Yes there was the odd point here and there, the odd Q3 qualifying performance, the left-field fastest lap in Valencia, and decent race drives in Germany and Hungary, but Glock was not stringing whole race weekends together. That was until Singapore, where out of nowhere he started 6th and claimed a career-best-equalling 2nd. But he followed that up by losing concentration in qualifying in Japan, crashing and injuring his leg. It was symbolic of a season in which he could not sustain intensity or keep his eye on the ball.

Back to the top.

On the plus side, he also remained stupendous in the wet, but it was some of his dry weather performances that caught the eye. He was exceptional at the Nurburgring and in qualifying at Suzuka, and he had his day of days at Monza where he started on the front row, scored fastest lap, and was denied a podium by Kimi Raikkonen's KERS. By the end of the season, he may not necessarily have been high on other teams' shopping lists, but most team bosses would have been giving him more than a second's thought.

Back to the top.

As the car stagnated, so did Robert's form. Between Australia and Belgium, only Turkey and Valencia were noteworthy drives. Odd strategic choices including shortish opening stints on some occasions gave Nick Heidfeld the advantage in the intra-team battle. As the BMW improved from Spa onwards, and as the silly season heated up, so the Pole's performances picked up, culminating in that fabulous 2nd place at Interlagos. But when the chips were down earlier in the season, one felt that he was only giving 90%.

Back to the top.

We have been saying it repeatedly, but for a man of his experience and artistry behind the wheel, he should have been guiding Force India's technical direction and showing Adrian Sutil the way. At the end of the season, the Ferrari may have been unfamiliar and tricky, but Raikkonen and Massa could find a way with it and five races was long enough for Fisi to start doing the same. That showed his ultimate problem; he is a driver who waits for things to happen rather than making the car and team work for him.

Back to the top.

But he did not look out of his depth, he acquitted himself maturely enough, and his pace was not too shabby either. Making it into Q2 at a daunting driver's track like Suzuka, in the appalling conditions in Brazil, and at the completely new challenge of Abu Dhabi showed that there was decent raw material to work with. He was dovetailing his F1 efforts with a World Series by Renault campaign unlike, say, Grosjean, which was clever. It meant he wasn't putting all of his eggs into the F1 basket just yet.

Back to the top.

Several of those high points went sour - crashing out in Monaco, dropping to 8th in Germany, unable to hold onto a podium at Valencia - but worst of all was Monza where he had the grid position and fuel strategy to win on paper, only to squander his chances in the opening laps and only finish 6th. Sure, he had a run of minor points, but at a time when Hamilton was starting to score poles and wins. Whereas Lewis often exceeded the car, Heikki never came close and the gulf between them was horribly exposed.

Back to the top.

But was that a function of having virtually the best car in the field on the day, on a circuit that is not hugely challenging? In the remaining four rounds, he advanced to Q2 and finished 11th in Brazil, but in the other three was eliminated early in Q1, was off team-mate Sutil's pace, and languished at the tail of the field. Of course Liuzzi, like other substitutes throughout the year, had had no testing but the jury remained out on just how good he is and the doubters were still a long way from being silenced.

Back to the top.

Instead, he was knocked out in Q1 in four out of his seven races, collided with Badoer and Button on consecutive first laps at Valencia and Spa, got freaked out by the feeling of his brakes in Singapore, and generally was too fast where he should have slowed, and too slow where he should have been fast. The way he momentarily fought with Button in Brazil, then surrendered meekly to a host of others, epitomised why few were impressed with him. Bonus points though for the mirth caused by crashing at turn 17 in Singapore.

Back to the top.

Not only was he not pushing team-mate Rosberg hard enough, but he wasn't getting race results either. If anything, he went backwards on Sundays and far too often seemed hell-bent on damaging front wings. Bad luck played a part in him not scoring all season, like in Turkey, but on the other hand his poor speed on full tanks at Silverstone was criminal. To fail to score when Rosberg brought home 34.5 points was simply not good enough. What Kobayashi did to him in Brazil symbolised the transfer of Japanese hopes.

Back to the top.

In Sebastian Vettel's absence he was meant to lead the team and show Sebastien Buemi the way, but the Swiss rookie out-qualified him 7 to 2 and impressed in several races whilst the Frenchman was a model of anonymity. He kept not liking the feel of a current F1 car but there is only so long that excuse can be tolerated. The best drivers find a way to adapt their driving style to cars that they aren't quite in sync with. All Bourdais did was cast doubt on his ability and the true worth of his F3000 and four Champ Car titles.

Back to the top.

What made it so much worse, and sealed our 'Reject of the Year' title, was an attitude that made him the most unlikeable F1 driver in two decades or more. There was an arrogance, apparent even before he arrived, that never accepted fault, never admitted room for improvement, and always blamed others, as if his name and family connections entitled him to privilege. He blew the whistle on his own unethical role in the Crashgate saga, but even that was out of revenge for his own sacking. F1 is better off without him.

Back to the top.