12. Carlos Sainz - 7.18/10
The same score as Grosjean but we’re taking the opportunity to rank the rookie higher after Sainz was hit by a dismal run of reliability issues in the middle of the year. Points in four of the first six races saw Sainz sitting ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen who had scored just once, and he was showing impressive pace as well as a consistency which belied his rookie status in the early races.
Sainz seemed unsettled by the poor reliability which saw him retire from four straight races, leaving him 17 points adrift of Verstappen who had secured a big result in Hungary. After that point, the pace was still there but mistakes became more common as Sainz crashed heavily in practice in Russia and again in qualifying in the United States, with impressive fightback drives only the result of those initial errors. A very impressive first year which suggests he has a bright future in the sport.
