2014 Synopsis
2014 Driver's Champion - Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / 384 points with 11 wins
2014 Driver's Runner Up - Nico Rossberg / Mercedes / 317 points with 5 wins
2014 Constructor's Champion - Mercedes / 701 points with 16 wins
2014 Constructor's Runner Up - Red Bull Renault / 405 points with 3 wins
2014 Storyline/Summary -
2014 saw radical rules changes that ushered in completely new engines and upturned the proverbial applecart. All teams were forced to run completely new turbo V6 engines and only Mercedes came ready to play. It became apparent very early on that the only actual racing drama would be between the two Mercedes teammates, Nico Rossberg and 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, and they did not disappoint. Rossberg and Hamilton raced each other hard in several races, including a dubious collision in which Rossberg clipped Hamilton's tire on the second lap and forced him to retire while Rossberg himself finished second, dramatically improving his position in the championship standings. Tensions were high within the team and there were reports of heated arguments. Later races saw close but clean racing and Lewis prevailed at season's end. This would be Hamilton's second career World Driver's Championship.
Previously dominant Red Bull Renault slipped badly and reigning 4 time defending champion Sebastian Vettel found himself in unfamiliar territory, often racing hard for the final few points in every race. Vettel, having finished 2013 in dominating fashion by winning the final 9 races, would fail to record even a single win in 2014. However, his new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo did manage to be the only non-Mercedes driver to record wins in 2014. Ricciardo found himself on top of the podium for the first time ever at the Canadian Grand Prix and then again two more times in 2014.
The other surprise of the 2014 season was the rebirth and resurgence of the old powerhouse Williams F1 team. While they did not record a win, they managed nine podiums, which was 9 more than the previous year. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa finished 4th and 7th in the championship respectively.
2014 wound down on a somber note, as popular driver Jules Bianchi suffered a terrible head injury during a red flag slowdown caused by another incident in heavy rain at Suzuka in Japan. While he had slowed, Bianchi lost control and his car slid off the track at well over 100mph and he struck a crane that was recovering the previously disabled car. Bianchi's condition is still severe and while reports are that he is out of his coma, most news indicates that he is still in a near vegetative state and may remain that way for the rest of his life. It is the first serious injury accident to occur in an F1 race since a crash claimed the life of Ayrton Senna 20 years ago.
2015 OFF SEASON DRAMA, DRIVER CHANGES, RULE CHANGES AND LEGAL BATTLES
As the 2014 season wound down, the F1 world was shocked when word leaked that then defending champion Sebastian Vettel would be leaving the Red Bull Racing team he has such success with. Vettel moved to Ferrari. Red Bull Racing promoted promising young driver Dani Kvyat from it's Toro Rossi Junior program. Toro Rossi backfilled Kvyat's position with Max Verstappen, who will be only 17 years old when he debuts next week. Ferrari's beloved Fernando Alonso again stunned when he returned to McLaren, a team he had left with much controversy several years prior to join Ferrari. McLaren chose to part ways with it's younger driver, Kevin Magnussen, to keep long time veteran Jenson Button, who came on strong at the end of 2014. While many felt McLaren might sack Button and go with developing younger talent, Button's results showed he was still the better option for a team desperate for steady results. Magnussen remained with the team as a test driver and will race in the season opener in Australian, as Alonso suffered some injuries in a testing accident. Sauber is a complete mess. They have hired Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. However, they have been sued by their test driver, Giedo Van Der Gaarde, who says he was promised a seat in 2015. Swiss courts have agreed with Giedo and ordered Sauber to place him in the spot. The team plans to appeal.
