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In the second part of ESPNs top ten drivers of 2016, we name numbers 5-1. Read 10-6 here.5. Nico RosbergIn one sense Nico Rosbergs season was perfect. Given the circumstances that unfolded over the course of the year, he beat every other driver on the grid and took the championship. Yet its still hard to argue that he was the best driver out there -- especially when you look at the achievements of the other drivers on this list. That should not be confused with the somewhat tedious debate of whether he is a worthy champion, of that there is no doubt. But was he the most exciting, brilliant, jaw-dropping talent on the 2016 grid? The answer has to be no.Singapore was the crowning achievement of his season. On a track where Mercedes was on the backfoot, he outperformed everyone by a significant margin, including teammate Lewis Hamilton. But the staple of his championship success were the solid, no-thrills performances, such as the first four races of the year, Monza and Japan. At those rounds he did everything that was needed of him and nothing more -- and the same was true at the end of the season when he secured four consecutive second places to seal the title.It was a gritty year, built on sacrifices in his personal life and rewarded with his childhood dream of becoming world champion. But as impressive as that was, there were also days when he simply looked outclassed -- a wet Sunday in Monaco being the prime example. For that reason, the reigning world champion is only fifth on our list. LE4. Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz could so easily have become a footnote in the Max Verstappen story in 2016 but the Spaniards performances throughout the year were enough to warrant his place at number four on this list. Overlooked for the promotion to Red Bull, Sainz appeared to rise to the situation - with his consistently impressive performances made even greater when compared to the struggles of Daniil Kvyat alongside him.Sainzs first standout result, not coincidentally, came in Spain - the first race since Verstappens promotion - as he drove to sixth, a result he then repeated in Austin and Interlagos. He qualified brilliantly throughout the season in a car constricted by a 2015 engine - making Q3 nine times - and demonstrated a fiery side in battle with other drivers. His form was so good through the year that Renault came calling for his services in October, forcing Red Bull to offer a firm rebuttal. Sainz might appear to be stuck in limbo at Red Bulls junior team but another year like 2016 next season will make him well worth the money to prize him free of his contract. NS3. Lewis HamiltonOn his day Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly the best driver on the grid. His ability to find an extra 0.2s in qualifying, pull a surprise overtaking move 150 metres before a corner or put in a succession of quick laps to win a race is unparalleled, but at times this year he appeared to be taking his talent for granted. Yes, he had reliability problems, but Hamilton had the pace and the ability to overcome them and he still fell five points short over 21 races. A quick glance back at his seasons results shows a series of opportunities where he could have easily made up that margin with a little more consistency.His biggest problems were his starts. In Australia, Bahrain, Italy and Japan, Hamilton lost multiple positions when the lights went out, and at all four races he dropped points to Rosberg. After spending additional time at the factory after Japan -- something Rosberg had done earlier in the season -- Hamilton miraculously got on top of the issues and made consistent getaways at all of the final four races. Could the issue have been solved earlier?Another missed opportunity came in Baku, where two uncharacteristic mistakes in qualifying saw him start from tenth on a track where he had dominated all three practice sessions earlier in the weekend. It was the one blip in a potential seven-race winning streak during the middle of the season and resulted in more dropped points.Regardless of his reliability woes, the opportunities were there for Hamilton to win the title this year. That in itself? is a huge testament to his immense skill level, but the fact he didnt secure it means he is not our Driver of the Year this season. LE2. Max VerstappenVerstappen announced himself to the big time in 2016 -- winning on his Red Bull debut in Spain and turning in a wet-weather drive for the ages in Brazil. The latter felt like a coming-of-age performance and seemed to confirm many of the lofty comparisons made about Verstappen since his arrival on the F1 scene at the end of 2014.The teenagers racecraft is sublime: his relentlessness in battle matched by his penchant for pulling off remarkable overtakes. His pass on Nico Rosberg at Silverstone stands out as one of his best from the year, and there were plenty more. But Verstappen is far from the finished article. His aggression courted controversy and led to a clampdown on his habit of moving in the braking zone. Qualifying was a weak point earlier in the year before an upturn in the latter rounds, one he will look to continue in 2017.Verstappen confirmed to the F1 world he is the real deal this year -- but he is not quite the finished article Red Bull wants him to be. That accolade goes to a man he shared a garage with for most of 2016.... NS1. Daniel RicciardoCrack open the champagne and take off your sweaty racing boot, because Daniel Ricciardo is ESPNs Driver of the Year 2016.A combination of consistency and pure pace made him the standout driver of this season, as well as the ability to hold an edge over Max Verstappen during their time as teammates (Ricciardo finished had an 11-point advantage over the Dutch teenager during their 17 races together). On seven occasions (equal to one third of the season) he finished ahead of at least one of the Mercedes, which is a hugely impressive achievement given the car advantage Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton held over him. Sure, he only won one race in Malaysia, but a quicker final pit stop in Monaco and a better strategy in Spain would have made that three -- not to mention a puncture that robbed him of an early lead at the Chinese Grand Prix.There were off days as well, but there was always a reason to explain his lack of pace. In Russia his car was damaged by an incident triggered by teammate Danill Kvyat; in Japan a fuel-flow metre inconsistency and a rubbing floor left him down on top speed; and in Brazil a fogging visor hampered his visibility in appalling conditions. They may sound like racing drivers excuses, but it was rare to see Ricciardo make a mistake this season and his inspiring moments far outweighed his mediocre ones. Add to that his upbeat personality and we cant think of a single driver who offered a more complete package in 2016.Now, where did I leave that shoe ...? LE Ricky Pierce Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Gary Payton Jersey . LOUIS -- St. https://www.cheapthunder.com/261h-dale-ellis-jersey-thunder.html . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Avery Johnson Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Tom Chambers Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. The north Canterbury earthquake has impacted personally on several members of the Kiwis team as they prepare for the Four Nations decider.Utility Lewis Brown says Sundays final against Australia was far from the players minds when news arrived of the damaging quake which struck close to midday on Sunday (UKT).The quake hit just before Australia and England met in London, a match which determined whether the Kiwis would qualify for the final in Liverpool.The result went their way when Australia won but Brown revealed a lot of his team didnt watch the game, for various reasons.For some, it was because of the news unfolding at home, with concern over the continuing aftershocks.Obviously its a bit close to home for us, Brown said.The boys are a bit rattled. A few of them are from Wellington and some of them had families evacuated or friends who got evacuated.Brown was born and raised in Christchurch and was quickly on the phone to family members.Relief that nobody was harmed was followed by anguish that his home town is suffering again, nearly six years after the devastating 2011 Christchurch quake.dddddddddddd.The citys been through a lot, he said.I just want it to give them a break. Everyones wondering when its going to stop.Its not very pleasant seeing things like that happen in your own backyard.Brown is confident the Kiwis can put events at home to one side and focus on how to avoid a fourth loss this year to the unbeaten Kangaroos.The scratchy 18-18 draw with Scotland on Friday compared unfavourably with Australias impressive 36-18 dismantling of the English.Brown says the Kiwis have struggled for consistency at the tournament and the Scottish performance was a step backwards from the opening 17-16 win over England and 14-8 loss to Australia.Its a wake-up call to be honest, maybe a blessing in disguise, he said.We havent had a full 80 minutes of football. We have a lot of calibre in this side and we havent put it together yet.Luckily enough for us, we get another bite at the cherry. But it hasnt been ideal. ' ' '