The F1 Season So Far

The F1 Season So Far

14 August 2014

As you know, the F1 season is taking its summer break at the moment, so this would be a good time to review and reflect on the first half of the season.

The battle between Rosberg and Hamilton has got to be top of my list of exciting watches. I think you will all have noticed Hamilton’s tendency to ignore team rules and make his own decisions on the track that have provided some of the best final lap battles we have seen in a long time. Long may this continue!

Some F1 fans may think that fuel saving and the tactics of the race are detracting from the racing itself, but the way the cars are built at the moment – towards being fully hybrid – means that it is all about the technology. And the technology is mind-blowing.

The only problem with having such hi-tech cars is that if the slightest thing is not functioning to the nth degree, something will go wrong. We’ve seen evidence of this recently with Hamilton’s DNFs.

So how are the top teams dealing with the technology?

Mercedes seem to have nailed it. Despite a few reliability issues, when the cars are right, they are well ahead of the pack. General consensus is that Mercedes got the technology jump on everyone pre-season and completed so much out of season testing that everyone else is now playing catch-up.

Red Bull are used to dominating the leader board, but have really struggled to get on top of the new technology. Did they not make enough preparations for the rule changes….? I think that Ricciardo has adapted well to the technology of the car and maybe this is due to the fact that he has cut his teeth under the new rules. Could we argue that Vettel is stuck in his ways and struggling to adapt to the way the car delivers its power?

The Ferrari team are also struggling despite having Alonso in the Driver’s seat. Again - is he not coping with the technology? We all know he is one of the best drivers out there so I will be waiting to see if this mid-season break has allowed him some time to get to grips with his car.

I think that the understanding between the driver and the technology will continue to prove interesting for the rest of the season, as we watch to see who can work in harmony with their car and still deliver the old school flat-out racing that excites us each season.