Rookie of the Year: Paul Di Resta
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1st: Paul di Resta
The most impressive rookie, di Resta scored a point on his debut and finished the season with a respectable total of 27. Taking an unusual route to F1, he spent four seasons at DTM, and was Champion in 2010—appears to have been a good choice.
If he's given a reasonable car, we can expect great things from him next year.
2nd: Sergio Perez
It would be accurate to say I expected him to be beaten by Kamui Kobayashi this year, partly because I saw him as a bit of a sponsor-boy (those Telmex logos didn't land on the Sauber by accident). But he's actually given a very good account of himself.
Next year should be an interesting one, as he really needs to match or beat Kobayashi to secure a lasting future in the sport.
3rd: Daniel Ricciardo
Third was between Daniel Ricciardo, Pastor Maldonado and Jerome D'Ambrosio. So Daniel would have won this anyway, but he did enough to impress a lot of people. He was never going to score points in the horrible HRT car, but he drove it well for a guy joining the team midway through the season.
Red Bull paid for his drive and were not disappointed, so he has a good chance for a Toro Rosso seat for 2012.