F1 turned over a new leaf in 2017. The ownership changed hands and Liberty Media added a freshness to the sport. Fan Interactions increased, Experiences were added and the future looks bright for a sport that aims at expanding its global footprint.

2017 also saw 3 rookies make it to the grid - Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly & WEC Champion Brendan Hartley ( replaced Daniil Kvyat towards the end of the season )

20 races made up the 2017 Season and pre-season tests suggested that Ferrari would be a formidable challenger. Red Bull seemed to be off the pace while Mercedes had another reliable run into 2017. Was Ferrari able to dethrone Mercedes from their perch? How did Red Bull fare with their new Tag Heuer branded engine? Bottas vs Hamilton? Hamilton vs Vettel? Bottas vs Raikkonen? Who reigned supreme in 2017? Well lets have a quick recap of the season gone by.

Mercedes AMG F1 Team :

Mercedes, the most successful team and engine supplier in the turbo-era went into 2017 with a little bit of uncertainty. The W08, their 2017 challenger was fast but not the easiest to handle. Nico Rosberg the reigning World Champion retired from the sport and Mercedes had to hire Valtteri Bottas from Williams, so that wasn't ideal. Questions were raised about the worthiness of Valtteri Bottas. Doubts lingered about the kind of relation he would have with Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari seemed to have done their homework and the gap was considerably lower than in 2016. This was going to be one tough fight.

The season started off more as a boxing bout as the contenders to the crown traded punches taking victories in alternate rounds. Lewis Hamilton took the first win of the season for the team in China and Bottas responded with a win of his own in Russia. Hamilton then took victories in Spain ( a hard fought one ), Canada and Great Britain while Bottas notched up another win in Austria. The Finn kept his more experienced team-mate honest in the title fight. Hamilton went on a winning spree in Belgium, Italy and Singapore and became the Number 1 driver in the team. Japan and USA sealed the deal. P2 in Mexico saw him being crowned the Drivers' Champion for the 4th time! He also surpassed Michael Schumacher's record of the most pole positions in Italy and with the British Grand Prix win, he equalled the records of Alain Prost and Jim Clark, who also won the race five times each. Lewis made it happen when it mattered the most. He won the those little battles to win the war and a well deserved title it was. Kudos to the Englishman for his win. Hamilton had amassed 363 points with 9 wins and 4 podium finishes at the end of 2017. Bottas who played catchup with Vettel in the second half of the year eventually finished in P3 with 305 points, 3 race wins and 10 podium finishes under his belt.

Mercedes will still be the team to beat in 2018. Period.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari, the most successful team in F1 - A name synonymous with winning. A lot of hopes were pinned on the Maranello based outfit to take the fight to the Mercs . Many believed this was the year that Ferrari would finally deliver; after all it had been 10 years since they last won a Drivers' Championship! Ferrari persisted with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen a pair that gets along extremely well. The year started off on the right note for Vettel with 3 wins out of 6 and Lewis Hamilton having to play catchup. Going into the mid-season break, the German trailed by 3 points in the championship with 4 wins ( Australia, Bahrain, Monaco, Hungary ) & 6 podium finishes. His championship hopes seemed to be on track after Lewis struggled in qualifying in Mercedes' bogey track ( Singapore ) and Vettel put it on pole. However an uncharacteristic error on the Sunday ( on a wet track ) took the top 3 qualifiers Vettel, Verstappen and Raikkonen out of the race. Verstappen got sandwiched with Vettel cutting across and Raikkonen, who had a blistering start overtaking him resulting in a mighty shunt for the 3. Lewis took the win and it dealt a heavy blow to the championship. Retirement in Japan proved to be the final nail in the coffin and Lewis took the championship in Mexico. Vettel finished P2 ( albeit just ) with 317 points and 5 wins under his belt.

Kimi Raikkonen on the other hand had a slower start to the year. He put his car on pole in Monaco and could have won but for Vettel to come out on top thanks to a better strategy. Kimi played second fiddle throughout the year ( inspite of constant denial by the team ). He finished P4 in the Championship with 7 podium finishes, his best being 2nd in Monaco and Hungary. Once again, the Iceman didn't have reliability and circumstances going his way, robbing him of more podium finishes and possible victories. Kimi was praised for being a team player on many occasions and Belgium is one instance that comes to mind. On his final run in qualifying, Kimi made an error and had to abort the lap. He managed to give Vettel the tow towards the end of the lap, that helped the German end up on the front row to challenge for the win. One thing is certain though, he might be the oldest driver on the grid but he hasn't lost his racing edge. On his day, the Iceman is still untouchable. Will we see him win again? ever? Well that is one question no one can answer.

Ferrari were on track in the first half of the season, then they lost the plot altogether. It isn't going to be easy beating Mercedes over a season but the team can take encouragement from the fact that their competitors aren't invincible.

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull Racing began their 2017 campaign with a Tag Heuer branded power unit. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen renewed their partnership and things didn't seem too promising at the start of the season. However the duo gave the works team a run for their money notching a victory each under their belt. Ricciardo won in a power dominated circuit in Baku ( thanks to Vettel and Hamilton bickering and incidents galore around him ). Verstappen after a slew of retirements ( thanks to mechanical failures ) finally won in Malaysia. A coming together in Hungary brought Ricciardo grief but the Australian prevailed over the Dutchman, finishing 5th in the Drivers' Championship with 1 win and 8 podium places. 3 retirements towards the end of the season denied him the chance to retain 4th place ( eventually taken by Raikkonen ). Verstappen too suffered retirements at pivotal moments in the season and finished in 6th place with 2 wins ( Malaysia and Mexico ) and 2 podium finishes.

Red Bull must ensure that they lock down the duo for the future as they share a wonderful chemistry and have an abundance of talent. The chink in the armour was the reliability of the power units. The difference to Ferrari in 2nd seems big but it would have been a lot closer with more podiums and points finishes. They were perceived as the biggest threat towards the end of the season. Red Bull know how to win. They have been there, done that. Improving in 2018 is a given.

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India continue to go from strength to strength in the Turbo Era. The Best Mercedes Customer Team tag remained with them in 2017. Sergio Perez & Esteban Ocon pushed each other throughout the year. The push became a shove and the team had to ban them from racing each other in order to protect their position in the championship. Perez finished on 100 points in P7, 13 ahead of his team-mate Ocon with points finishes in every race barring 3. His best finish was P4 in Spain. Ocon went on a record run of race finishes until his retirement in the Brazilian GP. The Frenchmen scored 87 points with his best finishes of P5 in Spain and Mexico.

Force India were truly a force to reckon with in 2017. Finishing P4 in the championship was no mean feat. They even made the Big 3 sweat on a few occasions. 2018 wont be easy sailing as those trailing behind will have more powerful units under them.

Williams Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams fielded a mix of experience and youth in Felipe Massa and Rookie Lance Stroll. Massa called it a day at the end of the 2016 season but had to return after Bottas switched to Mercedes AMG F1. Williams finished 5th in the Constructors' Championship and amazingly managed to bag a podium with Lance Stroll in Baku! The team's struggle continued in 2017 after the initial successes of 2014. Felipe Massa outscored Stroll but only just ( 3 points ), 6th being his best finish in Australia and Bahrain. Paul di Resta stepped into Massa's Seat for one race ( Hungary ), the Brazilian having to sit it out due to illness. Lance Stroll struggled in the initial rounds of the season but the 3rd place finish in Baku sent many doubters into silence. Stroll finished in the points in 7 races and suffered 4 retirements. His performances are bound to approve in 2018. The 19 year old still has a lot to learn in the world of motor racing and the team has played a big gamble by having another rookie join their ranks in 2018.

Renault Sport F1 Team :

Renault Sport F1 finished the season in 6th in the Constructors' Championship, a marked improvement from their performances in 2016. They would not like to be where they are at but the only way forward is upwards and thankfully being a works team will ensure that funding never becomes an issue for R&D.

Nico Hulkenberg scored 43 points and finished 10th in the Drivers' Championship. He finished in the points in 8 races with 6th being his best finish on 4 occasions. Jolyon Palmer had a painful 2017 again, only 6th in Singapore being his finish in the points. He was eventually relieved of his services after Japan, a forgettable F1 Career for the former GP2 Champion. Carlos Sainz Jr. then joined the ranks and produced his best finish of 7th ( for the team ) in Austin, USA.

Renault will be a potent team in 2018. The dynamic duo of Hulkenberg and Sainz Jr. will be pushing each other and I see the team finishing at least P4 in 2018.

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso began the 2017 campaign with Daniil Kvyat & Carlos Sainz Jr. Kyvat was then replaced by Pierre Gasly for Malaysia & Japan and left the team after the US Grand Prix. Red Bull Loaned Carlos Sainz Jr. to Renault F1 for a year ( for 2018 ) but Renault relieved Jolyon Palmer of his services after Japan so Sainz had to effect the switch earlier. LMP1 Porsche Driver and WEC Champion Brendon Hartley took his place for the final 4 rounds of the season. This merry-go-round didn't create the ideal situation for the team since they had to fight hard to retain their place against a resurgent Haas towards the business end of the season. The team also suffered from misfiring Renault Units on many occasions.

Carlos Sainz Jr. led the charge with a career best 4th in Singapore, who can forget the Radio Communication that night "Vamos Vamos Vamos!" Daniil Kvyat only managed 5 points, 9th being his best finish. Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley weren't able to open their accounts.

Toro Rosso won't have it easy in 2018 as they switch to Honda Power. Gasly and Hartley are supremely talented but will need a reliable car under them to help the team achieve the points that they need.

Haas F1 Team :

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen led the charge for Haas F1 in 2017 and the relatively new team continue to impress in their 2nd year. Finishing P8 in the championship, they narrowly missed beating Scuderia Toro Rosso ( 6 points ) to P7. Romain Grosjean bagged 28 points in 2017 inspite of having brake troubles throughout the year. His best finish was 6th in Austria. Kevin Magnussen's best finish was P7 in Azerbaijan and he finished the season on 19 points.

F1 is a demanding sport and Haas will have to maintain a steep development curve to stay in touch with those in front. Nevertheless they can take pride in the fact that they have fielded a more reliable car in 2017.

McLaren Honda F1 Team :

McLaren's partnership with Honda has been one of its biggest fiascos. The Engine Manufacturer failed to make inroads even in 2017 and the team suffered massively from multiple engine penalties over different race weekends. There were silver linings but the news of a split developed through the year. The Team had both cars cross the chequered flag only on 7 occasions. They did reduce the deficit to Haas F1 towards the end but were unable to finish any better than P9 at the end of the year.

Fernando Alonso & Stoffel Vandoorne finished their season on 17 and 13 points respectively, their best finishes being 6th and 7th. Alonso also enjoyed the opportunity of racing in the Indy 500 in the US which coincided with the Monaco GP. Jenson Button was recalled out of retirement and got to race but had to retire after an incident with Wehrlein. There is no doubt in the ability of the duo and results will improve with a much faster and more reliable Renault power unit for 2018.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber F1 finishes last in the standings, financial constraints limiting their progress in 2017. The team already had a power deficit with a 2016 Ferrari engine and their problems were compounded when the team principal Monisha Kaltenborn left mid-season. Marcus Ericsson drew a blank again while Pascal Wehrlein's P8 in Spain & P10 in Azerbaijan brought home the team's points. Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari's Reserve Driver also got 2 weekends under his belt in Australia & China after Wehrlein injured himself in the Race of Champions earlier in the year and felt under-prepared for the start of the season.

Its been a disappointing year again for Sauber F1 but with Alfa Romeo investing in them for 2018, a lot can change.

I had the privilege of attending the Spanish Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix in 2017. Planning to do 3 races in 2018, God Willing.

2017 turned a page in the turbo era of F1. Bigger tyres, more downforce, faster lap times and the good emanating out of new ownership of the sport prove that F1 is slowly making its way back to the glory days. 2017 has brought a sense of freshness to the sport and the teams have embraced the challenges with aplomb. New Partnerships were created and New Rivalries were born. The Mid-Season Break is ongoing but the work carries on in the respective team factories. So how good have the contenders been up until the halfway point of the season?

Lets have a quick peek.

Mercedes AMG F1 Team :

Mercedes, the undisputed champions of the Turbo Era are tipped to retain the crown for both the Drivers' as well as the Constructors' but unlike the years gone by, the competitors have posed a bigger threat than they ever have before. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are having to play catch-up with Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes' lead in the Constructors' is a slender 39 points and they have been outclassed in a few races this year. Lewis Hamilton is P2 in the Championship, 14 points adrift with 4 wins and 2 podiums to his name. Valtteri Bottas is P3 with 169 points with 2 wins and 6 podiums.

Its advantage Lewis in the intra-team battle according to me. Lewis knows how the team functions and has shown time and again why he is a 3 time world champion. The Team will look to him to aid their defense of the world title. Valtteri Bottas on the other hand is a revelation and surprised one as he settled into his new team fairly quickly. Bottas is keeping Lewis honest in this title fight. The team must ensure that a healthy environment is maintained between the 2 garages. Mercedes maintained a fair fight on the track and delivered on their promise so far. They still have the fastest car on the grid but an unsettled one as well when stuck behind another car. 

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari persisted with Sebastian Vettel & Kimi Raikkonen for 2017 and they have upped their game this year. Sebastian Vettel has been leading the charge and is currently the leader in the Drivers' Championship with 202 points with 4 wins to his name ( Australia, Bahrain, Monaco & Hungary ) and four 2nd place finishes. Kimi Raikkonen was the slow starter again and had many issues hampering his progress, both on the mechanical and the strategic fronts. The Iceman's performances improved in the races going into the break. Kimi Raikkonen is P5 in the Championship with 4 podium finishes to his name.

The Gap between Mercedes and Ferrari is 39 points. Momentum is with the Prancing Horse. Mercedes are definitely looking nervously over their shoulders. I wish to quote Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene : At Ferrari, there is no holiday. We have to stay humble and keep pushing. Unquote.

Sebastian Vettel is the favourite for the driver's title. Kimi Raikkonen is providing the perfect support role. Mathematically Kimi isn't out of the title race but realises its best to not jeopardize team chances by unsettling his team-mate in races ( inspite of being faster ). Kimi had the chance to win 2 races, one in Monaco and the other in Hungary but the team chose otherwise. Once again the Finn has shown that he is a team man and a class act. Ferrari will always be indebted to him

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull had a strong 2016 and had hopes to replicate it in 2017. However Ferrari arrived a lot stronger and currently maintain a healthy lead over them. Red Bull are unbeatable when it comes to chassis design and aerodynamics. However the Renault Power Tag Heuer branded Power Unit continues to be their Achilles' Heel. Daniel Ricciardo sits P4 in the Drivers' Standings with 117 Points and 1 victory to his name. ( Azerbaijan ). Max Verstappen has been very unfortunate with issues in his car causing him to retire from strong finishing positions in 4 Races. Verstappen's  best finish was P3 in China. Max is P6 in the championship with 67 points.

Red Bull must ensure that both cars reach the Chequered Flag. They don't face an immediate threat from Force India but if they plan to dethrone Ferrari by the end of the season reliability will be the key. Red Bull top brass will be thoroughly displeased if they are unable to bag P2 in the Championship. Realistically, its a far fetched dream. The Development curve must not stop and Red Bull must aim to carry their progress into 2018 to be closer to the fastest teams on the grid.

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India continue to be a revelation in 2017. They are right up there with the big boys fighting wheel to wheel and causing some upsets along the way as well. An accomplished power unit in Mercedes alongwith a capable chassis has ensured that Force India is the strongest customer team on the grid. They are well ahead of Williams in the Constructors but considerably behind Red Bull so improving to P3 at the end of 2017 seems uncertain. Barring Monaco, the team has always scored points. Sergio Perez leads the team-mate battle with 56 points to his name and P4 being his best finish ( Spain ). Esteban Ocon isn't far behind with 45 points, Spain his best result ( 5th ). Team Livery also is a talking point - eye-catching pink coloured cars on the grid. Driver Race Suits were similar and this invited some healthy banter with other teams over social media.

P4 would be a great finish and for a team with financial constraints like Force India, they can be extremely proud of what they have achieved so far.

Williams Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams started well in 2014 with the New Turbo Engines suiting their cars well. However they have gone backwards since and sit 5th in the standings in the mid season break. Felipe Massa returned from retirement to take up Valtteri Bottas' place who left for Mercedes AMG F1. Lance Stroll, the rookie joined forces with him. Williams have underachieved in the first half of 2017. Lance Stroll's 3rd Place in Baku Azerbaijan was a surprise but Massa has been the more consistent of the two. His experience has been vital in keeping the team in 5th, albeit just 2 points ahead of the fast charging Toro Rossos. Massa's best finishes came in Australia and Bahrain ( 6th ) alongwith points finishes in 4 other races. Stroll is on 18 points scoring in 2 other races barring his podium. Its early days for the Canadian but in a demanding sport like F1, its vital to find your feet quickly.

The biggest advantage for Williams is the Mercedes Power Unit and there are still some power circuits left on the calendar so holding onto P5 shouldn't be an issue for the team. 

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso, the final step before a Red Bull Driver Program protegee steps into the A Team prove time and again that a team operating on a small budget can still perform well with the right chassis and personnel. Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Jr. continued their alliance going into 2017. The quest to impress the bosses has token a toll on Kvyat. Incidents, accidents, retirements have marred the Russian's performances and he must pray for a strong second half to retain his seat. Carlos Sainz Jr. is in a league of his own outclassing his team-mate and bringing home majority of the points. He sits 9th in the Drivers' Standings with 35 points while Kvyat has managed only 4 and is 17th currently.

Toro Rosso will have the backing of Red Bull for the rest of the season but as much as they have to stay focused to hunt down Williams who are 2 points ahead they have to keep an eye out for those behind as well. Renault and McLaren will be forces to reckon with by the end of the year. Its imperative for the team to "make hay while the sun shines"

Haas F1 Team :

Haas F1 fielded Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen for 2017 and they deserve credit for the start provided in 2017. Haas impressed one and all since their arrival in F1 and at half-way point in 2017 they lead 2 works' teams! Grosjean has 18 points to Magnussen's 11 and unlike the teams below them, both drivers have scored points whenever presented with an opportunity. Haas is powered by Ferrari so the unit is potent enough for strong results. However the Chassis needs improvements and the team will improve with experience.

They are 10 points off Toro Rosso and it will be a close battle up until the end of the season. Toro Rosso wont be an easy team to beat but the mid-field battle is about to get fiesty in the second half of the season as Haas are no slouches.

Renault Sport F1 Team :

Renault returned as a factory team in 2016 with an elaborate road map. They made their intentions clear by acquiring the services of the talented Nico Hulkenberg and the German has been a great investment. He has scored all the points for the team this season, the tally of which stands at 26, seemingly safe from McLaren Honda. Nico's best results were 6th in Spain and Great Britain. Renault is improving the performance of its power unit and I predict P6 for them at the end of the year. Like McLaren the chassis is pretty competent and Renault have the privilege of pumping in more money unlike their immediate competitors. Another concern for the team is the performance of Jolyon Palmer. The Former GP2 Champion is yet to score a Championship Point and is fairly off the pace in comparison to Hulkenberg. He missed being in the points on 3 occasions and he must start bringing home the desired results to aid his own career as well as the team's chances in moving up the order.

Renault has the money, the tools, the personnel, the facilities to improve race by race and as a fan I definitely believe that they will soon be fighting at the sharp end of the grid. Priority though is to have a strong second half in 2017.

McLaren Honda F1 Team :

McLaren in the second year of its partnership with Honda still languishes in ninth in the Constructors' Standings. The Chassis has been brilliant but Power Unit Issues have cost them at many races. The past few rounds promise a change of fortune and as claimed by Honda, the unit should be powerful enough to beat a Renault. Will this turn out to be true? Highly doubt it. Fernando Alonso is ahead in the intra-team battle with 10 points on the board to Stoffel Vandoorne's one. Both achieved their best result in Hungary, a circuit where power isn't the deciding factor for a strong result.

Mclaren cannot afford to be P9 by the end of the season and Honda must get its act together to ensure they don't lose sponsors and vital financial benefits of finishing higher up in the pecking order. Fernando Alonso is another asset they cannot afford to lose. I believe he is the best driver on the grid with race craft second to none. Reliability with performance will lead to stronger results to make a strong case for the Spaniard to stay put.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber F1 currently stands 10th and last in the Constructors' Standings. They have managed only 5 points till now and are still adrift of McLaren by 6 points. Sauber went through a change of leadership with Monisha Kaltenborn leaving the team and Frederic Vasseur taking over the reins. Its hard to see them move up from the back of the grid ( due to cash constraints ). Pascal Wehrlein has impressed again bagging all the points for the team. Marcus Ericsson needs to pull his socks up and capitalize on finishing in the points whenever the opportunity arises. Antonio Giovinazzi stepped in for Wehrlein for the first 2 races after the German's preparations for 2017 were halted with a crash in the Race of Champions. He finished 12th and retired in the next race.

Its difficult to see Sauber finish higher at the end of 2017.

The final leg of the race will resume from Belgium.  A lot of action, drama awaits us in the second half of the season. The Second Half will also see many drivers suffering grid drops as components are changed on cars and exceed the permitted number by the FIA. The Teams must wait for the opportune time for such changes to ensure Damage Limitation. These could make or break the contest in the Drivers' Championship.

5 contenders to the Drivers' crown. 2 for the Constructors' but There Can Only Be One!

2016 was the longest F1 Season with 21 Races on the Calendar. Baku became the European Grand Prix and the Season also saw the arrival of a new customer team in Haas F1 powered by Ferrari. Red Bull became Red Bull - Tag Heuer ( Renault engines branded as Tag Heuer ), Renault became a works team hiring the Services of Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, Romain Grosjean joined Esteban Gutierrez in Haas F1 while Pascal Wehrlein & Rio Haryanto got drives in Manor ( formerly Marussia ) Racing F1 Team.

I had the privilege of attending the Spanish GP and the Hungarian GP this year and both were amazing venues to watch a race. Spain was special since Ferrari achieved a double podium with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Experts predicted a close fight for supremacy in 2016. Lets do a quick recap of how it all unfolded in 2016.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

The Undisputed Kings of the new Turbo era continued their dominance winning 19 races in the season. Nico Rosberg continued where he left off in 2015, winning the first 4 races until a coming together in Spain ( with Lewis ). Lewis Hamilton rose up to the challenge after Spain winning the next 6 out of 7 races. Austria witnessed another incident between the two. Belgium, Italy, Singapore - Rosberg reigned supreme. The Big Twist in the tale came in Malaysia when Hamilton was comfortably leading only to see his engine blow up and hand the lead to Rosberg. The difference stood at 23 points now! Rosberg won in Japan and the difference rose to 30 points. The victory meant that he had to only finish 2nd in the final 4 races ( should Hamilton win each of them ). Easier said than done. Lewis won in US & Mexico, Nico was 2nd. The Big Test came in Brazil. Hamilton was the master of Racing in Rain and was virtually untouched. Max Verstappen got the measure of Rosberg and passed him into P2. There were multiple stoppages, multiple crashes, treacherous conditions yet the Mercedes' strategists pulled off a master stroke to help Rosberg achieve P2. Then came the final round in Abu Dhabi! Lewis Hamilton pulled away from pole with Nico P2. Max pointed the wrong way at T1 but made up to P3 with a long stint on Medium Tyres. Nico was P4 after his pit stop and needed to pass Max to keep his championship hopes alive. The pass was 'critical'. Sebastian Vettel who led the race for a long time made up places in his final stint and was P3 with 6 laps left. Lewis, who regained the lead, went against team instructions and slowed down to back Nico into Vettel and Verstappen. He tried his best and by the time the race ended, the top 4 were separated by less than a second! Nico had done it. He was the 2016 F1 World Champion! Nico had been the more consistent of the two ( one retirement vs two of Lewis' ) although Lewis had won one more race. However the outgoing Champion can be proud of his season. One might say his tactics in the final race were unsporting but he did everything he could ( in his capacity ) to win the championship and its not easy to back anyone up into a chasing pack. It requires a lot of skill. Credit where credit is due, Hamilton is a born racer and there are very few like him in F1. There were a lot of conspiracy theories doing the rounds that Lewis' car was sabotaged to help Nico win the championship - a German champ for a German team. Its unfortunate to have mechanical issues which rob you of victories or precious points at pivotal moments in the championship. Kimi Raikkonen was robbed like this in 2003 and 2005 but that is how motorsport is. It can be pretty unforgiving.

Mercedes will have a strong package and a strong pairing in 2017. Pace is not an issue, reliability still is and that will be focused upon in the 2017 development. What Mercedes would not want is to see Reliability dictate who wins and who loses. 

It will be difficult to beat them to the title!

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull parted ways with Renault at the end of 2015 but continued to use their power units, albeit with Tag Heuer branding. Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat started the season together and the latter bagged 3rd place in China. However a mistake in Russia caused a crash and costed Kvyat his seat for the rest of the season. There was a lot of furore but experts believed that the Russian was already on borrowed time. Max Verstappen got promoted to the A team in Spain and won the race on debut for his new team! He also became the youngest F1 Race Winner silencing all critics and justifying Red Bull's decision. Ricciardo stepped up his performances too and a shambolic pit stop costed him victory at Monaco. He finally won in Malaysia, making it 2 wins in the season for the team, a marked improvement from their previous year. Red Bull brought in a lot of aero upgrades throughout the season and they eventually overtook Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo finished P3 in the standings with 256 points with 1 win & 7 podiums. Max Verstappen finished in P5 with 204 points with 1 win and 6 podiums, an incredible achievement considering that he raced for Toro Rosso in first 4 races. Max proved his worth again with a stellar drive in treacherous and rainy conditions in Brazil finishing P3 behind Lewis and Nico.

Red Bull should be extremely pleased with their season. They can gain a lot of encouragement from the fact that they have 2 young but incredibly talented drivers in a potent car for 2017. The added downforce might tip the advantage in their favour in the Constructors' battle. They will definitely have a more enjoyable winter compared to 2015. Onwards and Upwards for the team!

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari flattered to deceive, that is how I sum up their season. They had a strong start to the season but the challenge petered out over the course of the year. Strategic howlers robbed them of potential podiums and the car struggled to stay in touch with the top even after liberally using the upgrade tokens throughout the season. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were delegated with the task of keeping the tifosi happy and they did it to the best of their abilities. Kimi Raikkonen outqualified his team-mate ( 11-10 ) over the course of the season which was a pleasant surprise. The Iceman also managed to get 4 podiums finishing 6th in the Championship with 186 points. Sebastian achieved 6 podiums and P4 in the standings with 212 points.

The team failed to win a race this year, their main target at the start of 2016. Overall its been a disappointing performance. The Power Deficit couple with Aerodynamic deficiency hampered progress. The car was also slow in getting the tyres upto temperature. They also need to have more faith in their strategies and not react to what others are doing during a race.

The Result? Red Bull eventually caught up and overtook them, outscoring Ferrari by 70 points.

Kimi had a decent year but it could have been a lot better if Ferrari had not made strategic errors in a few races. He could have achieved some more podiums. Kimi should be strong in 2017.

Ferrari need a major overhaul if they need to challenge for the title in 2017. The learning curve is going to be steep but with the Financial Resources they have, progress should be faster.

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India ended 2016 as the strongest Mercedes Customer Team. The team went from strength to strength each year and they are reaping the fruits of their hard work now. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg produced the goods again as the team clinched 4th place in the Constructors enabling them a strong base to start from in 2017.

Sergio Perez achieved 2 podiums in Monaco and Canada and finished in the points on 14 occasions. Hulkenberg's best finish came in Belgium ( 4th ) with 14 points finishes as well. Perez finished the season on 101 points with Hulkenberg scoring 72.

Force India should be proud of what they have achieved this year with the limited resources they had. The Drivers were consistent in bringing home results and although P3 will be a tough ask, finishing P4 again is achievable.

Williams Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams had a strong 2014 and 2015. However 2016 saw a sharp drop in performances and results. Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas teamed up for 2016. Bottas got a podium ( 3rd ) finish in Canada while Massa's best finish was 5th in Australia & Russia.

Bottas amassed 85 points while Massa finished 11th in the standings with 53 points. The team was overshadowed by Force India though. The Silverstone based outfit prevailed against them in a hard fought battle.

Felipe Massa announced his retirement from the sport and was given a fitting farewell by one and all in F1.

The Team dropped to 5th in the Constructors' standing as against 3rd last year. They never looked like challenging the works team in the 2nd half of the season. The team would be very displeased to lose another position to Force India, a team operating with a smaller budget than theirs. The saving grace for them was the power advantage of their Mercedes unit, else P5 would be a tough ask too.

Williams have work to do for 2017.

McLaren Honda F1 Team :

McLaren continued with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for 2016. Alonso suffered a bad accident with Gutierrez in Australia and had to skip Bahrain GP. Stoffel Vandoorne, the reserve driver, finished 10th in Bahrain grabbing the first point of the season for McLaren. Alonso won the team-mate battle finishing 10th in the overall standings with 54 points. His best finish was 5th in Monaco and USA. Jenson Button who announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the season finished 15th with Austria yielding his best race finish ( 6th ).

McLaren improved considerably in their 2nd year with the Honda engine. They managed to put in a fair number of miles throughout the season. Results improved considerably but still they are nowhere near the performance levels that they should be. 2017 will be an interesting year. Hopefully Honda can concentrate on power rather than reliability over the winter break.

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso had a torrid time with Renault powered engines in 2015 and reverted to Ferrari powertrains, albeit the 2015 one. Toro Rosso continued with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen for 2016 but the lineup changed post Russia after Kvyat caused a collision and was demoted to Toro Rosso, Verstappen moving up the order. Many questioned this move mid-season but Red Bull reiterated that this was necessary to help Kvyat develop into a better racer.

Toro Rosso had a very capable chassis and produced strong results throughout the season - 63 Points and 7th in the Constructors' Championship. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished 8th in the Drivers' Championship with 46 points, Max scored in 3 races ( till Russia ) while Kvyat managed to score in only 3 races after his demotion. Sainz showcased his class again with 6th place finishes in 3 races and being consistent throughout the season. One has to feel for Kvyat, first the demotion, then the struggles and problems he faced during the season. He has another year to make things right but with Gasly breathing down his neck, I have my reservations.

Toro Rosso can take pride in the fact that they have given F1 world class drivers and Max ensured the tradition continues. Carlos too is waiting in the wings. Red Bull have their hands full.

Haas F1 Team :

Haas, the new boys in F1 garnered a lot of attention both in pre-season and through the season. Romain Grosjean left Lotus to join Haas with the plan of eventually stepping up into the Ferrari Works team ( should an opportunity arise ) while Esteban Gutierrez landed the 2nd seat, courtesy of Ferrari, the engine suppliers for the team. Gene Haas always had a presence in F1 but coming in as a full fledged team would pose a different challenge altogether.

Romain Grosjean scored all the points for the team. The Frenchman amassed 29 points which helped Haas finish 8th in the standings. His best finish was 5th in Bahrain. Esteban Gutierrez drew a blank but missed out on points on a few occasions. It was quite evident that having a more experienced driver helped the team considerably. Romain was retained for 2017 while Gutierrez has lost his seat to Magnussen. One does feel sympathy for Esteban but he was so comprehensively beaten by his team-mate that there would be very few people who would justify giving him another year.

It was a fantastic maiden year for Haas F1. Very few would predict an 8th place finish, one ahead of a works team. They have a strong platform to build from for 2017. I believe the teething issues of their maiden year will be addressed and Haas will be a force to contend with.

Renault Sport F1 Team :

Renault broke off from Red Bull and purchased Lotus F1 to become a full-time Works Team in F1. It was a tough ask to turn it all around in 2016. Lotus had a better outing in 2015, even grabbing a podium but one must not forget that it was a Mercedes powered chassis. As informed to me by my friend, the 2016 Challenger was essentially a 2015 car with a lot of upgrades. The Delay in the takeover left little time in developing a new car. Renault however was here to stay and a roadmap to supremacy was laid up. Renault hired the services of Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen after Grosjean left for Haas and Maldonado was relieved of his duties.

Progress, as expected was tough and Renault had to address issues throughout the season. Nevertheless, Kevin Magnussen managed to fetch 7 points for the team, finishing in the Points in Russia and Singapore. Jolyon Palmer on the other hand had a poor debut season with a solitary point in Malaysia. However he was also the victim of reliability issues and unfortunate incidents. His performances did improve in the latter half of the season which was enough to warrant him a seat for 2017. Renault finished the season in 9th with 8 points.

Renault will be working over the winter break. They were finding their feet in 2016. 2017 must produce a big step up in terms of results.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber had a horrid 2014, 2015 and 2016 was destined to be the same until Nasr clinched 9th place in Brazil. These 2 points elevated them to 10th place in the Constructors' Standings, the final place in receiving a financial bonus. Marcus Ericsson finished the season pointless, his best finish 11th in Mexico. The Chassis has been the main challenge for the team. The 2015 Ferrari powered unit was strong enough but poor chassis design and lack of aerodynamics hampered progress.

Sauber is a cash strapped team and one can empathize with where they are now. Hopefully they have a more decent outing next year and with a potential take-over doing the rounds, money might pour in to help them stay afloat and develop a stronger car.

Manor Racing F1 Team :

Manor, formerly Marussia hired the services of Rio Haryanto & Mercedes Protegee Pascal Wehrlein for 2016. However Haryanto lost his race seat ( after Germany ) after the sponsors failed to meet the financial obligations to the team. His best finish was 15th in Monaco.

2014 & 2015 saw Mercedes AMG F1 flatten all opposition that came in their way of winning both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Titles.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have dominated with race victories, the former winning 2 World Championships.

2016, the 3rd year of the Turbo Era boasts of being the longest season in F1 with 21 Races. Baku, Azerbaijan is the New European GP. Haas F1 Team is the new entrant and hired the services of Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez. Lotus F1 became Renault Sport F1 ( Works Team ), Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer joined their ranks. Marussia became Manor Racing, DTM Champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 Driver Rio Haryanto joining them.

A Lot is new in F1 this season but is there a new force to reckon with in the sport? we have completed 11 races of the season and its time to take a quick peek into how the season has unfolded.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Its no secret that Mercedes spent a lot of time developing the cars for the new turbo era. Experts tipped them as favourites for 2016 and the team has not disappointed again. They have dominated both in Qualifying and in the Races. Barring one race ( Spain ) where both the drivers took each other out, the team has won every Grand Prix up until now. Lewis Hamilton suffered with reliability issues and he might have to take a 10 place penalty in the near future. Rosberg had strong start to the season but his challenge has faltered somewhat since Spain. 3 Podiums in 7 races meant losing the Championship lead to Hamilton going into the mid season break. Hamilton on the other hand was riddled with reliability issues but rose among them. 6 Race Victories to 5 of Rosberg's mean he leads the Championship by 19 points. Hamilton looks in ominous form. However he is playing down his chances for the Championship cause of Penalties coming his way. Its hard to catch Hamilton when he gets into such a rhythm and how Rosberg approaches the upcoming races would be intriguing to watch.

Mercedes have enough in reserve and can easily extend the gap when they need to against their opposition. Frankly, I don't see anyone challenging them for the 2016 Crown. Again!

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari had a lot of positivity about them going into 2016. They really believed the SF-16H had what was needed to dethrone the Mercedes from its perch. Sebastian Vettel had some blistering starts in the races. Kimi Raikkonen followed suit too. However both have suffered with Reliability issues ( Vettel more often ). Bad Strategic calls in some races added to the woes. The Team seemed to be the sole challenger but the challenge has somewhat fizzled out since the British Grand Prix. A Lot of updates and tokens have been used throughout the season but they have yielded mixed results.

Kimi Raikkonen, the more consistent of the two drivers, sits 4th in the Championship, 95 points adrift of Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel is 5th, a further 2 points away. Raikkonen's performances improved from those in 2014 and 2015 and suffered only 2 retirements up until now. Vettel suffered from 2 DNFs and one DNS ( Did not start ). However has 5 podiums to Raikkonen's 4 till now.

Ferrari sit in 3rd in the Championship standings, Red Bull having jumped above them with strong results in the last 3 races. There is a lot of work to do for the Maranello Based Outfit. Beating Mercedes for the Constructors seems like a far fetched idea. Their battle is with Red Bull now, to be the best of the rest. 

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull sport a new name on their car in 2016. They formally broke their alliance with Renault at the end of 2015 but they sport a Tag Heuer branded Renault engine at the back of their car. Their lineup remained unchanged in Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat until the latter's mistake in Russia brought about a decision to demote him to Scuderia Toro Rosso ( Red Bull B Team effectively ) and promote the Young Max Verstappen up into the A Team.

What followed next is the stuff of dreams. Max Verstappen won the Spanish GP in his debut race for the team holding of the challenge of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. He also became the youngest driver to win a GP. Ricciardo on the other hand did what Ricciardo does best - Maximize results. It seemed that his time to win had arrived as well when he was leading in Monaco. However a botched pit stop handed victory to Hamilton and Ricciardo was distraught. He gathered himself and put in some really strong performances. Max Verstappen won a race and finished on the Podium thrice ( since his joining ) while Daniel Ricciardo has 3 podiums to his name and sits 3rd in the Championship.

Red Bull have got a measure of Ferrari now it seems. They have emerged as the primary contender to Mercedes for the 2nd half of the season. True, Renault's power deficit still needs to be address but the aerodynamic efficiency of the car is powering them ahead, maybe to more race victories.

It may be a little too late for Red Bull to fight for the Constructors' but the Milton Keyes based 4 time Constructors' Champions has made its presence felt!

Williams Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams sit 4th in the Constructors, the deficit too big to cover to get into the top 3. They are looking nervously over the shoulder since Sahara Force India F1 is breathing down their necks. It is really intriguing to see how fortunes have changed for Williams. 2014 was a very strong year for Williams. 2015 saw a wane in form but in 2016 they seem to be totally off the pace. They still are the "Fastest Mercedes Customer" Team but this title might not last long with them.

Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa continue with the team in 2016, Bottas 7th and Mass 9th in the Championship. Bottas the more consistent of the duo bagged 3rd place in Canada, the best finish for the team till now. Massa's best finish is 5th ( twice ). The car is clearly struggling on multiple fronts. Should the team invest and try to improve this year or focus attention to 2017 and hope to stave off the challenge by other customer teams? I think they don't have enough in their arsenal to hold off the chasers and a certain amount of investment is needed this year to garner any hopes of being 4th in the Championship. Bottas is settled in the team but Massa seems a bit lost with the uncertainty of his driver contract for next year. Such issues need to be cleared asap so that the weightier matters can be addressed.

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India had a strong 2015 after the B-Spec Car was launched. 2016 has been no different. They have carried the momentum and confidence into 2016 and I don't see any team stopping them from attaining 4th Place in the Constructors by the end of the year. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg continue racing for the Team in 2016. Perez finished on the podium twice this year while Hulkenberg's best finish is 6th. The team picked up the pace after the first 3 races and it will be interesting to see how their season pans out in the 2nd half.

Perez sits 8th in the Championship finishing in the points 5 times. Hulkenberg has 7 points finishes to his name and is 10th in the Championship. Its clear that it is a faceoff between the Williams and the Force India. My money is on the latter.

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso with a Ferrari Engine powering them have had a mercurial season so far. Their strengths came to the fore in the rains but have work to do in the dry. They can be proud of the fact that they lead the McLaren Honda team by 3 points but the next 2 races would be pivotal in maintaining their hold on P6 in the Standings. The Extra Money coming their way ( should they finish in 6th ) will aid in the car development to a great extent. The Team has a talented set of people working for them and the days ahead promise a lot of joy and excitement.

Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen kicked off the 2016 season, the latter being promoted to Red Bull Racing from the Spanish GP. Daniil Kvyat took Verstappen's seat in Spain. Many people were unhappy with this premature decision. Some also questioned the reason behind choosing Verstappen over Sainz. Max outscored Sainz comfortably in the first 4 races and his performances for the A team have silenced all the critics. However one has to feel for Kvyat whose demotion initially left him distraught but the Russian has gathered himself and wants to prove his mettle in F1 again. Sainz leads the team-mate battle, having finished 8 times in the points and is placed 11th in the standings. Kvyat has a podium ( 3rd ) to his credit but that was with Red Bull, post that his performances dipped and he has only 3 other points finishes to his credit. Hopefully, the 4 week break has helped him sort out his problems and his results should improve from Belgium.

Toro Rosso is a great contributor to F1 and the fact that they boast such a young driver lineup, one can be rest assured that the future of F1 is in safe hands. All the Best to him for the second half of the season.

McLaren Honda F1 Team :

"Oh how the Mighty have Fallen". These are the words that come to mind when I think of McLaren. 2014 was a mediocre year. 2015 was rekindling an old partnership with Honda. What conspired after that was a nightmare. Everyone in the team hoped for a better outing in 2016. Honda made promises of addressing all the issues of their power units. McLaren sit 7th in the Constructors at the midpoint of the season, having scored one-tenth of what the Mercedes have scored. Honda is still finding its feet in the new era but this is nowhere near the standards set by the Woking based outfit in their yesteryears.

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button continue their partnership into 2016 and both are working hard to iron out issues in their cars. Alonso is ahead in the team-mate battle on 24 points to Button's 17. They are placed 13th and 15th in the Drivers' Standings respectively. Alonso finished thrice in the points, 5th place being his best finish, Button has 5, 6th place being his best. In the aftermath of a collision with Gutierrez in Australia, Alonso was unfit to race in Bahrain and Vandoorne raced in Bahrain bagging a point for the team.

McLaren have their work cut out. They need to finish the 2nd half of the season on a strong note so that the same momentum is maintained going into 2017. Developing the 2017 car simultaneously would also be a wise decision. There are technical changes coming in 2017 and with the financial prowess they possess, development shouldn't be a problem.

Haas F1 Team :

Haas, the new boys in town roped in the services of Romain Grosjean and Estebaan Gutierrez. Ferrari supplied the engines and the team works closely with the Prancing Horse. Haas can boast of a strong debut in F1. Their performances and results have impressed many in the Paddock. The gap to McLaren is not much but I don't think that they would be able to finish ahead of them at the end of the year. Nevertheless if they produce strong results in the 2nd half of the season, 8th in the Constructors' can easily be cemented.

Grosjean has been the sole points earner for the team with 4 Points finishes and 12th in the Championship with 28 on the board. Gutierrez's return to F1 has been riddled with mistakes, misfortune and reliability issues. He is yet to score this season. Gutierrez needs to get off the blocks soon since performances this year and the next could decide who drives for Ferrari in 2018 ( should Raikkonen call it a day ). Grosjean seems happier than he was at Lotus. I see this team going from strength to strength and they should be regularly featuring in the points in the 2nd half.

Renault Sport F1 Team :

Renault had been a works team with Red Bull. However the struggles of 2014 and 15 brought about a storm that led to the separation of the two. Renault acquired Lotus F1 Team again and fans dreamt of the glory years of 2005 and 2006. The Road ahead is pretty arduous though. The acquisition was announced not too long before the Pre-Season Tests and as a result Development was hampered big time. The 2016 challenger is essentially the 2015 car with a lot of upgrades. Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen became the new driver pairing. As expected, the team has struggled to perform well. Magnussen's best finish of 7th in Russia are the only points that the team has achieved till now. Palmer's best finish was 11th in the Season Opener in Australia.

Renault Sport F1 is a team very close to my heart and I know there are lots of challenges along the way. However I am confident that one day the team would be back at the top contending for the crown. They have to recruit the right personnel with the necessary expertise and experience.

Manor Racing F1 Team :

Manor, the new name of Marussia ( from last year ) came into 2016 as supposedly the "slowest team" on the grid. Rio Haryanto ( GP2 Driver ) and DTM Champion Pascal Wehrlein signed up for them. Pascal got the drive thanks to Mercedes being the engine supplier for the team. Pascal managed to finish 10th in Austria and bring home the solitary point of the team so far. Haryanto has come up second best and sadly due to sponsorship issues has lost his seat to DTM driver and Renault F1 Reserve Driver Esteban Ocon. It would be a great feat for Manor to finish 10th in the Championship. Onwards and Upwards from there if they can manage more finances.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber an old yet famous in F1 is responsible for bringing in some of the fastest racers in F1. All that remains now is a mere shadow of their past. Riddled with Debt and short on finances, the team soldiers on. There have been news of a takeover doing the rounds since some time and if it comes to pass, a lot of issues would be addressed for the team. Its sad to see them struggle and I don't see any improvements happening in the near future. Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson are yet to score a point this season and both need to move up a few gears in terms of performances. Frankly, their sponsorship backings are keeping them in F1..but for how long...the question remains..

2015 was the 2nd year in the new era of F1.

2015 saw teams ironing out issues from the previous year and even forming new partnerships. 

2014 Champions Mercedes AMG Petronas had high hopes for 2015, Ferrari were determined to take the fight to the Mercs while Red Bull were hoping to have a faster and a more reliable engine with Renault.

Lotus F1 saw it wise to switch to Mercedes power for 2015, Toro Rosso to Renault while Sauber & the new entrant Manor F1 ( formerly Marussia ) stuck to Ferrari Power.

McLaren welcomed the return of Honda to F1 and became the works team. Experts said the First year for Honda would be tough but McLaren had hopes of rolling back the years to Senna - Prost era.

Hamilton who became a Double World Champion in 2014 hoped to replicate his form in 2015 while Rosberg promised to leave no stone unturned in his challenge. Sebastian Vettel said goodbye to Red Bull and switched to Ferrari to partner the Iceman and his close friend Kimi Raikkonen.

Alonso moved onto a new challenge and rejoined McLaren to partner Button while Kvyat graduated to the Senior Red Bull Team and the Junior sported very young and inexperienced drivers.

The removal of double points for the final race was a welcome change.

Enough of the teasers, time to assess the performances of teams and drivers alike in 2015.

Mercedes AMG F1 Team :

Mercedes flattened the opposition in 2014. The Constructors' Championship was like a "Walk in the Park". Lewis Hamilton prevailed against his team-mate in the final race to win the 2014 Drivers' Title. 2015 promised to be no different. The 2nd year of the V6 era would see the Works Team produce a faster and more refined version of its predecessor. Constructors' Championship was an easy feat to achieve. Barring a blip in Singapore alongwith a couple of retirements, the W06 was a highly reliable car. Lewis Hamilton sealed his 3rd Drivers' Title in United States while Nico Rosberg finished strongly in the 2nd half of the season. Lets take a quick look at the driver performances.

Lewis Hamilton had the measure of Rosberg right from the start. Once he won the Championship, it looked like he let his foot off the gas. Hamilton was on it right from the start of the season, notching up 5 wins, three 2nd places and one 3rd place in the first half of the season. Post the Mid-season break, Hamilton won 5 out of 6 races, Singapore a retirement for the Brit. Hamilton sealed the deal in United States matching the number of titles of his childhood hero and legend Ayrton Senna! Hamilton did lose some momentum finishing 2nd best to his team-mate in the last 3 races but he had performed when it mattered. He proved his mettle on the Sunday, more often than his team-mate making the most of the opportunities for the 2nd consecutive year. Hamilton scored 381 points.

Nico Rosberg hoped to take the battle to Hamilton and won 3 races in the first half of the season, besides 5 podium finishes. He didn't have an answer after the break unfortunately being beaten fair and square by his team-mate. 2 retirements, engine failure in Italy & throttle failure in Russia almost ended his title hopes. An uncharacteristic error in USA meant curtains. Rosberg found a gear in the final 3 races and turned the tables winning them all, too little too late though. The results should galvanize him for 2016, boost confidence and make him believe that his team-mate can be beaten. Rosberg worked hard but Hamilton just had that edge. Rosberg had a tough battle with Vettel for 2nd place in the Championship but sealed his place with his victories in the end. Rosberg scored 322 points.

Mercedes had the quickest car on the grid but Ferrari gave them a reality check in 2015. Mercedes had to dig deep to maintain their advantage and smashed the record for the points scored in a Constructors' Championship with a mammoth tally of 703 points! Mercedes remain favourites for 2016 but I do see them nervously looking over their shoulder hoping to keep the Scarlet Red cars at bay.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari had a shocker in 2014. They had got everything wrong in the inaugural year of the V6s and a change of guard at the helm was brought about with the hope of restoring some order. Fernando Alonso chose a move to McLaren seeking a new challenge, which he might regret now. Raikkonen was joined by friend and neighbour, not to mention a 4 time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Hopes were high and Ferrari had a quiet confidence about themselves going into 2015. 2 race victories ( minimum ) was the target set. Ferrari clearly was the team that took the fight to Mercedes AMG F1 and were the "best of the rest" on the grid. Vettel won the team-mate battle comfortably.

Sebastian Vettel was in the title hunt for quite sometime until the engine penalty ( planned ) in USA ended his title hopes. Vettel was involved in a see-saw battle with Rosberg for 2nd place until the German got his act together to win the last 3 races and squash the challenge. Vettel gained the love and support of the team and the Tifosi fairly quickly with his stunning performances. Mistakes were sparse and Vettel had the joy of being on the top step of the podium in 3 races - Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore. Vettel suffered 2 retirements, one due to a dangerous tyre blowout denying him a 3rd place in Belgium and a crash in Mexico which followed a series of errors. Vettel had 10 podium finishes besides the 3 victories to finish 3rd in the Championship with 278 points.

Kimi Raikkonen, the Iceman had a better 2015 but not an ideal one in his own words. Raikkonen finished 4th after winning a hotly contested tie with Bottas, 138 points behind his team-mate. The points disparity was huge but the Flying Finn had his wings cut more often than not in races - A loose wheel in Australia, puncture in Malaysia, accident in Austria, Wrong tyre call in Britain, MGU-K Failure in Hungary, Gear-box Failure in Belgium GP Qualifying.

Raikkonen had committed mistakes too, the one in Russia on Bottas and the spin in Montreal handing the same man a podium. The Worst misfortune was when his car stalled on the grid at the start of the Italian Grand Prix. Raikkonen had qualified 2nd in front of the Tifosi and hopes were high for a Ferrari victory.

Many wanted the Finn sacked but Raikkonen showed his class and ability by finishing 2nd ( season best ) in Bahrain and  notching up two 3rd place finishes in Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Raikkonen eventually prevailed in his battle with Bottas to finish 4th in the Championship with 150 points.

James Allison, Ferrari's Technical Director praised Raikkonen and defended Ferrari's decision to retain him rightly pointing out that Raikkonen was faster than Vettel on many occasions, qualifying being the only gremlin that needed to be addressed. Raikkonen also had reliability issues that denied him better race results. 2016 should be a better year for the Finn.

Ferrari had a satisfactory 2015 but knowing Ferrari, the goals for 2016 will be much higher. The duo of Vettel and Raikkonen changed the atmosphere within the team. Retaining Raikkonen was the right decision and will maintain stability besides strengthening the challenge for 2016. As a Raikkonen Fan I dare to believe that he will be a close contender for the crown in 2016. Remember he belongs to the select few who won a Drivers' Championship in their debut year!

Williams Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams was the quickest customer team of Mercedes in 2014. The duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa humbled the mighty Ferrari, a victory of sorts especially for Massa. Williams had their work cut out for 2015 and the benchmark was raised. Massa and Bottas would bear the load of carrying the team through in 2015. Williams however weren't able to replicate the form of 2014. Williams was always playing catchup with the Mercedes Works team and Ferrari. They were able to capitalize on the mistakes of their rivals in a few races but other than that they were the 3rd best team on the grid. Silverstone was their best chance at a double podium and possibly a victory. Tactical errors robbed them. Lets take a quick peek at how their drivers fared.

Bottas won the team-mate battle and the gap of 15 points is deceiving. The Finn wasn't able to start in Australia due to a mechanical failure but scored a chunk of points consistently from thereon. Two 3rd Place finishes in Canada and Mexico helped him keep pressure on Raikkonen for 4th place in the Championship. Bottas and Raikkonen came together in Russia and both were robbed of a potential 3rd place. Kimi was blamed for the incident and penalized. The duo came together again in Mexico with Kimi being the aggrieved party but Bottas escaping penalty. Bottas suffered just one other retirement in USA. A dismal final race in Abu Dhabi denied Bottas a shot for 4th place. Bottas scored 136 points to finish 5th in the Championship.

Massa had a roller coaster season in 2015. From the highs of finishing 3rd in Austria ( Thanks to Vettel's slow pit stop ) & Italy ( Thanks to Raikkonen stalling on the grid ) to the lows of 2 retirements in Singapore and USA and disqualification at his home race in Brazil due to discrepancies in tyre pressures, Massa has experienced it all. Massa had a good 2015 nonetheless and would hope for a better year in 2016. He scored a total of 121 points and finished 6th in the Championship.

2015 was somewhat of a step back for Williams and the team would be hoping to be a lot closer to their competitors in 2016. They have the funds and the people to accomplish this. 2016 will be interesting for them.

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull Racing, works team for Renault had a topsy-turvy 2014. The Team hoped for a change of fortunes in 2015 but it was worse than 2014. The Relationship that saw the team bring 4 Consecutive World Championships ( Drivers and Constructors ) was fractured and eventually destroyed over the course of 2015. Red Bull were not happy with the Renault power units which besides misfiring were extremely unreliable. Claims of improvement post upgrades produced next to nil results. The tie was severed for 2016 and 2015 just became a season that had to be "finished" for the team. The latter stages of the season featured being peppered by the media about the engine deals the Milton Keyes based outfit were exploring. Mercedes deal fell through, Ferrari refused 2016 spec engines from the fear of competition, Honda had no intentions and the threat of a withdrawal loomed for the team. It was sad to see the focus shifting from the performances of 2015. I must not repeat the mistake. So, returning to 2015, Daniil Kvyat joined forces with Daniel Ricciardo, the Russian replacing the highly decorated and loved Sebastian Vettel who jumped ship to switch to the red overalls of Ferrari. Ricciardo had beaten the outgoing Vettel in 2014 and it was interesting to see how he would cope with his quick and young team-mate. Ricciardo lost the battle this time, albeit a very closely contested one. Red Bull finished 4th in the Constructors' Championship with 187 points.

Kvyat finished 7th in the Drivers' Championship narrowly beating his team-mate Ricciardo. The Russian was at home in his car and didn't let the disappointment ( Did Not Start ) of his debut hamper his performances. Scoring consistently, his efforts were rewarded with a 2nd place finish in Hungary.  Kvyat finished with 95 points.

Ricciardo didn't lag behind in his performances and matched Kvyat in many races. He scored 2 podium finishes too ( 2nd in Singapore & 3rd in Hungary ) but 4 finishes outside the top 10 hurt him bad. 92 points and 8th place in the Championship for the Honey Badger. Ricciardo has his work cut out for 2016 now and I would like to see him get the upper hand this time.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen" summarizes the state of Red Bull Racing. The ruptured relationship with Renault almost left them without an engine supplier until an understanding was reached when they confirmed a deal to run TAG Heuer branded Renault engines in 2016. The travails of Red Bull don't end here though. The loss of revenue, their say in the future structure of the sport leaves their future in balance. All this could change if the team returns to the pedestal which would be really good for the sport!

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India have been in F1 for a fairly long time. The aim to move up the grid never was a walk in the park but the team has kept at it and produced their best season in F1. 5th place in the Championship is a big thing considering the resources on offer. Force India had to wait for their B-Spec car and they greatly benefited post its introduction. Nico Hulkenberg & Sergio Perez form a quick pairing for Force India . There was a time when they had the more successful and moolah laden Red Bull Racing nervously looking over their shoulder and many believe the Mercedes powered team could have beaten them but for the lack of finances. Force India scored 136 points in 2015

Sergio Perez won the team-mate battle in 2015. Perez had almost a trouble-free 2015 with just one retirement. His 3rd Place Finish in Russia saw Force India return to the podium for the first time since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. Perez finished in the points in 11 other races. Perez finished 9th with 78 points.

Nico Hulkenberg didn't have smooth sailing in 2015. 4 retirements and a "Did Not Start" in Belgium ( Engine Failure ) hurt his chances of a 9th place finish badly. Hulkenberg was a tough nut to crack and produced great results when he had a proper functioning car under him. Him best finish was 6th, thrice in the season - Austria, Japan & Brazil. Hulkenberg completed the top 10 with 58 points.

Force India, just like Lotus F1 show a lot of promise. Progress is slow and the battles get tougher higher up the grid. Force India dare to dream and I do see them challenge that elusive 4th place in the Constructors and the benefits that come with it. How much will they have in the wallet for 2016 remains the big question.

Lotus F1 Team :

Lotus F1 had a dismal 2014. 2015 saw them switch engine suppliers from Renault to Mercedes. Romain Grosjean & Pastor Maldonado continued their partnership & the team hopes to have a better outing. The Lack of finances meant that the frequency of upgrades was low and progress slow. The team also suffered from delayed arrival of freights on race weekends, not to mention being locked out of their Hospitality units due to non-payment of dues. This occurred more often than not in the second half of the season. However these off track issues didn't deter the team from producing stunning results come Sunday. The team displayed amazing grit and will power to keep fighting and finished a commendable 6th in the Constructors' Championship. How did the drivers fare?

Romain Grosjean, unsurprisingly was the more successful of the duo. Grosjean was on the edge of point scoring positions in many races but Belgium saw him score a fairy-tale 3rd, rewinding back the time to 2012 and 2013. Grosjean scored a total of 51 points and finished 11th in the Championship. His performances proved to be pivotal in the battle with the Toro Rossos.

Maldonado on other hand attracted the ire of Fans and Media alike with his reckless moves on co-drivers. 5 out of the first 6 races were retirements. The 2nd Half of the season yielded better results but the final tally still don't justify his place in the pinnacle of motorsport. 7th was the best Maldonado could conjure, albeit 3 times this year - Canada, Austria, Russia. He finished 14th in the Championship tied on 27 points with Nasr, the latter's better finishing position at Australia giving him the upper hand.

Lotus F1 is a team I shall always love and support. It was nice to see them recover from the shock of 2014. There isn't a team like them and I am so happy to know that Renault have taken over the reigns for 2016. This will not only address financial issues but also provide the bright minds at Enstone the much needed money to build a more than capable challenger. The Driver Lineup sees a change as well with Palmer partnering the misfiring Maldonado. Prospects will be explored in the 2016 Preview.

Scuderia Toro - Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso were at the centre of media attention throughout the season. The Team hired the services of two youngsters one a minor. Both had Fathers who raced in F1 and maybe that fast-tracked their entry into F1. Carlos Sainz Jr. made a name for himself in the lower categories and was soon justifying the backing of the Red Bull Driver program. Max Verstappen landed the 2nd seat after being the test driver in 2014. The Dutch Youngster completed only 47 races, Formula 3 being the only series he had raced in before F1. Experts and media alike were skeptical of this new pairing. Questions were raised about the inexperience of both drivers since Red Bull had drivers racing in GP2 the feeder series.
However the performances of both the drivers would leave everyone impressed.

Max Verstappen quickly developed a reputation of a fearless but not reckless rookie. He was fast all season, seriously fast! The youngster learned quickly and pulled off some sensational moves. He refused to abide by team orders on a few occasions too but these decisions helped him stay ahead of his team-mate and score 49 points with 4th being his best finish twice in the season ( Hungary & USA ). Max is young but has been on a rapid learning curve and 2016 will see him go from strength to strength. Respect to the Dutch Stallion for proving doubters ( including me ) wrong!

Carlos Sainz Jr. another Red Bull protegee and a fan of Alonso earned a name for himself in the lower categories and landed a seat in 2015. Sainz matched Verstappen in terms of pace but suffered from reliability issues more than his team-mate ( 7 to 4 ) and that hampered his 2015 campaign. Verstappen grabbed all the news but Sainz always managed to put in solid shifts and please his employers in his rookie season. Sainz best finish was 7th in USA and he scored a total of 18 points in the championship which was less than hald of what Verstappen achieved. Verstappen was the bolder one and was willing to take risks. Sainz was more calculative in his approach and I hope to see him do substantially better in 2016.

Toro Rosso have a talented lineup and 2015 saw them outperform the A-Team in some races too. Upwards is the only way for them for 2016.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber hired the services of Nasr & Ericsson for 2015. However Sauber's early season preparations were disrupted by a series of legal challenges from former Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde, who claimed that he had a contract to race that was signed in June 2014. Van der Garde went to court in an effort to force the team to replace one of their drivers with him at the opening round in Melbourne, with the court finding in his favour. Van der Garde later agreed to not participate in the event, with the driver and team settling the dispute for an undisclosed sum to terminate the contract following the first round.

Backed by Ferrari power, Sauber hoped for maximizing points all season long to bring in the much needed revenue for survival. However the team has seen contrasting performances at different race tracks. The car has dialed in pretty well on some and had been totally at sea in the others.

Nasr was the better of the 2 drivers at Sauber. 5th was his best finishing position with 5 other races in the points. Nasr finished 13th in the Standings with 27 points. Ericsson, a lot slower than his Brazilian Team-mate finished 18th in the Championship with just 9 points, 8th being his best finish in Australia.

Sauber suffered funding issues all season long and with Sahara Force India launched a formal complaint at the European Commission raising concerns about funds distribution in F1. The lack of funding meant that development was slow and I doubt this will change going into 2016. Sauber hopes to enjoy a better share of the pie in 2016 and I hope they do with their case at the Commission.

McLaren Honda F1 Team :

McLaren reignited an old partnership with Honda as the engine supplier. Honda the new entrant in the Turbo Era had a mountain to climb. The Power Unit Allocation was reduced from 5 to 4 for 2015 but Honda being a new supplier, got the comfort of a 5th unit. However they would need many more! McLaren's longest continuous testing session lasting twelve laps in Barcelona and Problems started from the season opener in Australia. Alonso's injury gave Magnussen a race but an engine failure for him didn't allow him to even reach the grid. Both cars suffered multiple retirements, grid penalties all season long and Honda invited the ire of Alonso over team radio on a few occasions. Honda top brass remained adamant that they were making progress.

The Balance of Performance and Reliability had to be reached and the team were fortunate to score some points over the course of the season, thanks to the misfortune of others or rapid weather changes. Nevertheless it was a dismal year for McLaren. The Team also lost some valuable sponsorship to rivals Mercedes and Red Bull ( for 2016 ). McLaren finished only above Manor and suffered a huge loss in terms of revenue & performance in 2015. A team of McLaren's history and stature shouldn't be lingering in 9th in the Constructors' Championship.

Jenson Button & Fernando Alonso featured in the 2015 lineup. The Former World Champions struggled to get to grips with their cars all season long. Button prevailed in the team-mate battle scoring 16 points with 6th place in USA being his best finish. Alonso scored a meagre 11 points best being 5th in Hungary.

13 retirements combined for both the Drivers in 2015 and doubts prevail for 2016. It will be intriguing to see how patient McLaren & Co. are going to be in this new partnership.

Manor F1 Team :

Manor, the Old Marussia F1 under new ownership hired the services of newbie Roberto Merhi and Ex-Caterham Driver Will Stevens. GP2 driver Alexander Rossi also got to race in 5 events - Singapore, Japan, USA, Mexico, Brazil. Although neither of the 3 scored points, Merhi & Rossi were classified above Stevens in the championship due to their best finishing positions of 12th ( Britain for Merhi, USA for Rossi ) to Stevens' 13th in Britain. 

The Team had a decent outing in 2015 with the resources they had. The team was unable to participate in the opening round in Australia but ensured their participation in all other rounds. 2015 had not been smooth sailing for them with top personnel leaving and new ones being added. The Drivers too were instrumental in bringing in some sponsorships to keep the team afloat all season long. 

I really hope to see Manor back on the grid in 2016 and in a much more competitive avatar.

2015, the second year in the Turbo Era of F1. In 2014, Mercedes AMG Petronas flattened the opposition with their dominance.

Would 2015 be a repeat of the same? We have reached the mid point of the season and the F1 Fraternity take a 4 week break before returning for the Belgian Grand Prix.

A quick look at how the season has conspired so far.

Mercedes AMG Petronas :

Mercedes have preserved their dominance in the new era but its not been easy sailing this time. Hamilton leads the Championship from Rosberg by 21 points. Reliability has been the forte for the team this year. Bahrain was the only race where the limits ( Brakes ) were tested for the team. No Retirements this year, the duo featured on the podium at every race barring the recently concluded Hungarian Grand Prix. Mercedes lead the constructors with 383 points on the board. One can say they have one hand on the Constructors' trophy.

Hamilton won 5 Races ( Australia, China, Bahrain, Canada & Great Britain ) to Rosberg's 3 ( Spain, Monaco & Austria ). One might argue that Rosberg was handed victory at Monaco thanks to Hamilton's tactical error but points are points. Hamilton was destined to lose his lead to Rosberg at Hungary after his hasty move on the German ( at the start ) bumped him down from 4th to 10th. Rosberg was set for 3rd place when Ricciardo clipped his rear tyre and caused a puncture. Hamilton retained his lead going into the break and looks favourite to retain his title.

Mercedes have the edge for now. Ferrari are close but not close enough.

Scuderia Ferrari :

2015 saw a change in the driver lineup for the Maranello based outfit. Vettel joined forces with Raikkonen as Ferrari began hunting down the leaders with full earnest. Ferrari are the closest contenders to Mercedes and have been since the start of the season. They seem to have overcome the problems of last year and show a marked improvement, particularly on the powertrain side. Results improved by far and the team has already met their target of 2 victories for the season. Upgrade Tokens were used before Canada but the upgrades have yielded mixed results. Ferrari still linger in outright pace in comparison to Mercedes. The first couple of races in the 2nd half will be of utmost importance for the team. Mercedes always keep something in reserve. Monza, Ferrari's home race, will be a reality check.

Sebatian Vettel joined Ferrari after winning 4 titles at Red Bull. He is following his idol Schumacher's Footsteps. Vettel has been brilliant this year and is definitely on course to becoming a legend at Ferrari. The German with his tremendous racecraft has outfoxed the Mercedes duo on a few occasions; with 2 victories under his belt, he still is in the reckoning for the Driver's Title. Hungary was a brilliant outing for him and victory cut down the deficit to Hamilton to 42 points. It still is a tall order, but Vettel chooses to believe.

Kimi Raikkonen, The Iceman. What can I say. Its been a funny year for him. In his own words "its not as disastrous as last year" The Finn has been on the wrong end of reliability on a couple of occasions. Strategy & Variable weather conditions have cost him dearly. Honestly the results are not as good as 2013 but way better than what they were last year - Three 4th Place finishes, One 5th, 6th & 8th with a brilliant 2nd Place in Bahrain. Kimi is known to be stronger in the second half of the year and I am hoping to see him silence his critics come Belgium.

I had the privilege of supporting him live in Austria, unfortunately the first lap crash cut short his race. Kimi is the King of Spa and I shall be in Belgium to support the Iceman! Praying for a better outing! Keep Flying Iceman!

Williams F1 Racing :

Williams were a revelation in 2014. Come 2015 and they still are the Strongest Mercedes Customer Team on the grid. Williams have surprised their bigger spending rivals with some sparkling performances this year - Red Bull has been displaced, Ferrari are looking over their shoulders and Mercedes got a reality check in a couple of races. Williams must learn to be decisive in their decisions though and winning races should always be a priority. Silverstone was a harsh lesson but other than that its been another good year for the team. 3rd Place will match their performance from last year and quite honestly 3rd is the best this team might achieve. Ferrari have been pretty strong in the first half and catching them will be no walk in the park.

Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, one of the strongest pairings in F1. There is little to choose between them. Only 3 points separate the team-mates with Kimi Raikkonen sandwiched in between. Both ensured that after Ferrari, they are the next best team on the grid, sometimes even beating the Prancing Horse. A 3rd place for each and finishing on the sharper end of points underlines the consistency. The strategy coupled with weather cost the duo a double podium and possibly victory in Britain. Hungary was a disaster too and only the 2nd time that Williams didn't take home any points ( Monaco was the other ). Williams are stronger at power tracks. There are still a few in the 2nd half of the season. They can definitely spring a surprise, so eyes open rivals!

Red Bull Racing F1 :

Red Bull lost their prized quadruple World Champion Sebastien Vettel to Ferrari at the start of 2015. Daniil Kvyat graduated from Toro Rosso to partner Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull are a mere shadow of themselves in the Turbo Era. The Renault engine has hampered their chances and the team is struggling hard to bring home results. The Team predicted that Hungary and Singapore are 2 races they would be the strongest at. Hungary was a brilliant outing with a double podium. Strong Points haul every other weekend is the target for the team and 4th place looks cemented for them. Williams in 3rd aren't out of reach but it may be too big a task even with the resources the team possesses.

Daniel Ricciardo has been the more consistent and became the new leader in the team. The Aussie continues to impress in 2015 and the latest result in Hungary proved his driving prowess. Ricciardo is locked in battle with his team-mate for 7th in the Drivers' Championship but he will eventually move up the list by the end of the season. 3rd place in Hungary was his best finish so far.

Daniil Kvyat had a much better outing in 2015 albeit in a stronger car. Kvyat has cemented his place in the team with the performances produced in the first half of the season. He will go from strength to strength thanks to an able ( & Young ) Challenger in Ricciardo. 2nd Place in Hungary, his best finish taught him many things as a driver. He might not be able to replicate this finish this year but he has played the perfect support role to his team-mate this year.

Sahara Force India F1 :

Force India retained their 2014 lineup and 2015 has been a mixed season so far. Barring the debacle at Hungary, the car is reliable. The updated chassis was introduced in Britain and it remains to be seen how effective it is going to be. The setup prior to the B-Spec was solid and the team produced consistent results. 5th place seems to be a realistic target but Force India needs a strong second half to ensure they are untouched.

Nico Hulkenberg deserves to be in a team higher up the grid. His performances have been nothing short of brilliant. The German is in the top 10 with 4 points finishes so far. If the car has the speed, he could spring a surprise at the end of the year.

Sergio Perez had a tough 2015 so far. He has been on the cusp of points finishes on a few occasions. Although he has 5 points finishes, the aggregate points are 9 less than his team-mate's. Perez has a formidable rival in Hulkenberg and needs to move up a few gears for the remainder of 2015 - both for himself and the team.

Lotus F1 :

Lotus F1 had a dismal 2014. A Change in the Engine Supplier seemed to have helped the team this year. Lotus is locked in battle with Force India and Toro Rosso for 5th place. Securing their target would help them to bring in more sponsorships aiding their development for 2017. The Team still suffers from gremlins and their main aim should be to increase reliability for the second half of the season. Lotus has enough personnel to produce the results they desire. I do feel 5th place in the Constructors will be too much to ask considering the team's current roster of drivers.

Romain Grosjean has been more successful than his team-mate and unsurprisingly so. Grosjean showed that he has the speed provided the car given to him is reliable. The Frenchman finished in the points 5 times in the first half of the season. The Team would be really dependent on him to produce the results in the 2nd half as compared to Maldonado who is very mercurial with his performances.

Pastor Maldonado earned a reputation of being the bad boy of F1 and this season he hasn't done anything significant to shake off this perception. Retirements and crashes have damaged his season badly. The team needs serious reconsideration for 2017 as the Venezuelan doesn't look cut out for the sport. Maldonado has brought home only 12 points with 2 Seven Place finishes so far.

I really hope that Lotus does well this year. I have great respect for the team and their work - ethic. They have a talented bunch of people in Oxfordshire and deserve to be racing in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Scuderia Toro Rosso :

Toro Rosso got 2 rookies for 2015. Max Verstappen, son of Ex-F1 Driver Jos Verstappen and only 17 years old. Carlos Sainz Jr. joined the team from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Toro Rosso have struggled so far in 2015 primarily with reliability issues. The Drivers have produced impressive drives and made a strong case for themselves. One can safely say that they have silenced the doubters. Toro Rosso will be looking to Renault to address their reliability and performance issues so that they can start producing better results and move up the grid in the second half of the season. Funding from Red Bull is of paramount importance too.

Verstappen has outperformed his team-mate so far. As a rookie, the mistakes are few and the Belgian will definitely be championship material in a quicker car. His best finish was 4th at Hungary besides being in the points on 2 other occasions ( Malaysia & Austria )

Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered more retirements than his team-mate and seems to be overhauled by him this year. Sainz Jr. has been in the points in 4 races, the best being 8th in Malaysia. The Spaniard needs a strong second half to preserve his seat in Toro Rosso, competition from GP2 is definitely closing in.

Sauber F1 :

Sauber hired Felipe Nasr & Marcus Ericsson for 2015. The Financial influx is more than welcome for Sauber as they strive to survive in a sport that is getting expensive day by day. The Team benefited from the revamped Ferrari Unit and did well in he early part of the season. However they have fallen back after China and are struggling to bring home the much needed results. The Chances of holding onto 8th in Constructors seem bleak and Sauber might end up being 9th and only faster than Manor by the end of the season. They need some upgrades soon to stay in touch with the competition around them

Nasr the rookie has finished in the points only thrice this season, his best finish being 5th at the season opener in Australia. Nasr has a lot to learn from the remainder of the season and I doubt he would be able to challenge his immediate rivals.

Marcus Ericsson who bagged the 2nd seat has performed slightly better than his previous year with Caterham. Ericsson's best finish was 8th in Australia. He also bagged a point each in China and Hungary. In comparison to his rookie team-mate, Ericsson has a lot of catching up to do. Some might even question his abilities to hold onto his seat for 2016. Only time will tell.

McLaren Honda :

McLaren switched from Mercedes to Honda for 2015. The Lineup saw a change too with Fernando Alonso returning to the Woking based Outfit to partner Jenson Button. Magnussen stepped down to become the 3rd driver. The faithful are hoping for a return of the Glory Years when Honda dominated the Sport in the Turbo era with Senna & Prost. However Honda's renewed partnership with McLaren has been anything but successful. The team struggled first with reliability issues and then started running short on the number of engine allocation units for the season. The change in the regulation allowing a new engine manufacturer to have an extra power unit in its first year has failed to provide any respite either. The team has taken baby steps in addressing reliability issues and now slowly shift their focus to performance.  2015 is a leaning year for McLaren and they would love to bring home as many points as they can.

Alonso suffered a crash in pre-season testing and had to sit out for the season opener in Australia. Magnussen took his place only to not start the race with an engine failure. Alonso had to endure a series of retirements besides losing a new engine in his crash with Raikkonen in Austria. However the last 2 races have brought about a change of fortunes. Alonso finished 10th in Britain and took an unthinkable 5th in Hungary, the team admitting to have run the engines at maximum performance.

Button's season hasn't been any different. Although Button has more finishes this season, he has finished in the points only twice - 8th in Monaco & 9th in Hungary. He would be hoping for a better 2nd half to the season with McLaren seemingly addressing their reliability issues.

Manor Marussia :

Manor became the new owners of Marussia for 2015 and sported a new lineup of Roberto Merhi & Will Stevens. The Team has had a decent outing so far with the limited resources that they have. Roberto Merhi produced the best result for the team with 12th Position at the British Grand Prix with Will Stevens 13th.

There isn't much the team can expect from this year. A points finish would be a blessing but the lack of funds isn't going to help their cause

A LEGEND GOES HOME :

Safety has been paramount in the world of F1 since Ayrton Senna's demise in 1994 at Imola. However a severe crash ( in Japan ) with a extrication vehicle ( sent to retrieve Sutil's stricken Sauber ) saw Jules Bianchi of Marussia F1 Team ( now Manor ) suffer serious heading injuries eventually sending him into a coma. Battle for Survival ensued with many hoping for the young Frenchman to return to the sport. However 9 months later, on 17th July 2015, Jules Bianchi passed away, the first fatality of the sport after Senna.

Jules Bianchi was a brilliant driver, a talent well spotted by Ferrari and inducted into their driver program. The aim was to eventually replace Raikkonen with him and Bianchi had ticked all the right boxes. The 9th Place in Monaco for Marussia was a testimony of his God gifted abilities. However Bianchi went home and left the F1 Fraternity and the fans broken.

Hungary was an emotional weekend for F1 Personnel and Fans alike. Emotions still run high as I type this. A Young Talent lost...

Its the Drivers that make F1 the sport that it is. The men who take to the grid are the best in the world. Bianchi was one of them. He will live on in the annals of F1 history as a Legend.

Jules, you will be missed. JB17, JB17 FOREVER. CIAO JULES!

The Summer Break is a time for the Teams and Drivers to take a much needed break and recuperate before the start of the final 2 European Races and the Fly Away Events.

Belgium will see everyone refreshed and ready for the 2nd half of the season. 

As a Fan, I can't wait for F1 to return!

2014 was not just another season in the history of F1.

F1 donned a new face and saw a huge changeover from the previous year.

Many avid fans had reservations about seeing F1 in its new avatar - 1.6 L V6 Turbo Charged Engines, Reduction to 5 Power Units from 8, Bigger Energy Recovery Systems, Reduced Downforce, 8 Gears ( from 7 last year ) to compensate for the Torque and reduced fuel usage to accommodate the new allocation of 100kgs ( of fuel ) over a race distance and most importantly double points in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

F1 was on a mission to bring down costs and the rule changes would be the first step in that endeavour. However towards the end of the season we saw the demise of 2 teams and questions being raised by one and all as to whether F1 really profited from these drastic steps. The engines also weren't loud enough for many fans and everyone remembered the days of old. F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone even hinted at a return to the noisier V8s but a switchback will not happen anytime soon.

2014 saw the introduction of a new track - Sochi in Russia and the return of the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg in Austria.

How did the teams fare in 2014? Lets have a quick recap :

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Mercedes had started work on their power unit 2 years before its introduction into the sport and they reaped huge rewards on the racetrack. The Factory Team enjoyed a considerable advantage over its rivals and its customer teams. The duel between the team-mates was all that mattered and childhood mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg left no stone unturned as they battled for supremacy and the eventual crown.

The Team had the fastest car on the grid but they suffered with reliability issues throughout the season.

Lewis suffered retirements in Australia, Canada and Belgium while Nico in Britain and Singapore. 

Lewis and Nico battled hard and sparks were flying between the two. Nico captured pole and victory at Monaco albeit "unsportingly" according to some experts. Lewis on the other hand didn't let Nico pass him during the Hungarian GP. Nico was pretty discontent going into the summer break.

The Battle between the team mates reached a flashpoint when Nico hit Lewis while challenging for the lead in the 2nd lap at Belgium. The damage caused Lewis to retire and instigate an internal investigation which ended in Nico issuing an apology to Lewis and suffering a heavy fine.

Lewis then went on a 5 race winning spree and overturning the deficit to Nico whose retirement in Singapore due to another mechanical failure didn't do his chances any good. Nico was trailing by 17 points going into the final race in Abu Dhabi but electrical problems denied him from mounting a challenge. Lewis won the Championship on pure merit though.

The 2008 World Champion notched up 11 wins to Nico's 5. He also produced stellar drives from the back of the grid to end up on the podium on a few occasions and was the victim of unreliability more often than his team-mate.

The Team finished with 16 Wins in 19 races, 11 1-2s and a colossal 701 points! The Team had sealed the Constructors' Championship at the Inaugural Russian GP ( Round 16 ).

2014 truly saw the dawn of the "Silver Arrows and the 3 Pointed Star" era. 

Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Red Bull had a torrid start to the 2014 campaign in testing and went into 2014 with a lot of uncertainty about them - most notably the reliability of the Renault Power Unit.

Sebastien Vettel who enjoyed 4 years of success struggled with the lack of downforce and the loss of considerable amount of aerodynamics on the new car. He suffered reliability issues and even exceeded the 5 Power Unit allocation for the season.The German however managed 4 podiums in the 2014 season - Malaysia, Canada, Singapore and Japan. Vettel decided it was time to move on and take on a new challenge. He will be joining Ferrari for the 2015 season. He finished the year in 5th.

Daniel Ricciardo the new graduate from Toro Rosso had a fantastic year and finished 2nd in his debut race for Red Bull on his home turf in Australia but Fuel Irregularity in his car meant that he was stripped of his 2nd place and disqualified.
Ricciardo produced stellar drives throughout the season and was the sole driver to capitalize on any mistake or reliability issues that the Mercedes duo faced. He notched up his First Win for Red Bull in Canada when both Hamilton and Rosberg suffered brake problems. Hungary and Belgium were 2 more victories that followed soon after and kept him in the title hunt. 5 podiums helped him top off a fine 2014 in 3rd place in the Drivers' Championship.

Red Bull relinquished their crown and finished in 2nd place, a resurgence after the uncertainties at the start of the season.

Williams - Martini Racing F1 Team :

Williams have been living in the shadows for a long time and a return to the sharp end of the gird was overdue. Williams hired the services of Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley, the latter becoming the Head of Vehicle Perfomance. Williams were the most successful customer team amongst the Mercedes Engine buyers and the duo of Bottas and Massa showed everyone that Williams were back in business.

Bottas was a little slow off the blocks but soon gathered pace and started bagging podiums. He finished in the top 3 on six occasions. His consistent performance in other races ensured that he stayed ahead of rivals to finish 4th in the Championship.

Massa too enjoyed life with his new team and was a very different racer in 2014. He too took his time to start scoring good points for the team and even stole pole position at the Austrian GP. However he could only manage 3 podiums - Italy, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Massa was a handful in 2014 and will be a force to reckon with in 2015. He finished 7th in the Standings.

Williams had a slow start to 2014 but consistency from both drivers helped them gather points rapidly. They won the duel with Ferrari to take 3rd Place in the Constructors. This was a massive jump from 8th last year and the extra cash will definitely help them move closer to the top in 2015.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Ferrari had the strongest driver lineup on the grid and all were eyes were on them to see how 2 drivers with 3 world championships between them would cope with the new season. Massa's Departure meant the return of the Iceman KIMI RAIKKONEN! Ferrari had last won the Drivers' Championship with Kimi in 2007. What Promised to be a battle royale between Alonso and Raikkonen eventually fizzled out. 

Alonso lead the charge for Ferrari and flattered to deceive in a car which was simply not good enough to challenge the Mercedes. Alonso managed 2 podiums - 3rd in China and 2nd in Hungary. He scored consistently throughout the season and managed to finish 6th in the Championship.

Kimi Raikkonen had a season to forget. The Iceman suffered all year long and his best finish in the year was 4th in Belgium.
Kimi could only muster 55 points and finished 12th in the Championship.

Ferrari was the most reliable car on the grid but not the quickest and they paid a heavy price for their lack of pace as they finished a disappointing 4th in the Constructors' Championship. The primary reason for failure has been attributed to the Pushrod Suspension Design. The Design is better aerodynamically but makes the front end unresponsive. Kimi really struggled with the lack of front end grip and also the new "Brake by wire" system. These simply don't suit his driving style. Ferrari have been working all year to address these issues and progress is visible. Alonso suffered 2 retirements due to mechanical failures and the Spaniard has struggled during his time at Ferrari. He announced that he would leave the team at the end of the season and has returned to McLaren for 2015.

McLaren Mercedes F1 Team :

McLaren brought in a Driver Program graduate Kevin Magnussen to partner Jenson Button for 2014. McLaren and Mercedes have enjoyed a great partnership down the years but the partnership would come to an end at the end of 2014 as McLaren switched to Honda with the hope of restoring the days of Prost and Senna.

Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button had an amazing start to the Season when they finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. ( Australia )

However post that none could manage any more podiums. Button was more consistent and his experience shone on track. His future at McLaren was uncertain but some stellar drives towards the end helped his cause as well as McLaren's who were locked in a heated battle with Force India and even trailing them for a certain period. Button finished 8th in the standings with 126 points.

Magnussen's rookie year in F1 was a promising one. He made a few mistakes and struggled to score big post his podium in the first race. Magnussen finished 11th with 55 points.

McLaren were the weakest of the Mercedes' Customer teams but improved towards the end of the season to narrowly beat Sahara Force India F1 Team to 5th position and save themselves the blushes.

Sahara Force India F1 Team :

Force India saw the return of Nico Hulkenberg who partnered Sergio Perez, the latter removed by McLaren for not fulfilling expectations and being vocal about the lack of performance of the 2013 contender. Force India is slowly clawing their way up the grid and 2014 was a really rewarding one for the team.

Nico Hulkenberg performed well for the team, scoring good points consistently and making a strong case for himself. He truly deserves to be driving for a team higher up the grid and Force India would be really thankful for this acquisition. Hulkenberg's best finish was 5th on 4 occasions and he finished the season in 9th with 96 points.

Sergio Perez had a mercurial 2014. Some heroic driving helped him earn a podium for the team ( 3rd place ) ( Belgium 2009 being Force India's last ). He was robbed of another 3rd place in Canada after his coming together with Massa on the last lap.
He was unable to make heavy inroads in the rest of the races and finished 2014 in 10th place with 59 points.

Force India can take encouragement from a much better 2014 and build from here. Their association with Mercedes will definitely help them in 2015 too.

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team :

Toro Rosso acquired the services of young Daniil Kvyat, another graduate from the Red Bull Driver Program while Jean-Eric Vergne retained his seat for 2015. Toro Rosso switched to Renault from Ferrari in 2014 to become the 4th Customer team for the French Engine Manufacturer.

Jean-Eric Vergne had a rough start to 2014 with retirements and questions being raised about his calibre.However a couple of strong performances helped him reinstate his authority within the team.He managed to finish 7 times in the points. Vergne finished 13th with 22 points. Vergne is only 24 and deserved another year of racing to make a strong case for himself but Red Bull ( Toro Rosso's Main Sponsor ) thought otherwise. Toro Rosso relieved him of his services allowing him to become a reserve driver for Ferrari in 2015.

Daniil Kvyat made his F1 Debut at a tender age of 19. Some suggested that it was too early to bring the Russian into F1. I second that opinion but one musn't forget the turnout he generated at the Inaugural Russian GP. Kvyat showed brilliance in parts and only managed 5 points finishes. Kvyat should have spent another year with Toro Rosso but Vettel's Departure to Ferrari has given him the rare privilege of driving for the A Team in 2015.

Toro Rosso didn't have the best year in F1 and the rising costs also troubled them in 2014. They finished a disappointing 7th in the Constructors' Championship.

Lotus F1 Team :

Lotus F1 saw an exodus of  talented people at the end of 2013. The Team had been brilliant in 2012 and 2013 and hired the services of Pastor Maldonado who replaced Kimi Raikkonen for 2014. Maldonado also brought in a big sponsor in PDVSA and expectations were high going into 2014. However pre-season testing revealed that the team was nowhere near ready for the season opener. The 2014 car had done minimum running and was plagued with Renault Power Unit problems.

The team had a very rough 2014 with both drivers qualifying at the back of the grid on more occasions than one. Reliability issues didn't help their cause either. Romain Grosjean finished in the points only on 2 occasions and Maldonado's best finish was 8th ( only once ). Grosjean finished in 14th on 8 points while Maldonado was 16th on 2.

Lotus F1 scored 10 points ( 8th in Constructors ) and the loss of talented people at the top hurt them bad. Lotus have parted ways with Renault and will work with a Mercedes engine in 2015.

Marussia F1 Team :

Marussia continued with Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton for 2014. The Team was locked in a heated battle with Caterham and Sauber Ferrari all season long and they earned their first points in Monaco when Jules Bianchi finished 9th. 

The 2 points turned out to be vital in the Constructors' Championship. Max Chilton too continued to finish races until a retirement in Canada ended his record run of 25 consecutive classified race finishes.

However rising costs and lack of funds were threatening the very existence of the team. The F1 world was rattled when Jules Bianchi suffered a horrific crash ( on Sunday ) in Suzuka on a rainy day and in fading light. The Car went under a tractor which was trying to extricate the stricken Sauber of Adrian Sutil from the gravel. Bianchi has been in induced coma since and was recently shifted to Europe to continue treatment. The F1 Fraternity has rallied around the Frenchman and we all hope to see him hale and hearty and racing ontrack soon. Flag Rules, Race Timings and Safety for drivers has become the centre of discussions again in the aftermath of the incident.

Marussia set up Bianchi's car ( to honour him ) and raced only one car during the Russian GP weekend. The mood was sombre in the paddock.

Marussia and Caterham F1 became the victims of rising costs in F1. Marussia went into administration and didn't make a return to F1. The Team's higher finishing position had no value now.

Sauber F1 Team :

Sauber, powered by Ferrari acquired the services of Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez. Sauber struggled with the balance of the car as well as its weight in pre-season testing and was never able to address the issue. Sauber was another team feeling the pinch of rising costs and certain sources even suggested that the team was searching for a new investor to continue racing in F1. Adrian Sutil took the team's best result by qualifying in 9th in the United States, but his performance was short-lived, as he was hit from behind by Sergio Perez and the team endured their first pointless season in their 22 year history.

Caterham F1 Team :

Caterham had a torrid 2014. Rising costs, lack of funds coupled with an unreliable Renault engine left the team in complete disarray. Team Principal Tony Fernandes didn't see F1 as profitable anymore and sold the team to a consortium of Swiss - Middle Eastern investors in July. The Team hired the services of ex-F1 driver Christijan Albers for Team Principal but he too stepped down at the end of the Italian GP in September citing "Personal reasons".

Marcus Ericcson and Kamui Kobayashi drove for the team until the latter was replaced by three time Le Mans winner and FIA WEC Champion champion Andre Lotterer for the Belgian GP. He outqualified Ericcson but retired after his power unit failed on the first lap.

The deal with the investors however fell through and the Team went into administration post the Russian GP. They were unable to return for the US GP and the Brazilian GP. The team started an online campaign to raise funds to return for the Final race in Abu Dhabi and were able to make it happen. The Team replaced Ericsson with 23 year old rookie Will Stevens for the Final Race.

The existence of the team was always in question and the chances of survival were few and far between. Will Caterham be on the grid in 2015? I certainly hope so.

2014 wasn't a great year for Kimi and neither for me. I hope 2015 brings a change in fortunes for both of us. Mercedes AMG Petronas deserve to be Champions and we must give credit where its due.

2014 was nonetheless a brilliant season in terms of racing and showcased the sheer dominance of One Engine manufacturer over its competitors.

The 2015 Season is almost upon us.. Watch this space..the preview is coming soon!! God Bless everyone and enjoy the holidays!!

2014 saw F1 in a new avatar - New Regulations, New Engines, New Designs, New Tracks.. it was a complete overhaul!

The Contenders to the crown should have been the same but the Rules of the Game have changed and so have the contenders!

The Teams return to racing at Spa - Francorchamps ( Belgium ) in a Week's time after the 4 week Summer Break.

It might not be right to title this post as the Mid Season Review as we have already completed 12 rounds out of 19 for the season but no better a time to write one.

So how have all the teams fared this season?

Mercedes AMG Petronas :

The Silver Arrows are in a class of their own! 2 Years of hard work finally bearing fruit. The Mercedes Power Unit has left its Ferrari and Renault counterparts gasping for breath and has been a revelation this year.

The Duo of Rosberg and Hamilton have dominated the proceedings with everyone playing catchup. Rosberg leads the championship by 11 points and it seems to be a close fight with Hamilton who is second. Hamilton's season has been riddled with problems and retirements. 2 retirements compared to Rosberg's one and 3 bad qualifying sessions ( due to reliability issues ) compromised his races and chances at victory. However Hamilton's 5 wins to Rosberg's 4 could be pivotal in the title race.

Conspiracy theories have been circulating in the media about Rosberg getting preferential treatment and the more reliable equipment. I think such allegations and assumptions about the team are misplaced.

Lewis Hamilton was recruited by the team with one objective in mind - to propel the team to greatness. The Team was aware that they can mount a serious challenge only from 2014. Lewis Hamilton too has enjoyed preferential treatment - 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix ( Rosberg was denied the chance to overtake Hamilton as the team wanted both cars to come home ). Some even suggested post race that Lewis might have a clause in his contract, something that we shall never know. I haven't seen any instance which would authenticate this conspiracy theories doing the rounds. One must also understand that these cars are machines at the end of the day and they are prone to failures. It is quite unfortunate for Hamilton to be on the receiving end more often than Rosberg. Rosberg whose been with the team since 2010 has seen his fair share of disappointments. A Good Car and a Championship is long due for him, so I choose to be more considerate towards the German.

The Constructors' Championship is going to end up at Brackley thanks to the Team's Exceptional performance. They are on top with a comfortable lead but the car does has chinks in its armour. I wont be surprised to see the Silver Arrows lift the crown way before the season ends and with the resources that they have, reliability issues should be addressed fairly quickly.

Infinity Red Bull Racing ( Red Bull - Renault ) :

Red Bull Racing enjoyed 4 years of success but the plethora of Rule Changes unsettled them. The Team struggled to bring itself up to pace with this year's demands and that has allowed Mercedes AMG Petronas to gain a sufficient advantage over them.

Daniel Ricciardo who joined the Team from Toro Rosso has outclassed his Championship team-mate Vettel so far. Ricciardo is 3rd in the Championship with 131 points and clearly the best amongst the rest. Ricciardo notched up 2 victories - Canada and Hungary ( the only winner other than Rosberg and Hamilton ) and three 3rd Place finishes. He faces stiff competition from Fernando Alonso who is only 16 points behind but the Australian should be able to hold onto his position with the ever improving car.

Sebastien Vettel suffered 3 retirements this season and his best finish is 3rd ( at 2 races ) this season. The Torquier motor and the Drive problems of the power unit has troubled the German. He is trying to get the most out of the car and is slowly getting to grips with the rule changes this year. Vettel is currently 6th in the standings with 88 points. He should finish higher up in the Championship eventually but outscoring his immediate rivals is paramount.

Red Bull has already lost its crown to Mercedes and finishing 2nd is the best that they can manage this year. The Lack of power and unreliability of the Renault Power Unit has cost them dearly. Christian Horner, Red Bull's Team Principal issued an ultimatum to Renault to address these issues on a war footing or the team would consider other options. Some reports even suggested that Red Bull might start building their own engines but Horner wrote off such rumours clearly stating that Red Bull are good chassis designers and not engine manufacturers.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team ( Ferrari ) :

The Most Decorated Team in F1 History has had a rough ride so far. The team has the Best Driver Line-up on the grid in Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. The world was eager to see how the 2 Ex-World Champions would match up and the contest has been pretty one sided. Alonso, a pilot since 2010 has felt more at home both with the rules and the car, scoring well and even bagging 2 podiums - 3rd at China and 2nd at Hungary. He is placed 4th in the Championship with 115 points. Its no surprise that the Spaniard has performed well beyond the car's capabilities and has made the most of the mistakes and retirements around him. Fernando Alonso still is the Best Driver on the Grid according to me and knows how to maximize results with the resources that he has.

Kimi Raikkonen has had a disappointing season so far and hit a really bad patch after the highs of 2012 and 2013 with the Lotus F1 Team. He has scored only 27 points and is placed 12th in the Standings. His best finish is 6th which came at the recently concluded Hungarian GP.

Many People have questioned Kimi's Motivation for this season and some have even suggested that the Finn has lost interest in F1.

I am a die hard Kimi Raikkonen Fan and its true that its extremely hard to see the Finn struggle this year. There are various factors that have troubled him this year.

The Rule Changes for 2014 don't suit Raikkonen's Driving Style. Ex-Team Grosjean who observed him closely in 2012 and 2013 has authenticated this fact. The Biggest Troublemaker - the new Braking system called the "Fly-by-wire" and Raikkonen is still getting to grips with it. The F14T hasn't been the most reliable for him with various problems cropping up regularly on Fridays and Saturdays hampering his preparations for the weekend. Ferrari has been working frantically to make the car as friendly as they can with regular updates. Team Principal Marco Mattiacci is confident that Raikkonen will hit top form soon. Double World Champion and Compatriot Mika Hakkinen has also been supportive of Raikkonen and warned rivals not to write off the 2007 World Champion yet. I can't wait to see Raikkonen on the top step of the podium! Belgium isn't too far..

Ferrari have struggled in comparison to the benchmarks they have set in the past and the primary reason for failure has been the Power Unit. The Engine isn't as powerful as its Mercedes counterpart causing the F14T to struggle in straight line speed. Updates have been coming in but rivals haven't been sitting on their laurels either and competition is fierce. Ferrari have the right personnel on board to help them return to their winning ways and the time to start concentrating on their 2015 contender is nearing.

Ferrari are 3rd in the Constructors with a slender lead of 7 points over Williams Martini Racing, whom they leapfrogged at the Hungarian GP. It will be difficult catching Red Bull Racing who have a considerable lead and a 3rd place finish seems a more realistic possibility. Both the Team and its Drivers will have to dig deep and ensure that their current position isn't threatened from here on.

Williams Martini Racing ( Williams - Mercedes )

Williams has been in F1 for quite a long time and has its fair share of history. The team reemerged this year in a new avatar and with a fresh resolve - to reclaim their rightful place. Williams hired the services of Felipe Massa who joined Valtteri Bottas and both have done a marvellous job for the team. Williams FW36 has been the strongest of the Mercedes Powered Customer Teams and has mounted serious challenges to the Factory Team, even beating them on a couple of occasions. Bottas, a revelation this year bagged 3 podiums for the team. 2 consecutive 2nd place finishes ( Silverstone and Hockenheim ) helped him leapfrog Sebastien Vettel into 5th Place and the Finn has 95 points to his name. Massa has had good qualifying sessions including a pole in Austria but unfortunate incidents ( 2 on the first lap ) have compromised his campaign. The Retirements hurt him bad and he is currenty 9th with 40 points.

Williams is 4th in the standings with 135 points and lost 3rd position to Ferrari at the recently concluded Hungarian GP. If the Team can ensure that both cars make it to the chequered flag at every race and continue to score consistently as the have done so far then 3rd position in the Constructors is a possibility but one cannot write off the chances of its traditional and well funded rivals in Ferrari and McLaren who will leave no stone unturned to eke out the best possible results from the remainder of the season.

Brilliant performance though by the team till now!

Sahara Force India F1 Team ( Force India - Mercedes ) :

Force India had an amazing season so far. The Superiority of the Mercedes Power Unit has helped the team to propel itself to the sharp end of the grid. The Team sits pretty in 5th on 98 points leading McLaren by just one point. Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez have performed well this season. Hulkenberg has been the more consistent one with 5th being his best finishing position. He is 7th in the Championship with 69 points. Perez bagged a podium for the team in Bahrain where he finished 3rd and the team finally got on the podium after 5 years. Perez could have snatched another Podium but a collision with Massa on the last lap of the Canadian GP denied him the chance. Perez is 11th in the standings with 29 points.

Force India will have to continue bringing in upgrades and produce good results in order to maintain its advantage and slender lead over its higher spending rivals and the team knows the importance of having a higher position in the Constructors' at the end of the season - More money to fund the development of the 2015 contender. Its a tough ask this, but not impossible

McLaren - Mercedes :

McLaren have been the 2nd most successful team in F1 after Ferrari and their performances this season have been mercurial. The Team is running the Mercedes Power Unit for the final time this year before switching to Honda who make a return in 2015.

Jenson Button has scored 60 points and is 8th in the Championship with Kevin Magnussen scoring 37 and is placed 10th. Button and Magnussen scored a double podium ( 2nd and 3rd respectively ) in the opening round in Australia this being the team's best finish so far.

McLaren's association with Mercedes has been pretty successful and a long standing one but McLaren is the weakest of the Mercedes Customer Teams this season. The Team are struggling with this year's car inspite of recruiting talented personnel. Updates are trickling in and the team is trying its best to maximize results this season. They are trailing Force-India Mercedes by a single point and I believe a shot at 4th is a good possibility by the end of the season.

Scuderia Toro Rosso ( Toro - Rosso Renault ) :

Toro - Rosso, Red Bull Racing's B-Team switched to Renault Power Units ( from Ferrari ) this year and they have had a decent season. One might argue what would have been had they not switched to Renault. Jean-Eric Vergne stayed with the team and although his team-mate has seemingly done better, the Frenchman leads with 11 points to his name. Nevertheless, F1 Rookie Daniil Kvyat fared well so far and his total of 6 points don't suggest his true potential. Vergne 's best finish was 8th while Kvyat hasn't gone better than 9th.

Challenging the ones above them seems highly unlikely. The team has a contender for 7th place in Lotus F1 and keeping them at bay should be their top priority.

Lotus F1 Team ( Lotus Renault ) :

It is pretty disheartening to see my old friends struggle in 2014. 2012 and 2013, Lotus F1 were a front running team and a force to reckon with. A problematic Renault Power unit and the Basic Design of the car has compounded problems for Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. The Car has been riddled with Drive Problems and Reliability issues and the team is trying its best to address the problems. Grosjean has earned 8 points for the team this season with 8th place finishes in Canada and Monaco. Maldonado is yet to score this season.

The Team has suffered due to an exodus of personnel including the former team principal Eric Boullier to McLaren but they still have a talented bunch at Oxfordshire. Questions abound about the Financial Status of the Team, a possible reason for their struggles this year. I can't wait to see the team return to their glory days!

Marussia F1 Team ( Marussia - Ferrari ) :

Marussia comprise of a team whose members have a racing history and the team has done really well this season with the resources that it has had. Jules Bianchi finished 9th in Monaco and the team earned 2 vital points. Max Chilton's record run of 25 consecutive classified race finishes came to an end at Canada when he collided with his team-mate Bianchi.

Marrusia might not be able to score again this season but staying ahead of Sauber and Caterham could earn them vital finances for 2015! The season is just getting better and better!

Sauber F1 Team ( Sauber Ferrari ) :

Sauber had quite a productive 2013 with Nico Hulkenberg leading the charge. 2014 turned the tables on the team and they are yet to score a point this season. Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez both came close to scoring the first points of the season. Problems have riddled the team and its a pity to see such a talented bunch struggle. The Weight of the car is the Achilles' Heel.

Peter Sauber is a brilliant leader and he will be working hard with Monisha Kaltenborn to turn things around. What follows, only time will tell.

Caterham F1 Team ( Caterham-Renault ) :

Caterham had a tough run into the season, are last in the championship and haven't scored a point yet. Marcus Ericsson came close to scoring a point at Monaco when he finished in 11th. The struggles of the team have been very stressful for its previous owners.

On 2 July 2014 Tony Fernandes and his partners announced that they have sold the team to a consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors. The Problems of the Renault Power Unit and the financial situation makes chances of improvements bleak. It seems that the team will struggle to score points this season.

The 2012 Season was a season to remember. 2013 promised to be a great season and it has not disappointed.

2013 saw the absence of Michael Schumacher after the German decided to retire for good. Valencia ( European GP ) withdrew from the 2013 season, Spain's financial status to blame for the loss. So 2013 would feature 19 race weekends.

The First 10 has brought its fair share of controversies and even chaos on some occasions. Lets do a quick review of what has conspired in the first half of the season for the teams.

Red Bull Racing :

Red Bull lead the Constructors' Championship by 69 Points. Vettel leads the Drivers' Championship by 38 points over Raikkonen while Webber is 5th at 105 Points.
Its been a satisfactory first half for the team but it has not been a smooth ride. Vettel and Webber had a big disagreement at the Malaysian GP and the friction between the two is still at an all time high. Vettel has been consistent notching up 4 wins and 3 podiums. He suffered one retirement at Silverstone ( Gearbox failure ). Webber has been very unlucky and some questions have been raised about the Australian being provided with inferior machinery compared to his team-mate. 3 Podiums ( One sure victory was robbed ) coupled with one retirement have left him down in 5th. He leaves at the end of the season and the talk of who replaces him have been dominating the Paddock.

Red Bull might not be strong in Spa and Monza but the car's capabilities come to the fore in the final fly-away events. Still Favourites for the Title

Mercedes AMG Petronas :

Mercedes have had a mercurial First Half. Inspite of Multiple Pole Positions, they have failed to hold on and win races. Tyre Degradation has been their Achilles' Heel and they tried to address the situation post the Spanish GP. The Illegal Test attracted a reprimand and a ban from the Young Drivers' test at Silverstone. The team has openly admitted their inability to understand the tyre performance and degradation but their recent victory at Hungary suggests that their bad days are behind them.

Lewis Hamilton is 4th in the Drivers' Championship and got his first victory with the team at the recently concluded Hungarian GP. He also managed 3 podiums. Nico Rosberg is in 6th on 84 points and has won 2 races. If the team has been able to resolve their tyre problems, ( there have been false assurances earlier ), then Red Bull have a fight on their hands.

Ferrari :

Ferrari made a solid start to the season but seem to have lost their way a bit. The lack of a wind tunnel for testing has meant that the upgrades have failed to deliver the required results. The technical progress has stagnated and the team has hired James Allison ( Ex-Lotus ) to help them overcome the problems. He joins the team from the Italian GP weekend.

Fernando Alonso is 3rd in the standings with 2 victories and 3 podiums. The Spaniard has done well in the Ferrari so far. His recent rant about the car's lack of performance has not gone down well with Ferrari's top boss.

Massa has had a disappointing season with only one podium at Catalunya. Ferrari have reiterated their faith in him but the Brazilian would have to step up his game and deliver some really strong results to have any chances of retaining his seat next season.

Lotus F1 :

Lotus F1 are 4th in the Constructors' and only 5 points behind Ferrari. The Enstone based team has embarassed many bigger spending teams with their amazing performance this year. The Race Pace has been exceptional and Tyre Degradation has been less compared to other teams. The Team have come close to victory on many occasions this year but have won only one race. They need to work on their Qualifying Pace ( One Lap Runs ) to start higher up on the grid and improve their chances of winning even more.

Kimi Raikkonen has finished every race ( but one ) in the points since his return to F1 in 2012. He is 2nd in the Drivers' Championship at 134 points. One Victory ( Australia ) and 5 Podiums where he has finished 2nd have shown that the team could have scored more had their Qualifying Pace been stronger. Kimi's consistency has helped him stay in the title hunt.

Romain Grosjean has had another mercurial season this year. He is 8th in the Championship on 49 points and has had only 2 podiums. He has made less mistakes compared to last year but he too like Massa needs to better his results to keep his seat for 2014 if Kimi stays.

Force India :

Force India are 5th in the Constructors' Championship on 59 points and have had a great first half so far. The team uses Mercedes' Engines and McLaren's Gearbox Technologies and have managed to keep the latter behind them up until this point.They have been really strong at certain circuits and that has helped their charge up the standings.

Neither Di Resta Nor Sutil have got on the Podium but the team has earned points in almost all races up until Silverstone. The Recent slump in Germany and Hungary has meant that the McLaren have gained ground on them.

McLaren Mercedes :

McLaren Mercedes have had a Horrible Season so far. A Team of their Stature and Spending Ability shouldn't be languishing in 6th, 220 points behind the leader Red Bull. The Car has not been good enough and heavy upgrades have come in to improve performance The Woking based team are making steady progress but Damage Limitation is all that they can expect from this season

Jenson Button has been steadily delivering points. Sergio Perez took some races to come into his own. Neither has enjoyed a podium so far.

Toro Rosso - Ferrari, Sauber - Ferrari & Williams - Renault :

Toro Rosso have had a better season compared to 2012 and Ricciardo and Vergne are locked in a battle for supremacy. The Former though is a better performer and might just edge out the latter towards the end.

Sauber Ferrari have had a horrendous first-half. Their performance is nowhere near last year's. Financial Crunches have meant that the upgrades have been meagre. Hulkenberg has not been paid and been released from his contract. A Russian Sponsor had promised financial influx but the promise is yet to be fulfilled. Hulkenberg and Gutierrez though have done well with whatever machinery they have had.

Williams Renault has suffered the same fate as Sauber. Their Performance is nowhere near 2012 where Maldonado even won a race. The team has had forgettable races, thanks to reliability issues and mistakes committed throughout the season. Maldonado and Bottas have faced an uphill task. The former brought the team their first point this season at Hungary. I don't see an improvement happening in the near future.

Marussia Cosworth, Caterham Renault :

These Teams might be the back-markers or the ''also-rans" but both deserve to be applauded for their efforts so far. Marussia have outperformed Caterham for many races. However the new construction of tyres has meant that the latter has gained some ground. What follows in the second half would be intriguing to watch.

I still believe that Lotus F1 is the Dark Horse in the Constructors' battle. If they can sustain their challenge in the second half then a 2nd place finish isn't too far from their reach. Do they have the finances to sustain such a challenge is the question...

Mercedes can trouble Red Bull if they have put their tyre troubles to rest. Ferrari right now seemed to be lost but one cannot discount their abilities. I believe they shall recover but will it be too late a charge?

McLaren Mercedes are on the road to recovery and their financial position should help them surpass Force India. Catching the ones in front would be a different story. However they might just play spoil-sport in the latter half of the season.

Sebastien Vettel seems favourite for the crown this year too but it won't be a walk in the park. Lewis Hamilton has added more spice into the mix and Vettel's lead of 38 points can vanish very quickly if he fails to finish races. Kimi Raikkonen will remain consistent as long as he has a strong and reliable car under him. Fernando Alonso shall continue producing gutsy drives for Ferrari. He must get a competitive car to challenge those at the front to have any hopes of winning his 3rd championship.

The Second Half only promises to be more exciting. The wait for the Belgian GP continues...

2011 was a season of Dominance. Sebastien Vettel & Red Bull simply pulled away from the Competition. The rest were left battling to be the " Best amongst the Rest ".

2012 though had Big Surprises in store. The return of Kimi Raikkonen to Lotus F1 Team was one such Surprise. His Return ensured that I would follow the sport with renewed vigour. 2012 also took the accolades of being the longest season in F1 History and the only season which featured 6 World Champions - Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Schumacher.

Many Predicted that status quo would be maintained but it turned out to be otherwise.

7 different winners won the first 7 Grand Prix! - Another Record!!

Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel, Maldonado, Webber, Hamilton stood on the top step of the podium.

Ferraris were expected to struggle and Alonso's Victory in Malaysia was simply down to smart strategy in changing weather conditions. Maldonado's victory for Williams at Catalunya & Roberg's for Mercedes at Shanghai too was a famous victory for both teams in a long long time.

Lotus F1 too had a nice start with Kimi notching up 2 Podiums in his comeback year.

The Biggest Disappointment though was for Red Bull who simply couldn't repeat their performances of last season. Ferrari had put all the disappointments of pre-season testing behind as they lead both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championships.

The Return to Europe in Valencia didn't do Red Bull's Cause any good as Alternator Failure robbed Vettel of a sure victory. Grosjean too suffered the same fate, the Frenchman too had a shot at victory. Alonso was the beneficiary again as he used all incidents to his advantage. Alonso was the first driver in the season to have 2 victories while Raikkonen and Schumacher made it a famous podium. The signs looked ominous...

Mark Webber helped Red Bull to have a comeback of sorts after the Spanish Debacle with a victory at Silverstone and Vettel in 3rd.

Alonso maintained consistency by finishing 2nd in Silverstone and notching up victory in Germany the week after Silverstone. Vettel's Efforts to impress in his home race fell short as he was demoted in the race result from 2nd to 5th for an illegal move on Button. Button and Raikkonen completed the Podium.

Hungary saw the resurgence of Hamilton's Title Challenge with the Lotuses of Raikkonen and Grosjean completing the podium.

Alonso's lead now stood at 40 points and the Spaniard seemed to be favourite to win the title.

Belgium saw a Horrific First Lap incident where Romain Grosjean made contact with Lewis Hamilton and they both slammed into Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez, eliminating all four on the spot. Vettel reduced the lead by 18 points by finishing 2nd. Button won the race with Raikkonen showcasing some daring moves to take 3rd.

 Hamilton's victory in Italy threw the title race wide open. Vettel's lowly 22nd left him in the lurch. Perez produced a special drive to finish 2nd and Alonso ensured that he kept scoring well by finishing 3rd.

The European Leg ended and the rest of the races were all " Fly Away " Events. Singapore saw Hamilton's Retirement due to Gearbox Failure and Catapulted Vettel to victory. Hamilton was now out of the Title Race. Vettel was now in Title Contention.

Alonso suffered another retirement after contact with Raikkonen on the First Lap and Vettel took advantage of the same to score a full 25 points. The championship fight became as close as it had been all season long. Massa and Kobayashi completed the podium with the latter overwhelmed by the Home Support, first podium for a Japanese Driver since Suzuki in 1990 ( At Suzuka ). Schumacher announced his retirement on the same weekend, this time he wouldn't return.

The Tables turned in Korea. Vettel was now on a rampage as he wrestled back the lead from Alonso with a victory. Webber ensured a Red Bull 1-2 and Alonso ensured damage limitation in 3rd.

The Next Stop - India!! Vettel was in no mood to slip-up and dominated the race to be a 2 Time winner at the Buddh International Circuit. Alonso Benefitted from a Failed KERS unit on Webber's Car to take 2nd while the Australian held off Hamilton to take the final spot on the podium.

Abu Dhabi seemed to have changed the dynamics of the Title Race again. Sebastian Vettel's dominant run was derailed in Abu Dhabi when his car was found to have insufficient fuel after qualifying and he was subsequently moved to the back of the grid. Hamilton's March to Victory was again cut short due to a mechanical failure while Vettel kept moving up the grid, a couple of Safety Car Incidents helping his cause. KIMI RAIKKONEN the ICEMAN was leading the race. Lotus F1 went through a lot of tension and just wanted to ensure victory by ensuring everything was in perfect order. The Iceman though just asserted his authority on the team radio amusing one and all with two sentences that have become world famous. Kimi Raikkoen held off a closing Alonso to take a Famous Victory for the Lotus F1 team. Fernando Alonso was 2nd and was shocked to see Sebastien Vettel sharing the podium with him!

Alonso was only able to reduce Vettel's Lead by 3 points.  

Austin Texas saw United States of America make a return on the F1 Calendar. A Fantastic Circuit saw a fantastic race. Vettel was on the receiving end this time. He was held up by a backmarker with Hamilton closing in on him. Vettel as a result lost the lead to Hamilton. Hamilton took victory with Vettel and Alonso completing the podium. The Result meant that the Driver's Championship would go down to the wire, to the last race in Brazil. Red Bull clinched the Constructor's Title.  

Brazil would produce the last bit of drama. Sebastian Vettel was involved in a first-lap clash with Bruno Senna that damaged his exhaust and spun him around, relegating him to last place. Senna retired on the spot, as did Sergio Perez, who was caught in the crossfire. Changing Weather Conditions saw the race change lead multiple leads. Hulkenberg and Hamilton lead the field and a move by the former on the latter went awry to take Hamilton out of the race. Vettel slowly moved up the field, his car's damage slowly aggravating. His 7th then became 6th. A Paul Di Resta crash on the penultimate lap brought out the safety car. Alonso couldn't improve on his 2nd position as a result.

Vettel had overcome all odds to win his 3rd consecutive Driver's title. Alonso was left contemplating as to what could have been.

Three days after the Brazilian Grand Prix, reports began to surface suggesting that Sebastian Vettel's championship was under threat and that Ferrari would be filing a formal protest against the race results. The challenge centred on a pass Vettel made on Jean-Eric Vergne early in the race ( Under Yellow Light Condition ) The FIA cleared the confusion & both Ferrari and Red Bull Racing announced that they were satisfied with the ruling, thereby preserving Vettel's championship.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 3 in the Championship. Kimi Raikkonen was the sole driver to have finished every race in the season, finishing outside of the points only once in the season, setting a new record in the process.

It was a great comeback year for the Finn.

Sebastien Vettel and Christian Horner with their Trophies :

Fernando settles for 2nd Place :

Kimi, Ice Cool as ever in 3rd Place :

2013 is already on us and the competition would be looking to deny Red Bull Racing another title. Only Time will Tell.....