1 Racing Mind 2015 Formula 1 Mid-season Report Card: Williams Martini Racing

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO X PIRELLI

Williams Martini Racing

 

Team Score: C

 

Felipe Massa: C+

Valtteri Bottas: B

The Williams Martini Racing's 2014 season was seen as a very positive year. Making the right move by choosing the Mercedes-Benz power unit last season, the team has enjoyed near-equal pace with the factory Mercedes AMG organization. Williams Martini Racing's effort biggest success was a pole for the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. With many expecting a race victory for the team in 2014, 2015 has featured high hopes for Williams. Though a productive Formula 1 campaign in the first 10 races this season, it may not be unfair to say some were looking for bigger things from the Williams-Mercedes race cars in 2015. 

There seemed to be no fault in the decision to preserve the driver line-up after the 2014 season. Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas performed well last season and have continued to be consistent for 2015. Both Massa and Bottas have appeared on the podium with a third place finish Unfortunately, the 2015 Williams-Mercedes race car appeared is lacking the front-running pace that was presented with the 2014 vehicle.

Similar to last year, the Williams Martini Racing team's progression back to the victory lane has shown periods of weakness. Slow, handling-focused circuits such as Monaco and the Hungaroring concluded with no points being scored by either race car. In the British Grand Prix, Williams driver Massa snatched the lead from the Mercedes AMG race cars in the early stages but faded to fourth. In the second scenario, race conditions contributed to result but the finish left many within the team disappointed. Bad luck for the Williams Martini Racing also occurred at the opening round in Australia when Valtteri Bottas suffered a back injury that sidelined him for the round.

Still showing potential, the Williams-Mercedes has shown reliability and Felipe Massa has finished in the top-10 for all but two races this season. Last year by the tenth race, Massa had three DNFs. Despite missing a race, the young Bottas continues to impress currently in fourth place in the overall points standing. As a team, Williams is holding steady in third-place in the manufacturers' points.

Ingredients for Second-Half of 2015:

Last year, Williams Martini Racing's season enjoyed a very productive second-half of the schedule that resulted in six of nine podiums for 2014. With the strong Mercedes-Benz hybrid power unit and a Williams engineers that can provide a quick, well-engineered vehicle, there could be still be potential for the team to steal a win in 2015 figuring a little fortune finds the team.

1 Racing Mind 2015 Formula 1 Mid-season Report Card: Scuderia Ferrari

Photo Source: Ferrari S.p.A.,

 

Scuderia Ferrari

 

Team Score: B+

 

Sebastian Vettel: A

Kimi Raikkonen: C

The 2014 formula 1 campaign was largely a disaster for Ferrari. The Italian team appeared to have dealt with an unfavourable outcome related to their attempts to adjust to new powerplant regulations as well as balance problems with their car. The pains of struggle were compounded by the fact Ferrari had two proven championship drivers with Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. 

In many respects, 2015 as being a rebuilding year for Ferrari. For a team that was used to winning, the SF15-T was the necessary improvement needed for the storied organization. Adopting a more conventional nose design than last year's F14 T, the SF15-T has attractively been seen as the second-best car on track.

Alonso left to the McLaren organization for 2015 while his vacated seat was filled by four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. In the first Grand Prix in Australia, Ferrari appeared to be regaining its traditional podium-contending form. At the Malaysian Grand Prix (only the second race since Vettel and Scuderia Ferrari had paired), they overcame the Mercedes AMG team cars to win. A second win for Sebastian Vettel came recently in Hungary cementing the Prancing Horse as an effective spoiler to the Silver Arrows attempt to dominate the 2015 Formula 1 season. Third place in points following 10 races, Vettel has finished in the points for all of the races in 2015 during his debut season with Ferrari.

While Vettel's arrival with Ferrari has been marked by early success, Vettel's teammate and a 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen has still be trying to find contingency. Last year's return to the team he had won a world driving title has been largely disastrous for Raikkonen. Compared to 2014, 2015 has been a vast improvement for the Finnish driver topped by a runner-up position in the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, Kimi Raikkonen is well off course of some of his best Formula 1 drives. Mistakes may have cost him the potential of at least one other podium finish this season.   

Ingredients for Second-Half of 2015:

Despite Ferrari's improvements, the team is still second-best to Mercedes AMG on track. Part of Formula 1 since its inception, Ferrari has demonstrated time and time again they can overcome struggles from previous seasons. A car capable of sizzling the race track, a new, hot driver and a warming veteran could ignite the fire in making Ferrari a viable challenger to Mercedes AMG.

1 Racing Mind 2015 Formula 1 Mid-season Report Card: Mercedes AMG

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

 

Mercedes AMG

Team Score: A-

Lewis Hamilton: A
Nico Rosberg: A-


For the most part in the case of Mercedes AMG, it seems like reposting the 2014 midseason report would have sufficed. The team's pace in qualifying and under race conditions has largely been unmatched by other teams during the 2015 Formula 1 race season. Defending drivers’ champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have combined to win eight races. Qualifying for the first ten grand prix races reflects pure dominance for the Mercedes AMG team as the F1 W06 Hybrid race car has sat on pole for every event.


Again this season, much of the team’s focus appears to be around Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has won five races and nine of the ten poles for Mercedes AMG for 2015. Also just last year, Nico Rosberg has rallied to win twice. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, the German driver is only 21 points behind his reigning champion teammate. As is often the case in Formula 1 organizations with two strong drivers competing for the championship, the relationship between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton has appeared tense on the track on occasions.

In the latest two races, some cracks have shown up in the nearly bulletproof armour Mercedes AMG wore. Poor starts by both Hamilton and Rosberg in the British Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix have actually cost them their familiar leading positions. While the effort was able to overcome the Williams Martini Racing, Mercedes AMG’s performance in Hungary was among the team’s worst in a long time. For the first time since the 2013 season, the poor start and a series of mistakes during the course of the event resulted in neither one of the Silver Arrows placing on the podium for a Formula 1 race. While Mercedes-Benz fans would celebrate the continuation of the brand’s modern dynasty in the sport, many others are eager to see an opening of a more competitive 2015 Formula 1 season.

Ingredients for Second-Half of 2015:

As apparent by the British Grand Prix and Hungarian Grand Prix races, the Mercedes AMG team cannot afford to get complacent on successes earlier in the season. Approaching the Belgian Grand Prix, it will also mark an anniversary where we saw the inter-team rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg reach critical mass last year. Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff will once again have a struggle on his hands if the championship battle comes down to his two team drivers.