So as the sun sets on the 2014 Formula 1 season, fans now have 2015 to look forward to with eager anticipation. The 66th F1 season promises to be a classic, with some interesting driver shake ups, the sport’s youngest ever competitor, and the return of a title-winning combination.
But what can we look forward to in terms of driver battles? Who will have the upper hand on their closest comparison? Let’s take a look down the grid to analyse how each driver battle might turn out.
Mercedes
The reigning champions had a tough time controlling both of their drivers in 2014, as their policy of free racing turned ugly on a number of occasions. For much of the season Nico Rosberg was ahead in the championship due to his almost-robotic consistency, but Lewis Hamilton pulled out the results when it mattered to turn it around and take his second championship title. In 2015, many people expect the Englishman to outperform his team mate again, but it would be wrong to jump to that conclusion so soon. Let’s not forget that Hamilton has been a championship-winning position before, whereas Rosberg had not. Now the German has that extra experience under his belt, he will be in a much better position for 2015. Expect another close encounter between the Mercedes drivers.
Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo was undoubtedly the star performer of 2014, taking three victories in a car which had a clear lack of performance in comparison to that of Mercedes, and in the process almost embarrassing his four-time champion team mate Sebastian Vettel. The Australian will have a new team mate in 2015, after Daniil Kvyat was promoted from Toro Rosso to fill the seat of the outgoing Vettel. The Russian will have more pressure on his shoulders to perform at the race-winning team, after competing in only one season of F1 so far, considerably less than Ricciardo, and also less than that of Jean-Eric Vergne, his Toro Rosso team mate whom many felt deserved the promotion to Red Bull. Given Kvyat’s performances in 2014, it can be assumed he will do a solid job, but he is likely to have a difficult time outperforming a team mate as strong as Ricciardo.
Williams
Both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa have been retained for 2015 after Williams took their highest championship position 2003. Bottas, in only his second season of F1, took a highly-impressive fourth in the drivers championship, while his ultra-experienced team mate took seventh. However, it should be mentioned that Massa had most of the share of bad luck at Williams, and given his form in the second half of 2014 , he may well have beaten Bottas in the standings had he had a clean season. The Brazilian has stated his intent of challenging for the title in 2015, and if Williams can build a car capable of taking the title, neither Massa or Bottas can be disregarded. As for who will be top, I think the consistency of Bottas might aid him in beating his team mate.
Ferrari
The Scuderia have brought in a new recruit to replace the McLaren-bound Fernando Alonso, and it is none other than Sebastian Vettel, the most successful driver on the current grid. The four time world champion joins Ferrari looking for a new challenge, and is possibly looking to emulate his hero Michael Schumacher, by bringing the crown back to Maranello. Looking at his team mate Kimi Raikkonen, if you had asked me for a comparison three years ago, there wouldn’t be much to tell between the two. However, after the Finn suffered a dismal season in 2014 where he was comfortably outperformed by Alonso, the same may well happen again at the hands of Vettel.
McLaren
It’s a case of ‘Return of the King’ at McLaren for 2015, as Fernando Alonso prepares for his second stint with the team, after the Spaniard joined them as reigning champion back in 2007. Back then, Alonso had a fresh-faced Lewis Hamilton to contend with, which as we all know turned very ugly. This time round, however, the more-experience Jenson Button will drive the sister car. Alonso clearly has a lot of respect for the Englishman, after stating in an interview that he wished for Button to stay in 2015. Alonso has only ever been beaten over the course of a season by a team mate once, so the statistics show that he should come out on top, but Button can never be discounted, as shown in 2009 and 2011.
Force India
2014 was a case of two young drivers doing whatever they could to prove they deserve a top seat in Formula 1. Nico Hulkenberg has always been regarded as a top driver, but for one reason or another just never made it to a top team. On the other side of the garage, Sergio Perez was given a lifeline by Force India after being ousted by McLaren. Perez delivered the team’s only podium of the year, but it was consistency that helped Hulkenberg to finish comfortably ahead of his team mate in the championship, where the German climbed as high as third in the standings after Bahrain. Perez may be a fast driver, but he is going to need to improve his consistency if he is to beat his highly-regarded team mate.
Toro Rosso
The Red Bull ‘B’ team will field an entirely new driver line up for 2015. Max Verstappen will make history as the youngest ever driver to take to a Formula 1 grid at the age of 17, and Carlos Sainz was finally given the promotion he deserves after winning the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. It is difficult at this moment in time to make an accurate analysis of who may be quicker, as both drivers are rookies, but based on their progress in the lower formulae, Sainz may have the upper hand over Verstappen. Let’s not forget that the Dutchman has only had one season of single seater racing before Formula 1, whereas Sainz has been rising through the rans since 2010, winning Formula Renault 2.0 and 3.5 on the way. Having said that, Verstappen’s rapid rise to the top echelon of motorsport speaks volumes of his undoubted talent, so Toro Rosso will be one of the teams to watch for 2015.
Lotus
Romain Grosjean was clearly ahead of Pastor Maldonado in 2014, but it remains to be seen whether this pattern can continue into 2015. Lotus should be a lot more competitive in 2015, after dumping the underpowered Renault engine in favour of Mercedes, thus potentially making this particular team mate battle more intense, as both drivers will strive to impress the top teams. Maldonado is a proven race winner and a quick qualifier, and Grosjean is the most-improved driver in the last two years, as noticed by the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Expect more points appearances from Lotus in 2015, but the top driver may well come down to who wants it more.
Sauber
The Swiss team endured their first ever pointless campaign since entering the sport in 1993, and as a result replaced both Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez. Their new line-up, comprised of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, is the second-least experienced in the field, but promises better results than 2014. Ericsson, who competed for Caterham last season, went from strength to strength and showed Sauber that he was a decent choice to lead the team, while Nasr had an impressive season in GP2, finishing third in the standings with four wins. Ericsson’s experience of Formula 1 should theoretically give him the edge over Nasr, but if his time in GP2 was anything to go by, it may not be as clear cut as it seems…
