2008 Driver Rankings
2008 Driver Rankings
2008 is almost over and all of the major race series have already crowned their Champions. F1, Rally, Indy Car, NASCAR, and Sportscars have all seen incredible performances by their respective drivers.
This year will go down as one to be remembered and cherished. Formula 1 had its most exciting finish to the title chase ever. Youth was the word in F1 as 2008 witnessed both the youngest race winner and youngest World Driving Champion.
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The WRC and NASCAR both witnessed dominant performances of dynastic proportions. The Intercontinental Rally Challenge rose up to dare Challenge the WRC’s monopoly in delivering Rally Heroes. Sportscar racing witnessed a rebirth in popularity and manufacturers interest in the US and Europe.
So here it is. The Top 10 Drivers of the Year plus a few honorable mentions.
1. Sebastien Loeb
Third place at the Rally Japan netted Sebastien Loeb his fifth consecutive Driver’s Championship title from only six full seasons of WRC competition. No driver has ever been so dominant in a top-tier International Series.
This score takes Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena clear of the record they previously shared with Juha Kankkunen and, more especially, Tommi Makinen, who was the only driver before them to rack up four consecutive championship wins (1996-99).
In a sport noted for its wild and frenetic driving, Loeb is almost boring to watch as he consistently sets fastest stage times.
How good is Loeb? In 2003, his first full season in the championship, Loeb won three WRC events before losing the championship to Petter Solberg by just one point. He also beat his more illustrious team-mates, legends Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae.
After the debacle that was his stint at McLaren, Alonso was in danger of dropping off the radar with his return to the floundering Renault.
That probably would have happened to most of the drivers on the F1 grid if they were put in that situation, but we are talking about Fernando Alonso.
He regularly qualified near the front of the grid in a car that had no business being there.
Scoring points here and there as he developed the underpowered Renault over the season, it all came together over the last four races were he garnered two spectacular wins and three podiums.
His combination of sheer speed with his ability to develop and set-up a car puts him at a level that no current driver can match.
3. Felipe Massa
You begin the season as the No. 2 driver where the No. 1 driver is the current World Driving Champion. Then you score no points in the first two races and the press is speculating on your imminent dropping from the team.
The media questions not only your driving abilities but also your drive and determination...all this while driving for the most storied name in racing. Most drivers would have folded like a house of playing cards in a Category 5 Hurricane.
What does Felipe Massa do? He just wins a season high six races and come within one point and one corner from winning the World Driving Championship.
Lewis Hamilton notwithstanding, Massa was the story of the year. If he doesn’t win the WDC one day, then there is no justice.
He looks like he isn’t even old enough to shave. He drives for Red Bull Racing’s B-Team. They didn’t even get the new car until almost a ¼ way through the season.
So what does he do? He just goes out and regularly reaches Q3 in qualifying then he goes and beats more experienced drivers in what are suppose to be superior teams at Monza…..in the rain.
This kid is good. I mean REALLY good. He knows how to toss the car around when it is needed to get that extra tenth of a second, and he also knows how to pace himself to save tires…Did I mention he was good?
I expect to find Vettel a regular fixture near the top of this list for years to come.
5. Mikko Hirvonen
Lady Luck has not been kind to Mikko. Tire punctures and mechanical problems have kept him from mounting a serious challenge to Sebastien Loeb in this year’s World Rally Championship.
When his Ford Focus rally car is running right, he is the only one who can actually mount a serious challenge to the five-time WRC Champion.
On gravel, Mikko is more than a match for Loeb. It is on the tarmac that Hirvonen plays second fiddle to the Citroen great.
Let’s get this out of the way. Lewis Hamilton is a major talent. He is fast and aggressive. At times, it appears that nobody can match his pace.
The problem I have is that he is hard to judge accurately. He is the No. 1 driver on a team that arguably has the fastest car, so his success is to be expected.
It is the times where he absolutely has to deliver that makes me question. His beaching of his McLaren at the Chinese GP last year, where he could have clinched the title, was explained away as a rookie mistake.
But his poor qualifying effort and his being passed by Vettel at the Brazilian GP this year again brings into question Hamilton’s capacity to deliver under pressure.
I hope that Timo Glock at least gets a nice Christmas card from Lewis this year.
7. Nicolas Vouilloz
He was narrowly beaten to the IRC title last year by his team-mate, Enrique Garcia Ojeda, after taking three victories.
In his second season of the IRC series, the Frenchman claimed one win in Madeira and finished on the podium of every event held so far apart from Rally Russia, where a mechanical problem dropped him to fith.
In a sport where accidents and breakdowns are a common occurrence, Vouilloz is a model of consistency. His driving for a privateer team against the Fiat factory Abarth Team makes his title all the more special.
8. David Brabham
He did win at LeMans this year driving for Aston Martin. He also became the first driver to win in four American Le Mans Series classes when he and Patrón Highcroft Racing won at the Tequila Patrón Grand Prix of Long Beach in April.
But those aren’t the only reason he made the top 10.
Anybody who saw him drive the Patron-Highcroft Racing Acura this year in the American LeMans Series knows what I am talking about. Every time he got behind the wheel you had a sense that something was going to happen.
That something was a lot of passing, as Brabham seem to knock off his competitors at will, and they could do nothing to stop it.
Case in point: With 20 minutes to go at the Long Beach race, he was seventh overall and fifth in class. That is world class in any book.
9. Travis Pastrana
Clinched his third straight Rally America title with one event to go. He displayed a maturity this season, as he learned that sometimes you can’t win and the best course of action is to bring the car home.
This does not mean he lost any of his flamboyant style. Subaru is bringing him along slowly, having him drive in a few selected PWRC Rallies. Expect him to be in the WRC in a year or two.
10. Carl Edwards
He led all drivers with nine NASCAR Sprint Cup wins and ran with the front pack all season. There was not a race all season where he was not a factor.
He is the reason why NASCAR’s points system, which rewards finishing more than wins, is a farce.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Jimmie Johnson: Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships in a row has to mean something…right?
Scott Dixon: Lost the Indy Car Series Championship in 2007 by one lap. Rebounded in 2008 in dominating fashion.
Sebastien Bourdais: While the younger Vettel got all the points and attention, it was the elder statesman of Scuderia Toro Rosso whose developmental skills made it all possible. Except for Fernando Alonso, nobody can work with the engineers in development better than Bourdais.
Lucas Di Grassi: The Renault F1 test driver returned to the GP2 Series from round 4 onwards. Despite the late start, he finished third in the points Championship.
Chris Atkinson: Consistently beat his more famous teammate, Petter Solberg. Only a matter of time before he gets his first win and returns Subaru to the Victory podium.
Kyle Busch: Dominated the NASCAR Sprint Cup Season. That is until the Chase for the Cup began. Then he fell off the radar screen.
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