6: Nico Rosberg

It's funny, but such was the eagerness of the (mainly British) media - and by which we include Jonathan Legard and Eddie Jordan - to put Michael Schumacher down this season, it failed to pick up on the fact that perhaps - in addition to the German veteran's problems - teammate Nico was a bit better than it gave him credit for. Much like Robert Kubica at Renault, Nico quietly got on with the job in hand, making the best of a bad car. Like several other drivers, Nico had more than his fair share of bad luck this year, however, along the way there were weekends when everything went sublimely, Sepang and Shanghai being notable examples. Ignore the hyperbole, forget the fact that five drivers went into the final races with a chance of winning the title, instead, revel in the fact that the 2011 grid has such an abundance of superb talent.

7: Jenson Button

When Jenson announced his move to McLaren, the verdict, in terms of the media, message boards and even some fellow drivers was almost unanimous. The Englishman, who had apparently "lucked in" to the 2009 title would be "murdered", "annihilated" and "destroyed" by his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. But it was not to be. Indeed, by season end Jenson was one of the five drivers still in contention for the title. For much of the season his qualifying was abysmal - as he is first to admit - while there were some Sundays when one would be forgiven for forgetting he was actually out there, not to mention those days when he appeared content to settle for fourth, or fifth or sixth. However, there were also times when he shone and by season end most critics had been forced to eat their words. I can't see him winning another title but I do see further wins and McLaren has benefited from his input.

8: Kamui Kobayashi

OK, we made fun of him for some of those photo-ops, not least the day in the Burger King outlet. But the fact is Kamui is one of those once-in-a-lifetime drivers, one of those guys who constantly has you on the edge of your seat, albeit either covering your eyes in anticipation of an impending disaster or punching the air in salute. Many a dull Sunday afternoon has been enlivened by this youngster's hard charging never-say-die approach and long may it continue. Personally, his performance in Valencia was one of the true highlights of the season.

9: Rubens Barrichello

F1 fans can be a fickle, unforgiving lot. Ahead of his eighteenth season in F1 Rubens was being written off, those that know best claiming that he was well past his sell-by date. Indeed, even in the later stages of the season, as he continued to out-qualify, out-race and out-score his illustrious hot-shot teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, the calls for Rubens to hang up his helmet continued. Then again, look how quickly the fans turned on his countryman Felipe Massa, who only two years ago 'won' the title, albeit for all of around twenty seconds. While Patrick Head might describe 2010 as "a year to forget", the Grove outfit can have no cause to blame Rubens, perhaps that's why they retained him. For my part, the only time Rubens blotted his copybook this season was his stupidity in throwing his steering wheel out of the car in Monaco. Then again, what is it they say about… casting the first stone?

10: Timo Glock

I thought it only right than in choosing my final entry I looked beyond the usual suspects to the newbies. For Lotus, Virgin and Hispania it was a baptism by fire and if it was hard for the teams it must have been even harder for the drivers. These guys, from the moment they climb out of their nappies and into the first kart, are ultra competitive and it must be absolutely soul destroying to take to the track weekend after weekend knowing that you are going to be four or five seconds off the pace of guys you know you could take the fight to given the right package. Having given careful consideration to each of the newbie teams and their drivers, I feel that not only did Timo do the best job with the equipment available, but also did a sterling job in maintaining his determination and sense of humour.

Jim Casey's Top Ten

1: Sebastian Vettel

At times it seemed like his aggression and questionable judgment might get the better of him, but, in the end, with all of the pressure on, the young German drove two perfect races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. In truth, with 10 poles, Vettel should have been more dominant throughout the season, but his mistakes combined with some engine problems, delayed his coronation to the end of the season. Having come through the fire with his first championship, it is unlikely it will be his only one. With Adrian Newey still the king of F1 designers, Vettel and Red Bull may have a few years on top.

2: Fernando Alonso

After winning the first race it looked like it might be Ferrari's and Alonso's title to lose, and after the team orders mess in Hockenheim, it was clear that Ferrari were putting all their eggs in Alonso's basket. After he won three races in a row to take the championship lead, it looked like it was going to pay off for Maranello. But in the end, the pitstop strategy in Abu Dhabi, and his inability to deal with Petrov, left him still seeking his 3rd title.

3: Lewis Hamilton