4) Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas was one of the success stories of 2015, with the Finnish driver securing six podium finishes on his way to fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of four former World Champion drivers, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.
Continuing his partnership with Williams, Bottas scored more points in the opening round in Australia than he had managed in the whole of the 2013 season, indicating the dramatic turn around of form by the team. He only failed to finish once in Monaco when his engine failed, and only missed out on points in Singapore when his tyres ran out of grip over the final couple of laps.
His mid-season form was spectacular however. He claimed his first front row start of his career in Austria, and then followed that up by securing his maiden podium finish on the Sunday. If that was good, his performance at Silverstone was amazing. He was caught out by the conditions during qualifying that saw him eliminated early and start towards the rear of the pack, but fought his way through the field to secure second place, beaten only by Lewis Hamilton.
He followed that result up with another runners-up spot in Germany, holding off Hamilton over the closing laps despite the obvious pace advantage of the Mercedes driver. He returned the podium in Belgium, Russia and Abu Dhabi, with his final third place in the desert securing him his fourth place in the championship.
His performances during the 2014 season has made him a hot property for the future, but for the 2015 season, he will remain part of the Williams Martini Racing outfit, and will want to secure his first victory next year to continue his development.
