By Ben Langley
The summer break is upon us and so while we wait for Zandvoort to come around, who has stood out and who has failed to deliver? Let’s give out the mid-season prizes.
Best driver – Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri is the man everyone is chasing in the championship, but if you take car performance out of it, it is difficult to see past the Australian. His only major blip came in the opening round in Melbourne, but his error that saw him spin into the grass was an unlucky one. Norris just ahead also went off but scrambled his McLaren back onto the track to ultimately win the opener. Since then, Piastri’s consistency has been flawless, clocking five wins and controlling the championship since he took the lead after Saudi Arabia. Piastri’s consistency and mental strength has been the difference between him and Norris thus far, putting the Aussie as title favourite. If he can claim his first title, it’s an ominous prospect for the rest of the grid with Piastri having just the three full seasons under his belt.
Worst driver – Yuki Tsunoda
This may seem harsh due to the undrivable nature of the Red Bull car. But with Tsunoda sitting fourth bottom of the drivers’ standings, it doesn’t make for a good look. Red Bull’s second driver problems have been the worst it’s ever been this season. Tsunoda rightly earnt his promotion after showing strong consistency with Racing Bulls. However, after receiving the sudden call-up after Lawson’s disastrous two weekends, the Japanese driver has never really got to grips with his machinery. It is difficult to pinpoint a driver that has been the most disappointing, but Tsunoda’s results compared to Verstappen is the reason for this unwanted award.
Best rookie – Isack Hadjar
There were five rookies that joined the grid this year, or seven if you include Liam Lawson and the Franco Colapinto but he has completed several races previously. Jack Doohan struggled from the off and was replaced unsurprisingly by Colapinto after just six races. Kimi Antonelli finished 4th on his debut after a sublime drive from down the field in tricky conditions. Ollie Bearman has shown glimpses of promise but some careless errors in recent races have set him back. Gabriel Bortoleto has shown his talent in recent races, with an 8th and 6th place finish in Austria and Hungary respectively.
However, Hadjar is the one who takes the bragging rights thus far. His career began in the worst way possible after a shunt on the formation lap in Melbourne. Such an error must have been difficult to bounce back from, but bounce back he did. He scored numerous points finishes, including three-in-a-row in Imola, Monaco and Spain. He has predominantly been the quicker driver for Racing Bulls, hence why he received many plaudits by many surrounding the sport.
One to watch – Lewis Hamilton
It has been a mixed season in his new red overalls for Lewis Hamilton. He has delivered consistent results in the difficult car of the Ferrari. However, some errors of late have saw his form drop off slightly. He labelled himself as useless and said the team should look for another driver. It will be interesting to see if he can claw back some momentum to go into next year’s new regulations with some confidence.
There are many talking points to be answered in the second half of the season. However, the main talking point going into the second half of the season has to be, who will win the drivers championship? Piastri has held the lead for several months, but when Norris puts it together he can definitely challenge. It is too close to call, and with next year’s regulations looming, there may not be a better chance for both drivers to win a title. We look set for a thrilling fight.
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