AUTOSPORT's 2013 F1 driver ratings

Who was the best driver of 2013? Few would argue that it was Sebastian Vettel, a fact reflected in his average rating being 0.5 higher than any other driver.

During the course of the season, AUTOSPORT rated each driver's weekend performance out of 10 based upon a range of criteria. This took into account progress in practice, qualifying and the race relative to realistic expectations, as well as mistakes and isolating those days when drivers really excelled.

The perfect 10 was awarded rarely to recognise not just statistically excellent performances, but days on which a driver extracted the maximum out of the machinery in spectacular style. Only 15 were awarded during the season (so only for three per cent of races weekends), with Sebastian Vettel earning the most.

Below, the average (mean) rating for the season is reproduced. Although this can be used to rank the drivers, it does not take into account several criteria that fall outside of race weekend performance and the general trends of their season.

There are also limitations to using the mean as a relative measure of overall performance, but the figure does give a broad impression of the overall level of the 23 drivers who raced during 2013.

Red Bull-Renault RB9
Championship position: 1st (397 points)
Wins: 13
Poles: 9
Average rating: 8.6

Vettel left only 78 points on the table during 2013, an incredible achievement considering 25 of those went begging when he retired from the lead at Silverstone. The RB9 was the best car, but Vettel made it even better thanks to the way he adapted his throttle/gear usage to maximise the exhaust-blown downforce.

His virtuosity on a qualifying lap, will to win and work ethic yielded an incredible 13 wins. The only black mark was ignoring team orders in Malaysia. A genius at work.

Red Bull-Renault RB9
Championship position: 3rd (199 points)
Best finish: 2nd
Poles: 2
Average rating: 7.1

Failing to win a race in a car in which your team-mate dominated it is, by definition, disappointing. But to his credit, Webber showed he was still able to get close to or even ahead of Vettel at times even in his final season.

Missed out on several podiums to misfortune and claimed two late-season poles, although ultimately his lack of adaptability compared to Vettel meant that he was too often driving a car with less exhaust-blown downforce than his team-mate.

Ferrari F138
Championship position: 2nd (242 points)
Wins: 2
Best qualifying: 3rd
Average rating: 8.1

Alonso's campaign was not quite as impressive as his remarkable 2012 season and there were some races towards the end of the year when there were signs he was not quite as focused as he might have been.

That's a trait he has occasionally demonstrated in his career before. But overall, he finished second in a car that wasn't second best and claimed two impressive wins in China and Spain before the Red Bull steamroller was up to speed.

Ferrari F138
Championship position: 8th (112 points)
Best finish: 3rd
Best qualifying: 2nd
Average rating: 6.3

Outqualified his illustrious team-mate eight times, which was a dramatic improvement from their three previous seasons together. But, very often, Massa flattered to deceive.

The Indian GP, where he finished a strong fourth, was an example of what he was capable of but there were too many races in which the pace was not consistently strong enough to net the optimum results. Effort was never in question, but there were far too many rough edges to score at Alonso's rate.

McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28
Championship position: 9th (73 points)
Best finish: 4th
Best qualifying: 6th
Average rating: 7.1

There were some weekends in which Button was superb, but there were others when he went missing after struggling to get the balance right. As usual, when he's good, he is fantastic, but when he's bad he has serious trouble.

But considering the machinery, he scored very respectably, although there were signs Sergio Perez was getting the better of him in the final fifth of the season. An immaculate race drive to fourth place at Interlagos ensured he finished 2013 on a high.

McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28
Championship position: 11th (49 points)
Best finish: 5th
Best qualifying: 7th
Average rating: 6.6

The Mexican did not do enough to keep hold of his McLaren seat and it's difficult to blame McLaren after a season in which Perez did no more than a decent job. On his good days, his performance level was pretty good but there were not enough impressive peaks to show he could be anything other than a capable driver at this level.

There were only a few genuinely bad performances, but too many times he failed to string together a complete weekend.

Lotus-Renault E21
Championship position: 5th (183 points)
Wins: 1
Best qualifying: 2nd
Average rating: 7.6

F1's Mr Consistency made good use of the Lotus and was largely error-free, usually clean in battle and ultra-reliable on Sunday afternoon. But as Romain Grosjean found his form, Raikkonen's performances did not look quite so impressive in qualifying in particular, suggesting he no longer has the brilliant single-lap speed he had in the 2000s.

Still could have finished third overall had he not missed the final two races, so vastly more good than bad about his year.

Lotus-Renault E21
Championship position: 7th (132 points)
Best finish: 2nd
Best qualifying: 3rd
Average rating: 7.3

Very much a season of two halves from Grosjean. He started poorly and conservatively in the first three races, hit form in Bahrain and Spain then had his Monaco disaster. But the general trend was good and from Silverstone onwards, things went increasingly well.

His baseline single-lap speed soon eclipsed Raikkonen's more often than it didn't and in the closing stages of the season his race performances were also outstanding, Suzuka being a case in point. Finished the season a genuine star.

Lotus-Renault E21
Championship position: 21st (0 points)
Best finish: 14th
Best qualifying: 8th
Average rating: 6

Don't underestimate how difficult it is to jump into an unfamiliar car with no testing, even when you have over 100 grands prix of experience. Kovalainen did a good job at Austin, where he qualified in the top 10 and would likely have scored points but for a loss of downforce traced to a brake-duct problem.

But in Brazil, he made no impact in the race after qualifying adequately in 11th on a weekend when he should have kicked on.

Mercedes W04 GP
Championship position: 6th (171 points)
Wins: 2
Poles: 3
Average rating: 7.2

There were a lot of positives about Rosberg's 2013 season. He held his own against team-mate Hamilton and while his peaks were arguably not as high, his performances were generally more consistent.

His win at Monaco was immaculately executed and had the cards fallen a little differently, he could have beaten Hamilton in the standings. His attention to detail and work ethic impressed, particularly his determination to leave no stone unturned in getting the best out of himself and the car.

Mercedes W04 GP
Championship position: 4th (189 points)
Wins: 1
Poles: 5
Average rating: 7.5

It's easy to underestimate the challenge of switching to a new team for a top driver, particularly for a former McLaren lifer like Hamilton. But he adapted well and by the time the August break came around his upward trajectory seemed to be taking him to the brink of top form.

The back end of the year was patchy in places and there were some erratic moments. But when things were going well, he was superb.

Sauber-Ferrari C32
Championship position: 10th (51 points)
Best finish: 4th
Best qualifying: 3rd
Average rating: 7.7

Hulkenberg spent the first half of the year hitting his head against a brick wall with struggling Sauber, but did drag some impressive points finishes out of the machinery.

But as the car improved, the German hit a rich vein of form and he emerged as one of the stars of the season. That he's not in a top drive is to the detriment of the leading teams. He is that good. His drive in Korea alone proves that.

Sauber-Ferrari C32
Championship position: 16th (6 points)
Best finish: 7th
Best qualifying: 8th
Average rating: 5.9

Gutierrez weathered a very difficult first half of the season, but gathered momentum after the break. His points finish at Suzuka was exemplary, but frustratingly he didn't kick on and continued to struggle to put together 'complete' weekends.

He has ability, no question, but his struggles to nail a lap in qualifying meant that his late-season performances paled in comparison with Hulkenberg. A case of 'could do better' but he did show a little more promise than the raw numbers suggest.

Force India-Mercedes VJM06
Championship position: 12th (48 points)
Best finish: 5th
Best qualifying: 6th
Average rating: 7

A patch of three consecutive driver-error induced race exits after the August break blotted his season, which is unfortunate as di Resta largely drove extremely well this year.

He racked up big points early in the season, with a near-podium in Bahrain the highlight, but although results dropped off as Force India struggled, he had a few strong late-season races. His reputation for negativity did blot the paddock perception of him, but outside of his nightmare run, there were few mistakes on his part.

Force India-Mercedes VJM06
Championship position: 13th (29 points)
Best finish: 5th
Best qualifying: 6th
Average rating: 6.7

After a season on the sidelines, Sutil came back and did exactly the capable, competent job you would expect of him. Overall, he didn't quite have the measure of team-mate di Resta, although it was close, and he did suffer from having his main slices of misfortune early on when the car was strongest.

His drives at Monaco and Silverstone stand out performance-wise, and he showed that he merits his place in the F1 midfield with a season of largely polished, decent weekends.

Williams-Renault FW35
Championship position: 18th (1 point)
Best finish: 10th
Best qualifying: 13th
Average rating: 6.4

Maldonado's flamboyant driving style depends on a well-balanced, predictable car. This means the 2013 Williams was bad news for him. The balance problems not only led to Maldonado struggling at times, particularly in qualifying where he was outperformed by rookie team-mate Valtteri Bottas during the year, but also created problems in his relationship with the team.

There were some good race performances down the order, but not a campaign in which he distinguished himself.

Williams-Renault FW35
Championship position: 17th
Best finish: 8th
Best qualifying: 3rd
Average rating: 6.9

The Williams was largely dreadful, but when it wasn't, Bottas drove remarkably. Wet weather in Canada made his sensational third on the grid possible, but he still had to deliver and he did so remarkably.

At Austin, the one time he had a good shot at points, he delivered with an immaculate drive to eighth. On the days you didn't notice him, he was usually comparing very well to Maldonado. Save for a brief wobble after the August break, an outstanding rookie campaign.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR8
Championship position: 15th (13 points)
Best finish: 6th
Best qualifying: 7th
Average rating: 6.4

Vergne is a hugely frustrating driver. There is tremendous ability there, but while he is perfectly entitled to complain about the bad luck that did cost him some points in 2013, there were also times when he simply could not string together a complete weekend.

His sixth in Canada and seventh in Monaco showed what he was capable of when things went right, but his qualifying weakness was laid bare by Daniel Ricciardo's pace. Must start 2014 strongly to have a future.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR8
Championship position: 14th (20 points)
Best finish: 7th
Best qualifying: 5th
Average rating: 6.8

The Australian was in the unfortunate position of spending much of the year qualifying brilliantly and then the car regressing to the mean in the race. That's not a criticism of his driving, merely the reality that faces an ace one-lap specialist.

But what really impressed was Ricciardo's response under pressure once he knew the Red Bull seat was there for the taking. Over the season, he destroyed team-mate Vergne in qualifying and his race pace was better than many critics suggest.

Caterham-Renault CT03
Championship position: 20th (0 points)
Best finish: 14th
Best qualifying: 18th
Average rating: 6.3

After a promising rookie season, Pic's move to Caterham underwhelmed. His season was a mixed bag, but in the second half of the year team-mate Giedo van der Garde got onto level terms regularly and probably had the more impressive run-in.

He also didn't endear himself to the team with his level of technical feedback. On the positive side, car problems late in the season did hold him back and the speed was there in fits and starts. Disappointing.

Caterham-Renault CT03
Championship position: 22nd (0 points)
Best finish: 14th
Best qualifying: 14th
Average rating: 6.4

After six seasons at GP2/Formula Renault 3.5 level, the Dutchman finally graduated to F1 and did a pretty good job. Pace-wise, he got on terms with Pic, an old GP2 team-mate, although there were a few too many incidents during races.

Overall, probably slightly eclipsed expectations and made a decent technical contribution, and also had his days in the sun in qualifying at Monaco and Spa, where he made it to Q2. A respectable rookie campaign in difficult circumstances.

Marussia-Cosworth MR02
Championship position: 19th (0 points)
Best finish: 13th
Best qualifying: 15th
Average rating: 7

Given that he had a grand total of 136 laps in the Marussia prior to his debut in the Australian Grand Prix after landing the ex-Luiz Razia seat, the start Bianchi made was remarkable. In Malaysia, he qualified and raced excellently on the weekend that, in the final reckoning, earned Marussia 10th in the championship.

Fast, both in qualifying in the race, and largely error-free, he outperformed Chilton all season and proved he has a bright future in grand prix racing.

Marussia-Cosworth MR02
Championship position: 23rd (0 points)
Best finish: 14th
Best qualifying: 16th
Average rating: 6.1

Did a credible job in his first season at this level, contrary to the anti-pay driver polemics that surround him. When things went right, he was able to qualify relatively close to Bianchi and the race pace was generally fine even though there were ongoing struggles with not shipping time under blue flags.

Also finished every race and, save for hitting Maldonado at Monaco, made few big mistakes. To have a future in F1, he needs to start delivering in qualifying more consistently though.