After 10 months, three winter tests, 19 races and four in-season tests, we now get to reflect on what a dramatic and exciting year 2014 has been for Formula 1.
The sport took a step into the unknown this season, entering a new era following one of the biggest rule shake-ups in recent history.
There was plenty of scepticism heading into the first pre-season test in Jerez, but the seismic regulation changes produced a spectacular season and a new team to beat.
Late January saw the F1 paddock reconvene after the winter break for the opening test of the year in Spain. Several cars had already been launched, and others were uncovered in the Jerez pit lane.
It quickly became evident that the 2014 cars would not be particularly attractive, with some very odd nose designs (but we eventually got used to them). Reliability was always going to be one of the biggest concerns, particularly with the new V6 Turbo power-units. All teams experienced plenty of problems during winter testing, particularly those powered by Renault.
Throughout the three pre-season events in Jerez and Bahrain, it soon became clear that the Mercedes power-unit was by far the best of the three. The Mercedes team looked fast and reliable too, giving us a glimpse of what was to come. Red Bull Racing, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham all struggled during the winter running, while McLaren, Williams and Ferrari looked fast.
The 65th F1 season kicked off in Melbourne, Australia, at the popular Albert Park Circuit. Mercedes kept up its winter testing pace, dominating practice. However, the Brackley-based outfit surprisingly failed to secure a front-row lock-out. Red Bull’s RB10 was far from the most reliable car on the grid, but it was very fast and Daniel Ricciardo proved this by qualifying second for his first race with the team.
Lewis Hamilton started from pole position, but he didn’t stay in first place for long after a misfiring engine cylinder caused him to drop back and retire. This cleared the way for Nico Rosberg to dominate the event, with Ricciardo impressing to finish second on home turf. However, he would later be excluded for exceeding the fuel flow limit – no fault of his own, but a team error.
Kevin Magnussen was another youngster who performed well over the weekend, finishing third (before being promoted to second) on his debut. Ricciardo’s heartbreak helped McLaren score a double podium, with Button moving up a position. Valtteri Bottas also produced a storming recovery drive after early contact with the wall to finish fifth. It was certainly an intriguing start to F1’s new era.
The F1 paddock moved on to Malaysia for round two of the season, with Mercedes once again being denied a front-row lock-out. However, this time it was Sebastian Vettel who took second on the grid, having previously been out-paced by his team-mate over the opening weekend. Hamilton started from pole but, unlike in Australia, his Mercedes W05 ran without any problems and he was able to put in a controlled drive to take the victory, finishing 17 seconds clear of Rosberg.
Vettel wasn’t able to keep up with Hamilton, but he put up a decent fight against the second Mercedes driver to complete the top three. Ricciardo could have kicked off his points tally at the Sepang International Circuit as well had he not suffered a disastrous pit stop, a penalty and a front wing failure. Nico Hulkenberg impressed for Force India to finish fifth, while rookies Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat finished ninth and 10th.
Bahrain was the next stop on the F1 calendar and produced arguably the best race of the season. Mercedes finally locked out the front row of the grid, this time Rosberg ahead of Hamilton, and the two were involved in a close, wheel-to-wheel battle for most of the 57-lap event.
Hamilton had got the better of his team-mate at the start and despite Rosberg’s best efforts – and there were quite a few – he couldn’t find a way past, with the 2008 world champion putting in a stunning defensive drive on the harder compound tyre in the closing stages. It was a joy to watch and had F1 fans around the world on the edge of their seats.
There were also plenty of other scraps up and down the grid, with the fight for third being hotly contested. Sergio Perez eventually took the chequered flag ahead of Ricciardo and Hulkenberg to complete the podium. Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutierrez produced one of the most dramatic moments of the season after contact pitched the Sauber into a barrel-roll.
The Mercedes domination continued in China, with Hamilton converting pole into a clear victory, helping him edge closer to his team-mate in the drivers’ standings. The German had spun on his final qualifying attempt and a poor start from fourth meant he had plenty of work to do early on. However, his superior speed advantage meant he easily moved up to second, with Fernando Alonso in third to score Ferrari’s first podium of the season – on Marco Mattiacci’s first race weekend in charge of the team.
The first European round of the year took place - as usual – in Spain, with teams bringing new parts and upgrades to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, the competitive order remained the same, with Hamilton and Rosberg locking out the front row and driving off into the distance.
We witnessed another close battle for the lead, with Hamilton eventually holding on to win his fourth race in a row and snatch the championship lead by three points. Ricciardo (who scored his first official podium, after his Australia disqualification), Bottas and Vettel completed the top five.
The Monaco Grand Prix weekend saw tensions increase between Hamilton and Rosberg. An off-track excursion at Mirabeau on his final lap in Q3 gave Rosberg pole, with his team-mate being forced to back off. Was it deliberate? Only Rosberg knows. However, as the season progressed, I did start to doubt whether it was really a driver error.
With strains starting to show at Mercedes, Rosberg took a close victory to re-claim the championship lead. Hamilton had challenged him several times but failed to find a way through around the twisty Circuit de Monaco. He eventually fell into the clutches of Ricciardo, claiming he had something in his eye – I have never heard that excuse before! A fascinating weekend on and off-track at the sport’s most prestigious event.
The Canadian Grand Prix saw a non-Mercedes driver stand on the top step of the podium for the first time in the 2014 F1 season. Ricciardo was there to pick up the pieces when Hamilton and Rosberg’s cars were both struck by similar MGU-K problems, securing his debut victory in the sport in stunning style.
Rosberg limped home second, while Hamilton was forced to retire. The race came to a jaw-dropping end, with Perez and Felipe Massa crashing hard at the first corner on the last lap as they battled for a potential podium. It was horrible to see, but fortunately they were both okay. The accident promoted Vettel to third, Button to fourth and Hulkenberg to fifth.
F1 returned to the Red Bull Ring at the end of June for the first time since 2003. The track layout remained the same, but the facilities had received a welcome upgrade – I attended the race for Richland F1 and I must say it was an extraordinary event.
Massa bounced back from his Canada crash to take a surprise pole position, after Hamilton spun and forced his team-mate (ironically) to back off on his final Q3 attempt. However, he couldn’t keep the two Mercedes drivers behind him. Rosberg moved ahead at the first pit stops, taking a clear victory, with Hamilton recovering to second. Bottas was third, with Massa falling to fourth, but Williams were much closer in Austria.
The British Grand Prix produced another exciting and action-packed race, which saw home-hero Hamilton start from sixth after making an error and backing off on his last Q3 run. Rosberg duly snatched pole position and took a clear lead early on, before Hamilton started to catch him.
The crowd went wild when the German slowed with gearbox failure, giving Hamilton the lead. He went on to win the race by 30 seconds from Bottas and Ricciardo. Vettel and Alonso produced a thrilling display, with a great wheel-to-wheel battle over fifth.
Meanwhile Raikkonen suffered a big crash on lap one, causing an hour-long red flag whilst a barrier on the Wellington Straight was repaired.
Round 10 of the season took place in Germany, at the Hockenheimring. Hamilton dramatically crashed out of Q1 on Saturday following brake failure and with Rosberg on pole, the Mercedes drivers started from the very front and back of the grid.
On home soil, Rosberg led every lap to take a clear victory from Bottas. Hamilton put in a storming drive to climb to third and was part of several close battles during the race. The second Williams of Massa retired on the opening lap after the Brazilian’s car was pitched upside down.
The first half of the 2014 season was packed full of excitement, action and big stories, and as the title fight heated up, the drama continued right to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. Part two, coming soon.
What were your F1 2014 highlights? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Part two of my F1 2014 season review: http://bit.ly/1zuMmFp
F1 2014 performance grid: http://bit.ly/1vXzxCI
The F1 2014 season in statistics: http://bit.ly/1pikRhI
The season in pictures: http://bit.ly/1yH4ygI
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| © Scuderia Ferrari |
There was plenty of scepticism heading into the first pre-season test in Jerez, but the seismic regulation changes produced a spectacular season and a new team to beat.
Late January saw the F1 paddock reconvene after the winter break for the opening test of the year in Spain. Several cars had already been launched, and others were uncovered in the Jerez pit lane.
It quickly became evident that the 2014 cars would not be particularly attractive, with some very odd nose designs (but we eventually got used to them). Reliability was always going to be one of the biggest concerns, particularly with the new V6 Turbo power-units. All teams experienced plenty of problems during winter testing, particularly those powered by Renault.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Throughout the three pre-season events in Jerez and Bahrain, it soon became clear that the Mercedes power-unit was by far the best of the three. The Mercedes team looked fast and reliable too, giving us a glimpse of what was to come. Red Bull Racing, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham all struggled during the winter running, while McLaren, Williams and Ferrari looked fast.
The 65th F1 season kicked off in Melbourne, Australia, at the popular Albert Park Circuit. Mercedes kept up its winter testing pace, dominating practice. However, the Brackley-based outfit surprisingly failed to secure a front-row lock-out. Red Bull’s RB10 was far from the most reliable car on the grid, but it was very fast and Daniel Ricciardo proved this by qualifying second for his first race with the team.
Lewis Hamilton started from pole position, but he didn’t stay in first place for long after a misfiring engine cylinder caused him to drop back and retire. This cleared the way for Nico Rosberg to dominate the event, with Ricciardo impressing to finish second on home turf. However, he would later be excluded for exceeding the fuel flow limit – no fault of his own, but a team error.
Kevin Magnussen was another youngster who performed well over the weekend, finishing third (before being promoted to second) on his debut. Ricciardo’s heartbreak helped McLaren score a double podium, with Button moving up a position. Valtteri Bottas also produced a storming recovery drive after early contact with the wall to finish fifth. It was certainly an intriguing start to F1’s new era.
The F1 paddock moved on to Malaysia for round two of the season, with Mercedes once again being denied a front-row lock-out. However, this time it was Sebastian Vettel who took second on the grid, having previously been out-paced by his team-mate over the opening weekend. Hamilton started from pole but, unlike in Australia, his Mercedes W05 ran without any problems and he was able to put in a controlled drive to take the victory, finishing 17 seconds clear of Rosberg.
Vettel wasn’t able to keep up with Hamilton, but he put up a decent fight against the second Mercedes driver to complete the top three. Ricciardo could have kicked off his points tally at the Sepang International Circuit as well had he not suffered a disastrous pit stop, a penalty and a front wing failure. Nico Hulkenberg impressed for Force India to finish fifth, while rookies Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat finished ninth and 10th.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Bahrain was the next stop on the F1 calendar and produced arguably the best race of the season. Mercedes finally locked out the front row of the grid, this time Rosberg ahead of Hamilton, and the two were involved in a close, wheel-to-wheel battle for most of the 57-lap event.
Hamilton had got the better of his team-mate at the start and despite Rosberg’s best efforts – and there were quite a few – he couldn’t find a way past, with the 2008 world champion putting in a stunning defensive drive on the harder compound tyre in the closing stages. It was a joy to watch and had F1 fans around the world on the edge of their seats.
There were also plenty of other scraps up and down the grid, with the fight for third being hotly contested. Sergio Perez eventually took the chequered flag ahead of Ricciardo and Hulkenberg to complete the podium. Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutierrez produced one of the most dramatic moments of the season after contact pitched the Sauber into a barrel-roll.
The Mercedes domination continued in China, with Hamilton converting pole into a clear victory, helping him edge closer to his team-mate in the drivers’ standings. The German had spun on his final qualifying attempt and a poor start from fourth meant he had plenty of work to do early on. However, his superior speed advantage meant he easily moved up to second, with Fernando Alonso in third to score Ferrari’s first podium of the season – on Marco Mattiacci’s first race weekend in charge of the team.
The first European round of the year took place - as usual – in Spain, with teams bringing new parts and upgrades to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, the competitive order remained the same, with Hamilton and Rosberg locking out the front row and driving off into the distance.
We witnessed another close battle for the lead, with Hamilton eventually holding on to win his fourth race in a row and snatch the championship lead by three points. Ricciardo (who scored his first official podium, after his Australia disqualification), Bottas and Vettel completed the top five.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The Monaco Grand Prix weekend saw tensions increase between Hamilton and Rosberg. An off-track excursion at Mirabeau on his final lap in Q3 gave Rosberg pole, with his team-mate being forced to back off. Was it deliberate? Only Rosberg knows. However, as the season progressed, I did start to doubt whether it was really a driver error.
With strains starting to show at Mercedes, Rosberg took a close victory to re-claim the championship lead. Hamilton had challenged him several times but failed to find a way through around the twisty Circuit de Monaco. He eventually fell into the clutches of Ricciardo, claiming he had something in his eye – I have never heard that excuse before! A fascinating weekend on and off-track at the sport’s most prestigious event.
The Canadian Grand Prix saw a non-Mercedes driver stand on the top step of the podium for the first time in the 2014 F1 season. Ricciardo was there to pick up the pieces when Hamilton and Rosberg’s cars were both struck by similar MGU-K problems, securing his debut victory in the sport in stunning style.
Rosberg limped home second, while Hamilton was forced to retire. The race came to a jaw-dropping end, with Perez and Felipe Massa crashing hard at the first corner on the last lap as they battled for a potential podium. It was horrible to see, but fortunately they were both okay. The accident promoted Vettel to third, Button to fourth and Hulkenberg to fifth.
F1 returned to the Red Bull Ring at the end of June for the first time since 2003. The track layout remained the same, but the facilities had received a welcome upgrade – I attended the race for Richland F1 and I must say it was an extraordinary event.
Massa bounced back from his Canada crash to take a surprise pole position, after Hamilton spun and forced his team-mate (ironically) to back off on his final Q3 attempt. However, he couldn’t keep the two Mercedes drivers behind him. Rosberg moved ahead at the first pit stops, taking a clear victory, with Hamilton recovering to second. Bottas was third, with Massa falling to fourth, but Williams were much closer in Austria.
The British Grand Prix produced another exciting and action-packed race, which saw home-hero Hamilton start from sixth after making an error and backing off on his last Q3 run. Rosberg duly snatched pole position and took a clear lead early on, before Hamilton started to catch him.
The crowd went wild when the German slowed with gearbox failure, giving Hamilton the lead. He went on to win the race by 30 seconds from Bottas and Ricciardo. Vettel and Alonso produced a thrilling display, with a great wheel-to-wheel battle over fifth.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Meanwhile Raikkonen suffered a big crash on lap one, causing an hour-long red flag whilst a barrier on the Wellington Straight was repaired.
Round 10 of the season took place in Germany, at the Hockenheimring. Hamilton dramatically crashed out of Q1 on Saturday following brake failure and with Rosberg on pole, the Mercedes drivers started from the very front and back of the grid.
On home soil, Rosberg led every lap to take a clear victory from Bottas. Hamilton put in a storming drive to climb to third and was part of several close battles during the race. The second Williams of Massa retired on the opening lap after the Brazilian’s car was pitched upside down.
The first half of the 2014 season was packed full of excitement, action and big stories, and as the title fight heated up, the drama continued right to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. Part two, coming soon.
What were your F1 2014 highlights? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Part two of my F1 2014 season review: http://bit.ly/1zuMmFp
F1 2014 performance grid: http://bit.ly/1vXzxCI
The F1 2014 season in statistics: http://bit.ly/1pikRhI
The season in pictures: http://bit.ly/1yH4ygI
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