Can Vettel hang onto top spot at German GP?
21 July 2010
It's not just the pressure of performing at home that will be heaped on Sebastian Vettel at this weekend's German Grand Prix. He'll want to keep the top spot in the Castrol Rankings too.
Vettel has sat at number one in the Castrol Rankings since grabbing the position from World Champion Jenson Button 17 weeks ago.
His victories at Sepang and Valencia have helped cement his lead, although Lewis Hamilton's recent form has catapulted him into second and the McLaren driver now lies just a handful of points behind his Red Bull rival.
Hamilton's task of overhauling Vettel at Hockenheim looks a tad tougher than it has in recent races. This is because the Brit needs to win to maintain his current score while Vettel only has to make the finish to boost his.
Button, who trails his team-mate Hamilton in the World Championship, lies sixth in the Castrol Rankings, and is likely to stay there next week, although a top six finish will increase his score.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso moved up to ninth this week and will boost his score further just by finishing in the top 15 this weekend. It will only move him up in the Castrol Rankings though if Dario Franchitti (8) ends up outside the top five at the Edmonton IndyCar race.
Robert Kubica (16) is another looking to move up. The Renault driver is only a handful of points behind 13th placed Rubens Barrichello, with Nico Rosberg and NASCAR ace Jeff Gordon between them.
A top 10 finish could move him up three spots, but Gordon will probably do the same if he can win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
The man with the most to gain in Germany is Felipe Massa, who did not score any Castrol Rankings points in 2009 after his horrific Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying accident.
With no more scores to discard from 2009, the Brazilian will only improve his Castrol Rankings position between now and the end of the season. He will turn 62nd place into the Castrol Rankings into a top 50 spot just by finishing in the points.
The Castrol Rankings is based on drivers' measurable performance over the last 12 months, including everything from their grid position to fastest laps. For further information on how the Castrol Rankings scores are calculated, click here.
