The 2014 F1 World Championship will be decided in less than a week. We know it will be a Mercedes driver who takes the ultimate victory at Abu Dhabi, but the question on everyone’s lips is who. This article looks back at the season as we head into the final round…
Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, 16th March
The traditional opener at Melbourne was the beginning of the duel. A wet qualifying session saw Lewis Hamilton take pole position, ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Nico Rosberg qualified in 3rd. Come race day, Rosberg shoots straight into the lead as soon as the lights go out, with Hamilton very slow away. The Brit has a spark plug failure, causing him to retire on the second lap. Rosberg has an easy race and wins the opener.
Race and Championship: Rosberg 1st, 25 points, Hamilton NC, 0 points. Gap: 25 points
Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, 30th March
Another wet qualifying session saw the two Mercedes line up in the same spots, once again separated by a Red Bull. Rosberg got past Vettel at the start, but he never had the pace to catch his team-mate and Lewis Hamilton took victory at Malaysia to close the gap ever so slightly at the top of the chart.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 43 points, Hamilton 2nd, 25 points. Gap: 18 points
Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir, 6th April
The first dry qualifying of the year saw Nico Rosberg lead the first Mercedes front row lockout since 1955 after Hamilton made errors in his runs. The race itself proved to be spectacular, with the two Silver Arrows dicing for the lead throughout the race. A late Safety Car seemed to have doomed Hamilton, who was on the prime tyre compared to Rosberg’s option. Lewis put in a brilliant drive to maintain the lead, scoring another 25 crucial points.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 61 points, Hamilton 2nd, 50 points. Gap: 11 points
Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, 20th April
Yet another wet session saw yet another Lewis pole, with Rosberg having his worst qualifying of the year to date – only managing 4th place. This race was easier for Hamilton, who managed to take a comfortable victory and complete a hat-trick for the first time in his career. Rosberg recovered to second, putting the title gap down to just 4 points as we entered the European part of the season.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 79 points, Hamilton 2nd, 75 points. Gap: 4 points
Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona, 11th May
Hamilton took his first dry pole of the year at Catalunya, with Rosberg making it a second one two for Mercedes in three races. A nail-biting finish, where Rosberg was once again hunting Hamilton down in the closing stages, saw the Brit take victory by just 6 tenths of a second. Not only was it a fourth win in a row for Hamilton, he was also now the title race leader.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 100 points, Rosberg 2nd, 97 points. Gap: 3 points
Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo, 25th May
Qualifying saw tensions at Mercedes reach boiling point! Rosberg was the first Mercedes out as the cars started their final runs in the closing stages of Q3, ahead of team-mate Hamilton. Rosberg set a time good enough for pole, before locking up and running down the escape road a Mirabeau. This brought out the yellow flags meaning Hamilton couldn’t improve. Whether or not the move was deliberate will forever be a mystery, but Hamilton was not best pleased heading into the race. The race itself saw Rosberg dominate, with a battle for second developing between Hamilton and Ricciardo. Hamilton was slow due to vision problems, but he held on. Rosberg retook the lead of the championship.
Race: Rosberg 1st, 25 points, Hamilton 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 122 points, Hamilton 2nd, 118 points. Gap: 4 points
Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal, 8th June
Coming into the Canadian Grand Prix, everyone thought that it would be an easy win for Lewis Hamilton as he has done so well on this track in the past. We were wrong! Rosberg took a surprise pole position and squeezed Hamilton out at the start. That wasn’t to be the only drama! Both Mercedes suffered MGU-K failures so lost ERS. This led Hamilton to retire with brake failure, whilst Nico Rosberg was passed by Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages. The Australian’s win was secured following Massa and Perez’s huge crash that led to a Safety Car finish.
Race: Rosberg 2nd, 18 points, Hamilton DNF, 0 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 140 points, Hamilton 2nd, 118 points. Gap: 22 points
Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, 22nd June
Massa and Bottas locked out the front row of the grid in what is so far the only non Mercedes pole of the season. Rosberg qualified third, whilst Hamilton ran wide on his first lap and spun on his second, leaving him ninth. The race saw Hamilton cut through the field, but he couldn’t pass Rosberg who extended his lead at the top of the table.
Race: Rosberg 1st, 25 points, Hamilton 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 165 points, Hamilton 2nd, 136 points. Gap: 29 points
British Grand Prix at Silverstone, 6th July
A rainy qualifying session saw surprises! Hamilton let Rosberg through for the final run, meaning the German took pole and Hamilton ended 6th! The race itself was dry. Hamilton cut through the field. Rosberg started suffering gearbox problems, forcing him to retire on lap 28. Hamilton went on to take his second home win and tighten the championship.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg DNF, 0 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 165 points, Hamilton 2nd, 161 points. Gap: 4 points
German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, 20th July
Hamilton’s qualifying woes began as a brake failure meant he crashed out in Q2 before setting a lap time. This forced him to start from sixteenth, whilst home favourite Rosberg took pole. The race was one of damage limitation for Lewis – literally – as his front wing took several knocks as he recovered to third.
Race: Rosberg 1st, 25 points, Hamilton 3rd, 15 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 190 points, Hamilton 2nd, 176 points. Gap: 14 points
Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest, 27th July
The final race before the summer break and Hamilton’s qualifying woes continue! His engine catches fire in Q1 and he fails to set a lap time. He has to start from the pits whilst his team-mate once again claims pole. The race was a damp affair, with Hamilton charging through the field despite an early scare from a first lap spin. A Safety Car meant Rosberg lost the lead to Button. In the end, a storming charge from Ricciardo secured another Australian victory, whilst Hamilton disobeyed team orders and took third – ahead of Rosberg.
Race: Hamilton 3rd, 15 points, Rosberg 4th, 12 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 202 points, Hamilton 2nd, 191 points. Gap: 11 points
Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, 24th August
F1 returned from the summer break with another wet qualifying session. Rosberg led a Merc one-two after a glazed break affected Hamilton. The race was extremely interesting. Rosberg hit Hamilton on the second lap, puncturing the Brit’s tyre. He was forced to retire, whilst damage to Rosberg’s car meant he couldn’t keep Ricciardo at bay.
Race: Rosberg 2nd, 18 points, Hamilton DNF, 0 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 220 points, Hamilton 2nd, 191 points. Gap: 29 points
Italian Grand Prix at Monza, 7th September
The final European race of the season saw Hamilton finally take a pole position again. He led a Mercedes lockout, but the start of the race saw drama occur. Hamilton’s start mode failed, meaning he had a terrible get away and dropped to fourth. He charged through the field and put pressure on leader Rosberg, who cracked. He missed the first chicane, allowing Hamilton to pass him. Lewis wasn’t seen again!
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Rosberg 1st, 238 points, Hamilton 2nd, 216 points. Gap: 22 points
Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay, 21st September
A last gasp drama saw Hamilton snatch pole from Rosberg by 7 thousands of a second! Rosberg’s radio response of “DAMN IT!” said it all. It got worse for the German on race day. An electronics fault meant he couldn’t select a gear to get away on the formation lap. He started from the pits, but struggled to pass the likes of Caterham and Marussia. When the gearbox problem recurred at his pit stop, he was forced to retire. Hamilton took a comfortable win and reclaimed the lead of the championship.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 241 points, Rosberg 2nd, 238 points. Gap: 3 points
Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, 5th October
Rosberg took pole before the rain affected race began. After a safety car start and red flag delay, the race got underway. Hamilton chased down his rival and pulled off a brilliant move around the outside of turn 1. He led until the second red flag for Jules Bianchi’s crash ended the race in tragic circumstances.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 266 points, Rosberg 2nd, 256 points. Gap: 10 points
Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, 12th October
The Russian Grand Prix was met with controversy due to the situation in Ukraine, but the facilities proved popular with teams and the media. Qualifying had a people on the edge of their seats. Home favourite Daniil Kvyat managed a fourth place for Toro Rosso, but Valtteri Bottas was the man everyone was watching. He set fastest first and second sectors, but ran out of tyres at the final two corners and didn’t improve on third – behind another Merc lockout with Hamilton in front. Rosberg attempted a second corner overtake on Hamilton but overcooked it, flat spotting his tyres and having to pit on lap 1. He fought back through the field, but couldn’t pass his team-mate.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 291 points, Rosberg 2nd, 274 points. Gap: 17 points
United States Grand Prix at Austin, 2nd November
The Circuit of the Americas has proved entertaining in 2012 and 2013. This year was no exception. Rosberg beat Hamilton to pole, but the Brit was able to keep with the German in the race. Hamilton through one down the inside of Rosberg at turn 12 on the 24th lap, pushed his team-mate out wide and won the race by 4 seconds. This gave him the all time record as most successful British driver.
Race: Hamilton 1st, 25 points, Rosberg 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 316 points, Rosberg 2nd, 292 points. Gap: 24 points
Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, 9th November
Interlagos always has a good race due to its hilly circuit, unpredictable weather and high altitude. Hamilton looked to have beaten Rosberg to pole on his final run, but Rosberg pulled out a brilliant last sector to pip the other Silver Arrows by 33 thousandths of a second. Rosberg looked comfortable in the race, but Hamilton could have won it between stops. The only reason he didn’t? He pushed for two flying laps instead of one between stops, meaning he ran out of tyres and spun, costing him 7 seconds. Ultimately, this cost him the victory.
Race: Rosberg 1st, 25 points, Hamilton 2nd, 18 points
Championship: Hamilton 1st, 334 points, Rosberg 2nd, 317 points. Gap: 17 points
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina, 23rd November…
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