Formula One: Which of the Top Three Drivers Would You Want On Your Team?

The top three drivers in the current standings cannot be separated at present, but which of the three would you want driving for your team...based only on this season's performance?

We'll start with Lewis Hamilton and some quick facts. In 2008 he has had:

• Three wins
• Two poles
• Three no points score
• Five podiums

It's been a mixed first half of the season for Lewis so far. It couldn't have started better when he took pole position and won at Melbourne ,but then things started to go down hill.

He finished fifth in Malaysia, thanks to Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli. He then stalled on the start line in Bahrain, crashed into the back of arch rival Alonso, and then finished the lowest he has ever finished at 13th.

Returning to Europe seemed to cheer Hamilton up. He finished on the podium in Spain, Turkey, and Monaco, taking one step at a time (pardon the pun, couldn't resist). His win in Monaco was truly outstanding, especially as he suffered a puncture early on in the race.

The pit lane incident in Montreal ruined the next two races for him.

Crashing into the back of Kimi Raikkonen at the pit lane exit meant that both he and Kimi retired from the race when it was looking good for Lewis. The 10-place grid penalty in Magny Cours basically meant the FIA wants Ferrari to win and not McLaren, so they adopted the "one rule for one, another rule for another" policy.

Hamilton finished the race in 10th.

Lewis Hamilton's victory in the pouring rain at Silverstone meant that he had the ball back in his own court again, and also meant that he had silenced his critics, for the time being.

The Brit won by over a minute and his aims are to remain consistent to the end of the season.

Secondly, we have reigning World Champion and "ice cool" Finn Kimi Raikkonen. He stats for 2008 are:

• Two wins
• Two poles
• Three no points score
• Five podiums

Raikkonen got off to a terribly bad start this season. He was eliminated from qualifying in the first session and several trips to the gravel trap in the race meant he did not finish the race.

He got his title defence back on track in Malaysia, however, with a win. He finished second in Bahrain, first in Spain, and third in Turkey, tallying up 35 points.

The wet race at Monaco, however, wasn't a great weekend for Raikkonen.

He qualified second but Lewis Hamilton had passed him before the first corner. Toward the end of the race, Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari and smashed into the back of the Force India of Adrian Sutil, causing him to retire.

Many felt that Raikkonen should have received some sort of penalty, but word has it that he is friends with the FIA.

In Montreal, Raikkonen had put in the fastest lap of the race before entering the pit lane. At the pit lane exit, Raikkonen had stopped at the red light. However, Hamilton hadn't seen the light and smashed into the back of him. Both retired from the race.

Raikkonen looked set to dominate the French Grand Prix. He qualified on pole and led the race by a large margin before he had trouble with one of his engine exhausts. It had come loose and reduced engine power.

He finished second to teammate Massa.

The British Grand Prix was not a total success for the World Champion. He qualified third and moved up to second before the first round of pit stops. He went into the pits with Hamilton and came out behind him, with less fuel and older tyres.

This meant Kimi had to pit again in nine laps' time for fresh tyres. He finished the race in fourth.

The third and final driver, Felipe Massa. Here are his 2008 stats:

• Three wins
• Three poles
• Three no points score
• Five podiums

Massa had an even worse start to the season than Raikkonen. He retired in the opening two rounds of Australia and Malaysia.

He bounced back and headed the first Ferrari one-two of the season in Bahrain and came second in Spain. His win at Turkey completed a hat trick of victories for him at Istanbul Park.

Massa took pole in Monaco, and I have never seen a driver so surprised. He openly expressed that he didn't like the circuit at Monaco yet took pole position. He finished third in the race after running wide at the first corner.

In Montreal, Massa qualified a lowly sixth and finished the race in fifth. He suffered a problem with the fuel rig in his first pit stop and probably would have finished higher had this problem not occurred.

He took victory at the French Grand Prix, mainly due to Raikkonen's engine problem but never the less, a win is a win. He led the championship, the first time a Brazilian had since Senna did in 1993.

A reversal in fortune for Massa meant that he finished dead last at Silverstone. He spun five times on the wet track and suffered his worst result since his days at Sauber.

So, you've seen the profiles, now which driver would you like to race for your team?

For me, it's Lewis.

I think that the pit lane incident caused his championship charge to be halted for a while, and I think the mistakes from Malaysia and Bahrain are behind him.

If he can remain consistent in the second half of the season and carry on with performances similar to those we were blessed with at Monaco and Britain, he should have a great chance at winning the title.