Roger Horton (RH)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. Coulthard; 4. R.Schumacher; 5. Fisichella

Michael Schumacher as number one is the obvious choice. That Montoya ended the season as the driver taking the fight to the Ferrari Champion shows just how much he has progressed in such a short time. Coulthard never gave in or gave up and his McLaren was at times just horrible to drive. Ralf Schumacher let his teammate's late season pace get to him so he slipped in my estimation. Fisichella just never let his team's troubles get him down and was an object lesson of how to react to a difficult season.

1. Brazil; 2. Malaysia; 3. Italy

Brazil, because it had everything. Drama, passes for the lead in both the wet and the dry, and saw the emergence of Montoya's great talent. Malaysia was pretty much the same and showed Ferrari's ability to think on their feet. Italy saw a race-long duel and provided a welcome boost to everyone's spirits after the tragedies in America.

Timothy Collings (TC)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Coulthard; 3. Montoya; 4. Barrichello; 5. Raikkonen

Michael Schumacher is indisuptably the man of the year, for his command of Ferrari, ability to dominate almost at will and sustained progress. David Coulthard emerged from the fading shadow of Mika Hakkinen to deliver his best year so far and supply many more convincing drives in a single season than in any previous. Juan Pablo Montoya overcame a tricky first half of the season to emerge as a genuine threat for the title next season and a welcome fresh personality in the paddock. Rubens Barrichello deserved better results after a strong supporting season to Schumacher, in which he had to learn to bite his tongue. Kimi Raikkonen is the most exciting natural newcomer in years - a strong and admirable character with a real individual streak.

1. Japan; 2. Monaco; 3. San Marino

The last race is always the easiest to remember, but the Japanese GP was full of committed fast and competitive driving on a great circuit with plenty of incident and some memorable passing moves. Coulthard's bad luck at Monaco set up a thrilling run through the field and plenty of controversy while Schumacher was easing away. Imola gets the vote for Ralf Schumacher and Williams's superb resurgence.

Will Gray (WG)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. R.Schumacher; 4. Coulthard; 5. Raikkonen

Michael Schumacher – Dominant. Controlled. (Mostly) Perfect. Need I say more? Juan Pablo Montoya – The ego landed at the start of the season, but by the end he had won his first race and began to put teammate Schumacher in the shadows. Ralf Schumacher held the in-team dominance at Williams at the start of the season and took three of their four wins, but a temperamental nature hurt his development. The newly concentrated Coulthard made the early season running and kept well controlled considering McLaren's performance as he had his best season so far. And for a man with just 23 car starts to his name at the start of the season, Kimi Raikkonen put in impressive performances and convinced McLaren he is one for the future.

1. Austria; 2. Brazil; 3. Malaysia

Michael Schumacher's startline squeeze on his brother at the Austrian GP, and the battle with Montoya, kept hearts racing and put most of the media centre on their feet before McLaren out-thought Ferrari to put Coulthard ahead. Barrichello, pressuring all the way, was forced to concede second to Schumacher on the finish line. Classic. Montoya's fantastic first-lap move on Schumacher at the Brazilian GP, only to be punted out by Jos Verstappen, was the first real showing that Williams could take the fight to Ferrari, but after a great passing move on Schumacher it was Coulthard who ignited his own championship challenge. As for Malaysia: when mid-race rain sent the field into confusion, Schumacher and Barrichello survived a two-minute pit stop to take another Ferrari one-two with more good luck and good judgement.

Thomas O'Keefe (TO)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. Trulli, 4. Fisichella; 5. Alonso

Juan Montoya and Michael Schumacher look to be the Fire and Ice of Formula One and their race-long battles this year are hopeful signs that 2002 could be one of the best seasons ever. Trulli and Fisichella continue to show flashes of the intrinsic talent, with Trulli consistently outqualifying his teammates and the other Hondas, only to be punted off in races or dogged by mechanical problems. Watching Roman Soldier Fisichella suffer through his season was made tolerable by his thrilling third at Spa, with bald Michelins up front and a skid block that left its mark on Eau Rouge. Impressive near-teenager Fernando Alonso turns out to be the answer to one of Formula One's most-asked questions: what would it be like if Michael Schumacher was driving a Minardi?

1. Malaysia; 2. USA; 3. Italy

The Malaysian GP and Michael Schumacher's bold choice to stay out on intermediate rain tires was the kind of strategic move that gave him and his team victory there and elsewhere all season long. Indianapolis produced another good race, with Montoya and Michael Schumacher ratcheting up their overtaking duels a notch. Monza, as one of the great Cathedrals of racing, was a fitting place for Juan Montoya to win his first Grand Prix and for the sport of Formula One to express its respect for the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

Richard Barnes (RB)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Coulthard; 3. Raikkonen; 4. Montoya; 5. Trulli

Michael Schumacher produced an almost error-free year of qualifying brilliance and relentless race consistency, to prove once again that he is the most complete driver of his generation. Coulthard lacks Schumacher's season-long consistency but, on his day, the Scotsman can beat anybody. Raikkonen's debut season performance was staggering, considering his lack of experience and the quantum leap from Formula Renault to F1. After a shaky start and some cautionary words from Sir Frank Williams, Juan Pablo Montoya stopped racing with his mouth, and started using his head and his abundance of natural talent. As a result, the Colombian emerged as the most likely successor to Schumacher's throne. And, lastly, if Jarno Trulli could learn to race as well as he qualifies, he'd give the other drivers sleepless nights.

1. Malaysia; 2. Brazil; 3. Spain

Sepang had it all - wet and dry conditions, off-road incidents, thrilling racing throughout the field, Jos the Boss and jaw-dropping supremacy from the Ferraris. Brazil also had both wet and dry conditions, an eye-opening performance from Montoya, and a patient and brilliantly-judged victory from Coulthard. Spain was memorable not only for the reintroduction of legal traction control, but more for the dramatic and heartbreaking last lap for Mika Hakkinen. If any race typified the fickle fortunes of F1, it was Spain.

Pablo Elizalde (PE)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. R.Schumacher; 4. Raikkonen; 5. Heidfeld

He scored nine wins and eleven pole positions; he broke most records and clinched his second title in a row. All that without really having to give that extra bit he is capable of. So Michael Schumacher goes to the top of my list. Only two drivers showed the potential to beat or get close to Schumacher consistently: Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, but the Colombian takes second place ahead of Ralf because as the season progressed he showed that his true worth outshadows the German. Like Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld showed that the future of Formula One is in good hands. Fernando Alonso misses my list this year, but probably he will be close to the top in 2002.

1. Malaysia; 2. Brazil; 3. USA

As usual in modern F1, wet races provide the most entertaining show for the spectators, and this year was no different. Two of the few - if not the only - races that were hit by rain top my list, with Malaysia in first place after the display of mastery from Michael Schumacher and the action-packed event. Brazil was not only wet, but also marked the start of Juan Pablo Montoya's challenge for wins in Formula One and, to Schumacher's supremacy at the top of the sport. It didn't rain at Indianapolis, but with probably more lead changes than in any other race and several on-track passes, the historic circuit provided an example of real racing.

Biranit Goren (BG)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. R.Schumacher; 4. Fisichella; 5. Raikkonen

It's tempting to leave out Michael Schumacher altogether from the list - he made the season look too easy, seemingly with no efforts at all. But when you take a step back from it all, it's patently obvious this driver was in a league of his own and undoubtedly a deserving Champion. Second place driver on my list had shifted from the middle of the season to the end, where Montoya ousted his teammate Ralf Schumacher in supremacy and in promise. Fisichella was, for me, a revelation this season: with the worst car he ever drove, the Italian put on some fantastic displays of talent. And Kimi is just Kimi: the most intriguing and surprising newcomer to join F1 in years. Kudos must also go to Fernando Alonso for showing great promise, and to David Coulthard, for his best season ever.

1. Brazil; 2. Malaysia; 3. Japan

The Brazilian Grand Prix was, for me, the most exciting race this season, if not in years. On-track passes for the lead are rare, two of them in one race even more. When both are made on Michael Schumacher - the party is on! Malaysia proved yet again that F1 doesn't need slick tyres - it needs sprinklers. And Japan gets my last vote for the great battles behind a leader that drove like he did all year long - in a class of his own.

Bruce Thomson (BT)

1. Montoya; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Coulthard; 4. R.Schumacher; 5. Villeneuve

For me, Montoya was the revelation of the season; his points total comes nowhere close to reflecting his performance. Given that this was his rookie year, his mistakes were few and he learned the ropes exceedingly quickly. Despite Ralf's superior number of wins in the same car, it must be acknowledged that by year's end Montoya was looking far more like the Williams team leader. Michael Schumacher had an impressive year, but given the dominance of his car and the lack of competition from within his own team, I give the nod to Montoya. Michael Schumacher will have to watch out next year. I include Jacques Villeneuve in the last place on my list for getting two top three finishes in a car that on the face of it, really had no business being near the podium.

1. Brazil; 2. Austria; 3. Italy

Just when it looked like a complete Ferrari/Schumacher walkover was on the cards, along came Brazil. Lots of lead changes, drama in the wet, who could ask for more? Austria was interesting for the Montoya/Schumacher squabble and Schumacher's subsequent recovery, but more notably, for David Coulthard's opportunism in winning a race that should not really have been his. Italy was memorable for Montoya's long overdue first win.

Barry Kalb (BK)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. R.Schumacher; 4. Heidfeld; 5. Hakkinen

It goes without saying that Michael Schumacher was the best of this and many other seasons. From the very start of the year, he looked in supreme control of his car: unruffled, confident, consistently fast, probably at the absolute peak of his considerable skills. The revelation of the year was Juan Pablo Montoya. Other drivers have arrived amid media hype, but rarely has one so definitively lived up to it. Ralf Schumacher came of age during the season, winning three races while Nick Heidfeld was another star performer. His teammate Kimi Raikkonen got most of the attention but Heidfeld consistently outperformed Raikkonen, in both qualifying and finishing. And then there's Hakkinen: He won two races and showed that he still possesses the skill that made him one of the most successful Formula One drivers of all time.

1. Malaysia; 2. Belgium; 3. USA

Schumacher so dominated the season, the real question is in which race did he most firmly show what he was made of. I liked Malaysia, where he drove the wheels off everyone else in the wet. It brought to mind Senna's incredible wet-weather performance at Donington Park in 1993. Giancarlo Fisichella's perfomance at Spa in the out-classed Benneton was amazing: Barrichello, and then Coulthard, made repeated attempts to pass him into second place, and Coulthard succeeded only near the end of the race. And lastly, Barrichello brought great excitement to Indy with his late charge against Hakkinen.

David Wright (DW)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. Coulthard; 4. Barrichello; 5. Raikkonen

After a record-breaking season, it's pretty obvious who is Numero Uno: Michael Schumacher. The rest of the top five were closely bunched, and just edged out Alonso, Hakkinen and Ralf Schumacher to make it in the list. Juan Pablo Montoya showed that he has what it takes to be a Formula One driver, gaining the upperhand on his teammate towards the end of the season. David Coulthard had a great first half of the year despite some unexpected glitches and albeit ending the year with less points than he scored in 2000. Rubens Barrichello wasn't spectacularly quick, but he was consistent, which ultimately saw him finish a career-best third in the championship. Finally, Kimi Raikkonen had a lot to prove when he entered Formula One at the start of the year, and has been pretty successful in living up to those claims, driving quickly but sensibly throughout the season.

1. Malaysia; 2. USA; 3. Spain

Malaysia was a race of changing weather, changing tyres and changing fortunes. What looked like a disaster for Ferrari early on ultimately proved to be one of their greatest races. At Indianapolis, we saw leader after leader being replaced, as strategies and retirements shook up the order, with Mika Hakkinen taking a patient and possibly final win. Spain saw a classic Schumacher/Hakkinen duel which featured a 'surprise' winner in Michael Schumacher after the clutch on Mika Hakkinen's McLaren failed on the last lap.

Mark Glendenning (MG)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Alonso; 4. R.Schumacher; 5. Montoya

I'm guessing that Michael will be everyone else's number one choice as well, so no need to add to what they've already said. Things got a little trickier for the remaining spots, though. Kimi got the gong for an outstanding performance from a driver of such limited experience, particularly in the first half of the season. Being a Minardi driver perhaps made it difficult to see what Alonso was doing a lot of the time, but all signs point to a star in the making. Ralf narrowly pipped Montoya purely on the basis that he won three races, but I suspect that it may be a different story come 2002.

1. Canada; 2. USA; 3. Germany

Canada was far and away the race of the year, with a great battle between the Schumacher brothers capping off a finish that saw seven different manufacturers filling the top seven spots. Indy started with a cracking head to head between Michael and Mika in qualifying that served as a curtain raiser for a classic Hakkinen performance - possibly the last that we'll see. Germany offered a glimpse of what's to come in the future, with a great tussle between the Williams pairing that ended when Montoya grenaded his motor.

Marcel Borsboom (MB)

1. Alonso; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Heidfeld; 4. Montoya; 5. R.Schumacher

Alonso is my favorite for this year, because he did things with the Minardi not many people thought were possible and beat his teammates by a large margain throughout the year. Michael Schumacher is the World Champion and therefore the best of 2001. In some races he wasn't the fastest but still managed to win or finish second. Nick Heidfeld gets my vote because he did a better job than Raikkonen in many races but he was haunted by first lap accidents. The Williams pair did what they could in the races where the Michelin tyres were good and the BMW engines did not blow up. Montoya could have won more races this year if it wasn't for his bad luck.

1. Malaysia; 2. Brazil; 3. Germany

Malaysia beats all other races hands down this year. The massive rain, both Ferraris spinning out in the same corner and still winning the race, and the amazing performance of Verstappen made this the race of the year for me. Germany is a race that is underestimated by many. It had the drama of Juan Pablo Montoya's bad pitstop and retirement while leading and Ralf Schumacher winning his home Grand Prix.

Mark Alan Jones (MJ)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. R.Schumacher; 3. Raikkonen; 4. Montoya; 5. Heidfeld

Let's face it, everyone wants to be like Mike. He wrapped up the Championship midseason without much less of a car advantage than Nigel Mansell had in 1992 or Jim Clark did in 1963. Ralf stood up to the plate and became a regular winner this year. Montoya and Raikkonen (and further back Alonso) had debut seasons we've not seen in some time. Nick Heidfeld may have been aided by the best Sauber in history, but he still had to drive it. Not a single Honda driver outpointed him despite the talent on call in the yellow and white cars.

1. Canada; 2. Malaysia; 3. Italy

It was very hard for me to pick three outstanding races this year. The good races seemd to be good for small reasons rather than big ones. The Battle of the Kerpen brothers at Montreal certainly grabbed my attention. Michael's drive at Malaysia had to be seen to be believed. Monty's Monza got the world back on track after the dreadful week that preceeded it, and it had its own impact beyond the racing. Couldn't find a space for Indy and Mika's final hurrah no matter how hard I tried, or the nerve wracking battle of Spain that robbed Mika, or the drama of Austria and Belgium.

Ewan Tytler (ET)

1. Montoya; 2. Coulthard; 3. Heidfeld; 4. Raikkonen; 5. Alonso

The statistics will show that Michael Schumacher was the driver of the year, but I've used the yardstick of "what sticks in my memory from the 2001 season" for driver perfomance and Juan Pablo Montoya produced the most memorable moments of the season. His car-control and overtaking ability has brought excitement back into Formula One. David Coulthard was the driver of the first half of the season who provided a number of memorable moments. Nick Heidfeld bounced back from a terrible season with Prost to produce consistent, polished performances in an underpowered Sauber. Kimi Raikkonen silenced the Doubting Thomases who felt he wasn't ready for Formula One. And Fernando Alonso acheived results with the Minardi PS1 that shouldn't have been possible.

1. Brazil; 2. USA; 3. Britain

The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was dramatic from beginning to end, with spectacular on-track overtaking maneuvres - the stuff that legends are made of. The US Grand Prix had its share of drama with so many lead changes. The British Grand Prix was worth watching for Hakkinen's flawless and spectucular race.

Marcel Schot (MS)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. Raikkonen; 4. R.Schumacher; 5. Alonso

Michael Schumacher's dominance cannot go unnoticed; it will probably be a long time until a driver dominates the field like he did this year. Raikkonen and Alonso were the revelations of the season, with low expectations which were much more than realized. The Williams guys were extremely good when the car didn't break down, with Montoya showing flashes of brilliance throughout the season. Definately a good rookies year.

1. Malaysia; 2. Brazil; 3. Canada

The rain made Malaysia an exciting race and one of the few this season. Brazil was all about Montoya's challenge, giving the world a sneak peek into the future. The battle between the Schumacher brothers made Canada a worthwhile race.

Tom Keeble (TK)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Montoya; 3. Alonso; 4. Raikkonen; 5. Fisichella

Schumacher's dominance in the World Championship earned him top spot, although he nearly spoiled it with lacklustre performances at Monza and Indy. Montoya was a great source of excitement all year long, and heads the list of talented rookies that, frankly, outshone the establishment. Although this was Coulthard's best year to date, Giancarlo Fisichella's complete suppression of Jenson Button marks him out for recognition here.

1. Brazil; 2. Belgium; 3. USA

Brazil was a fantastic race, from Montoya's pass on Schumacher - which really set the tone for this season - to Verstappen ramming Montoya off the track; Coulthard passing the rainmaster in the wet, and there was something for everyone. Spa was another action-packed race, with Schumacher taking a commanding victory, a Benetton on the podium, and Williams showing how even a front running team can look like daft sometimes. And, of course, Indy was a fascinating mix of strategy, pace, passing and fortune.