while. To qualify 7th and finish 8th, becoming the youngest ever point-scorer, was astounding, even at the wheel of a BMW. He did the right thing in going to Toro Rosso so that he could go racing immediately, but he took a while to get the hang of the car. Once he did, few youngsters have ever made as much impression in an inferior machine in changeable conditions as he did in Japan and China. Sure, more than once he misjudged braking distances, and as Aussies we almost sent out the lynch mob after what he did to Mark Webber at Fuji, but he was sincerely apologetic. So not only was he fast, but he was willing to be humble and learn.

Prospects for 2008: Barring any more reshuffling, Vettel will have an even sterner test next year when he's teamed with Sebastien Bourdais. But, given the difficulties other CART/Champ Car stars have had in switching to F1, Vettel need not be afraid. If he matches and beats Bourdais and scores more points, his stocks will rise even higher. Rating: 6/10

11. David Coulthard

On paper, this was a fairly average season for the veteran Scot. He was annihilated comprehensively 15-2 by Mark Webber in the qualifying stakes, but that has always been Mark's strongest area and DC's weakest. He did outscore the Australian 14 points to 10, although luck and reliability had a large part to play in that. But crucially, whilst Webber scampered away and then the team got deflated by another DNF, Coulthard was there providing a dependable foundation for the rest of the team to build upon. That was what made him more valuable to Red Bull than, say, Alexander Wurz was to Williams. It was not only a matter of his experience paying dividends, although that certainly contributed to his points-scoring finishes in Spain when his gearbox played up in the dying laps, in the changing conditions at the Nurburgring and Shanghai, and in the treacherous wet at Fuji. The fact was that he still had enough competitive race weekends in him to induce confidence from the team.

Prospects for 2008: Coulthard is slated to remain at Red Bull for a fourth season, but that depends on whether the team can pull off a coup in attracting Alonso, and whether that involves Webber leaving or not. His experience will be useful again in eking out points, but if his competitiveness falls much further then his time could be running out. Rating: 6/10

10. Robert Kubica

It was easy to forget that the lanky Pole was only in his first full season of F1. From that perspective, even though he had a BMW underneath him, to make sure that he got into the final segment of qualifying each time, and scoring points in eleven races and being thwarted in four others at least, was a creditable result. But he only scored 39 points to team-mate Nick Heidfeld's 61, and he couldn't repeat what he did at Monza last year and pick up a podium - he was the highest-placed driver in the championship not to do so. By nature Kubica has an aggressive turn-in style that did not suit the Bridgestones at all, and he found it difficult to adjust; finishing 32s behind Heidfeld in Bahrain showed how much work he had to do. When he did get it right, he could match and beat his team-mate, but he was too inconsistent on that front. Arguably though, two of his best weekends were in France and Britain, upon his return to the cockpit after his horror smash in Canada. It was a sign of a resilience that one day will take him to the top.

Prospects for 2008: Both BMW and Kubica know they are onto a good thing in continuing their relationship. Robert's target for next year must be to beat Heidfeld on a more regular basis, and pick up at least a few podiums. Bear in mind that Lewis Hamilton has singled Kubica out as his biggest threat for the years to come ... Rating: 6.5/10

9. Jenson Button

In the last six races of 2006, the former great British hope scored more points than anyone else. How galling it should have been for Jenson that in 2007 he only scored as many points as he did in the last GP of 2006 alone, and that the British public had turned its attention towards some bloke called Hamilton. But, instead of getting angry or depressed about that, Jenson put his head down and kept working hard, when the car proved to be a dog and when he struggled early on to come to terms with Bridgestones. Like Raikkonen, it took him about a third of the season to adapt his style, but once he did he started leaving Rubens Barrichello in his wake regularly. With confidence on the one hand, and no pressure on the other, he pulled out brilliant on-the-limit races in France and Italy, and his wet weather cameos at the Nurburgring, in qualifying in Japan, and in China reminded everyone of the talent going to waste. Nick Fry claims this was Button's best ever season - surely an exaggeration, but you knew what he meant.

Prospects for 2008: Cleverly, Button did not criticise the team publicly during the season, but now that it's over and Ross Brawn is on board for 2008, he is rightly saying the bleeding obvious - that Honda must improve dramatically or he will head elsewhere to save his career. Whatever Honda can do next year, he'll be at the forefront of it. Rating: 6.5/10

8. Mark Webber

How the Australian retains his sanity is a mystery science is yet to unravel. On Saturday afternoons, he could hardly have done more to give himself a shot at a competitive race. Twelve times he made it into the top ten; team-mate Coulthard only managed it on three occasions. But not only did he continue to be at risk of losing places on opening laps, the two-stop fuel loads which made him competitive in Q3 often left him at the mercy of longer-running rivals, especially one-stoppers, come race day. So apart from a sensational podium at the Nurburgring and two 7th places, he finished 9th three times, including Canada where he was thwarted by the Safety Car. And then there were all those painful retirements when he was competitive enough to score points, including Bahrain, Monaco, Brazil, and of course Japan - a race which we will never know whether or not he could have won. But the mechanical problems that haunt him now must beg the question: is there something in his driving style that breaks his cars?

Prospects for 2008: Provided Red Bull continue their upward spiral and improve their reliability, Mark will have a better time of it - we hope. Actually, at the time of writing he could well get caught up in the Alonso merry-go-round, and he could end up at Renault or even McLaren. Wherever it is, more podiums and even that elusive win - please? Rating: 6.5/10

7. Nick Heidfeld

How do you evaluate Heidfeld's season? On a pure results perspective, he had a truly stellar season. He qualified in the top ten every time including five starts from the first two rows, and he finished in the points 14 times, scoring two podiums and 61 points, more than doubling his previous best points haul from 2005. He was an incredible model of consistency, and his move around the outside of Alonso in Bahrain was one of the best all season, before holding off the McLaren for the rest of the race. But, for starters, he was driving a BMW, the undisputed third best car that guaranteed points if it stayed reliable. And, apart from that Bahrain move, Nick did hardly anything memorable all season. So here's the dilemma - do you say that he's just an accumulator who can't really deliver when something special is called for, or do you say that he simply knows the limits and maximises what he can get, without being greedy and risk throwing it all away? A bit of both, really - but we probably prefer the latter.

Prospects for 2008: You know what you're going to get from Heidfeld. If the BMW continues improving, then he will probably score a few more podiums and with luck and attrition he could snare a win, but he's unlikely to get a win by actually beating someone to it. But hang on; Hamilton's just mentioned him as a possibility for the McLaren drive ... Rating: 7/10

6. Felipe Massa

Felipe started the 2007 season as the form driver. With reliability in Australia and a bit more nerve in Malaysia, he could have won the first four races straight and set himself up for a major championship bid. Indeed, he was genuinely in the title fight for at least three quarters of the season, he was definitely the better Ferrari driver until France, he generally maintained good form throughout the entire season, he tied with Raikkonen for most fastest race laps, and he was quickest in qualifying more than anyone else. Aside from Sepang, Massa continued to prove what he showed from last year, that if he starts from pole and leads from the front, more often than not he will be unbeatable. But this is also his problem; he has yet to win other than from pole, and you sense that he's still not quite a complete package. There was his disqualification in Canada and a horror weekend in Hungary, and he still feels like a liability in the wet, which allowed Alonso to beat him at the Nurburgring. He's getting closer, but he's not a world-beater just yet.

Prospects for 2008: He's safe at Ferrari for 2008, but despite his contract running through to 2010, some suggest that next season is all that he can be sure of. In which case, he must step his game up a notch again, and minimise his errors further. But Raikkonen is now settled in and it's hard to see Massa beating the Finn over a season. Rating: 7/10

5. Fernando Alonso

Let's start with the good stuff first. All season Fernando reminded us of the brilliance that has taken him to two world titles. That included his imperious wins in Malaysia, Monaco and Italy, plus other awesome drives at Silverstone and Spa when he decided to stop ranting and raving, and channel his energies into his driving and letting that do the talking instead. He pulled off two of the most daring overtaking manoeuvres of the season, on Heidfeld in France and on Massa for the win at the Nurburgring. But how does a champion end up with such a fragile mindset that he lets an intra-team rival, even a rookie, throw him off his equilibrium so much? That he ends up making desperado mistakes in Spain and Canada? That he makes a rod for his own back in Hungary, both on the track and off it? That, even though McLaren did not know how to treat him properly, he resorted to underhanded means and the Spanish press? Alonso showed a bitterly disappointing dark side in 2007, and the mind boggles at exactly why.

Prospects for 2008: It goes without saying that Alonso is the key to the drivers' market, and it would appear as though he's spoiled for choice. Wherever he goes, you'd assume it is a team where he's sure he'll be comfortable. In which case, whether he's battling for wins or the championship or not, you can expect more brilliance. Rating: 7/10

4. Heikki Kovalainen

There was less expectation surrounding Kovalainen at the beginning of the season than there was surrounding Lewis Hamilton, but there was anticipation nonetheless. After all, he had been groomed by Renault in similar vein to how McLaren had groomed Lewis, and he had beaten Michael Schumacher in the 2004 Race of Champions event. Thus, for him to go off four times during the Australian GP, and for Flavio Briatore to describe his debut as "rubbish" was just about the worst possible way to start his career. He steadied and scored points in Malaysia and Spain, but the pressure was still on when he missed the Q1 cut in Canada. But a fortuitous 4th there lit a spark of confidence. From there his consistency was awesome, qualifying 6th or 7th in six of the next seven races, scoring points in eight of the next nine, including that fantastic 2nd place in Japan, and possibly destroying Fisichella's career. It was so pleasing to see a rookie who had to work hard to overcome adversity, and who did it without being pampered by his team.

Prospects for 2008: Either Kovalainen will stay at Renault which is sure to improve over this year's effort, or the tip is he'll move to McLaren. Either way, more podiums and even a maiden win beckons, and frankly seeing him paired with Hamilton would be dynamite. He'd give Lewis headaches on track without the melodrama and angst off it. Rating: 7.5/10

3. Nico Rosberg

That Nico was the first man most people thought of to replace Alonso at McLaren is a sign of how much the young German established himself as a competitor of genuine front-running ability during 2007. No driver, not even Hamilton, gave the impression that he was transcending the quality of his car as much as Rosberg did. He put in 11 top ten qualifying efforts when Alexander Wurz had none, and although he only recorded seven points finishes, he was bitterly unlucky in several other races. Late mechanical failures cost him at Sepang and Indianapolis, whilst strategy wrecked his race at Monaco, and a penalty in Canada deprived him of yet more points. He could have scored 30 or more by season's end, reflecting his place as the next man up after the Ferraris, McLarens and BMWs. That was the level of performance we came to expect. Williams could have done with the money from another team buying out Nico's contract, but instead they rushed to keep him for 2008. That said it all.

Prospects for 2008: There is undoubtedly more improvement to come from Williams next year. Not only that, but Rosberg has established himself as number one in the team, whilst team-mate Nakajima will push him for pace but not be a match overall. So the coast is clear for Nico to continue this year's form and rack up his first podium finishes. Rating: 7.5/10

2. Lewis Hamilton

Here's the rookie who wasn't. This is the young man whose career has been bankrolled by McLaren, who happened to land in the best and most reliable car in the field, and who didn't have to unlearn Michelin tyres. Whose engine kept running in the Nurburgring gravel trap, and whose puncture in Turkey happened at exactly the time of his second scheduled stop. For whom officialdom seemed to benefit all year, in Canada, in Hungary despite him blatantly disobeying his own team, in Spygate, in Japan, and in Brazil. And whose angelic demeanour hid an ambitious and arrogant streak as disappointing as his team-mate's. A lucky devil then, literally. But one who, in his first season, extracted the maximum and beyond, more often than anyone else. Who redrew the boundaries of expectations, who pulled off that sensational move on Raikkonen at Monza, and who barely made a rookie mistake to speak of until the last two races. A superstar, a giant, a new hero was born, but many were pleased that he was denied the title at the death.

Prospects for 2008: Hamilton will assume number one status at McLaren if he didn't have it already, and with a more harmonious team atmosphere, as long as the car is up to the task then he will be able to concentrate on a championship challenge. But Raikkonen is now comfortable at Ferrari, and we could be in for another epic battle. Rating: 8.5/10

1. Kimi Raikkonen

The World Champion's year was full of surprises. No one expected the ease with which he settled in at Ferrari and won the first race in Australia, but similarly no one foresaw his subsequent slump, in comparative terms, as he fell to the back of the leading quartet and struggled to get used to the characteristics of the Bridgestone tyres. And equally astoundingly, throughout that period he didn't seem to get flustered that the title wasn't coming easily to him, proving once and for all that the 'Iceman' moniker is true. But then came the back-to-back wins, almost from nowhere, in France and Britain that kickstarted an awesome second half of the year, in which he finished on the podium at every race bar the Nurburgring. In hindsight, it was such a good example of putting the pressure on and maximising his points haul at every opportunity, it allowed him to creep up and pull off the biggest and most pleasant surprise of all - that the most apolitical driver in the field had fittingly pinched the title in this most political of seasons.

Prospects for 2008: The Finn will head into 2008 with momentum and confidence, but he will need to keep up his recent level of performance to fend off McLaren, Alonso and Massa who are all hungry for revenge, with no guarantee that the evolving new management structure at Ferrari will succeed. He starts as title favourite, but only just. Rating: 9/10

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