F1 2015 mid-season review: Top 10 moments so far

There have been plenty of stand-out moments from the F1 2015 season so far, with some great racing and spectacular drives. 

© Octane Photographic

With the summer break now well underway, here is a look back at my top 10 moments from the first half of the season. 

10. Verstappen’s China charge 

Max Verstappen put in some stunning overtakes during the Chinese Grand Prix, but was robbed of a strong result due to reliability woes. Passes on Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr were just two of several great moves. Sometimes, it really is easy to forget that he is only 17 and in his rookie F1 season. 

9. He’ll be back 

Slightly awkward, sure, but how cool was it to see Arnold Schwarzenegger interviewing the drivers on the Australian Grand Prix podium? Even the race winner was star-struck. 

8. Sparks fly 

© Toro Rosso

One of the best spectacles of the season so far was, in my opinion, racing under the lights in Bahrain. The cars look great, the track looks beautiful and – best of all – the sparks are incredible. I know they are artificial, but still, they look awesome and it adds to the drama. 

7. Up in the air 

The eye-catching first lap collision between Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in Austria was unusual, to say the least. The Ferrari driver lost control of his car well after the exit of Turn 3, spinning into Alonso. The Spaniard’s McLaren ended up on top of Raikkonen’s car – a very close call. 

6. Team-mate battle 

 

 We have been treated to some fantastic fights during the 2015 season, but one of my favourites was between the Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa in Malaysia. The brilliant battle took place on the final lap, with close and fair racing. Bottas eventually found his way through. 

5. Spectacular hit 

 

The most spectacular crash of the 2015 season so far goes to Verstappen’s heavy hit in Monaco, after clumsy contact with Romain Grosjean. It was a small error, but led to a huge crash. Fortunately he was okay. 

4. Twists and turns 

© Octane Photographic

The Hungarian Grand Prix was packed full of surprises, and was one of the best races of the season so far. From the Mercedes drivers hitting trouble, to brave overtakes, stunning performances and a mixed-up result, it had pretty much everything. 

3. Williams hit the front 

 

The opening lap at Silverstone was a refreshing change, and a popular one too. The Williams duo of Massa and Bottas had storming starts to jump the two Mercedes drivers, and the battles continued through the early stages. 

2. Mistake in Monaco 

© Twitter/F1

The biggest shock of 2015, for me, was the Safety Car pit stop in Monaco that cost Lewis Hamilton victory. The mistake by the two-time champion and his Mercedes team came as quite a surprise, confused many and showed how split-second decisions can ruin races. 

1. Emotional victory 

© Scuderia Ferrari

My highlight of the first 10 races was Sebastian Vettel’s drive to victory in Malaysia. Not only was it a brilliant race, full of battles, but it broke the Mercedes dominance, added a new narrative to the season and also proved Ferrari could challenge the reigning champions. It was a special win for Vettel, as it was his first with Ferrari, and emotions were high afterwards.