David Coulthard believes the new Castrol Rankings system will show who is the best racing driver in the world, across all the major categories of motorsport.
The former grand prix driver, who launched Castrol Rankings – which have been developed in association with RACER's sister Haymarket publication, AUTOSPORT – today, explained that the new system will accurately compare the performances of more than 2000 drivers.
"As a fan of motorsport, I have always been curious to know who are the best drivers," Coulthard said. "Growing up back in Scotland I used to read AUTOSPORT cover to cover, anything that was in there at the time, irrespective of whether it was single-seaters or another form of racing. You tend to think F1 is the pinnacle, but is it rallying? Is it sports cars? Is it some guy racing in Australian Formula 3? I didn't know until last night that there is an Australian F3 championship!
"This initiative gives us the opportunity to look at over 2,000 drivers and come up with a definitive ranking. I'm curious to know what the future holds."
Jenson Button topped the 2009 rankings, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb. Coulthard reckons the Castrol Rankings will show who does the best job in 2010.
"Who knows what it will be in 2010? Maybe Schumacher will be back at the top of the rankings, or maybe it will be someone in another championship we don't know about today," Coulthard added. "This isn't some sort of pub quiz written on the back of a beer mat. A team of analysts has come up with a complex system to understand in any given season who the star driver is – irrespective of how much television coverage that championship gets.
"The important thing with the ranking system is that it rewards finishing and consistency. It's not just about the glory shot of winning a particular race."
To find out more about the Castrol Rankings, click here.