LEWIS HAMILTON: After the hungarian race he was asked exactly this question to which he replied "8.9, without the last race [Hockenheim] it would have been higher". A statement I fully agree with. Lewis has so far been outstanding but not flawless. Beside the German GP, he has also lost some pole-positions that were in his firing range. Still, when he had the change he has shown his muscles and elevated himself of top of the standings by a good margin.

VALTTERI BOTTAS: it has been a rollercoster start of the season for the Finn. Valtteri proved himself to be a race winner competitor but so far not a title contender. The speed is often there, but on the long run he lacks of consistency. His future in Mercedes will be decided in a few days time. 7.

MAX VERSTAPPEN: 10. No debate needed. The Dutchman's season has just been perfect so far. He is seven points only away from Bottas' second position in an underperforming Red Bull. With a better car and the current performances even Hamilton would have huge problems on keeping his pace.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/12478/the-first-half-of-the-season-max-verstappen-results

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: when asked, he gave himself a 5 because "I struggled here and there to get on top of the car". For sure so far the 2019 season hasn't been the best one for the German, but I think he has been a little bit too harsh on himself. The last two races have been pretty good for him, in particular Hockenheim, and also in Canada he has done half a miracle by securing the pole-position and crossing the finishline ahead of Hamilton. A 6,5 would be fairer to him.

CHARLES LECLERC: 7.5. Yes, the Monegasque is behind his team mate on the board, but considering the fact that it's his first year on the Ferrari's seat and his second one overall in Formula 1, the speed is really promising. He lost two possible wins not for his fault but at the same time mistakes were made throughout the season. Leclerc needs therefore to find more consistency in the second half of the championship.

PIERRE GASLY: 3. Don't get me wrong, Pierre is a very talented driver but he seems just not to be able to adapt to the driving style required by the Red Bull. Beside Silverstone, the austrian team has been racing with one driver only and the Frenchman has even been lapped twice by Verstappen. Definetly not what Marko, us all and Gasly himself were expecting to see.

CARLOS SAINZ: 9. The Spaniard sits on the 'best of the rest' chair. With McLaren finally being competitive again at least among the midfield pack, Carlos has taken everything in his chances. Probably Red Bull made a wrong call by not keeping Sainz with them.

KIMI RAIKKONEN: away from Ferrari's pressure, the 2007 World Champion has started to constantly delivering and big points have been put in his bag. With no doubt so far the best season in many years for Kimi. 9.

DANIIL KVYAT: A 'second career', quoting his own words, that started brilliantly. Daniil even managed to jump on the rostrum at Hockenheim, scoring enough point to comfortably sit in the Top 10 of the standings. Helmut Marko is for sure doubting his previous decisions. 8.

LANDO NORRIS: often unlucky in the first half of the season, the McLaren's rookie has deliverd well every time he had the chance. Most of the people see in Lando a rising star, with good reason. 8.

DANIEL RICCIARDO: For sure not the start of the championship the Aussie expected when he signed with Renault one year ago. The car isn't performing as it was supposed to and Daniel's speed comes and goes. 6.5.

LANCE STROLL: two great races in Canada and Germany but poor performances beside those two occasions. The Canadian is in his third year in Formula 1 and still hasn't found a decent consistency and too often neither raw speed. 5.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: the danish driver is fighting against his own car race after race. When put in the condition to deliver, Magnussen often displays great speed, with a shining fifth place in the Austrian qualifying session. On the other hand, Kevin has still not learned how to race fairly with overaggressive moves that damage the races both of the rival and his. 6.

NICO HULKENBERG: disappointed by the car, disappointed by himself. Once again Nico has thrown away a great podium chance, this time in front of his own crowd. Rumors suggest he may not show up next year in Australia and he actually doesn't have a contract yet. Will Formula E be his chance of redemption? 5.

ALEXANDER ALBON: probably the least considered rookie on the grid at the beginning of the year, proved himself to deserve a seat among the greats of the sport. Quick and consistent he stands way above expectations. 7,5.

SERGIO PEREZ: outqualifying your team mate in every race is not enough if you weren't able to score any point in the last eight races. Definetly an underperforming season by a great driver. 5.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Car's performances for sure are not on his side, but the Frenchman debuted in Formula 1 back in 2009. Ten years have passed and still Romain is victim of mistakes you would expect from a rookie. 4.

ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI: The Italian is probably the one who's shining the least among the rookies. Antonio has often been really unlucky and the speed in qualifying is getting closer to Kimi's. Still, on race day Giovinazzi has not be able to properly perform so far. As he told us a couple of weeks ago "two years spent at the simulator have denied me the chance to learn how to handle race situations". Antonio has definetly to catch up quickly now. 4.5.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/12178/german-gp-giovinazzi-i-grew-up-a-lot-thanks-to-kimi-

ROBERT KUBICA: his comeback to racing eight years after his almost career-ending crash has been way under expectations. The Pole has been behind rookie team mate George Russell in every qualy and race session but one. And that one time he was in front provided him with the only point of the season for the Williams team. Not enough. 4.

GEROGE RUSSELL: a great rookie with few chances to shine. Hungary was one of those and the Brit has just amazed everyone with a perfect qualifying lap and a decent race pace considering the car he's driving. He's behind Kubica on the standing board, but the actual performances tell a complitely different story: the story of a promising young rising star. 8.