Valtteri Bottas

Name: Valtteri Bottas
Date of birth: 28 August 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: Finnish
Currently: 6th in GP3 standings

Valtteri began his single-seater career in 2007, racing in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup and finished third in the standings with two wins. At the end of the year he contested the Formula Renault UK Winter Series and won three of the four races, but could not be crowned champion because he did not hold an MSA-registered licence.

In 2008 he continued in the NEC, switching from the Korainen Bros team to Motopark Academy. He dominated the championship, winning 12 of the 14 races he contested in the 16 race season. He also took part in the Eurocup with Motopark Academy, where he also won the title. He won five races to pip Daniel Ricciardo to the crown.

For 2009 Valtteri moved up to the Formula 3 Euro Series, driving for the crack ART Grand Prix squad. He scored six podiums and two pole positions to finish third in the standings as top rookie. Though he didn't win a Euro Series race, he did win the prestigous Masters of F3 event at Zandvoort in June.

At the beginning of 2010 Valtteri was signed by Williams as their test and reserve driver. He remained with ART in F3 for a title crack. He and ART suffered from a disappointing season, Valtteri only managing to win two races and finish third overall, as Edoardo Mortara ran away with the title. He did win the Masters again at Zandvoort, becoming the first driver to win the event twice.

Valtteri has switched to the GP3 Series in 2011, remaining with ART. Despite starting the season as the favourite he had a slow start to the season, with just one podium finish from the first half. He picked things up at the Nurburgring though, finishing third in the first race and then winning the second. He lies just ten points off the standings lead in sixth place.

Talent rating: Valtteri shone in 2008 with his double Formula Renault crown. He then impressed again with his maiden year in F3. Last year was tougher, as has been the first half of 2011. However, the talent hasn't just disappeared overnight and he remains a top prospect. 8/10

Chances of getting to F1: Valtteri's performances in his early career made F1 bosses take note, with Williams signing him up. That deal means he has his foot in the door already, but he needs to progress to GP2 and impress there before he can make the step up. 8/10

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Photo credits: GP3, Thijs Bekkema, F3 Euro Series, GP3

Rio Haryanto

Name: Rio Haryanto
Date of birth: 22 January 1993 (age 18)
Nationality: Indonesian
Currently: 11th in GP3 standings, 10th in Auto GP standings

Rio made the step from karting into single-seaters in 2008, contesting the Formula Asia 2.0 series for Formula Renault cars. He won one race and finished third in the standings. He also contested 10 of the 14 races in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge, taking two wins and finishing sixth in the final standings.

For 2009 he moved to the Formula BMW Pacific series, driving for the Meritus team. From the opening 10 rounds of the season he won six times (including an emphatic four wins from four races at his home meeting at Sentul in Indonesia). The final five races of the year were all won by guest drivers, with Rio being the top regular driver and therefore receiving maximum points and allowing him to take the title with ease.

2010 saw Rio make the move to Europe to contest the brand-new GP3 Series with Manor Racing. Despite his relative inexperience at the age of just 17 he won at the second round of the season at Istanbul. He scored a further two podium finishes at Silverstone and Monza to place fifth in the final standings.

As the top driver in the Manor team he was given the chance to test for the sister Virgin Racing F1 team at the end-of-season young driver test at Abu Dhabi.

Rio has remained in GP3 in 2011, but failed to score any points in the opening three meetings of the year. He scored a fourth-place finish at Silverstone and then won in a rain-hit race at the Nurburgring, coming out on top of a late three-way fight for the win. He has also been racing in Auto GP for DAMS, finishing second in a race at Brno.

Talent rating: Rio was dominant in Formula BMW, and then shone in his first year in Europe in GP3 against more accomplished rivals. He has struggled this year so far but showed off his talent with his drive to victory at the Nurburgring. 6/10

Chances of getting to F1: Rio has attracted plenty of attention from his native Indonesia, and has good funding with it. He has already established links with the Virgin team, and also has time on his side to move into GP2 and do well there before making the step to F1. 8/10

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Photo credits: GP3, BMW, Pt. Kiky Sport, GP3

Alexander Sims

Name: Alexander Sims
Date of birth: 15 March 1988 (age 23)
Nationality: British
Currently: Leading GP3 standings

After winning numerous titles in karting, Alexander made his single-seater debut in the Formula Renault UK Winter Series at the end of 2006, finishing his first car race in second place. He made the full-time step into single-seaters for 2007 at the relatively late age of 19. He finished eighth in the Formula Renault UK standings, scoring one win and two other podium finishes. He remained in the series with the Manor Competition team in 2008, where he scored the most points of any driver, but the series' dropped scores system meant he finished runner-up, with two wins and ten other podium finishes. At the end of 2008 he won the prestigous McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

For 2009 Alexander made the step up to Formula 3, contesting the Euro Series with the Mucke Motorsport team. Despite his relative inexperience he finished fourth overall, just missing out on the rookie title to Valtteri Bottas, who drove for championship-winning squad ART.

Sims was signed by the Gravity Sports Management firm for the 2010 season, enabling him to continue in Formula 3 for a second year. He made the switch to ART, where he was expected to fight Bottas for the title. Unfortunately ART could not dominate proceedings as they had in previous years. A disappointing season saw Sims finish fourth again, with just one win.

In November 2010 Alexander completed a test with the McLaren F1 team at Silverstone, as a prize for winning the award in 2008.

For 2011 Alexander made the move to the GP3 Series, racing for Status Grand Prix. He won the second of ther races at the season opener at Istanbul, but then suffered two first-lap incidents at Barcelona. A podium at Valencia followed after topping the timesheets in a mid-season test, before he scored a double podium finish at Silverstone where he demonstrated fine overtaking to work his way through the field. This has given him the lead in the standings at the halfway stage.

Talent rating: After a good start to his single-seater career his stunning rookie year in F3 made everyone take notice, if they hadn't already. A member of both the BRDC's Superstar and MSA's Team UK programmes, Alexander has been highlighted as one of the UK's hottest young drivers. He suffered a tough second year in F3 last year, but is now making ammends in GP3. 8/10

Chances of getting to Formula 1: Gravity support should help him into GP2 next year, should he continue with his strong form. Impressing there from the off will be key to his chances of making it to the big time. At 23, he cannot afford to waste any time. 7/10

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Photo credits: GP3, Jakob Ebrey, Alexander Sims, GP3

Lewis Williamson

Name: Lewis Williamson
Date of birth: 11 November 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: British
Currently: 6th in GP3 standings

After a successful karting career in Scotland and Britain, Lewis made his first steps into single-seaters with a guest drive in Formula Jedi. He qualified in pole position and won his first ever car race. He then contested the Formula Renault UK Winter Series, in a car leased by Highland Arena, a company set up by family friends to promote sporting talent from the Scottish Highlands. He scored two podium finishes from four races to end up sixth in the final standings.

Lewis contested the full Formula Renault UK season with CRS Racing in 2009, scoring two podium finishes and ending tenth in the final standings. He switched to Manor Competition for 2010, claiming five victories and nine podium finishes. He finished the season as runner-up, narrowly missing out on the title.

At the end of the year he took part in a GP3 Series test after a last minute phone call with Atech CRS boss David Hayle. He topped the timesheets on his first day in the car and was quickest again on the following day. His performance impressed the GP3 teams and he would eventually be signed by MW Arden for the 2011 season.

In December 2010 Lewis won the prestigous McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, after a series of evaluation tests in different machinery at Silverstone.

Before the 2011 GP3 season got underway Lewis was chosen by Red Bull to substitute for their driver Daniel Ricciardo at the ISR team in Formula Renault 3.5 at the season opener at Motorland, while Ricciardo was attending the Chinese Grand Prix. A gearbox issue before the first race prevented him from scoring any points, but the support from Red Bull has continued into his GP3 campaign, where he is wearing their logos.

A tangle with another driver in his first GP3 race in Turkey meant he scored no points from the first weekend of the season. That trend continued at Barcelona but he scored a pole position for the next round at Valencia, finishing the race second. He then scored his first victory in the series at Silverstone on the morning of the British GP. He lies sixth in the standings at the halfway stage, just ten points off the lead.

Talent rating: Despite a late move into single-seaters Lewis has proven his talent since then, finishing runner-up in Formula Renault and then impressing immediately behind the wheel of a GP3 car. He remains in with a chance of the title in GP3 at his first attempt, and has clearly impressed Red Bull. 8/10

Chances of getting to F1: His current form makes him deserving of moving up the ladder, but funding could be an issue. His best hopes are with Red Bull, and being made an official member of their Junior Team. If so, they will probably place him in FR3.5, and perhaps take him to F1 one day. 7/10

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 Photo credits: GP3/Lewis Williamson/DPPI

Jules Bianchi

Name: Jules Bianchi
Date of birth: 3 August 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: French
Currently: 7th in GP2 standings

The grandson of Mauro Bianchi, a GT driver, and grand-nephew of Le Mans winner and former F1 driver Lucien Bianchi, Jules began his single-seater career in 2007 in French Formula Renault, with SG Formula. He won five times and finished on the podium in 11 of the 13 races to win the title in his rookie season.

Jules stepped up to the Formula 3 Euro Series for 2008, racing for the all-conquering ART team, run by his manager Nicolas Todt. He scored two wins towards the end of the season and finished third in the final standings, as top rookie. He won the non-championship Masters of F3 event held at Zandvoort.

He remained in the Euro Series with ART for 2009, and dominated the championship, winning nine of the 20 races. He tested for Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the year at Jerez, and was then signed as the first member of the team's new Driver Academy.

Jules stepped up to GP2 in 2010 with ART. He scored three pole positions and four podium finishes, but could not get a victory. This left him third in the final standings. He tested for Ferrari again at the end of the year and was named their test and reserve driver for 2011.

Sticking with ART for 2011, he finished runner-up in the four-race GP2 Asia Series at the start of the year. He won the first race in Abu Dhabi but was taken out at the start of the final race at Imola which stopped him from taking the title.

Despite entering the main series as one of the favourites, Jules has struggled in the first half of the year. A podium at Istanbul got his season off to a decent start, but crashed out at the start of the sprint race at Barcelona, and then scored no points in Monaco and Valencia due to Race 1 crashes. He finally got his season started in Silverstone, claiming pole position and then winning the feature race.

Talent rating: Jules' performances in Formula Renault and Formula 3 marked him out as one of the biggest talents in motor racing, and got Ferrari interested. His time in GP2 hasn't gone anything like to plan, but on his day he is the quickest guy in the field. Some better judgment needed at times. 9/10

Chances of getting to F1: His form in previous years certainly got him noticed, but having not produced the goods in GP2, top teams may not be willing to risk giving him a chance. Without large sums of sponsorship money a seat with a lesser team will be difficult to get. If he keeps plugging away in GP2 he will probably, eventually, get his chance. 8/10

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Photo credits: GP2, Jules Bianchi

Robin Frijns

Name: Robin Frijns
Date of birth: 7 August 1991 (age 19)
Nationality: Dutch
Currently: Leading Eurocup Formula Renault standings and second in Formula Renault NEC standings.

Prior to stepping into single-seaters, Robin finished third in the CIK FIA European KF2 Championship in 2008, and second in the French championship. He was one of five drivers who qualified for a Formula BMW Europe scholarship for 2009 after a qualifying event in Valencia.

In his first season in formula racing he finished third in the Formula BMW Europe standings, as the top rookie, with one victory at Silverstone. He remained in the category for 2010 with the same Josef Kaufmann Racing team, and scored six wins and 13 podiums from 16 races on his way to the title.

In October 2010 Robin contested a Formula Renault Northern European Cup event at Spa for Josef Kaufmann Racing. He finished second in the first race, fifth in the second before winning the third and final race of the weekend.

At the beginning of 2011 Robin was selected as one of the members of the brand new FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, following a three-day selection process in Austria.

Robin opted to contest a full season in Formula Renault for 2011, again with Josef Kaufmann Racing, competing in both the Eurocup and the NEC. In the Eurocup he scored three podiums in the first three races before winning the fifth race of the season at the Nurburgring. He then scored a victory and a second place at the Hungaroring to take the lead of the standings. In the NEC he has scored seven podiums from ten starts, including one win at Assen, to lie second in the standings.

Talent rating: Robin had a successful karting career followed by a top rookie season in Formula BMW. He then took the title the following year and is now in contention for two Formula Renault titles. His talent also impressed the FIA Institute. 8/10

Chances of getting to F1: Robin spent two years in Formula BMW and then only made the relatively small step to Formula Renault rather than the larger jump to Formula 3 made by most. He's clearly not in a hurry but if he continues his current form further up the ladder he could certainly make it to the top. 7/10

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Photo credits: DPPI, BMW, DPPI

Marco Wittmann

Name: Marco Wittmann
Date of birth: 24 November 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: German
Currently: Second in Formula 3 Euro Series standings

Marco's single-seater career began in 2007 in Formula BMW ADAC. He won twice and finished fifth in the final standings. He also finished second in the Formula BMW World Final at Valencia. He moved onto the new Formula BMW Europe series in 2008, where he finished as runner-up with a win at Spa.

Marco made the step up to Formula 3 in 2009, contesting the Euro Series with the Mucke Motorsport team. He didn't score any points until the final round at Hockenheim, where he finished seventh in the first race and then fourth in the second. This placed him 16th in the final standings.

Marco remained in the Euro Series for 2010, switching to the Signature team. This saw a vast improvement in results, from the opening round of the season where he scored a double podium. He then won his only race of the season at Hockenheim and went onto finish runner-up in the standings thanks to a total of 10 podium finishes from 18 starts. He finished third at the F3 Masters of Zandvoort, and fourth at the Macau Grand Prix.

Marco surprisingly remained in the Euro Series for 2011, once again with Signature. He struggled to live up to his billing as pre-season favourite in the early races, not winning until the ninth race of the year at Zandvoort. He scored a further two wins at the Norisring to lie second in the standings as the nearest rival to Roberto Merhi. He did dominate the Pau Grand Prix, an International Trophy event.

Talent rating: Marco showed early promise in his Formula BMW days, but struggled upon arrival in the F3 Euro Series. Showed a vast improvement last year having changed teams, but couldn't match teammate Edoardo Mortara. Sticking in F3 was a strange decision, and hasn't scored the results he would have wanted. 7/10

Chances of getting to Formula 1: Marco is managed by Gravity Sport Management, who should help him make the step up to GP2 or FR3.5 in the future. He will need to adapt quickly once he gets there, or F1 team bosses won't be that interested. 7/10

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Photo credits: F3 Euro Series, BMW, Oliver Pohlmann

Jean-Eric Vergne

Name: Jean-Eric Vergne
Date of birth: 25 April 1990 (age 21)
Nationality: French
Currently: Leading Formula Renault 3.5 Series standings

Jean-Eric began his single-seater career in 2007, competing in the French Formula Renault Campus series, part of the FFSA (the French national federation)-run Autosport Academy programme as a training ground for future racing talent. Jean-Eric won the title comfortably, with six wins and ten podiums from 13 starts. At the end of the year he went to a selection trial for the Red Bull Junior Team, impressing the bosses enough to be signed up for the 2008 season.

In 2008 Jean-Eric contested both the Formula Renault Eurocup and West European Cup with the SG Formula team. He finished sixth in the Eurocup standings and fourth in the WEC standings. He was awarded the French Formula Renault title courtesy of being the highest-placed French driver in the WEC. Sticking in both series with SG Formula for 2009, finishing runner-up to Albert Costa in both, scoring seven wins across the two series.

Red Bull placed Jean-Eric in British F3 for 2010 with the Carlin team, following in the footsteps of Daniel Ricciardo and Jaime Alguersuari who had won the title for Red Bull/Carlin in the two previous seasons. Jean-Eric lived up to expectations, winning 13 of the 30 races on his way to the title. He also contested the final three rounds of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, winning once and scoring three other podiums from six starts. At the end of 2010 he drove for Toro Rosso at the Formula 1 young driver tests at Abu Dhabi.

Jean-Eric is contesting the FR3.5 series full-time in 2011 with Carlin. After a quiet opening round at Aragon - a consequence of missing Friday practice due to simulator work at Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes - he scored a second place and a victory at Spa, and then two podiums at Monza. He dominated the Hungaroring round taking a double victory to regain the lead of the standings.

Talent rating: Jean-Eric's talent got him selected by Red Bull after just one year in single-seaters, and after a couple of years in Formula Renault he then dominated British F3 at the first attempt, and has since quickly got the hang of Formula Renault 3.5 to lead the championship in his first full year. 9/10

Chances of getting to Formula 1: Jean-Eric's recent form in British F3 and FR3.5 will be enough to convince Red Bull he is good enough for F1. With Ricciardo now getting his chance, Jean-Eric is next in line from the Red Bull Junior Team, and it will only be a matter of time once they can find an F1 berth for him. 9/10

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Photo Credit: World Series by Renault/DPPI