The current F1 engine regulations which were introduced for the 2014 season certainly split opinion, even today; but after a period of six years which saw a pure manufacturer team clinch just one of twelve titles, it has become clear that the true performance from the modern F1 car now comes from the highly complex power unit in addition to just the aerodynamics of the car. After the Mercedes team absolutely battered the opposition in 2014 and so far in 2015 no driver from a ‘privateer’ team appearing on the podium, we are perhaps seeing a manufacturers return to the top.
Between 2000 and 2007, no team other than the works Ferrari team and the works Renault team achieved a championship. By the twilight of this period in 2006, no driver from a non-works team achieved a race victory as Ferrari, Renault and Honda were the only teams to stand on top of the podium, the first time this had occurred for 50 years. However, as the global financial crisis set in, Formula 1 lost Honda, Toyota and Renault as works teams in quick succession, with only Mercedes joining in 2010 (ironically in place of Honda in the end) being the one manufacturer to enter the sport as a full works team. Now, F1 has just two full works teams: Ferrari and Mercedes, and these two have established themselves well and truly as the top two in the sport at the moment.
After four races, these two teams collectively have 266 points, four race victories, four pole positions, four fastest laps and 12 podiums in addition to leading every single lap of the season to date. The best any of the other teams can boast is fourth place in a qualifying or a race session. I believe that the key behind this is getting both the power unit and the chassis to work as one fluid unit, and Mercedes and Ferrari have got it spot on this year. We are also seeing the very rapid rise of a team with an exclusive power unit deal – the McLaren-Honda team. McLaren left their multiple title-winning partnership with Mercedes for a brand new opportunity with Honda after it became clear that McLaren were not going to win any titles with Mercedes in the state that they are in. Conversely, we are also seeing a massive dip in performance from 2013 champions Red Bull Racing, who are arguably getting to grips with their Renault power unit worse than sister team Toro Rosso.
Lately there has been interest from manufacturers regarding joining or re-joining F1. Perhaps the most clear-cut case is that of Renault, who seem likely to buy the Toro Rosso team from Red Bull, but one of the more surprising stories to emerge is the possibility that Audi is set to join the fun, possibly taking over the senior Red Bull team. I do not see why these two big manufacturers would join the sport if they did not think that they had a solid chance of being competitive from the word go. With Honda in the sport too, could this persuade their (and Audi’s WEC) rivals Toyota to make a sudden return too?
I also believe that the huge costs of competing in Formula 1 at the moment benefits the large manufacturers as those are some of the few companies with the kind of budgets required to invest seriously into the sport, as oppose to the privateers who are just hanging on by a thread or those who have disappeared entirely from the sport. This will also play a part in being competitive, as the big manufacturers can focus on going forward on and off the circuit, as opposed to just struggling to survive year in, year out.
The 2014 Formula 1 World Championship for Drivers and Constructors was won by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes respectively. It seems as if it is heading that way again this year. Will we see another eight-year long streak of just manufacturers securing the championships?
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