#1: Ferrari (Leclerc, Vettel)
If you had to choose a single driver pairing to race with, this would be the one you go with. I know Vettel is more error prone than a ballerina on ice, but in terms of raw pace, you can't do better than these two on the 2020 grid.
#2: Mercedes (Hamilton, Bottas)
Mercedes would easily be #1 if Nico Rosberg was still around. Only problem? He's not. For all the second hand pace valterri has, you'd be uncomfortable watching him take over a race weekend with Hamilton's absence. Despite his teamates Greatest-of-All-Time level performance, he's nowhere near good enough to match it.
#3: Red Bull (Verstappen, Albon)
The only reason they slide down below Mercedes is the uncertainty over Albon's pace. They could easily rise above their silver rivals, and even above Ferrari with a few convincing performances from the British-Thai upstart (whenever those performances may be). Albon didn't necessary light it up at Toro Rosso though; which is why this is a tentative third for the young duo
#4: Renault (Ricciardo, Ocon)
With the return of Esteban Ocon, Renault have put together maybe the most consistent team of all time. They've put together a team that, on their own, never seem to crash or go down the order on a given weekend. This could genuinely be the lineup for a championship contending team, which is what Renault were going for when they started eagerly awaiting the rule changes of 2021 (now 2022).
#5: McLaren (Sainz, The Doctor)
Lando and Carlos easily win best off-track pairing. For that along they deserve a higher ranking. On-track, Carlos has proven to consistently be a solid mid-high level driver on the F1 grid. He was bested by some teammates that are on other teams so he loses out a bit for that. Lando is still an unknown quantity with only a year under his belt, s owe'll see how well the year of sim racing treats him upon return to the sport.
#6: AlphaTauri (Kyvat, Gasly)
In a pinch, either of these drivers could really make an impact on a given day. Both iconically (ironically) have experience at top level team, and had to show some chops to get there. Despite their double-demotions, both drivers feel perfectly placed in the middle of the field. Down to experience and proven class, these two would make an excellent consistent pairing for any hopeful midfield team. (Like Alpha!)
#7: Sportpesa Racing Point Formula One Team (Perez, Stroll)
Sergio Perez has now been lapping the world's circuits in an F1 car for the past decade. Over that time he's raced alongside Hulkenburg (many times), Button, and Ocon, and apart from the second, he's been starkly competitive with all of them. This level of consistency added to the occasional spike to land a podium makes him a strong asset for any team. Stroll's consistently lackluster qualifying makes this pairing one that shouldn't be around a race-winning car, but respectable for their place on the grid nonetheless.
#8: Williams (Russell, Latifi)
Taking a bit of a detour here, the back of the grid produces a nicely balanced lineup this season. The decision to call up Latifi has been maligned as pay-driver status, but as a 3rd year driver in F2, his title-challenging pace speaks to his potential. Even if he just ends up like a certain other Canadian on the grid with a bucket of cash behind him, he's got a couple of performances up his sleeve. Russell is no doubt a future star. Look no further than the minuscule number of drivers Mercedes signs, and how they've ended up. (Wehrlein's career was pretty hard done by). This is the type of lineup a team would love to sit on and watch grow as the car develops up the grid.
#9: Sauber (Raikkonen, Giovinazzi)
Kimi is great. But Kimi is gone next year. Kimi is also 41 years of age. Giovinazzi figured it out towards the end of the season, but as far as consistency goes, he's lucky he didn't end up out of the way the way Stoffel got after losing out to Alonso. If Gio can return some pace this year, and if Kimi continues to be the top-tier racer he's been even at 41, they could be above Williams. But with all that uncertainty in towe, they'd have to be looking at the back end of the grid in terms of raw comparative pace.
#10: Haas (Magnussen, Grosjean)
Oh boy. From crashes on one side of the garage, to bad attitudes towards the team on the other, this driver pairing is one made for the grid of a LeMans LMP2 car more than a Formula 1 grid. Look no further than the number of DNFs, or the years of underproduction this team has to see why they're down here. On the bright side, many do still believe Magnussen has something left in him, and while the car may never give him the chance, let's hope its true for our American compatriots.
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