[NeilP]

Yes, of course its still too early to pass judgement on the cars.  The drivers, erm, not so much I think we can get an idea.  Here are my thoughts on them so far:

Hamilton: We are seeing all his experience come out. He handles pressure so well.  He is head and shoulders the best driver on the grid.

Verstappen: With the Red Bull being much more competitive it has fired Max up as if he needed it.  Long way to go but  even though I feel Mercedes still have the best car he is going to push Hamilton all the way until the end. Can he win it all this year. Yes he can but its going to take even better than what he has shown so far.

Norris: What a fantastic start to the season for Lando.  McLaren are a much improved team over the last season and a half and having that Mercedes engine in the back was a huge boost to them. Is he up there with the Vertsappen’s and Leclerc’s of the world I think given an even playing field he could well be.

Bottas:  Today was a perfect microcosm of Bottas. Promised much but yet again failed to deliver. I was going to say on the chat that he would be caught and passed by Hamilton because he is simply not good enough. That would probably not have happened with Rosberg. His tyre management is poor and he cannot handle pressure well at all.  That is no disgrace he is a very good F1 driver just not good enough for that second Mercedes seat. Its beyond time to move on to Russell.

Leclerc: We are seeing the talent this guy truly has. I may be on my own but he is up there with Verstappen in an equal car to my mind. Ferrari have a great driver on their hands I hope they can give him the car he deserves. Looks like they are on their way.

Perez:  He is an excellent driver as the underdog but I am very disappointed in his performances so far this season.  It is early days to be sure. Driver of the day today... laughable! He needs to be a lot better than we have seen so far.

Ricciardo:  Very disappointed with Danny Ricc. Hard to understand why he is so far behind his team mate. He has proven many times over he has what it takes so what is affecting him now. He is used to pressure partnering Max. It's a bit of a mystery to me. Maybe some more time will improve his performances but colour me very surprised right now.

Sainz:  Showing promise but if I am honest I expected more. Again as with others maybe he needs more time in the car. His talent is unquestionable as with Danny Ricc.  Ferrari seem to be making solid progress maybe Carlos will too. Great guy love his attitude.

Ocon: I was bullish 4/5 years ago about him, then the shine disappeared. That said he has had a solid start to the season by his and Alpines situation. Never going to be what his early career promised but a safe hands driver for a seat if not on track!!!

Gasly: Another decent start to the season, maybe we expect too much from him after all it's a Alpha Tauri he is driving. I think he could be a very strong driver in the right car.  Not sure he will ever get the opportunity unless 2022 really does level the playing field.

Stroll: Has his moments but is he truly an F1 driver?  I think he is a pay to drive guy in a team that his dad owns and for which I totally get why his son is driving for them. He is in a team that is beyond him to produce unlike Checo Hulkenburg (yes I know he never had a podium) and even Ocon.

Alonso: A solid drive by him today but this is not a man who is what he once was and arguably has not been for several years. I really do not understand why he came back unless it truly is a love of F1. I think he really is hoping Alpine will be in the mix next year but I think his time has come and gone.

Tsunoda:  Promised much in the first race but lets be honest he is a rookie with a hell of a lot to learn. He has something but will he develop is the question. Much too early to make any kind of call on him for me.

Raikkonen:  Kimi I love you but its time to call it a day. That is all I got.

Giovinazzi: Good driver not great not sure he belongs in F1. Maybe a test driver for Ferrari in the future but I don't see anything in him to tell me any more than that. Alfa need two new drivers for next season in my opinion.

Vettel: I think he has lost “It” whatever “It” is. Sad to see such poor performances over the last few years from a 4 time world champion. It is time to move on to other things because you are really butchering your legacy Seb.  Sad. Very Sad.

Russell:  Amazing driver and should already be in the Mercedes second car.  I am convinced even at this stage of his career he will push Hamilton harder than Bottas is. To achieve what he has done in that Williams car is astounding to me. Lets be honest he could and should have won when he took Hamilton’s place at the Sakir GP.  Don't ever change George you have what it takes.

Schumacher: I don't know that we can have any expectations of Mick to do anything other than drive the car. Its all about F1 experience for him right now. I hope he moves up to Alfa next year because Haas are going nowhere.

Mazapin: Does absolutely not belong anywhere near an F1 car. I would not even let him polish it.  Reminds me of The adventures of Stevie V “Dirty Cash I want you, Dirty cash I need you”

Latifi: It is really hard to gauge anyone in such a poor car but I will revert to Russells achievement and the fact Latifi has never out qualified him to tell me he too does not belong in F1.

[pennywise]

Yes, of course its still too early to pass judgement on the cars.  The drivers, erm, not so much I think we can get an idea.  Here are my thoughts on them so far:

Hamilton: We are seeing all his experience come out. He handles pressure so well.  He is head and shoulders the best driver on the grid.

Verstappen: With the Red Bull being much more competitive it has fired Max up as if he needed it.  Long way to go but  even though I feel Mercedes still have the best car he is going to push Hamilton all the way until the end. Can he win it all this year. Yes he can but its going to take even better than what he has shown so far.

Norris: What a fantastic start to the season for Lando.  McLaren are a much improved team over the last season and a half and having that Mercedes engine in the back was a huge boost to them. Is he up there with the Vertsappen’s and Leclerc’s of the world I think given an even playing field he could well be.

Bottas:  Today was a perfect microcosm of Bottas. Promised much but yet again failed to deliver. I was going to say on the chat that he would be caught and passed by Hamilton because he is simply not good enough. That would probably not have happened with Rosberg. His tyre management is poor and he cannot handle pressure well at all.  That is no disgrace he is a very good F1 driver just not good enough for that second Mercedes seat. Its beyond time to move on to Russell.

Leclerc: We are seeing the talent this guy truly has. I may be on my own but he is up there with Verstappen in an equal car to my mind. Ferrari have a great driver on their hands I hope they can give him the car he deserves. Looks like they are on their way.

Perez:  He is an excellent driver as the underdog but I am very disappointed in his performances so far this season.  It is early days to be sure. Driver of the day today... laughable! He needs to be a lot better than we have seen so far.

Ricciardo:  Very disappointed with Danny Ricc. Hard to understand why he is so far behind his team mate. He has proven many times over he has what it takes so what is affecting him now. He is used to pressure partnering Max. It's a bit of a mystery to me. Maybe some more time will improve his performances but colour me very surprised right now.

Sainz:  Showing promise but if I am honest I expected more. Again as with others maybe he needs more time in the car. His talent is unquestionable as with Danny Ricc.  Ferrari seem to be making solid progress maybe Carlos will too. Great guy love his attitude.

Ocon: I was bullish 4/5 years ago about him, then the shine disappeared. That said he has had a solid start to the season by his and Alpines situation. Never going to be what his early career promised but a safe hands driver for a seat if not on track!!!

Gasly: Another decent start to the season, maybe we expect too much from him after all it's a Alpha Tauri he is driving. I think he could be a very strong driver in the right car.  Not sure he will ever get the opportunity unless 2022 really does level the playing field.

Stroll: Has his moments but is he truly an F1 driver?  I think he is a pay to drive guy in a team that his dad owns and for which I totally get why his son is driving for them. He is in a team that is beyond him to produce unlike Checo Hulkenburg (yes I know he never had a podium) and even Ocon.

Alonso: A solid drive by him today but this is not a man who is what he once was and arguably has not been for several years. I really do not understand why he came back unless it truly is a love of F1. I think he really is hoping Alpine will be in the mix next year but I think his time has come and gone.

Tsunoda:  Promised much in the first race but lets be honest he is a rookie with a hell of a lot to learn. He has something but will he develop is the question. Much too early to make any kind of call on him for me.

Raikkonen:  Kimi I love you but its time to call it a day. That is all I got.

Giovinazzi: Good driver not great not sure he belongs in F1. Maybe a test driver for Ferrari in the future but I don't see anything in him to tell me any more than that. Alfa need two new drivers for next season in my opinion.

Vettel: I think he has lost “It” whatever “It” is. Sad to see such poor performances over the last few years from a 4 time world champion. It is time to move on to other things because you are really butchering your legacy Seb.  Sad. Very Sad.

Russell:  Amazing driver and should already be in the Mercedes second car.  I am convinced even at this stage of his career he will push Hamilton harder than Bottas is. To achieve what he has done in that Williams car is astounding to me. Lets be honest he could and should have won when he took Hamilton’s place at the Sakir GP.  Don't ever change George you have what it takes.

Schumacher: I don't know that we can have any expectations of Mick to do anything other than drive the car. Its all about F1 experience for him right now. I hope he moves up to Alfa next year because Haas are going nowhere.

Mazapin: Does absolutely not belong anywhere near an F1 car. I would not even let him polish it.  Reminds me of The adventures of Stevie V “Dirty Cash I want you, Dirty cash I need you”

Latifi: It is really hard to gauge anyone in such a poor car but I will revert to Russells achievement and the fact Latifi has never out qualified him to tell me he too does not belong in F1.

Nice break down of drivers and good post. Enjoyed reading

[morini]

Yes, nice write up.

With Bottas, I know I've defended him in the past. I do think he has real raw speed, but he has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he isn't a great racer. Normally I would back him to convert a pole to win if he gets away clean, but today he just had no pace on the medium. When Hamilton passed him I thought he'd wrecked his tyres by following too close for too many laps, but that was simply a deflection tactic as he was able to set FL's right up to the pit in lap. The thing is, much as I like George Russell I really don't think he would walk into that seat and suddenly be competing with Hamilton. Loads of hype after Sakir, but that was (to all intents) an oval. I'd like to see how he does on some proper race tracks before we can say he's got what it takes to beat someone like Lewis Hamilton. He may or may not be better than VB and I do think he will be in the seat next year.

Agree that Kimi and Vettel should call it a day. Vettel was generally a bit better in race three, but still finished well outside the points. It must be demoralising.

Lando is my star of the season so far. He's really stepping up and I've been impressed with him every race. He looked awful in the FP sessions at race 3, but somehow turned it around on Saturday and Sunday. Who else do we know who does that kind of thing?

I get the thing about older drivers staying on because they "enjoy it". With Alonso I don't think it's so much about enjoyment but more that he thinks he might get a chance at WDC 3 come the 2022 rules changes. I can't see it myself, but what do I know? All I do know is that while Alonso and Kimi are in seats the likes of Callum Illot may never get the chance to see if they have what it takes and could easily miss their shot. I guess the answer to that is encourage more teams, but it's still a bit selfish to take up a seat when your career is over.

Mazepin. Yes, well, that is a waste of a seat as well. I was distressed to hear the rumour that his dad may be buying the Haas team. Formula nepotism!

[Antilochos]

Only three races Neil, but why not.

Hamilton is doing fine like always, but head and shoulders above others? He just went off track the last race and was the most lucky person with the race stop, otherwise he would've been nowhere near the front. So that is a huge mistake and to be honest, there are drivers that have driven better but just don't have that fast car.

Verstappen is doing fine also but needs some polishing. For certainly Red Bull is not the fastest car. Did you see Hamilton blast past Perez today on the straight?

Norris, now he is having a season. He stepped up and I think he is driving the best of all right now. Is he the fastest? I don't believe so but impossible to know with different cars.

Bottas. Sucks balls on Sunday, like always. Fast but not a racer.

Leclerc is great again. Would love to see him in equal car as Hamilton and Verstappen. Think those three are the fastest drivers.

Perez. Some bad luck and some mistakes. Also new to the car. Hard to judge were he is.

Ricciardo. Being new to car but still I expected more. The big mystery why he disappoints.

Ocon. Very overrated in my opinion, although this year he finally is showing something. But, is it only looking like that because Alonso lost his mojo? I think it is.

Gasly is doing great driving, but it is a bit messy in the other two races. Still, great driver and hope he has a bright future in the sport. Going back to Torro Rosso was the best thing that could happen to him. The next best thing is probably getting away from Torro Rosso...

Stroll, I think this kid doesn't get a fair change when people judge him. Is he top material? Certainly not, but he isn't that terrible either. Just some driver, noting special.

Alonso, just wish he had left us with memories and had not returned to F1. A shadow of his former self.

Tsunoda is a rookie but I got the feeling he is overrated. Future will tell.

Raikkonen. Neil said it.

Giovinazzi is one of those drivers I never notice, never. He is just another driver, like Stroll.

Vettel, idem dito as Raikkonen. Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso seem to have lost it.

Russell, this kid is really fast. I hate to see Bottas in the Mercedes while this great driver is pushing that Williams further than it should. I really hope Russell will be in a top team next year. The future would be Leclerc/Ferrari, Russell/Mercedes and Verstappen/Red Bull, all equal cars. What a fairy tale that would be.

Schumacher is just learning. Decent driver I think, but that name will always create higher expectations than he is capable of.

Mazzapin is the worst of the field. That is all.

Latifi I see as just another driver. Not horrible, not special.

So that is my take and did it with some whisky at hand. Cheers guys, don't get to serious.

[morini]

Only three races Neil, but why not.

Hamilton is doing fine like always, but head and shoulders above others? He just went off track the last race and was the most lucky person with the race stop, otherwise he would've been nowhere near the front. So that is a huge mistake and to be honest, there are drivers that have driven better but just don't have that fast car.

Hamilton was both lucky and unlucky in that situation in my view. He caught a backmarker at the wettest part of the track, yes he made a misjudgement and went onto the wet line, but the consequences would have been huge for such a minor misjudgement. He was rather lucky the race was red flagged and restarted, but it was a classy, champions recovery back to second. All of the cars he had to pass were fast (Bottas couldn't pass anything that day). Hamilton managed it with style.

Verstappen is doing fine also but needs some polishing. For certainly Red Bull is not the fastest car. Did you see Hamilton blast past Perez today on the straight?

Perez was on very old medium tyres. He was never going to keep Hamilton behind. I would say the Red Bull was the fastest car in the first race, very close between the RBR and Mercedes at Imola though. Today the Merc looked faster to me on both mediums and hards, though Horner thinks different. He thinks RBR were fastest on mediums. Whatever us lot think, it is close between the cars and it is the drivers are making the difference. Hamilton deserves to be leading the championship from what I've seen so far.

Norris, now he is having a season. He stepped up and I think he is driving the best of all right now. Is he the fastest? I don't believe so but impossible to know with different cars.

Lando is going to be fighting Max for titles in the future. Mark my words. He looks like he has all the skills.

Bottas. Sucks balls on Sunday, like always. Fast but not a racer.

I have to agree, he is no racer and never will be. One benefit though, I think he pushes Hamilton on Saturdays which helps the team overall (in making the car faster).

Leclerc is great again. Would love to see him in equal car as Hamilton and Verstappen. Think those three are the fastest drivers.

I would add Norris to those names. I won't say Russell as I'd like to see him in a midfield car before commenting on just how fast he could be.

Perez. Some bad luck and some mistakes. Also new to the car. Hard to judge were he is.

Need to give him a few more races. But he's scored good points in race 3.

Ricciardo. Being new to car but still I expected more. The big mystery why he disappoints.

Might he be overhyped? Not saying he is, a genuine question.

Ocon. Very overrated in my opinion, although this year he finally is showing something. But, is it only looking like that because Alonso lost his mojo? I think it is.

Ocon is doing all he can in that car I think.

Gasly is doing great driving, but it is a bit messy in the other two races. Still, great driver and hope he has a bright future in the sport. Going back to Torro Rosso was the best thing that could happen to him. The next best thing is probably getting away from Torro Rosso...

What other teams would take him? He is now a race winner, but have to say that was a very lucky win. I'm not convinced any teams outside Red Bull / AT would take him on.

Stroll, I think this kid doesn't get a fair change when people judge him. Is he top material? Certainly not, but he isn't that terrible either. Just some driver, noting special.

I don't rate him myself, but I will make a controversial comment. Lance Stroll has won championships. There are faster drivers on the grid, but he won in F3 which is something Max can't say.

Alonso, just wish he had left us with memories and had not returned to F1. A shadow of his former self.

Blocking the career of a youngster IMO.

Tsunoda is a rookie but I got the feeling he is overrated. Future will tell.

Looked goood in F2, but then again F2 is not F1! Compare and contrast one Jolyon Palmer

Raikkonen. Neil said it.

Yep, like Rossi in MGP. Time to go Kimi.

Giovinazzi is one of those drivers I never notice, never. He is just another driver, like Stroll.

Underwhelming.

Vettel, idem dito as Raikkonen. Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso seem to have lost it.

It would be better for Seb if he called it a day. But who am I to make his decisions?

Russell, this kid is really fast. I hate to see Bottas in the Mercedes while this great driver is pushing that Williams further than it should. I really hope Russell will be in a top team next year. The future would be Leclerc/Ferrari, Russell/Mercedes and Verstappen/Red Bull, all equal cars. What a fairy tale that would be.

It is a shame he isn't in a midfield car so we can properly judge. He was great in F2, but that doesn't always mean F1 greatness. He performed well in Sakir in the Mercedes, but that was a one off and I'll reserve judgement until he's had more races in a better car.

Schumacher is just learning. Decent driver I think, but that name will always create higher expectations than he is capable of.

Again, hard to comment. He won in his second F2 tilt, but early season wasn't that convincing in my eyes.

Mazzapin is the worst of the field. That is all.

Agree 100%

Latifi I see as just another driver. Not horrible, not special.

Hard to judge. He's in a Williams.

So that is my take and did it with some whisky at hand. Cheers guys, don't get to serious.

It's never serious on here.

[NeilP]

I get your point Anti, but come on the guy make so few mistakes. Did he luck out last race yes of course he did but when it comes to it I stand by my comment he is way ahead of all the other drivers. In a sport that is measured by fractions of a second he is vastly superior to most and still well ahead of the other title chasers. He is absolutely thrashing his team mate ala Basil Fawlty with a tree branch. SAME Car, SAME performance but Bottas cannot touch him but once in a while.

Verstappen who may and or may not be your favourite (I rate him highly) by contrast has made no end of mistakes in the last 5 years or so. We can count Hamilton's errors on one hand. He may well end up winning more races against Hamilton than he has to date in his career but even at this stage and after 3 solid races I still make Hamilton the odds on favourite to win it all.

Maybe I am too biased because I root for him and have always done so but I like to think in all aspects of my life I deal out an even handed approach. But hey I am still working on perfection

EDIT In my advanced years and in all the sports I watch I realize that at some stage Lady Luck plays a part. Sometimes she blesses you and sometime she curses you. It tends to level itself out in time. Losing the title the year he did to Rosberg used up a lot of those curses!

PS Russell, this kid is really fast. I hate to see Bottas in the Mercedes while this great driver is pushing that Williams further than it should. I really hope Russell will be in a top team next year. The future would be Leclerc/Ferrari, Russell/Mercedes and Verstappen/Red Bull, all equal cars. What a fairy tale that would be.

Yes Anti that is absolutely the future and I think Norris belongs in that discussion too. Very exciting future as long as Liberty do not screw up the sport any more than they already have.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv0onXhyLlE

[morini]

I don't give any credence to the power ranking nonsense, but I'll post this up "just because". After three races VB doesn't even feature in the top 10, yet George Russell (who I still blame entirely for the Imola crash) is in there at 8. Hmm..., yeah, right