5) Fernando Alonso
For the first time in Ferrari colours, Fernando Alonso failed to secure a victory in 2015, and the Spaniard ended the year down in sixth place in the championship with his lowest points total as a Ferrari driver.
That is not for the lack of effort, for once again Alonso was the mainstay for the team, and completely dominated team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, outscoring the Finn by 161 points to 55. He might have only scored two podiums all season, a third place in China and a second place in Hungary, but he was one of the most consistent drivers in the field, often placing just off the podium between fourth and sixth.
He started the year with a couple of fourth places in Australia and Malaysia, but followed that up with a disappointing ninth in Bahrain, where Ferrari struggled for straight-line speed, and cost Stefano Domenicali his job as Team Principal. The podium in China followed, holding off the challenge of Daniel Ricciardo, but it would not be until the Hungarian Grand Prix in July that the Spaniard would stand on the podium again, although between Shanghai and the Hungaroring, he would not finish lower than sixth.
His Hungaroring performance was brilliant, and a tyre gamble almost took him to a victory, only to be denied in the closing laps by a charging Ricciardo, but he did hold off the challenge of the two Mercedes drivers to maintain second place.
He only retired twice, once in front of the Tifosi at Monza and again in Singapore, but ended the year with a hat trick of sixth places in Sochi, Austin and Interlagos, and a lowly ninth in Abu Dhabi that cost him the chance of finishing fourth in the championship, ultimately finishing behind both Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel.
Alonso’s five-year tenure at Ferrari has now come to an end, with the Spaniard moving back to McLaren for 2015, a team he raced for alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007. He will be keen to help McLaren return to the front, especially with Honda joining forces with the team again for the first time since 1992.
