European Grand Prix : Driver of the race

[Adam43]

OK here we are again. We will start with a quick reminder of what this competition is about.

After every race, I will run a poll "Driver of the race". You can vote however you like, but for this to work members need to vote for the best race weekend performance, regardless if its your favorite driver or not. It will become pointless if Montoya fans vote for Juan or Webber fans vote for Mark (unless they deserve it of course ).

The polls will run for 10 days, and then the votes will show a winner, 2nd and 3rd.

Winner - 5 points
2nd - 3 points
3rd - 1 point

We will continue to do this every race and at the end, the points will be added and a Ten-Tenths Driver of the Year will be crowned.

Our champion could drive a Ferrari, Williams, Sauber or even a Minardi, as the race results are unimportant, but what the driver acheived on a race by race basis over the season.

First nominations (others can be added).

Michael Schumacher. Bosch! A win.
Rubens. A different strategy.
Jenson. Another podium.
Fisi. Would he ever pit! A good sixth.
Webber. Penalty, a little heavy. Points.
Kimi. Second early on. Bang.
DC. Heavy again, good first lap. Bang.
Sato. The quickest Michelin guy. The quickest other than TGF. Daft move? Bang.

Anymore, just say.

[Peter Mallett]

Agree with all the above Adam. MS was a (Mickey the) shoe-in. RB did well but was hardly spectacular especially leaving the door open for "kamikaze". He was lucky to finish after that.

Kimi was good but he made the whole thing tedious. DC made a great run but it was never going anywhere.

Fisi? Yep he's starting to show a bit of grit but............ nope.

Webber? Best race of his season so far but I'm getting a bit disolussioned with him.

Has to be Jenson just because he made a brilliant move on DC(both kept it clean) and kept out of trouble to score another podium. BAR and Button, the very best of the rest.

[Knowlesy]

Sato for me.....his best qualifying yet, followed by his best race yet.

The move can be classed as daft I suppose....but it's one of those that could have gone right and made him look a star. Kudos to him for having a go!

[x_dt]

Sato - despite his faux pas with Barrichello.

[ralf fan]

i will go for MS... too good again no mistakes.... I could give it to Sato for driving well but he showed that one thoughtless moment can cost and MS did extreamly well to stay out of trouble with Webber and Panis

[jj2728]

ms.....pole, race win, and a great opening stint....sato a close second....it goes from bad to worse for both mclaren and williams....

[Inigo Montoya]

Michael. Would have been Taku, had it not been for the brain fart trying to overtake Rubens. Another fantastic drive from Fisi

[enemy-ace]

I wonder if Ferrari will ever let Ruben's run Michael's strategy or is he always going to get the 2nd place one.
If he had the opportunity I am pretty sure he could bring home the win, in what is so obviously a dominant car.
Button gets my vote. Good move on DC when he needed to, and was solidly consistent.
Sato really needs to take some deep-breathing exercises. Not even close to try that move.

[Gt_R]

Michael...

I almost was willing Sato on..he was soooo impressive until he made that silly over ambitious move..and that really ruined a great posititon and result (honestly, i think he'd get 2nd if he's more patient.

So Michael nicks it again. Awesome pace, flawless race..another MS-style victory. The pace at which he raced at is simply mind-blowing.. and once again silence his critics.

Oh..and while at it, i'd say good Fisi/Sauber ran another 2 stopper race to grab useful points, while Klien did a great job in a far inferior and struggling car to defend against JPM.

[Pirtek Racing]

i'm finding it hard to determine a best driver, mainly because the last 10 laps were so boring and i forgot who drove well

my best:
MS
Sato
Fisi

quiet achievers:
button
trulli
alonso

[santori]

Michael. Sato would have run him close.

[Mr V]

I was going to go for Fisi, but dispite his "mistake" trying to take Rubens, i feel that Sato was still the man of the race, had it not have been for yet another Honda blow up, i'm confident that he still could have come home in 4th or 5th.

[f1manoz]

Sato. His move on Rubens may have been over-aggressive, but here is a guy who is willing to have a go. Dave Richards has told both drivers not to be afraid of going for the gap. Sato was taking that advice. I say good on him for having the cajones to go for that gap.

Add to that his race pace - the only one on Michelins doing ANYTHING all race - and his weekend pace previously and it was almost the perfect weekend. Almost...

[Gt_R]

Without the Honda blowing up AND without that poorly judged move on RB, Sato could have scored his best result of 2nd!

He's impressive this race, and that blow up and mistake just looked more disappointing. But for once, he cleanly out-performed his respectable teammate.

[Meroo]

Fisi, 6th from back of grid in a Sauber is a good effort. MS is just predictably great from start to finish, no surprise there.

[Dani Filth]

MS here .. .

[jetsetter]

Michael Schumacher because of the way he controlled the race from start to finish.

[Adam43]

I really wished I could give it to Sato. Was his daft move enough to erase everything else? Hmmm.

[Daisy]

I voted for Fisichella, Michael was brilliant, without a doubt, but starting from the back and finishing 6th, great race!

[Pitstop]

It's gotta be Michael, followed by Fisi, followed by Jenson.

[bulldogspirit]

TGF again, 14 secs clear in 6 laps, ok Raikkonen was holding the queue, but yet again he sealed the race before the 1st ad break!

[Panzer]

I voted for Sato even though he stuffed it up in the end.
Thankfully he didn't put Rubens out. Schumacher was...well...Schumacher, but Sato by a wisker.

[Mattracer]

Ferrari is expected to win and place. The next best gets the award. Button.

[climb]

Accepting once again that MS cannot win, my vote to Fisichella, I mean, starting from the last positions and get to the points grace to a flawless and intelligent racing.
After all is not driving a top car, and made it very well. Bravo.

[dcp2685]

I had to say Fisi. 19th to 6th scoring 3 points. Well done.

Sato was a close second though.