It would have to be Hamilton and Massa followed by Vettel, Alonso and Kubica [the guys we have just talked about]. Those are the ones I would look at and their results showed what was capable and what the potential was. They extracted that potential - and that was the important thing.

Crash.net:
Sebastien Bourdais and Nelson Piquet Jr both made their F1 debuts this year, while Kazuki Nakajima, Timo Glock and Sebastian Vettel all took in their first full seasons. How did you think they got on and if you excluded Vettel, who would be your rookie of the year?

MB:
Probably Timo Glock would be my rookie of the year if you excluded Vettel, although of course he had experience before his entry with Toyota. Timo had a bit of a rocky start and he had that incident early on in the season, which took the wind out of his sails. But once he got settled down he put in some very strong performances. He compared well to Jarno Trulli and Trulli is an established guy. We know the kind of pace Jarno can show in qualifying. Glock matched that and beat it on occasions. During the races Timo put in some great performances as well. I would probably have to tip my hat to him in many ways.

Crash.net:
How did you rate the other rookies?

MB:
Nelson Piquet Jr had a tough debut year. He has a big name to live up to and he didn't quite manage it. He has been retained though for 2009 and now there won't be any excuses. He needs to match up to his team-mate and that will play on his mind. Only the year before we saw a rookie come in - namely Hamilton - and he matched up and beat Alonso on many occasions in the same equipment. So it is doable and Piquet will be thinking about how he can get closer to Fernando. It seems Nelson just needed to build up his confidence and that seems to be installed now. It should give him the drive for next year. Let's wait and see.

Sebastien Bourdais meanwhile had a bit of a struggle trying to get the car to his liking and his style having come across from Champ Cars. He adapted well however and definitely in the latter part of the season he was solid. He was a bit unlucky on many occasions and got involved in a few incidents, some of them not his fault whatsoever. That was very costly in terms of a big result and that could have made a big difference.

Kazuki Nakajima was a little bit up and down. Sometimes his name would be there and he would be in a strong position and at other times he would be no where. But some of that of course was related to what Williams was giving him on the day. He made a few mistakes and maybe a few too many.

Crash.net:
What were your thoughts on David Coulthard's final season?

MB:
Coulthard had a solid season but in some ways it was probably not as good as he would have liked. It was a typical DC year. He always brought the car home nine times out of ten, if it was possible to do so. He was a good team leader and he has given the team a lot of input. He came out with his head held high. Unfortunately his last race didn't go according to plan. But that is racing. He is a good guy and a true gent. There is a lot more still to come out of him in the sport in one way or another. I know he is going to fulfil a role with the BBC now and that will be exciting for him. I also think there are some other roles that could come his way in the future.


TO HEAR PART 1 OF MARK BLUNDELL'S F1 SEASON REVIEW IN FULL - CLICK HERE.


Coming soon: The second part of Mark Blundell's 2008 F1 season review.


by Rob Wilkins