AUTOSPORT's 2014 F1 driver ratings

Rating drivers out of 10 is an inexact and frustrating science. Fascinating as it is to track each driver's progress, to boil down their performance over the weekend to a number is impossible to do completely objectively.

The ratings reflect various sources of information - laptimes, feedback from teams, performance in battle, mistakes, pace relative to team-mate - but there is inevitably some margin for error.

Still, a glance at the average ratings at the end of the season is always an instructive exercise as part of a review of each driver's performance.

Below, the 22 regular drivers who appeared during 2014 are reviewed and ranked in order of average rating.

This does not precisely match the order used in my top 10 driver rankings (in our F1 season review issue of the magazine) for several reasons. First, the ratings are put together on Sunday night after each race, and occasionally new information comes to light later - for example car problems that are not picked up until long after the race.

Second, the driver ratings only reflect performance in 19 individual races. It does not take into account other factors such as the way they worked with the team and overall expectations.

That's why, while Lewis Hamilton tops the average rating, it's second-placed Daniel Ricciardo who came out on top in our season review top 10. The Australian had three shots at victory, and won every time, in his first season at the front of the grid.

But what the average ratings also show is how close the spread of ability is in the pack, where a couple of tenths of a point can make a difference of several positions.

This ranking also does not reflect overall who are the best and worst drivers, merely the job they, on average, did over the season.

1. LEWIS HAMILTON
Average rating: 8.9
Could he cope with the demands of the 2014 power units and style of racing? That was the question pre-season, one that Hamilton answered emphatically.

It was never a question of ability to adapt, as Hamilton is far sharper than most give him credit for - witness the strides he's made in tyre management over the years - but there were doubts about whether team-mate Nico Rosberg might have the advantage, even inside the team.

But Hamilton drove superbly, comfortably having the edge over Rosberg in race conditions over the season and emerging a worthy champion.

2. DANIEL RICCIARDO
Average rating: 8.5
Ricciardo's speed was very clear during his time with Toro Rosso, so it was no surprise to see him giving Vettel the hurry-up on Saturdays.

But, if anything, he was more impressive in the races. His long-run pace and tyre management were outstanding, and he was arguably the best wheel-to-wheel racer in the field.

Most impressive was his ability to deliver consistently good performances race after race, as well as turn it around when things started badly.

3. FERNANDO ALONSO
Average rating: 8.3
Even with Ferrari struggling and his plans to head for the exit, Alonso usually delivered to his typically high standards.

While there were a few moments where it seemed he wasn't quite at 100 per cent, the fact that he comfortably outperformed team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and stayed in the hunt for fourth in the championship to the last race is testament to the level he was operating at.

Off-track, there was plenty going on behind the scenes, but Alonso still came up with the goods.

4. NICO ROSBERG
Average rating: 8.0
Drove wonderfully in qualifying to beat Hamilton 12-7. It's just unfortunate that he could not consistently back that up in the races.

He did win five times, but there were other occasions when he was in position to win - Bahrain, Italy, Japan, Russia, Abu Dhabi - but failed to do so.

Even so, Rosberg took the title down to the wire and showed an uncanny knack for picking himself up when he seemed to have suffered a knockout blow.

5. VALTTERI BOTTAS
Average rating: 7.6
His performances in an uncompetitive Williams were strong in 2013, so it was no surprise to see him delivering consistently well in a vastly improved car.

Early on, he did overdrive a little, but as the season went on he seemed more comfortable with his place at the sharp end.

There were a few poor starts that cost him potential podium finishes, but overall Bottas performed excellently and, after a blunder in the season-opener, made few errors.

6. JENSON BUTTON
Average rating: 7.5
Heading into the closing stages of the season, there was every chance that Button was winding down the clock on his F1 career.

But as the McLaren improved, so did his performances, with four top-five finishes in the final five rounds underlining his value to the team.

His qualifying pace was better than many accept, but it was on Sundays that he really excelled, often producing strong results almost by stealth.

7. NICO HULKENBERG
Average rating: 7.3
In the first half of the season, Hulkenberg racked up consistently strong results for Force India, hauling himself into the upper echelons of the championship.

The second half of the year was less impressive, partly because of the lack of effective developments to the car.

But there were concerns in the team about whether he was operating at 100 per cent in the latter half of the year before he returned to top form for the final couple of races.

8. SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Average rating: 7.3
Not as bad a season as it looked, but nowhere near as good as it should have been.

Vettel took time to adapt to the post-exhaust-blowing cars, and while he made progress, he didn't get to Ricciardo's level.

It did seem that the motivation wasn't what it once was, so perhaps the move to Ferrari will refire Vettel, even if it's going to take a while for results to come.

9. FELIPE MASSA
Average rating: 7.3
The Brazilian drove far better than in his final years at Ferrari, although the tendency to find ways for things to go wrong remained.

Some, for instance Canada, were not his fault, but the roll at the start in Germany was partly caused by him turning in on Magnussen.

But three podiums in the closing months of the season showed he had it in him to get the results. He seemed a busted flush 12 months ago, but now is operating at a good level.

10. DANIIL KVYAT
Average rating: 7.2
Scoring points in his first two races put to rest any concerns over his readiness for F1, which was a surprise given that he was unable to complete a race simulation in testing.

Kvyat had the edge in the qualifying battle with team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, albeit with his team-mate carrying a weight disadvantage.

While there were no race performances quite on the level of Vergne's finest, he became a dependable performer as the season went on and didn't look like the junior in the STR partnership.

11. ROMAIN GROSJEAN
Average rating: 7.1
Grosjean remains one of the best drivers in the field, although there were moments when frustration seemed to get the better of him during a trying 2014 season for Lotus.

Yet in a car that couldn't decide how it wanted to handle from corner to corner and lap to lap, at times Grosjean extracted stunning performances from it.

Next year, the Lotus-Mercedes package should allow him to achieve the results his ability deserves.

12. KEVIN MAGNUSSEN
Average rating: 7.1
Second place on his debut in the Australian GP was a stunning start to his career, one that the quality of the McLaren meant he could not repeat.

There were a few errors and the odd unnecessary penalty, but overall Magnussen made good progress throughout the season.

He struggled to match the resurgent Button late on, but did more than enough to prove that he should have a future in F1.

13. JULES BIANCHI
Average rating: 7.1
Bianchi's class again shone through during 2014, as following a difficult start he adapted to the challenges of the new cars and delivered consistently good performances.

His drive to ninth (eighth prior to the time penalty being applied) in Monaco was stunning, but there were plenty of other strong, less well-heralded, performances.

But none of that really matters now given the way his season ended at Suzuka.

14. JEAN-ERIC VERGNE
Average rating: 7.1
The frustrating thing about Vergne is that when he's on it, he's capable of great performances. Singapore and Hungary were great examples of that.

But for a driver in his third season, even taking into account his diabolical luck and weight disadvantage, he simply wasn't consistent enough and did not assert himself over rookie team-mate Kvyat.

He's certainly worth a place in F1, and if he could string it together week after week he would be a formidable performer.

15. SERGIO PEREZ
Average rating: 6.3
The Mexican recovered well from his difficult season at McLaren, but while there were plenty of high points - notably his podium in Bahrain - he did not achieve the same levels of consistency as Hulkenberg.

As well as the strong performances, particularly in races such as Bahrain and Austria, where the rear tyres were a limiting factor, there were some needless errors, including hitting Massa in Canada and Raikkonen in America.

Overall, he still picked up plenty of points and got respectably close to Hulkenberg, doing his reputation no harm at all.

16. KIMI RAIKKONEN
Average rating: 6.2
There were only occasional flashes of Raikkonen as a world-championship-calibre driver during 2014.

Yes, the car did not have the front-end Raikkonen needs to extract the best of himself, but adaptability is a key characteristic of top drivers and, by definition, he should have done so much better.

That said, he lost a podium finish in Monaco to a safety car scrape with Max Chilton, and was on form in Singapore only to suffer a problem that compromised his final qualifying run.

17. KAMUI KOBAYASHI
Average rating: 6.2
The only thing you can seriously question about Kobayashi's 2014 is whether he was wise to turn his back on a professional drive in Ferrari's GT ranks to race for Caterham.

On track, he performed as you would expect, doing better in the car when it was tricky to drive than team-mate Ericsson, and inevitably becoming frustrated by the lack of progress.

Again showed he is a decent performer worthy of his place in F1, but given the circumstances this season did nothing for his career.

18. MARCUS ERICSSON
Average rating: 6.1
A very tough maiden season in which the Swede did little to establish a good reputation for himself until his final few outings.

Then, with a car that gave him confidence thanks to tweaks to the operation of the brake-by-wire system, his confidence grew and he showed the speed that was evident in the junior categories.

While there were a few too many unremarkable performances and mistakes, that late surge of form made the season worthwhile.

19. ADRIAN SUTIL
Average rating: 6.1
The German had high expectations on his switch to Sauber, but he was up against it all year.

He started the season in an overweight car, although that subsequently improved, but Sutil had little opportunity to show the kind of consistent scoring he produced in previous seasons.

There were some decent races, but it's legitimate to question whether he got the absolute maximum out of the Sauber.

20. PASTOR MALDONADO
Average rating: 6.0
It took the Venezuelan a while to settle in at Lotus, and there were a few embarrassing mishaps during the year (crashing in the pitlane, steering off the track while fiddling with dials on the steering wheel).

But in the second half of the season he became increasingly convincing, driving well at Austin to secure his first points finish of the season.

On pure pace he didn't quite have the last few tenths that Grosjean did, but now he's settled into the team he should go well in 2015.

21. ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ
Average rating: 5.7
Neither Sauber driver can be held responsible for the team's lack of points, as while Gutierrez made a terrible error while on target to score in Monaco, there were other times when car problems cost him a shot at the top 10.

Compared pretty well to the more experienced Sutil and showed improving form as the season progressed, with the first part of the year made difficult by how hard the Sauber was to drive.

The pace is certainly there in fits and starts, but Gutierrez needs to convince F1 that he can perform week-in, week-out.

22. MAX CHILTON
Average rating: 5.3
While Chilton proved unable to operate consistently at the same level as team-mate Bianchi, his performances would have looked better had he more often put together more rounded weekends.

In the first few races he did seem to have a better handle on the car than his team-mate, but thereafter he was resoundingly the number two Marussia driver.

There is more potential in there to be unlocked, but his future hangs in the balance.

THE PART-TIMERS

Drivers who only appeared once are not included in the main rankings because the sample set is too small.

ANDRE LOTTERER
Average rating: 9 (1 race)
Approached his debut at Spa with Caterham with the perfect mindset, knowing he did not have a long-term future in F1.

Already regarded as one of the great lost F1 prospects, he confirmed that status by outqualifying team-mate Ericsson (albeit with a car-spec advantage thanks to having the latest floor).

Made a good start and, despite initial suspicions, running wide over a kerb should not have caused the engine shutdown that put him out on lap two.

WILL STEVENS
Average rating: 8 (1 race)
The Formula Renault 3.5 driver did an accomplished job on his one-off appearance in the Abu Dhabi GP.

He showed decent pace relative to team-mate Kobayashi considering his deficit in experience and seat time, and kept out of trouble in the race to notch up a finish.

The aim was to show he could cut it at the top level, and Stevens certainly did not look out of his depth.