Formula 1: A Mid-season Review

The Summer Break

Half of the Formula 1 season has been run. Now that the Hungarian Grand Prix has wrapped up, the teams are headed home. The factories will close up shop for a mandatory two week break period. Drivers will go on vacation. Team principals will look over the books before stepping out of the office for a while.

When the teams return to action, we’re going to have one heck of a season to close out. And the first race back is at my favorite track: Spa-Francorchamps.

Mercedes Dominance

The Mercedes AMG Petronas factory team is, far and away, the most dominant team in F1 this season. Nico Rosberg currently leads the Driver’s Championship standings by 11 points over teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg has been, undoubtedly, the most consistent driver all year. Only twice in 11 races has he failed to reach the podium, and one of those two times he finished 4th, right behind Hamilton.

Lewis, meanwhile, has finished on the podium in every race since the disaster that was Montreal. He has one win, one second place, and two third places. I argue, however, that those third place finishes are more impressive. In Germany, Hamilton’s brakes exploded, slamming him into the wall during qualifying. He started from the back of the grid and, within 16 laps, was in second place. He finished third. In Hungary, at the outset of Q1, Hamilton’s entire car basically exploded. Back to back qualifying disasters would set anyone on edge. Hamilton started from the pit lane, since his Silver Arrow had to be rebuilt. He began slicing his way through the field and soon found himself running second and involved in a tight battle with Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo. Lewis finished third. In neither race should he have had a chance, but this shows the dominance of the Mercedes chassis.

The race to open the second “half” of the season, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, is a race Hamilton always runs well. The wide open nature of the track (and the next race at Monza) will greatly benefit the Mercedes team.

A Star Is Born

Red Bull Renault is, for all intents and purposes, “captained” by Sebastian Vettel. He is the four time defend World Driver’s Champion. His team is the four time defending Constructor’s Champion. (And yes, all of those titles will be leaving the Milton Keynes outfit this year, heading most likely to Brackley.) So whenever someone talks about Red Bull Renault, thoughts typically go to Vettel.

But not this year. No, this year Vettel has been outshined at every turn by his teammate, Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. The younger RBR driver currently has a 43 point advantage over the veteran Vettel. Ricciardo is the only non-Mercedes driver to stand on the top step of the podium this season.

At the Hockenheimring, Ricciardo and double World Champion Fernando Alonso locked horns for an epic multi-lap battle around the neutered circuit (thanks, Tilke). A week later, in the weather-troubled Hungarian Grand Prix, Ricciardo once again found himself in battle with Alonso, only this time he had another World Champion to contend with, as Lewis Hamilton’s epic drive placed him in the scrap for the top spot.

If this had been a year in which one team wasn’t so overly dominant, we’d be speaking of Ricciardo as a Driver’s Championship contender. He’s currently about three race-wins off the lead (Rosberg leads him by 73), but the Mercedes duo is going to be difficult to leapfrog in the standings.

Predictions Revisited

Earlier this year I made a series of predictions about the upcoming season. Now that half the season is gone, let’s look back and see just how right or wrong I’ve been:

Driver’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “…there was one [driver] I kept coming back to. He’s been on the rise the last two seasons, is a proven race winner, and is partnered with a previous Driver’s Champion, so he has a brain to pick when trying to figure things out. His car looks to be one of the best on the grid this year, which can’t hurt. For Driver’s Champion of 2014, I’m picking Nico Rosberg.”

Today, I think: “Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. Lewis is a more aggressive driver than Rosberg, so he’s more prone to mistakes. So long as the reliability issues of Montreal and Silverstone stay away, Rosberg should be champion. He’ll have to fight for it, as Lewis definitely will not go gently into the night, but he should win. Rosberg leads Hamilton 202-191. Ricciardo is in third, with 131.”

Top 5 Driver’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “Obviously I’ve got Rosberg at the top, and I think Hamilton will be highly placed, as well. When it’s all said and done, I think the driver’s top five will look like this: Rosberg, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Vettel, Hulkenberg.”

Today, I think: “Wow, that was a bit off. The current standings are:
1. Rosberg – 202
2. Hamilton – 191
3. Ricciardo – 131
4. Alonso – 115
5. Bottas – 95
Vettel is currently sixth (88) and Hulkenberg is seventh (69). Raikkonen is way down in 12th, with only 27 points.”

Constructor’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “I think Mercedes will double up this year. I’ve pegged Rosberg for the Driver’s Title, and I think Lewis Hamilton will return to form and pick up two or three wins. Silver Arrows wrap up the Constructor’s Title.”

Today, I think: “Again, pretty much spot on. Lewis actually has more wins already than Rosberg (5 to 4), but Rosberg is more consistent. Mercedes currently leads Red Bull 393-219. Ferrari is a distant third with 142.”

Top 5 Constructor’s Championship:

On February 27, I wrote: “As I said earlier, I think the Mercedes factory teams pulls the double this year. But I also think Force India will have a strong year and McLaren will bounce back from the god-awful 2013 campaign. I see the Constructor’s Standings playing out like this: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Force India, Red Bull Renault.”

Today, I think: “My pick here is closer than the Driver’s pick. The current standings are:
1. Mercedes - 393
2. Red Bull Renault - 219
3. Ferrari - 142
4. Williams - 135
5. Force India - 98
McLaren is sixth (97) and Toro Rosso is eighth, with 17 points. Sauber and Caterham have zero points between them. Even Marussia has scored, this year, with Bianchi picking up 2 points at Monaco.”

A Most Welcome Surprise

The Williams Martini Racing team has been quite good this year. Sure, Felipe Massa has been caught up in some ugly accidents (Melbourne, Montreal, Hockenheim), but his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, has placed on the podium fairly regularly. I won’t be surprised at all to see Bottas win a race this year. It’s good to see Williams back near the top.

F1 Goes To Azerbaijan

When you read the word “Europe,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

The Alps? Sure, they’re beautiful. The rolling hills of Germany and Austria? Yeah, those, too. The winter wonderland that is Scandinavia? Uh-huh. The lake districts of England? The Scottish highlands? Tuscany? The Vatican? Yes, to all.

Azerbaijan?

Wait, what? Huh? Azerbaijan?

That’s right, Azerbaijan. According to F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Azerbaijan is so distinctly European that, starting in 2016, a street circuit in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku will host the Grand Prix of Europe. According to Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Azad Rahimov, “Azerbaijan is a modern European country that has established a reputation as a center of sporting excellence. The deal to bring Formula 1 racing to Baku is a very significant new chapter in our ongoing success to attract the world's largest sporting events to our country.”

Baku is located 1000 miles East of the easternmost “European” F1 circuit, Istanbul Park. As for circuits currently on the calendar, the closest European circuit to Baku is the Hungaroring, which is only 1500 miles away, straight-line distance.