One third of the season is done & dusted. We rate the drivers so far, based on the first six GPs of 2008

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (35 points, 2nd in championship)
Despite an up-and-down season so far, the reigning champ is still very much the favourite to win the title this year. He had a horrible race in Monaco, but solid wins in Malaysia and Spain are a more reliable indicator of his pace this season. Four podiums in six races is championship-winning form. Over the long haul, we can’t see that Felipe Massa will have enough to get the better of the laidback Finn; only Lewis Hamilton can challenge him. 7/10

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (34pts, 3rd)
So far, the little Brazilian has put up a better fight against his team-mate than many observers expected - especially after he failed to finish either of the first two grands prix. When he’s fast, he’s very very fast, arguably the quickest natural driver in the championship; and now he seems to be getting more consistent, which is the key to winning his first title. If he can outscore Raikkonen in the second third of the season (a huge if), then Ferrari will have a dilemma as to which driver to support. 7/10

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (38pts, 1st)
Slightly lucky to win in Monaco, and some may say he’s having a difficult second season, especially with the onus on him to lead the team. But look at the facts: he leads the championship by three points, he’s been on the podium in his last three races, and all that in an inferior car to the Ferrari. Apart from a poor showing in Bahrain, he has looked every inch a title challenger. Last year’s experience will serve him well as the season enters its second half. 8/10

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (15pts, 6th)
The amiable Finn has had a season’s worth of bad luck in just six races, most notably that huge crash in Spain. Commiserations aside, McLaren will want to see more points from their second driver in the next six races. On the bright side, he is turning out to be an excellent team-mate to Hamilton - the pair get on famously and the Finn doesn’t seem to mind playing second fiddle. 5/10

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (32pts, 4th)
Five top-four finishes in a row is just reward for the Pole, who is having the season of his life. He has never qualified lower than fifth on the grid, a remarkable level of consistency, especially in a car that is good, but not great. Can he maintain his title push though? 9/10

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (20pts, 5th)
Started brightly with a second place in Australia, but his confidence has slowly ebbed away since then - he was dreadful in Monaco last weekend. The German is usually consistent and quick, and fifth place in the table is no disaster; his problem this year is that Kubica is equally consistent, but blatantly quicker. Needs to turn his season around, or BMW will look to replace him. 6/10

Mark Webber, Red Bull (15pts, 7th)
The modest Aussie is doing a fine job of keeping his Red Bull on the track, as five points finishes in the last five races shows. He’s not the most exciting driver in the world, but he is utterly professional and very reliable. 8/10

David Coulthard, Red Bull (0pts, 16th)
No points in six races is just not good enough, especially in the light of Webber’s haul. DC has been involved in far too many racing incidents, several of his own making. Surely this will be his last season in F1, unless he can turn things around very quickly. 3/10

Nico Rosberg, Williams (8pts, 10th)
Started brilliantly, with a podium in Melbourne, but has struggled thereafter to lead his mid-field team. Has the raw talent to do better, but he still lacks maturity and race-craft. 6/10

Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (7pts, 11th)
Has been woeful in qualifying (12th is the highest he has started on the grid), but more solid in races, and seems to be growing in confidence; his performance in Monaco was very encouraging. 6/10

Fernando Alonso, Renault (9pts, 8th)
Few drivers could have squeezed five top-ten finishes out of this year’s Renault, so although Alonso’s tendency to sulk and whine has lost him friends, there’s no doubt that’s he’s done a sterling job in a shit ride - the Spaniard’s problems start when he overdrives a car that is clearly not good enough for his immense talent. 7/10

Nelson Piquet Jnr, Renault (0pts, 19th)
A torrid, pointless season so far for young Nelsinho; at this rate, he won’t make it to the end of the season. Having Alonso as a team-mate must be very tough, but no one could argue that Piquet has done a good job at Renault, although there were signs of improvement at Monaco. 3/10

Jenson Button, Honda (3pts, 13th)
We’re sure that like Honda, Jens is already looking to 2009. He’s done nothing of note so far in 2008, but at least he’s learned the art of staying positive - and with Ross Brawn on board, the only way is up. 5/10

Rubens Barrichello, Honda (3pts, 14th)
The Brazilian veteran hasn’t driven as well as Button overall, but he has something to build on after his surprise sixth place in Monaco. 5/10

Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso (2pts, 15th)
The speccy Frenchman has struggled to make the transition from Champ Car to F1, finishing just two races out of six in his rookie season. He’s shown flashes of the talent that won him four Champ Car titles, but must do better. 4/10

Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rossi (4pts, 12th)
Four DNFs in his first four races, but now starting to show why so many people rate him as a future star. His fifth place in Monaco was an exceptional drive. 6/10

Adrian Sutil, Force India (0pts, 20th)
Flavour of the month after a potentially career-defining drive at Monaco last month, when he was running in a points position until villainous Kimi ran into his rear end. However, apart from Monaco, he has been poor - team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella outqualified him in the first five GPs - and is yet to score any points. On the plus side, Monaco might give him the confidence to start making the most of his undoubted talent. 5/10

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India (0pts, 18th)
Made it to 200 grands prix in Monaco, but is his heart still in F1? Has driven well in qualifying, but has too often lost concentration on race day - witness his amateurish mistake in Turkey, when he drove over the top of Nakajima. 5/10

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (9pts, 9th)
As brilliant as ever in qualifying (8th is the lowest he’s started on the gird), the experienced Italian has managed to carry much of his natural pace into races this season. Four top-ten finishes and just one retirement proves that Trulli is having a very respectable year; the terrible performance of team-mate Timo Glock makes it difficult to judge how good the Toyota is, but Trulli can’t be faulted for that. 7/10

Timo Glock, Toyota (0pts, 17th)
Totally outclassed by his team-mate, despite the odd glimpse of potential. His seat is under threat, and he may not last the season. 3/10