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The 2010s were arguably the time when F1 had one of the most competitive grids of all time. The grid had a seven-time world champion in Michael Schumacher, a multiple world champion in Fernando Alonso, and world champions Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Sebastian Vettel.
This was an F1 grid that had a lot of talent and also multiple title battles early in the decade. The decade started with Bernie Ecclestone at the helm of the sport, but by the time it ended, we had Liberty taking over.
However, one of the most interesting things about this decade is to look back and see which drivers stood out more than the others. How would we rank the top 5 F1 drivers? Let's take a look
Top F1 drivers of the decade 2010-19
#5 Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel made his debut in 2011 with HRT and then graduated to Toro Rosso in 2012. The Australian didn't truly jump into the spotlight until 2014 when he was promoted to Red Bull and beat Sebastian Vettel.
From that point onwards, however, Daniel Ricciardo was one of the top drivers in F1 and stayed that way until 2019, when he moved to Renault. The Australian's downfall in the sport began in 2021, but during this phase of his career, he was considered a brilliant addition to any team on the grid.
#4 Jenson Button
A driver who often doesn't get the credit he deserves is Jenson Button. Unstoppable on his day, though maybe marginally below the truly special talents in F1, what Button did during his stint in the sport in the 2010s is overlooked. He was teamed up with two of the best drivers in the sport during this time, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, at McLaren.
He outscored Hamilton during their stint together and was close to Alonso's results as well. Over a season, the driver was maybe not at the level of the supreme talents, but he was close to them most of the time.
#3 Fernando Alonso
This is where things get interesting because Fernando Alonso was one of the top drivers in F1 during the 2010s, and one could make a case for him being ranked at the top of this bracket, with hardly any arguments against it.
What went against Alonso in our rankings? The first thing was his departure from the sport in 2018, as he left one year on the table. The second was just the overall lack of success he had during this decade, which does go some way to pull him down from the top spot.
#2 Sebastian Vettel
At number two on the list, we have Sebastian Vettel. The German came into his own in 2010 when he won his first title with Red Bull.
The first half of the 2010s was dominated by Vettel, and while the second half did have a couple of years where things didn't go his way, overall Vettel still finds himself at number 2 in the standings.
#1 Lewis Hamilton
At #1, we have Lewis Hamilton. The driver's start of the 2010s was not as good as what followed. As the decade progressed, he moved to Mercedes, and everything changed after that.
Hamilton became an F1 legend in his stint at Mercedes, and winning 5 world titles in a decade is surely something that helps you cement your place at the top.
