1. Sebastian Vettel
Against all odds, Sebastian Vettel managed to dodge the traps of fate in Brazil. After crashing at the start and suffering from a poor pitstop and a radio failure, the German fought back relentlessly and proved critics and fans alike that he can drive superbly under pressure. People may argue that most of his strong results this year were down to the car's dominant speed. In Brazil, Vettel has shown that the perfect car is nothing without the perfect driver. It was the car that was severely damaged and it was Vettel who got on top of that problem and stormed from the back of the pack to secure his third consecutive title. Which he damn well deserved.
Best drive: Brazilian Grand Prix (suffering from an exhaust damage, a wrong pitstop call and a radio failure, and still managed to finish 6th to secure title)
Best moment: securing third consecutive world title
Strong points: qualifying speed, racecraft, motivation
Weak points: sometimes incosistent and short tempered
2. Fernando Alonso
The F2012 was never a winning car. But Fernando Alonso's season is another fine example that the machine is nothing without the man. Consistent performance, regular points finishes, three superb victories, but somehow always slower and never that close to his main rival. Truth be told, if Ferrari had another driver in that seat, they probably wouldn't have race wins this year. Probably Alonso's strongest season to date.
Best drive: European Grand Prix (qualified 11th, stormed to brilliant victory)
Best moment: emotional win in front of home crowd in Valencia
Strong points: racecraft, consistency, speed and determination
Weak points: short temper and lousy car
3. Lewis Hamilton
A mixture of bad luck and poor reliability overshadowed Lewis Hamilton's otherwise strongest season. Mature driving, raw qualifying speed and fantastic racecraft. Had McLaren sorted out the reliability problems from the start, Lewis would've made the top spot in the drivers' championship. A brilliant comeback from last year's issues as he shrugged off the rustiness and criticism.
Best drive: United States Grand Prix (only man to challenge Vettel, hunted him down and snatched victory towards the end)
Best moment: overtaking Vettel to secure win in Texas
Strong points: raw speed and qualifying
Weak points: prown to make mistakes often
4. Kimi Raikkonen
Despite all the early criticism, Raikkonen's comeback was superb. One victory, six podiums, stellar driving, solid racecraft and consistent performance saw him initiate a sneaky approach towards snatching the championship. Rusty qualifying performance and Lotus' average development mid-season hindered the Finn from doing better. Ultimately secured 3rd spot in drivers' championship.
Best drive: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (dominated the race after Hamilton's retirement, and fended off Alonso to get comeback victory in the end)
Best moment: a brilliant wheel-to-wheel overtake on Schumacher in the final round in Brazil
Strong points: clean overtaking skills, racecraft, consistency
Weak points: qualifying speed and lack of aggressiveness
5. Sergio Perez
Sauber's Mexican driver has shown some flashes of brilliance this season with podium finishes in Malaysia, Canada and Italy. However, his inconsistent performance gave a hint that he's probably not ready for a top team just yet. Nevertheless, strongest season to date for Perez and best rookie driver.
Best drive: Malaysian Grand Prix (mastered tricky conditions to hunt down Alonso for win, but ultimately had to settle for 2nd)
Best moment: passing Alonso in Italy after failing to do so in Malaysia
Strong points: speed and adaptation to tricky conditions
Weak points: inconsistency
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