F1 team principals' top 10 drivers

There are numerous top 10 driver surveys conducted at the end of every season, but Autosport thought it would do something totally different this year - by getting the verdict of those whose opinions really matter: the Formula 1 team principals.

So, the moment the 10 chiefs touched down back at base following the Brazilian Grand Prix, they had waiting for them a request from Autosport for their own top drivers of the year.

The deal was simple: each individual team boss's ranking would be kept secret, and only the final collated results would be published here. Points were awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis and anonymity was crucial if the team principals were to give their own honest appraisal, not only of the men they employ but the men they compete against every other weekend.

Only one team principal (Renault's Flavio Briatore) was unable to take part in the top 10, but his engineering chief, Pat Symonds, was only too willing to help out. Another team principal could only come up with his top three drivers after being unable to decide on the rankings further down, but all the rest were delighted to take part in the spirit in which it was intended.

So here, in what we hope will be the first of our annual F1 team principals' top 10 drivers, is a fascinating insight into who stood out as the best for the men running the show.

1. Lewis Hamilton (88 points)
What more is there to say about Lewis's fantastic, emotional, rollercoaster ride of a season? So here's what the man himself thinks about his latest accolade: "It's fantastic to know that I've earned the recognition and approval of the Formula 1 team principals. Apart from the fans themselves, they're probably the most influential people in the sport, so it's really rewarding to know that they've given me their vote of confidence.

"The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on the season, and it's only then that you fully appreciate all the effort that went into our 2008 campaign - and let me stress that it was a team effort. But you can't look back for too long. I've already resumed my training and everybody at McLaren is fully focused on 2009, with the ambition of hopefully lifting both world titles at the end of next year."

Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica battle for position during the Grand Prix of Bahrain © XPB

2. Felipe Massa (86 points)
The Brazilian lost out to Lewis Hamilton at the final hurdle on track this season, and the same was true in this survey too. He was Hamilton's only real challenger for the top spot.

3= Fernando Alonso (50 points)
After escaping from McLaren, it took him until the closing stages of the season to return as a serious force in F1 and offer another glimpse of the form that made him a double champion with Renault.

3= Robert Kubica (50 points)
After emerging as BMW Sauber's team leader, he was gutted to miss out on third place in the drivers' championship. Never mind Robert - you've tied for that position with Fernando Alonso here.

5. Sebastian Vettel (37 points)
One of the surprises of the year, his strong form and unexpected victory at Monza for the Toro Rosso team have marked Vettel out as a potential future superstar.

6. Kimi Raikkonen (27 points)
A less-than-stellar season for the 2007 world champion, but he still did enough to make it into the top six in the opinion of the team principals.

7. Timo Glock (13 points)
The GP2 champ more than justified Toyota's faith in him with a strong second half to the season, which included a great podium finish in Hungary. His form got him easily inside the top 10.

8. Heikki Kovalainen (10 points)
The Finn took a maiden victory in Hungary this season, but admits himself that the year as a whole was a disappointment. He is looking for much more in 2009.

9. Nick Heidfield (4 points)
The veteran's season was almost derailed by qualifying troubles, but even so he took a healthy dose of points. Team bosses were not as willing to reward him.

10= Adrian Sutil (3 points)
A challenging season for the Force India man, but his performance in the wet in Monaco served as a reminder of what the young German was capable of.

10= Jarno Trulli (3 points)
Ever the strong qualifier, the Italian delivered some great performances in 2008, although team bosses clearly felt new teammate Timo Glock did a better job.

Gold for Lewis too
Bernie Ecclestone has already openly criticised the points system in Formula 1, claiming that it would be much better to introduce an Olympics-style medal system for the sport. Had he done so in F1 this season, it would have resulted in Felipe Massa taking the world title thanks to his six gold medals (victories) compared to Lewis Hamilton's five.

Had we adopted a similar system in our F1 Team Principals' Top 10 Drivers, the results would have been just as close as they were with the traditional points system. Lewis Hamilton would have just pipped Felipe Massa, with Robert Kubica coming in a clear third ahead of Fernando Alonso.