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Sunday, July 27, 2014

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Caterham F1 Team

2014 Hungarian GP - Saturday 26th July
Photo Credit: Caterham F1 Team

Caterham F1 Team


Team Score: C-

Kamui Kobayashi: C-
Marcus Ericsson: C


While the Marussia F1 Team relieved themselves of the tyranny of being a non-point scoring organization earlier this year, Caterham is now the only Formula 1 team to enter the second-half of the 2014 season without a career top-10 finish. Based on the Caterham F1 Team's performance in past seasons, it served as a mild shock when Marussia scored points first. Running customer Renault engines since 2011, Caterham has continued to come close to scoring a top-10 spot in a grand prix. In July, headlines around Caterham reflected a change in ownership. Tony Fernandes  (the team's original owner who founded the organization as Lotus Racing) has now detached himself from Caterham. Along with Fernandes' partners, the team was sold to a Swiss/Middle East group. Following completion of the team's sale, a number of positions were shuffled. Prior to the German Grand Prix, Christijan Albers was named Team Prinicipal. 

On-track, 2014 drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson come from different situations but have faced similar results in competition. Both team cars have suffered three or more retirements after 10 races. Ericsson does boast the team's best result for 2014 with an 11th place at Monaco.


Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: The Caterham F1 Team is still knocking on the door of a top-10 spot. The best chance at scoring points appears to be luck heading into the final nine races of 2014. It's unsure what effect the management changes will have to the remainder of this season. History tends to say that little will change in regards of performance for at least the immediate future.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Sauber

Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

Sauber


Team Score: D

Esteban Gutierrez : D+

Adrian Sutil: C-

In past years, Sauber has made the most of being an underdog team. In 2014, the team is floundering during race events. Buried at the lower half of the Formula 1 grid, Sauber is one of two teams lacking constructors' points. Ten team retirements of race vehicles has contributed to miserable season for the Ferrari-powered Sauber. While the Ferrari power unit has been the result of a few retirements, several collisions have also led to the Sauber's finishing low on the grid at the end of grand prix race weekends.
 
Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez is engaged in his second season with the Sauber operation. The 2010 GP3 Series champion has qualified decently but has not been able to mount quality race finishes largely due to five DNFs. After several respectable seasons with Force India, Adrian Sutil joined Sauber in 2014 apperently expecting he can perform like Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg did with the team in previous years. Just missing out on a championship point in his first race, Sutil is endured a non-point scoring season almost identical to Gutierrez.
 
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: When you're a non-scoring team in Formula 1, the problems appear simple but any fix can prove exceptionally difficult. The 2014 Formula 1 season has been a tough struggle for Ferrari-engined race machines. The only way to improve the performance of the Sauber team will depend largely on bettering reliability and finding more speed.


1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Marussia F1 Team

Photo Credit: Andrew Hone Photographer/ Pirelli Photo Service

Marussia F1 Team



Team Score: C


Jules Bianchi: B-
Max Chilton: C


One of two teams still operating since Formula 1 attempted to pave the way new, lower cost entrants into the sport, Marussia ended last season in need of a new powerplant. Making a deal to run Ferrari engines, the race team remained at the lower part of the starting grid but began showing improved race pace than in previous seasons. Cracking into the top-10 at Monaco with a ninth place finish, there is high hopes that the feat will be repeated.
 
Retaining their 2013 driver roster, Marussia F1 Team has enjoyed some meager success with Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton. Bianchi has clearly become the star of the team by driving his Marussia-Ferrari to the points-scoring position in Monaco. However, despite the majot triumph, Jules Bianchi is also one of the most penalized 2014 Formula 1 racer after 10 events. Still looking for his first career Formula 1 championship point, sophomore driver Max Chilton has been recorded running in all-but one grand prix event. In most 2014 races, Chilton actually finished ahead of Bianchi.
 
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: Since claiming the ninth place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, Marussia has fallen back into their position near the bottom of the grid. Qualifying also continues to be a struggle for the team. Now that Marussia has captured Formula 1 race points, they need to realize it is no longer acceptable to simply beat their long-running rival Caterham. It may be time for Marussia set itself up to regularly compete against Toro Rosso and Force India.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Lotus F1 Team

Photo Credit: Andrew Hone Photographer/ Pirelli Photo Service

Lotus F1 Team


Team Score: D+

Romain Grosjean: C-
Pastor Maldonado: D


The greatest positive attention the Lotus F1 Team has garnered in 2014 took place when their race car wore the 18-inch new concept tires for Pirelli. Losing 2013 driver and former Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari, the Lotus F1 Team showed promise with Romain Grosjean through the final races last season with four podium results in six races. Unfortunately, the E22 chassis combined with a Renault Energy F1 powerplant has resulted in a dismal first points of the 2014 season for what was a team to watch. Scoring just eight constructors' points through the first 10 races, there has been no signs of improvement to the Lotus F1 Team.
 
The 2014 driver line-up for the Lotus F1 Team assembled two talented drivers with a history of condemnation for making erratic moves on track. Ridding himself of a past that involved a one-race suspension in 2012, Frenchman Romain Grosjean's improved driving is being supplied to an unworthy race vehicle. Grosjean scored the team's only point finishes for 2014 with a pair of eighth-place results in the Spanish Grand Prix and on the streets of Monaco. Jumping from Williams to Lotus for this season, Venezuelan Formula 1 race winner Pastor Maldonado has been unable to find speed from his number 13 Lotus-Renault. Unable to score championship points, Maldonado has accumulated four dubious points against his Formula 1 super license as a result of on-track incidents in 2014.
 
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: In Formula 1, there is nothing more disappointing to see than a team that goes from hero to zero in a matter of a year. The Lotus F1 Team's car is just plain slow. Judging through resources and recent history, the team should be capable of reworking their race package to perform better on track but has yet to even show an indication they are moving forward.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Scuderia Toro Rosso


Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service/Andrew Hone Photographer

 

Scuderia Toro Rosso

 
Team Score: C-


Jean-Eric Vergne: C
Daniil Kvyat: B

 

Accepted as a development team for Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso has spent it's entire existence in the shadow of major Formula 1 organizations. For the first time since the team was structured, Toro Rosso has been running the same powerplant as the Red Bull Racing team. Despite the engine manufacturer change, the move did nothing to change the position of the Toro Rosso group. Proving to be the best problem area for the team has been a multitude of mechanical issues consisting linked to a variety of components from the exhaust system to the suspension.
 
Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat proves impressive at several points in 2014 with results that included scoring championship points in his debut run in the Grand Prix of Australia. Going on to finish in the top-10 in three of the first four races of the season, Kvyat's has been troubled by several Toro Rosso mechanical problems leading to four retirements since the Monaco Grand Prix. Jean-Eric Vergne's 2014 season has been flat but resulted in him outscoring his rookie teammate so far this season.
 
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: Toro Rosso's reliability must improve greatly through the remaining nine races. With vehicle pace not a major issue, drivers Kvyat and Vergne can be positioned to add a sizable amount of points to the year-end tally if they can finish events.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Sahara Force India

Photo Credit: Sahara Force India

 

Sahara Force India


Team Score: B

Nico Hulkenberg: B+
Sergio Perez: C+

 

Force India has been at the middle of the Formula 1 running order for years with a chance at the occasional podium. In 2014, the team is still not ready to fight for race victories but does have consistent pace. Lucking out with the Mercedes-Benz powerplant, the Force India operation also exercised some clever tire strategy in races that has been favourable to their finishing results. The team stands competitively in fifth place in the constructors' points.
 
Force India's driver line-up was completely revised for 2014 with two young pilots who can potentially be future race winners. Continuing to show talent and consistency in Formula 1 he showed last season at Sauber, Nico Hulkenberg has driven the 27 Force India-Mercedes to a points-paying position in all 10 grand prix races so far (only him and Fernando Alonso can claim that honour). Hulkenberg is still searching for his first career Formula 1 podium and it may likely come before the end of this season. Departing from McLaren after an unfortunate outing with a slow car, Sergio Perez has been aggressively trying to demonstrate his driving was not the reason he was dismissed from the high-end operation. In Bahrain, Perez captured a podium spot with a third place behind the factory Mercedes-Benz cars. However, the 2014 season for the Mexican driver also contains a number of mistakes including a high-profile crash in the late stage of the Canadian Grand Prix resulting a grid place penalty being levied against Perez.
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: The customer Mercedes-Benz powerplant as well as the further execution of imaginative tire strategies should continue to work for the remainder of this season. A team that has neither been the fastest nor the slowest, Force India should be in position to snatch perhaps one or two podium positions in future races. With Hulkenberg and Perez demonstrating immense talent, the biggest trouble for the organization will be retaining either driver for an extended time in the sport.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Scuderia Ferrari


Photo Credit: Ferrari North America

Scuderia Ferrari


Team Score: D

Fernando Alonso: B-
Kimi Raikkonen: C-


Fielding what could be one of the ugliest cars on the grid (especially to Ferrari standards), the team has struggled to find speed. The technical changes to the 2014 Formula 1 race cars has apparently left the Ferrari stable fighting to get a grip of the gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain. The team also engaged in a early season management shake up after boss Stefano Domenicali quit in April. If Scuderia Ferrari fails to win a race in 2014, it will be the first time since 1993 that the organization has gone winless in a season.
 
Despite a difficult season where speed has evaded Ferrari, Fernando Alonso has done the best job possible in salvaging grand prix weekends with the aid of the team's pit crew. Scoring points in every race so far in 2014, Alonso stands fourth in the overall drivers' standings. The addition of Kimi Raikkonen was has not resulted in a homecoming either side expected. Exiting his time with Lotus F1 Team prematurely due to an injury in 2013, the former Formula 1 champion looked forward to his reunion with the team that helped him win the biggest sporting honour. Finishing no better than seventh so far in 2014, Raikkonen only has 19 points after 10 races.
 
 
Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: Personally, I would love it if Ferrari would redevelop the nose of their current race car. The Ferrari's front end constantly looks like it ran underneath a city bus. Along with a little more speed on track, Kimi Raikkonen needs better luck heading into the final races of 2014.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: McLaren Mercedes


Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

McLaren Mercedes


Team Score: C-
Jenson Button: C+
Kevin Magnussen: B


After a less than stellar outing in 2013, McLaren is experiencing a 2014 season where front-running performance continues to elude the storied British organization. The team is currently trailing Force India in the overall constructors' points resting in sixth place. Propelled by Mercedes-Benz power, McLaren is running out the clock on an engine partnership that dated back to the 1995 season. The race team is presently working with Honda in constructing a race-contending powerplant set to debut for the 2015 Formula 1 season.

Possibility focused more on 2015, the McLaren-Mercedes race cars driven by Jenson Button and rookie Kevin Magnussen has able to make the most of some 2014 Formula 1 events. The performance of team's rookie wheelman Magnussen (son of formula Formula 1 pilot and successful sports car racer Jan Magnussen) demonstrated the talent of a young but mature driver. As for the veteran Jenson Button, started the season with a podium finish in Australia following the disqualification of Daniel Ricciardo's car. However, since the Australian Grand Prix, the Brit has been enduring a fairly quiet 2014 season. Jenson Button remains a consist driver who has finished all but five laps so far this season. Button entered his 250th grand prix race in Malaysia (propelling himself into third place all-time for most Formula 1 starts).


Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: Having said it before, McLaren's focus is likely further down the road than the final nine races of this season. However, the team must remain an honest Formula 1 podium contender if they want to insure their 2015 Honda engine unit will launch out of the gate quickly. At least one additional podium result by Kevin Magnussen or Jenson Button should provide a sense of meaningful accomplishment for McLaren.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Martini Williams Racing

Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service


Martini Williams Racing


Team Score: B

Felipe Massa: B-
Valtteri Bottas: A-


Not only has the Martini Williams Racing team emerged considerably better than last year's team, the organization was a podium contender for several races. 2013 was a complete disaster for the nine-time constructors' title winner capturing only five points in 19 races. This year, Martini Williams Racing holds 121 point and is found in third place in the team standings. The abandonment of Renault for Mercedes-Benz power was likely a contributing factor to success. Although the engines received by Williams' are not quite at the zenith of performance as those powering the Mercedes AMG cars, the powerplant has nonetheless provided potency to the team's FW36 chassis.
 
The driver line-up for Martini Williams Racing reflect an experienced Brazilian pro with Felipe Massa and the budding sophomore talent of Finnish Valtteri Bottas. Both Massa and Bottas have been fast with the Williams-Mercedes but the younger driver has shown the best endurance for surviving grand prix races. Currently fifth in the Formula 1 Drivers' points, Bottas has qualified in the top-four three times in the past four grand prix events. Most impressively is Valtteri Bottas' current podium streak. Collecting his first-ever top-three finish in a Formula 1 race in Austria, Bottas has collected two runner-up spots at Silverstone and the Hockenheimring. Felipe Massa has also shown flashes of brilliance in 2014 but have been hindered by crashes including a scary one at the Canadian Grand Prix.


Ingredients for Second-Half of 2014: Martini Williams Racing can possibility exit the 2014 Formula 1 season with a victory if they can catch the Mercedes AMG team on a bad outing. Bottas and Massa must remain solid in qualifying as well as race scenarios. It is also pivotal that Williams continues to develop their FW36 chassis in a positive manner.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Red Bull Racing



Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Red Bull Racing


Team Score: C

Sebastian Vettel: C-
Daniel Ricciardo: B+

The dominant team in the grand prix paddock for several seasons, Red Bull Racing has found themselves unseated from to top of the podium in all but one race this season. Facing reliability problems in pre-season testing, the Red Bull-Renault RB10 arrived in Australia with not only technical gremlins but troubles with fuel consumption (new criteria limiting the amount of fuel burned by a race car cost Red Bull Racing and Daniel Ricciardo a podium result in post-race).

The only team other than Mercedes AMG to pull off a race win this season, the surreal part of the Red Bull Racing picture for 2014 has been the fact newcomer Daniel Ricciardo is outperforming his championship defending teammate Sebastian Vettel. Vettel has been enduring a slump few would have forecasted heading into the season.

 
Improvements for Second-Half of 2014: Daniel Ricciardo is performing at least at par for what Red Bull Racing could have expected heading into the year. However, the team needs to desperately recapture its magic that proved so powerful in the past four seasons. Needless to say, Sebastian Vettel must recover his mojo in the cockpit. Better performances in qualifying could grant the Red Bull-Renault a better shot at celebrations like the one in Canada.

1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report: Mercedes AMG


Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Mercedes AMG


Team Score: A

Lewis Hamilton: A-
Nico Rosberg: A



Knocking on the door for greatness during the past couple of seasons of grand prix racing, the factory-backed Silver Arrows are once again at the top of the auto racing world. Having almost swept the 2014 Formula 1 season to date, the Mercedes AMG team appears nothing less than extraordinary; at least, that is the way it looks on paper. The 2014 Mercedes AMG organization has clearly hit on right areas of developing a car to conform with the season's all-new gasoline/electric powertrain rules. Possessing a total of 366 manufacturers' points after the German Grand Prix, the Mercedes AMG team has gathered almost double the amount of their closest competitor Red Bull Racing.

For the second year in a row, Mercedes AMG has fielded former world champion driver Lewis Hamilton alongside the energetic German pilot Nico Rosberg. After 10 races, Hamilton holds five grand prix wins and Rosberg has four victories. With one fewer retirement, the German driver currently claims an advantage in the drivers' points standing. In the midway point, both drivers have been jockeying for attention as the team's number one. In the 44 car, Lewis Hamilton was specifically brought into the team to capture championship performance on the track. Now that has apparently occurred, Hamilton's greatest foil is long time Mercedes AMG pilot Nico Rosberg. With the team since 2010, Rosberg won the team's first race in China back in 2012.

Improvements for Second-Half of 2014: The only force that can beat Mercedes AMG is Mercedes AMG. With a fairly evident rivalry between Rosberg and Hamilton, it will prove important that the organization keeps the team as a whole the paramount concern heading into the final nine events.

Introduction to the 1 Racing Mind 2014 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report

Photo Credit: Pirelli/Andrew Hone Photographer


Entering the end of July, the premier open wheel spectacle has crossed an important threshold this season. The 2014 Formula 1 series is a global tour consisting of 19 races. Following the German Grand Prix, the sport has crossed into the second-half of the season.

With more than half of the events completed, some clear conclusions can be made regarding the competitiveness of drivers and teams up to this point. Through the upcoming series of postings, 1 Racing Mind will be grading each Formula 1 team on their effectiveness so far during this 2014 campaign. Along with highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each team, teams as well as individual drivers will also receive a grade for the season so far.

Grading of each driver will not only reflect their overall performance but expectations heading into the 2014 season. Therefore, some rookie drivers and teams that have struggled in past years may receive high report card grades based on their performances after 10 races.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Big Wheels Turning: Lotus F1 Team Tests Pirelli Tires with 18-Inch Rims

Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Formula 1 has long been a sport where technological evolutions have shaped the on-track product. In 1950, the champion-winning vehicle was an Alfa Romeo roadster powered by a supercharged straight-eight engine paired with a four-speed transmission. In 2014, the Formula 1 field is full of carbon fiber-laden machines powered through turbocharged V-6 engines with advanced, electrified powertrains. One thing that bridges 64 years of history is that the vehicles from both eras ride on Pirelli tires. Though advances in tire construction has made today's rubber radically different than the ones found on earlier grand prix cars. This past Wednesday at a multi-team test at the Silverstone Circuit, Pirelli has contributed a concept that could be used to define future Formula 1 cars.

With the Lotus F1 Team's E22 race car serving as the test bed, Pirelli has revealed a wheel/tire combination that could be spinning on the world's most premier open wheel vehicles. Featuring an18-inch wheel within P Zero racing slicks, the so-called Pirelli new concept tire rounded the Silverstone race track for 14 laps. The wheel diameter of the Pirelli's new concept tire is five inches larger than the series' current 13-inch rim. The Pirelli P Zero tire developed for the 18-inch wheel is slightly larger and possesses a stiffer structural sidewall.




Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service


Wednesday's tire test of the new concept Pirelli tire placed no emphasis on studying lap times. Without a lap time comparison to the current specification wheel/tire, it is worth noting there is one less than desirable attribute with the new concept tire that could affect speed negatively. Due to the larger wheel, the Pirelli new concept tire weighed four kilograms more than the current Formula 1 tire. The increase in unsprung weight on may prove unpopular in the quest for faster lap times.

The main reason for this exploration into tires centered with larger wheels appears more for style than it is for functionality. Pirelli's new concept tire is also considered as obtaining closer parity with the tires they develop for passenger cars. As a matter of fact, there are fewer production cars on the market running 13-inch wheels. The new wheel/tire was the highlight of a test where Formula 1 organizations such as the Lotus F1 Team, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing performed runs with tire compounds being assessed for the 2015 season.

Any potential adaptation to a new wheel, such as the one demonstrated new concept tire, seems unlikely for 2015 but could possibly become part of Formula 1 as early as the 2016 season.



Below is a comparison of wheel sizes used by various leading forms of auto racing:

 
2014 Wheel Sizes in Major Auto Racing


Series Wheel Diameter (Inches)
Formula 1 (Current Spec) 13
IndyCar Series 15
NASCAR 15
WEC LMP1 (Porsche 919 Hybrid) 18
Formula D (Ford Mustang RTR) 18
 

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Hamilton Win Home Grand Prix and Capitalizes on Teammate's Retirement

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Reaching the halfway point in the 2014 Formula 1 race season, the 5.891-kilometer Silverstone Circuit becomes a place where competition is also accompanied with a firm sense of identity for this season. In this ninth race, drivers and teams can quickly assess their strengths and weaknesses as well as know who they need to beat. In 2014, everyone is chasing the Mercedes AMG cars throughout the initial eight rounds. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have taken all but one race this season and has rekindled the historical recollections of the original 'Silver Arrows' of the 1950s. For the other drivers and teams Silverstone is going to serve as a chance to re-evaluate the season so far.

The race on the former World War Two bomber station is give several a chance to travel home to be stock in oneself. For many participants (drivers and race teams) in the 2014 grand prix tour, the British Grand Prix is home turf. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are racing on their country's circuit wanting to show in person to top of their abilities. Formula 1 teams such as Williams Martini Racing, McLaren as well as Lotus F1 Racing operate in England is differing results after eight races. With 52 laps at Silverstone, this grand prix is the realization of what has been proven and a threshold to the remainder of the Formula 1 season for 2014

Rain during Saturday qualifying at Silverstone resulted in an eventful outcome deeper through the grid. Mercedes AMG once again worked their season-long magic as Nico Rosberg took pole. Second-fastest was Sebastian Vettel who has been searching for the spell he used to bewitch grand prix races in past seasons. As for the Brits, Jenson Button mounted a solid third fastest charge in his McLaren-Mercedes while Lewis Hamilton mustered a sixth place run. The biggest shock of qualifying has been the cars belonging to Williams Martini Racing and Scuderia Ferrari found well outside the top-10.

A dry day with a threat of rain later, Sunday's British Grand Prix race started with the full roar of turbocharged V-6 engines coming to life. Drivers round turn one with practice and qualifying behind them ready to do battle for 52 laps at Silverstone. The flood of adrenaline heading into the first lap would be halted by a massive incident. Fighting to make up places in a hurry after an 18th place starting position, Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix crashing hard into a steel retaining barrier. The Williams-Mercedes of Felipe Massa spun to avoid Raikkonen but was unable to escape serious damage to his machine. Raikkonen's Ferrari hit with a maximum G force of 47Gs according to information gathered by BBC pit reporter Jennie Gow. Both drivers were not seriously hurt but would be retired from the British Grand Prix. The remaining drivers waited under a red flag for over an hour for the track's steel barrier to be repaired to allow the event's resumption. 

Restarting behind the safety car, Nico Rosberg's Mercedes AMG race car stormed to a lap three green flag at Silverstone. However, the British eyes in the early stages of this Formula 1 race was set on Rosberg's teammate Lewis Hamilton. By the end of lap four, Hamilton climbed from sixth to second place in the British Grand Prix. Hamilton was not the only driver cutting his way through the field early on as the remaining Ferrari of Fernando Alonso gained a top-10 spot swiftly.


Photo Credit: Andrew Hone/ Pirelli Photo Service



The British Grand Prix started with a major bang-up and action during the progression of the race. Ten laps into the race, Esteban Gutierrez delivered a massive shove towards the Lotus-Renault of Pastor Maldonado. Gutierrez was attempting to make a pass for position at an area of the track called Vale. While Maldonado continued to race after the contact, he retired his car three laps down to the leader at the end of the grand prix. Gutierrez was not as lucky as his Sauber-Ferrari drifted into the gravel on the lap 10 incident.

Much of the trouble on track avoided the Mercedes AMG cars through the first half of the British Grand Prix. However, while leading Nico Rosberg could not escape his race-altering fate. On lap 29th a gearbox problem occurred on German's car resulting in first his teammate Lewis Hamilton passing him for the lead and his first retirement from a grand prix race in 2014. Parking his Mercedes AMG car off-course, Rosberg stepped away disappointed contemplating the denial of sure victory and his lead in the Formula 1 Drivers' points.

After Rosberg falling out of the event, Hamilton was greeted with a giant lead over the second place running car of Valtteri Bottas. As impressive as Lewis Hamilton's quick surge was at the beginning of the British Grand Prix to an eventual lead on lap 30, the Finnish driver Bottas arrived in the runner-up spot from a 14th place on the starting grid. Though the lead did come down, the Mercedes-Benz customer engine car would never come within sight of the German factory-prepped counterpart in the closing stages.

Battles for third and fifth place did provide an amusing close to the British Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso's Ferrari was being chased by the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel through the closing laps. On lap 48, Vettel makes a daring move on Alonso through Brooklands resulting a short and tight drag race. The Red Bull driver ultimately overhauled the Ferrari for the fifth place position. Also through the final laps, McLaren's Jenson Button proceeded chasing down Daniel Ricciardo for the third and final podium place. Hungering to stand on the podium at Silverstone, Button shortened a 7.8-second gap on lap 44 to a 2.9-second interval on the final lap. Despite the fierce charge at the end that resulted in the Red Bull-Renault triumphing by 0.8 seconds, Button was denied a first podium place finish for 2014. Racing on a home track, the 15-year Formula 1 veteran has never secured a podium finish in the British Grand Prix. 


Photo Credit: Andrew Hone/Pirelli Photo Service



The day belonged to Britain's own Lewis Hamilton as the lone Mercedes AMG cruised to an easy victory. "Winning in front of your home crowd is just the best feeling. We really do have the greatest fans here and thank you so much to everyone for your patience after yesterday. To see the support all around the track is just amazing. I said before that I´d never give up but it was a tough qualifying and I really needed to dig deep and come back positive this morning. A huge thank you to my family and all of the fans for pushing me on - I couldn´t have done it without them." commented Hamilton following the British Grand Prix. The 2014 win is the 2008 world drivers' champion's second at Silverstone with his first coming in his title-clinching season. In regards to the title for 2014, the scoreless day for Nico Rosberg has resulted in Lewis Hamilton cutting deeply into what was a large gap. Rosberg's advantage in the championship is only four points after nine races. As for Mercedes AMG, their manufacturer point lead continued to receive a steady padding with 326 points (almost double the amount of points collected by reigning title-holder Red Bull Racing).


Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG



In addition to Hamilton's victory, the British fans also celebrated the effort of Williams Martini Racing with Valtteri Bottas scoring a second-place finish. A career-best for the sophomore Formula 1 pilot, the runner-up spot for Bottas is the Finnish driver's second-straight podium finish. Both Bottas and the Williams Martini Racing team has been far improved so far this season compared to a dismal 2013.

Daniel Ricciardo continues to outshine his higher profile teammate at Red Bull Racing with another podium result in 2014. The fourth podium result in the past five grand prix races, Ricciardo's effort came with Jenson Button threatening. The hybrid Renault powered machine fielded by the Austrian-based team has been the best-of-the-rest compared to the dominance of the Silver Arrows this season.
With Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso capturing fourth through sixth those past champions of the sport will enter the next round in Germany sensing they're missing something so far this season. Making for a much-needed double-point scoring race for McLaren, Kevin Magnussen coasted home seventh. Nico Hulkenberg grabbed eighth place while the two Toro Rosso-Renault race cars of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne took the final point-scoring position for the British Grand Prix.

The next race for the 2014 Formula 1 tour will be the German Grand Prix taking place July 20th at the Hockenheimring.


2014 Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine





1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
4 22 Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes-Benz
5 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Renault
6 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Ferrari
7 22 Kevin Magnussen McLaren Mercedes-Benz
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
10 25 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
11 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault
13 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber Ferrari
14 17 Jules Bianchi Marussia Ferrari
15 10 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham Renault
16 4 Max Chilton Marussia Ferrari
17 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Renault
18 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
19 9 Marcus Ericsson Caterham Renault
20 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber Ferrari
21 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
22 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari