2014 Formula 1 Season

[Tiny]

Great race; just finished watching it.

Excellent drive by Dan from pitlane.

Thoroughly deserves his third place in the championship. Only driver to win a race (3 actually) this year not driving a Merc.

Also only driver other than Hamilton & Rosberg to win a race this season.


2014 FIA Formula One World Championship^®

Grand Prix	Date	Winning Driver	Team	Laps	Time
	16/03/2014			57	158.710
	30/03/2014			56	1:40:25.974
	06/04/2014			57	1:39:42.743
	20/04/2014			54	128.338
	11/05/2014			66	1:41:05.155
	25/05/2014			78	1:49:27.661
	08/06/2014			70	1:39:12.830
	22/06/2014			71	154.976
	06/07/2014			52	2:26:52.094
	20/07/2014			67	142.914
	27/07/2014			70	1:53:05.058
	24/08/2014			44	136.556
	07/09/2014			53	1:19:10.236
	21/09/2014			60	2:00:04.795
	05/10/2014			44	1:51:43.021
	12/10/2014			53	150.744
	02/11/2014			56	1:40:04.785
	09/11/2014			71	1:30:02.555
	23/11/2014			55	1:39:02.619

[Uncle Fester]

Well lucky for Hamilton that is was not the other way around with the bad tech that really spoiled the race IMO. I was looking forward to see Rosberg and Hamilton battling it out.

I wonder what people will think of hybrids now. I think there have been too many failures from Mercedes. Technical failures have nothing to do with (bad)luck.
Ricciardo's Red Bull might be a slow go-cart but it seems to have been more reliable for him, than the Mercs were for Hamilton and Rosberg when looking over the entire season.

I don't understand the Red Bull' management. What were they thinking when they put on those illegal front wings? Dan could have come second had he started properly.

Shame it is all over. Can't get excited about much else on FTA telly.

[Bigfella237]

Personally I would've liked to see Rosberg get up, if only to spite those damn one-eyed Hamilton-loving commentators, but how disappointing to lose a championship because of an equipment failure?

Yep, Ricciardo has just impressed all season, driving around his (so-called) team mate time after time. Kind of makes you wonder if a few of the more seasoned campaigners shouldn't be pensioned off to make way for these young guys coming through the ranks? I'm looking forward to Daniil Kvyat joining RBR next year, I reckon he's gonna do well (another unfair retirement due to equipment failure in this race); and good riddance to Vettel, let him be Ferrari's problem for the next couple of years!

Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton.... Won the World Championship, Won the Girl, Won the Race.... Could that man feel any luckier!!!

I think I preferred his girlfriend's friend myself... but who knows, winning a world championship might see her getting invited to the party later as well!

[Tiny]

Personally I would've liked to see Rosberg get up, if only to spite those damn one-eyed Hamilton-loving commentators, but how disappointing to lose a championship because of an equipment failure?

Yes would have been great to have the 2 battle it out, however whether you like Hamilton or not he deserved the championship & the race win.

He won 11 races this season to Rosberg's 5. That's impressive in the same equipment & yes they both had technical issues thru the season, as did most cars/teams/drivers. That is what happens in racing
I know from my experience in racing that technical issues are a big game changer, I'm sure Godzilla will agree.

The last race double points was only a mathematical possibility for Rosberg to win the Championship. He had to finish 5th or better & Hamilton score zero points to get the Championship. That's a tough expectation, although it was a possibility that has now passed.

The double points wont be happening next year according to post race info & if it hadn't been available at this last race; Hamilton would have been champ before the start.

[ol' boy]

Yes, i am glad the Championship wasnt decided over "Double Points"... Which is a stupid concept anyway.

[Tiny]

I don't understand the Red Bull' management. What were they thinking when they put on those illegal front wings? Dan could have come second had he started properly.

Yeah I think that's weird too, however from what Allan Jones was saying I got the impression that they had been using those front wings for a while & some other teams had copied them, all of a sudden they don't pass the deflection test in post Qualifying scrutineering.
A Red Bull representative made a comment something like "We thought we had interpreted the rules the same as other teams have. We will just have to cop the penalty."
Which was;qualifying times disallowed so sent to the back of the grid for race start, then Red Bull changed the nose cones to one with a legal wing, the stewards issued a pit lane start penalty for the change of nose cone.

That is just plain

[Uncle Fester]

Why do I suddenly get this DeJa Vu from the first race of the season.
It seems the stewards like to pick out the Red Bull team with these issues and enforce particularly harsh penalties.
One could dispute their neutrality if others had been using them as was well.

[ol' boy]

Yes, lets not forget the win that Ricciardo had stripped off him too.

[Tiny]

Yes, lets not forget the win that Ricciardo had stripped off him too.

We need to fix your memory OB.

That was a second place to Rosberg he had taken away from him at Melbourne.

[ol' boy]

Oops... Too many drinks lately

[Bigfella237]

That was a second place to Rosberg he had taken away from him at Melbourne.

May as well have been a win... first drive with a new team at your home event and you put it on the second step of the podium! Pretty much set the stage for his entire year now that we look back.

I really hope somebody stands behind those little froggies at Renault over the off-season and kicks 'em up the backside every few minutes as an incentive to find whatever it is Mercedes found already, they're already in a whole lower class power-wise and Merc reckon they've already found another 60 horses!

[Bigfella237]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...

It doesn't sound too good for poor old Jules Bianchi, they mentioned during the broadcast that he's now been transferred to a French hospital and their big news was that he's now breathing on his own (but still hasn't regained consciousness).

I wish him all the best but after seeing footage of the crash I think he's lucky just to be alive, it doesn't seem too hopeful?

[ol' boy]

Yep, all in all, its been a very "interesting" year for F1.

New Power Plants
Teams dropping out

Its all made for lots of discussion, progression, tactics.... I have found it much more engaging than the Vettel years.
Even Berni's fine made it interesting to watch.

Its such a massive game, really is the rich of the rich on the world stage.... and to think, we have an Aussie driver being able to show his driving skills to the world by genuinely passing the games best drivers and teams.
Cant wait for the 2015 session to start!

Watch the numbers jump at the Melbourne F1 now!!!!!
Its going to be huge!

Edit: It was a great season apart from one very bad incident with Jules Bianchi.
Hope he makes a full recovery.

[Godzilla]

Anyone know the new F1 regs for next season?

What are the changes?

[ol' boy]

I see they are hoping for changes in 2016, with engines anyway.
Its more coming from the teams, not sure if its a firm or actual change yet.
Team changes

McLaren will renew their relationship with Japanese manufacturer Honda, twenty-three years since they last competed together. Pictured is the McLaren MP4/6, one of the last cars built by McLaren to use a Honda engine, racing at the 1991 United States Grand Prix.
Honda will return to Formula One as an engine supplier, providing McLaren with a V6 engine and Energy Recovery System package, ending the team's twenty-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz.[15] Honda had previously supplied McLaren from 1988 until 1992, when Honda ended their engine supply program. The company returned to the sport as an engine supplier in 2000, providing British American Racing and Jordan Grand Prix with engines until they purchased the former in 2006 and competed as a constructor until 2008.
Lotus will change engine suppliers, ending their association with Renault in favour of a deal with Mercedes.[38]
Following the 2014 Russian Grand Prix, Marussia went into administration, missing the final three races of the 2014 season. The team briefly appeared on the provisional entry list under the name "Manor F1",[5] but in November 2014, administrators announced that the team would cease trading and close down.[39]

I think they can no longer assist the driver via the radio anymore either.

Regulation changes
Technical regulations
The number of power units that a driver may use in a season will be reduced from five in 2014 to four in 2015.[45]
The rules regarding the points-trading system for engine development that were introduced in 2014 will change, with the manufacturers allowed to perform half the development permitted in 2014; the development will be halved again in 2016.[46]
Following the backlash over "ugly" nose designs in 2014, the FIA moved to amend the rules surrounding nose designs for the 2015 season. Noses will now be lower than in 2014, retaining a minimum cross section, but they must taper to a point at a fixed linear rate, effectively outlawing the dramatic finger shapes seen in 2014 in favour of a more gradual shape. Furthermore, the design of the nose must be symmetrical and consistent with the centreline of the car, thereby banning the more exotic designs, such as the "twin-tusk" approach used by Lotus on the E22 chassis.[47]
Sporting regulations
The procedure for restarting a race after the safety car has been deployed will change in 2015. Instead of the traditional single-file rolling restart with the pace controlled by the race leader, the drivers will return to the starting grid for a standing restart controlled by the race director. The exception will be if the race is in the last five laps, in which case a rolling restart will be used.[48]
The partial ban on pit-to-car communication introduced at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix will be extended to include a blanket ban on sharing technical data between team and driver, such as specific fuel consumption settings.[49]

[Godzilla]

2 Radio clicks for more front wing.....your girlfriend says hi may mean overtake.....you get the drift.

Good luck to them working out the communication codes they will be using which will probably change by each race, its not the first time stuff like thats been done.

[ol' boy]

Well we can still enjoy some parts of F1.

Day 1 Testing is complete


Williams driver Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time of the day of 1:43.396 after completing 80 laps, Raikkonen was less than half a second slower in his Ferrari, while Nico Rosberg hammered out 114 laps for a best time of 1:44.512 and Force India’s Joylon Palmer managed a 1:44.516.

F1 TESTING DAY 1 TIMESHEET

1 — Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:43.396, 80 laps

2 — Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:43.888, 80 laps

3 — Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:44.512, 114 laps

4 — Jolyon Palmer, Force India, 1:44.516, 36 laps

5 — Carlos Sainz, Red Bull, 1:45.339, 99 laps

6 — Will Stevens, Caterham, 1:45.436, 101 laps

7 — Charles Pic, Lotus, 1:46.167, 88 laps

8 — Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:46.253, 95 laps

9 — Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1:47.194, 55 laps

10 — Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, No Time, 3 laps


Honda have jumped straight back into Formula 1 at the season-ending Abu Dhabi test, which got underway on Tuesday afternoon AEDT.

ROSTER FOR F1’S POST-SEASON TEST AT ABU DHABI:

Red Bull: Carlos Sainz (TUE), Daniel Ricciardo (WED)
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg (TUE), Pascal Wehrlein (WED)
Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen (TUE), Raffaele Marciello (WED)
Lotus: Charles Pic (TUE), Esteban Ocon (WED)
McLaren: Stoffel Vandoorne (TUE & WED)
Force India: Jolyon Palmer (TUE), Spike Goddard (WED)
Sauber: Marcus Ericsson (TUE & WED)
Toro Rosso: Max Verstappen (TUE & WED)
Williams: Valtteri Bottas (TUE), Felipe Nasr (WED)
Caterham: Will Stevens (TUE & WED)

Does anyone know if Testing is being televised?
They did it with MotoGP a few weeks ago..... Hopefully its available somewhere.

[ol' boy]

Far out, i had no idea of this.

I fella by the name of John Surtess, won 4 500cc Motorcycle World Championships, then switched to Formula 1, and won the 1964 Formula 1 World Championship.
A feat never repeated to this day, and i doubt it ever will be.

Many have tried moving out of 2 wheels into four, with varying success.
The one that comes to my mind the most would be Stephane Peterhansel (a Gun in Enduro, a winner of Dakar on bikes multiple time and now a winner of Dakar in a car multiple times.)