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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 Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. NFL Jerseys China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/ . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Fake Nike NFL Jerseys . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Nike NFL Jerseys Outlet . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. TORONTO -- Michael Saunders was born in Victoria, British Columbia -- about as close to Seattle as you can get without being in the United States.Yet when it came to his baseball allegiance growing up, nationality mattered at least as much as geography.Proximity-wise, I guess everyone felt like Seattle would be my hometown team, but it was really the Jays, Saunders said. My whole family was Jays fans growing up.Now an outfielder for those Toronto Blue Jays, Saunders is uniquely qualified to explain how Canadas lone major league team has cultivated a following among baseball fans all across the country. When the Blue Jays try to avoid elimination Tuesday in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against Cleveland, theyll have support in provinces near and far.Just ask the Mariners how much Canadians love their Blue Jays. Seattle is three time zones from Toronto, but since its close to Canada, Blue Jays fans show up in droves when the Mariners host Toronto. They also make their presence felt in Detroit, which is just across the river from southern Ontario.It is a very unique situation when you have a whole country as opposed to 29 teams that are localized to a state, Blue Jays reliever Jason Grilli said. The United States is where baseball thrives, of course, but there is one team in Canada that everyone here supports. Its truly incredible. People dont know what its like until they experience a game here and see the support.A winning team always helps, of course, and Toronto is in the postseason for a second consecutive year after a dry spell that stretched back to the teams most recent World Series title in 1993. Sportsnet reported that Game 3 of this months AL Division Series between the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers drew an average audience of 4.73 million, making it Sportsnets most-watched program of the year to that point.Canadas obsession, of course, is with hockey, but thats largely divided among the countrys NHL teams. Toronto has been Canadas only big league team since the Montreal Expos left after the 2004 season, and the support the Blue Jayys receive from far-flung Canadian areas wouldnt necessarily be there for, say, the more polarizing Toronto Maple Leafs.ddddddddddddIt would be the exact opposite, actually, said 31-year-old Stephen Safinuk, a Blue Jays fan from Saskatchewan. Theyd be wishing them a quick exit from the playoffs, if they ever make it.Safinuk was in Toronto for the ALCS, and he was visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday -- while wearing a shirt with Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldsons name on the back. He said hes seen the Blue Jays play on the road against the Los Angeles Angels, and hed like to be among the throngs of Toronto fans in Seattle sometime soon.Seattle next year is my goal, he said. Its a must-do trip, absolutely.Saunders spent his first six seasons with the Mariners before playing these past two for the Blue Jays.Were not just representing Toronto, were representing all of Canada, he said. Its a really neat experience to see that kind of fan support, and you really see it when you go to Seattle and play the Mariners. I spent my entire career with the Mariners, so I saw kind of the other end of the spectrum. It was a different experience for me to be wearing a Jays uniform this time around.A couple offseasons ago, the Blue Jays made stops in Alberta (Calgary and Banff) and Vancouver, British Columbia, on their winter tour itinerary, the equivalent of the Reds trying to reach out to fans in, say, San Diego. As long as the Blue Jays are Canadas only team, theyll continue to have substantial territory to claim as their own.Itll never overtake hockey here, but the passion is very similar, Safinuk said. You dont see this kind of singular team support for anything other than -- you see it for the Raptors, too, when they were doing good the last couple years, but thats because in Canada, we only have the Raptors and the Blue Jays in NBA and MLB. You dont get that anywhere else.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '