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2015 F1 Top Ten Moments

A look at the 2015 F1 top ten moments and stories, in a season which has not been the most exciting or the most competitive.

The 2015 Formula One season has hardly been the most exciting, most enthralling, most competitive or the most memorable season to date. Lewis Hamilton’s and Mercedes’ domination in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships respectively has brought the racing into question on more than one occasion this year. The off-track drama too has left a bad taste in the mouths of many too. However there are a number of things this season which were very much positive. And therefore, he is a list of the 2015 F1 top ten moments and stories, ahead of the season finale at Abu Dhabi this coming weekend.

Mercedes Playing Fair


With both titles already won after the first race as some had claimed, it would have been very easy for Mercedes to parade their cars en route to both championships as Ferrari did back after the turn of the millennium. However, Mercedes let both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg play things out on equal terms, especially when it came to pit stops. Hamilton had the upper hand for much of the season, but Rosberg showed form at times in the first half of the season and for much of the second half of the season. The only time that the two drivers did not have equal equipment was at the Italian Grand Prix, where Rosberg was forced to use an older-spec power unit as his newer one expired. Ultimately, whilst it was close at times, the quicker Mercedes driver across the season won the championship.

Manor’s Return from the Dead


At the other end of the grid, a hard-fought, gritty last-minute attempt to bring the Marussia team which went into administration at the end of 2014 came off, and with help from the prize money that the now-late Jules Bianchi won with his terrific drive at Monaco, new investors and substantial help from Ferrari by finding a loophole in the regulations that allowed the team to run old equipment at a cut price, Marussia made it onto the grid for the second round of the year under the new name Manor. They have run three drivers this season however one caught the eye of many…

Alexander Rossi


It was a real breath of fresh air to see an American on the F1 grid for the first time in 8 years. After missing out on making his début as Marussia’s reserve driver on three occasions last year (Max Chilton was able to buy his seat back for Spa, the team withdrew his car at Sochi as a mark of respect for the then-injured Bianchi and the team went into administration prior to Austin), Rossi finally made his début at Singapore. He was on the pace almost instantly, and beat Will Stevens (who had the upper hand against the heavier Roberto Merhi for much of the season) on a number of occasions. Whilst there are a number of drivers who I would have preferred to have seen make a début ahead of Rossi, it cannot be argued that he has done a good job and his presence is excellent for Formula One in the United States.

Vettel and Ferrari Revival


2014 was well and truly a year to forget for both Sebastian Vettel and Scuderia Ferrari. No race win in either case for the first time since 2007 and 1993 respectively, and in the case of the former, being simply outpaced by his new team mate Daniel Ricciardo and in the case of the latter a serious change around in key personnel with the likes of Luca di Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali and Fernando Alonso all leaving the team for one reason or another, 2015 looked to be a case of rebuilding for both Vettel – following in the footsteps of his hero Michael Schumacher and for Ferrari. However, a clear third in the championship for Vettel behind the two Mercedes and a clear second in the championship for Ferrari must have exceeded everybody’s expectations. Vettel’s reputation has only grown substantially in 2015, by matching the great Schumacher’s three race wins in his first season with the Scuderia, despite clearly not having the fastest car. Almost every neutral is hoping that Vettel and Ferrari can improve further and take it to Mercedes for 2016.

Mexican Atmosphere


Formula One returned to Mexico for the first time since 1992 this year. With a home favourite in the much-improved Sergio Perez and a huge amount of passion for motor racing, the atmosphere at the modified Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was simply incredible. Whilst the race did not produce the action many had hoped, the roars from the crowd – especially when Perez overtook cars in the brilliant stadium section, was truly exceptional to watch. Things like this is what Formula One needs, not circuits built in the middle of some wastelands in South Korea with fans who have no idea what Formula One is or should be about. Just to top it off, the podium was not on the main straight but in the stadium, bringing the fans close to the drivers to provide a sensational feeling to Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Austin Race


The combination of a series of storms, heavy rain and the return of the Mexican Grand Prix meant that the United States Grand Prix was not going to attract the crowds as it has done in recent years. Whilst Friday and Saturday were simply washouts, with fans missing some of the action on the Saturday, F1 needed to do something to salvage the tricky American audience on the Sunday. Boy did it deliver. Both Mercedes and Red Bull fought incredibly hard in the opening wet part of the race, with a genuine four-car battle for the race lead. Once the track dried up, the Red Bulls dropped back, and Sebastian Vettel – who started towards the back after a grid penalty, threw himself into the ring too. Ultimately, after a late mistake by Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton took his third title in one of the most topsy-turvy races in recent history, just showing that F1 can still deliver when it wants to.

Hungary


The run-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix had been incredibly difficult for everybody in the F1 paddock as the world lost Jules Bianchi in the run-up to the event. Some wonderful and touching tributes by the drivers, teams and everybody just before the race showed that there was a lot of emotion around for the final race before the summer break, and that emotion showed in the race itself. Both Mercedes were swamped by both Ferraris at the start – with Kimi Räikkönen making one of the starts of the season to go from fifth to second, and it only got worse for the Silver Arrows from there. Lewis Hamilton made a catalogue of errors during the race, whilst a strategy error by Nico Rosberg caused him to drop back. This race saw Sebastian Vettel win for the team Bianchi was destined to drive for, Bianchi’s good friend Daniel Ricciardo on the podium and Daniil Kvyat’s first ever podium finish. Meanwhile a 17-year old finished in fourth and a McLaren finished in fifth. Crazy.

Grosjean’s Podium


Times have been very tough for the popular Lotus F1 team. A very public dispute with Kimi Räikkönen followed by clear money troubles only emphasised by the fact that Pastor Maldonado and his sponsors joined the team for 2014, results turned from victories and regular podiums to a meagre ten points very quickly. With Mercedes power for 2015, things looked a little bit better, but the money problems still very much existed and the car proved to not be all that quick and rather fragile. An off-track dispute with test driver Charles Pic and unpaid bills to many suppliers including Pirelli only made the matters worse whilst the Renault buy-out was still being finalised. However at Spa, despite a gearbox penalty, a spirited drive by Romain Grosjean at the Belgian Grand Prix secured Lotus’ first podium since 2013. Haas-bound Grosjean has been somewhat under the radar this season, but despite missing many FP1 sessions whilst his replacement Jolyon Palmer has been at the wheel, he has been very impressive quite often this season – especially on Saturdays.

Sainz


Reigning Formula Renault 3.5 series champion Carlos Sainz, Jr. without doubt deserved a shot at Formula One with Toro Rosso for 2015 and by no means has he disappointed. On Saturdays he has delivered some truly exceptional performances, including fifth at Spain, eighth at Monaco and Britain, and tenth at Belgium. Not only that, he has had to fight back through the pack on no less than four occasions this year (not always through his own doing) and he has managed to slither his way through on each occasion. The son of the ex-World Rally Champion has shown himself to be more than competent at this level, and whilst he has had some awful luck this year – having had more retirements due to technical problems than any other driver (yes, including the McLarens), he has very much kept up with his very highly-rated team mate…

Verstappen


And whilst Sainz has been mighty impressive, there is no denying that the incredible teenage sensation that is Max Verstappen – son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, has been the most refreshingly great thing about this season. He has grown in many ways during the season, however the amazing overtakes which make me have to hold my breath at times remain there still. From surprising lunges on Saubers in China, sneaking his way through brilliantly at Monaco to daring moves around the outside of fearsome corners such as Blanchimont to holding it around the outside at the Senna S, the mistakes which we saw earlier in the season are becoming less frequent and he, like his team mate, are showing that the young, hungry Formula 1 drivers are here to provide the action if some of the more established names cannot. We have two potential legends on our hands here.

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