Motorsport.com's Top 10 F1 drivers of 2015

The panel

CB: Charles Bradley - Editor-in-chief

JN: Jonathan Noble - Formula 1 Editor

PE: Pablo Elizalde - News Editor, Europe

NDG: Nick de Groot - News Editor, US

JK: Jamie Klein - Editor, Motorsport.com UK

AVL: Andrew van Leeuwen - Editor, Motorsport.com Australia

VK: Valentin Khorounzhiy - Editorial Assistant

Honourable mentions

Felipe Nasr

Sauber F1 Team - 13th, 27 points

AVL: Not a spectacular choice, but did well for a rookie in an unfancied car. That’s why he deserves a spot in the Top 10 over underperformers like Kimi Raikkonen.

Carlos Sainz

Scuderia Toro Rosso - 15th, 18 points

PE: Sainz was consistently quick and showed he belongs in F1, but there was no denying that the much less experienced Verstappen was the more spectacular of the Toro Rosso drivers.

VK: Take away the relentless mechanical woes and it's fair to say Sainz produced one of the most impressive rookie seasons for a Red Bull protege, albeit he was often overshadowed by a teammate with far less experience.

Fernando Alonso

McLaren Honda - 17th, 11 points

JN: Never had the machinery to deliver performances right at the front of the grid, but did anyone produce any better opening laps than the Spaniard this year?

CB: Deserves his place on this list for the following: Hungary heroics, entertaining radio anger and retaining a sense of humour through all the pain.

10. Felipe Massa

Williams Martini Racing - 6th, 121 points

JN: Enjoying an Indian summer to his career, as he kept Williams teammate Valtteri Bottas honest to show that there is plenty more speed left in this Brazilian yet.

AVL: Massa just keeps on going. Once again he was in touching distance of his younger, supposedly faster teammate.

NDG: The popular Brazilian was quiet but solid in 2015, bringing home a respectable sixth in the championship standings and reaching the podium on two occasions.

9. Daniil Kvyat

Infiniti Red Bull Racing - 7th, 95 points

JK: Took a while to hit his stride, but proved in the end that Red Bull were right to promote him after a single season at Toro Rosso. Fared better against Daniel Ricciardo than many observers predicted.

PE: Had a slow start to the season - prompting questions about whether he was ready to jump to Red Bull this year - but quickly became a match for Ricciardo, and leaving no doubt about his future.

VK: Finishing ahead of his teammate in the points flatters his season a bit, but the fact he was a match for the 2014 MVP Ricciardo is a very promising sign for the future.

8. Romain Grosjean

Lotus F1 Team - 11th, 51 points

PE: Grosjean was one of the few positive things the struggling Lotus team had this year. He flattered a car that had hardly any development, dominated Pastor Maldonado and got an unlikely podium at Spa late in the year. Hopefully the Haas drive is a stepping stone to greater things in the future.

VK: Thoroughly outclassed his far-from-slow teammate in his Enstone swansong – and gave the team a Spa podium to boot. Deserves a top seat.

CB: Showed true grit and determination in the face of the adversity of an ailing team mired in financial peril; truly super at Spa.

7. Daniel Ricciardo

Infiniti Red Bull Racing - 8th, 92 points

JK: Outscored by Kvyat, but outqualified him 12-7 and was the only man to get a real sniff of victory in anything other than a Mercedes or Ferrari. His charging Hungary drive was a particular highlight.

AVL: He may have been out-done by Kvyat on points, but his drive in Singapore and that mixed-conditions stint in Austin show just how good the guy is when the car works.

JN: No wins this season, but still gave his all – and fought with the best of them when his machinery allowed.

6. Sergio Perez

Sahara Force India F1 Team - 9th, 78 points

NDG: The Mexican really asserted himself as Force India's number one driver this year, even earning the team a podium at Sochi in what ended up being the best season of his career.

JK: In his most convincing season since his breakthrough 2012 campaign, Perez combined his speed with a new-found maturity that suggests he could still have a big future in the sport.

CB: Some typical ‘soft hands’ drives allowed him to eke out some great performances, impressively out-scoring highly-rated teammate Nico Hulkenberg in the process.

Part two, featuring our top five Formula 1 drivers of the year, will be released tomorrow (Wednesday).