A-Levels results are in: How have the F1 drivers scored in 2018?

Today is A-Levels results day in the United Kingdom, which means that it's time for us to grade every driver on the F1-grid as well; who gets the A*, and who has failed? We've done our marking, and the results are in. Find out below...

Fernando Alonso - B

Alonso has been the victim of a poor car in the past few seasons, but the Spaniard is making the most of what he has this season. His radio- and media-antics prevent him from getting a higher grade, but it's certainly been a good farewell season for Alonso, given the circumstances.

Valtteri Bottas - B

Bottas has been more competitive than he was last season, challenging Lewis Hamilton on a weekly basis in qualifying, often beating him. A string of very bad luck have prevented him from winning a race yet and he sometimes lacks that little bit of aggressiveness, but overall it's been a very impressive season from the Finn, who has earned another deal at Mercedes.

Marcus Ericsson - C

The Swede started out the season by out-qualifying his new teammate Charles Leclerc, but since China, the Monegasque has been destroying Ericsson in qualifying. His race-pace is decent, and he leads the field for places gained this season, but he's largely been in the shadow of his teammate.

Pierre Gasly - A

The Frenchman has fluctuated spectacular races with very quiet races this season, but more than anything, that's because of his car. A P4 in Bahrain and a P6 in Hungary has put Gasly on everyone's radar, including Red Bull, where he'll most likely be racing next season. The lack of consistency of the car prevents him from scoring the highest.

Romain Grosjean - F

The Frenchman's recklessness has cost him massively this season, both figuratively and literally, as Haas F1 are running out of spare parts to fix his broken cars. His many mistakes, paired with some bad luck at times, see him being massively out-performed by his teammate Kevin Magnussen. It's unlikely that Grosjean will be at the American team next season because of this.

Lewis Hamilton - A*

Hamilton's unbelievable consistency is why he's yet again at the top of the championship. He doesn't have the strongest car on the grid anymore; Ferrari does. However, when Hamilton is in the lead, he just never gives that lead up. His ability to close out a race is often glossed over, but it's deeply impressive. A tough start to the season, where Ferrari suddenly looked favourites, is wiped out, and Mercedes and Hamilton are back on top.

Brendon Hartley - E

The Kiwi had a series of unfortunate crashes where he was the victim rather than the aggressor, but Hartley is just not quick enough, more often than not. He's starting to grow into the season, it looks like, but he's likely to get replaced by the end of the season, or even before that. He does have talent, but he needs to show it sooner rather than later.

Nico Hülkenberg - A

The leader of the best of the rest championship, Hülkenberg has been very consistent this season for Renault. The 30-year-old German squandered a potential a first-ever podium-finish in Baku, but his rock-solid driving is a big reason Renault are where they are.

Charles Leclerc - A*

It took the rookie a few races to get used to the F1, but boy did he get used to the F1. He made it to Q3 on three separate occasions, and finished in the points five times in the first twelve races. In a Sauber. It's quite spectacular what he's achieved already in his very young career. No wonder people call him a future champion as he gets linked to a Ferrari seat next season.

Kevin Magnussen - A

K-Mag has had an excellent season so far, despite many other drivers complaining about his driving. The Dane is eighth in the championship, only behind Nico Hülkenberg in the best-of-the-rest race. He's been the main man for Haas F1, and has looked rapid at times. The team's inexperience hurts Magnussen at times, but his driving have put him in the shop window for bigger teams.

Esteban Ocon - C

An up and down season so far from the French youngster. Ocon is clearly a very talented driver, but he's had a lot of anonymous races, although the financial situation at Force India isn't exactly helping him and teammate Sergio Pérez. He can make a step up, but it's been a season to forget mostly.

Sergio Pérez - D

It's quite the same for Pérez, who has scored one point more than his teammate and mans the eleventh place in the championship. However, a lot of his points came from one race in Baku, where he spectacularly finished on the podium in P3. Recently though, he sued his own team for not paying him and caused Force India to go into administration, which begs the question whether he'll be at the team next season. 

Kimi Raikkonen - A

It's been a very good season for the Ice Man, who has turned the clock back with some very good drives. Often the victim of team orders, Raikkonen has yet to win a race this season, but he's been on the podium more than any other driver. It begs the question where he would be if the team didn't shackle him as they've done.

Daniel Ricciardo - B

The Honey Badger has had some classic performances this season, but he has (rightly) looked frustrated at times because of his car's lack of reliability. It continues to be an issue for Red Bull, which is why the Aussie has decided to take his talents to Renault next season. His wins in China and Monaco were spectacular, but he can go missing in a race and finish in a mediocre sixth place as well. Still, a very good season so far.

Carlos Sainz - C

The Spaniard compensated a quiet start to the season with recent performances, as he's looked stronger and stronger as the season has progressed. A McLaren driver next season, Sainz will want to impress in the second half of the season. Expect some great performances from Sainz, who has out-driven Hülkenberg a lot recently already

Sergey Sirotkin - F

The Russian rookie is the only driver who hasn't scored any points in the first twelve races, thus leaving him in last place in the championship. Worse though is that he's never even gotten close to it, although he looks quick in qualifying at times (for a Williams, that is). 

Maybe he's just a victim of the dumpster fire that is Williams, but Sirotkin hasn't turned any heads so far this season. Far from impressive.

Lance Stroll - D

The Canadian teenager has scored all of the points this season, but four points isn't exactly a ground-breaking amount. Stroll can look dangerous on his day, but his lack of understanding of the car (e.g. not realizing he had a puncture in Monaco, saying "There's something wrong with the car") and general attitude are detrimental to the team. A season to forget for Stroll, who might be on the move to Force India after his father bought the team.

Stoffel Vandoorne - F

It's been a brutal season for Vandoorne. The Belgian is clearly talented, but for one reason or the other he can't express this on the track. He hasn't beaten Alonso a single time in qualifying yet this season, which is simply unacceptable. Patience is starting to wear thin for Vandoorne, but other teams might be willing to take a chance on the former Formula 2 champion.

Max Verstappen - C

The Dutchman had a horrible start of the season. He had an accident or a spin every single weekend up until Monaco. His crash there in FP3, which cost him dearly as he had a legit chance to win that race, seemed to flip a switch in his mind. Since Canada, Verstappen has looked very, very good. More consistent, more importantly. A fantastic win in Austria for the 20-year-old was one to remember, but much like Ricciardo, his patience is wearing thin with the team's reliability issues. Verstappen might have a big second half of the season coming, as he'll want to remind the world how big of a talent he is.

Sebastian Vettel - A

He should be in the lead of the championship, frankly, and that's the only thing keeping him for getting marked an A*. His crash in his home Grand Prix in Germany cost him a *lot* of points, as Lewis Hamilton took the championship lead from then on, and he hasn't looked back since. Vettel has the talent and the tools to take back that lead, but the German will have to be at his greatest in the last nine races. He's shown that he's capable of this, as he's had some very good wins this season.