F1 mid-season report card

Contenders ... six men head to Silverstone with a realistic shot of winning. Source: AAP

WITH the school of Formula 1 out for the European summer, we're having a look through the mid-year report card to see how the star pupils are performing in the class of 2013.

KIMI RAIKKONEN

We don't really know what to expect from this pupil each week. While he has been spectacular for the bulk of the year so far, there are still times when he is missing in action - see Malaysia and Canada. After Montreal, Lotus said they will be much closer to the pace for the rest of the year, which so far has been true. There is speculation Raikkonen is considering transferring to another form for next year, which may not help his focus on the rest of the term. Nevertheless, he is the closest challenger for the position at the top of the class.

Mid-year mark: B+

MARK WEBBER

It's not been the greatest final year so far for the lanky lad from Queanbeyan. Highlights have been limited, but they have been spectacular. Forgotten in the post-Malaysia controversy was his stunning performance that netted him the lead in the first place. He showed that pace again in the closing stages at Silverstone. But once again he has been plagued by that ol' chestnut, poor starts. Between that and his qualifying pace - just one front row start this year - Webber has always left himself with more work to do than most in the race. And with Pirelli's less-than-sturdy tyres forcing drivers to be conservative when the red lights go out, fighting your way forward simply isn't as easy to do.

Rd.	Country	Track	Date
1	Australia	Albert Park	March 17
2	Malaysia	Sepang	March 24
3	China	Shanghai	April 14
4	Bahrain	Sakhir	April 21
5	Spain	Catalunya	May 12
6	Monaco	Monte-Carlo	May 26
7	Canada	Montreal	June 9
8	Great Britain	Silverstone	June 30
9	Germany	Nurburgring	July 7
10	Hungary	Hungaroring	July 28
11	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps	September 1
12	Italy	Monza	September 8
13	Singapore	Marina Bay	September 22
14	Japan	Suzuka	October 6
15	Korea	Yeongam	October 13
16	India	New Dehli	October 27
17	Abu Dhabi	Yas Marina	November 3
18	USA	Austin	November 17
19	Brazil	Interlagos	November 24

Mid-year mark: B

NICO ROSBERG

Finally regularly showing the potential we all knew he had, even eclipsing the particularly bright British pupil who moved alongside him this year. Most poor results have been down to his equipment, not the operator. A more consistent Mercedes/Pirelli combo might have seen him challenging for top of the class.

Mid-year mark: A-

FERNANDO ALONSO

This pupil has had a spectacular fall-off in results towards the mid-year break. His mid-term report would have been spectacular: after Spain, he had two wins, a podium and a DNF, driving the wheels off a Ferrari that - once again - wasn't quite the fastest car in the field. But the Prancing Horse has largely been lame since. Apart from the podium in Canada, his only other highlight has been his brilliant facial hair. Will be hoping the men and women at Maranello start producing the right answers when school resumes at Hungary.

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Mid-year mark: A-

LEWIS HAMILTON

This student moved form classes over the holidays, and has taken some time to get used to his new surroundings. He has displayed the ability that allowed him to top the class in 2008, but has yet to consistently best the blonde-haired German sitting next to him. Special consideration should be taken, though, as he recently broke up with his pop-star girlfriend. Not too much, though, as he's recently been spotted hanging out with Rihanna.

Mid-year mark: B+

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

The German pupil showed again why he topped his class for the last three years running. Has had his off days this year, but we feel that's more related to the tyres and the equipment than any lack of ability. He misses out on an A+ though thanks to his bad behaviour in Malaysia, blatantly ignoring his teacher's instructions and doing what he wanted, and not apologising afterwards.

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Mid-year mark: A-

NOTABLE MENTIONS

Felipe Massa, B
Started the year with a bang, but his marks have tailed off to 2012 standards. Luckily, Alonso's have followed the same trend, so it's not entirely down to him.

Daniel Ricciardo, B+
This pupil appears to have more potential than his results show. He's under pressure to perform with a transfer to his mentor's form now available for next year, but he has risen to the challenge. His best results have come in recent races, but he needs to keep producing in order to earn the transfer he wants.

Romain Grosjean, C-
Still not showing he can play well with others, and is lacking the spark he showed last year. Appears to have picked up his game substantially after a particularly tough test in Monaco.

Jenson Button, B
The results don't show how much he's trying, but his motivation will only last so long. May also benefit from a change in seating plan. The pupil he currently sits next to seems to be bothering him a bit.

Sergio Perez, B-
Was very quiet to start the year, until his teacher gave him a pep talk after China. Now he's having trouble playing with others, too! Needs to lay off the red cordial before play time.

Pirelli, A-
The Italian student gets an A- because they completed the task they were asked to do, even if they did do it a little 'too' well...

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