Right up until the summer break, it has been an absolute blockbuster of a season for Formula 1 thus far; from nail-biting world title duels, four race winners and various podium finishers, it has not disappointed.

Resident Sky Sports F1 expert Karun Chandhok has given his verdict on the top five drivers of the season so far, and here’s who he picked.

5. Carlos Sainz

Taking the fifth spot is Carlos Sainz, not an easy call by any means considering the form of Pierre Gasly or Esteban Ocon, however, this is probably the right choice.

This is very well deserved for Sainz, the pressure of being a new Ferrari driver is no easy task, but the Spaniard has taken his opportunity well in his stride and has adapted very quickly to life in Maranello.

A very talented driver whom, of course, drove for McLaren in previous years and has done remarkably well gelling into a new environment with new staff and teammates. Well done on a cracking first half to the season.

4. Charles Leclerc

Leclerc has proved to be a momentous asset to Ferrari with an uptick in form in recent weeks; from scintillating performances in Silverstone and Spain, to pole position laps in Monaco and Baku, he has been nothing less than sensational.

It seems that as soon as Ferrari are ready to be title contenders, so is Leclerc; he has held a steady consistency throughout the season so far with, albeit, a couple of unlucky incidents involving tyre wear in France.

With potential suiters lurking around him, Ferrari have done well to lock him down for the long-term.

3. Lando Norris

A real shining star of the season thus far, Norris has a bright future in the sport that’s for sure. Off the back of the season he has had up to this point, he is pretty much nailed on to be one of the stars of Formula 1 for the next decade at least.

An endearing character to fans by being charming and charismatic, balanced with tenacity and results on the track, he clearly knows what it’s all about.

We have seen a level of maturity to his character this season with McLaren providing a work environment in which he can clearly thrive, and it is evident for all to see.

2. Lewis Hamilton

The second and first place were always going to be the most difficult to decide, and frankly, it was always going to boil down to either Hamilton or Max Verstappen.

A couple of uncharacteristic errors from Hamilton have dropped him to second place, a bad weekend in Monaco and, of course, the re-start in Baku.

The race in Bahrain was a clear statement of intent and a bold reminder why he is the benchmark driver of his generation and a clear candidate as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.

We all know what he is capable of and this shouldn’t serve as a knock on him, really; leading the World Championship going into the summer break after a weekend in which he dominated qualifying will no doubt serve as a big psychological bonus.

1. Max Verstappen

That leaves Max Verstappen, and rightly so, holding down the number one spot right now. Although neither Max or Lewis have been perfect, Max has maximised the car he has got on every opportunity thus far this season.

One could argue he could have given Lewis more room at Silverstone to avoid a nasty incident, however, the Dutchman and his team will be hoping to slowly swing the form back in his favour to be serious and outright contenders for the championship.