Rate it!

14 votes

Eurosport-Yahoo! readers have voted Lewis Hamilton the best current driver in Formula One, with Fernando Alonso not far behind.

Almost 10,000 of you voted in the online poll, with 41 per cent giving the thumbs-up to the 23-year-old from Stevenage after his dramatic final lap world championship victory over Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Just 13 per cent of you gave Massa the nod, despite the fact he drove superbly throughout the year in a car that was arguably inferior to Hamilton's McLaren-Mercedes and was ultimately within a single point of winning the title.

Instead, over 2,500 of you voted for Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion, whose performance in an under-performing Renault showed his character and ability at its finest.

A fierce debate raged on the message boards, much of it revolving around the age-old Formula One conundrum of weighing up the driver's ability against the quality of their car. Many thought that Hamilton's achievement was lesser than the underdog performances of Alonso and Robert Kubica, not to mention Sebastian Vettel - who didn't make our shortlist for the poll.

For all the vocal support he attracted in the boards, Kubica won just six per cent of the vote, behind both Massa and Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen.

A selection of your comments (scroll down for full results):

ginger_gitt: You don't come second in the Championship and match a double world champion in your first season and then become the youngest ever world champion without having a huge amount of talent. To claim Lewis is just lucky shows a serious lack of knowledge about F1. How come the Schumacher haters can still admit he was one hell of a talent and one of the all time greats, yet the Hamilton haters CANNOT admit that this guy is special?

Charles O: Lewis Hamilton is a good driver. but not as good as someone like Fernando Alonso, who takes a regular car and makes it a winner. He's an all rounder, while on the other hand Hamilton takes a fast car and thrashes it.

tifosi4eva: Fernando gets my vote! The only back-to-back world champ in the field, the guy who has won the most races out of the current crop AND the guy who finished fifth in the overall standings this year in a Renault.

AndJusticeForAll: First, Alonso; second, Kubica; third, Bourdais; fourth Barrichello. Ferrari and McLaren drivers do not apply because they cannot prove anything unless they are in the same league as the mortals. Anyone who has a different opinion is not being honest with themselves.

Oliver Tunnah: Where is Jensen Button? A brilliant driver let down by a rubbish car which couldn't beat a mobility scooter!

Alex l: Sebastian Vettel is the best F1 driver nowadays. Give him a Ferrari or a McLaren and no one could beat him. With a poor car he won a GP, he beat Hamilton in the last race and he showed his abilities. He is the next Schumacher.

clipsyduck: I'm a Hamilton fan, but I believe that Alonso is the best driver out there at present. I'm not over the moon to say it but feel it's the truth.

Lady Carole: Robert Kubica. To do what he's done in an uncompetitive car is nothing short of brilliant. Robert usually starts and finishes in the top six. The man is a STAR.

Full results:

Total: 9,407 votes (as of 14:20, Monday December 1)

Lewis Hamilton - 41% (3816 votes)

Fernando Alonso - 28% (2635)

Felipe Massa - 13% (1191)

Kimi Raikkonen - 13% (1223)

Robert Kubica - 6% (542)

Eurosport