Drivers of the year Q2

We continue our drivers of the year with 17 down to 11. To read part one click here. And like the previous post we start with a Caterham driver...

17. Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham)

It's always difficult to tell drivers relative performances because of the car, in the end you have to make assumptions and compare them to their team mates. Kobayashi destroyed Ericsson after a year away from the sport. Despite driving for free to get back on the grid, he was flat out everywhere, even after Caterham started messing him around. It could have been him to get points in Monaco until he was barged out of the way by Jules Bianchi, which damaged his car. He couldn't have done too much more.

16. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

The Ferrari was terrible this year, of that there is no doubt but surely the intra-team battle would liven it up for Ferrari? Not a bit of it, the facts are Fernando Alonso scored 161 points, Kimi just 55. He was out of sorts all year, could never get the car to his liking and suffered terrible luck when he failed to get a clean weekend for most of the year. Reliability certainly wasn't his friend. But when you see the other car half a minute up the road, then you know that the car is capable of more, Kimi was unable to extract that potential. 

He had some starring moments, he should have had a podium in Monaco, beat Fernando in Belgium and raced hard with his team mate in Brazil. But that was it. I think he was fully motivated to do well, but he's not a driver able to drive round a problem in the mould of Alonso or Hamilton. Disappointing year, but at least Fernando left otherwise he'd be sitting without a drive albeit with a whole heap of money if Ferrari had paid him off. Again.

15. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)

Bianchi looked a bit sketchy at the start of the season, Chilton looked closer on pace but he soon sorted it out and began to impress once again. Dragged the Marussia as high as it could go, often being the lead of the Marussia/Caterham battle. 

One of the best moments of the season was when he crossed the line 9th to score the teams first world championship points in Monaco, which came from one of the best passes of the season when he threw his car up the inside of Kobayashi at La Rascasse. A bit of wheel banging and he was through. A 12th place in a wet British Grand Prix qualifying was equally impressive. Then in Japan came his accident causing severe head injuries which means he currently resides unconscious in a French hospital. A Ferrari academy driver, it was rumoured he could've been in the team next season. #ForzaJules

14. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)

A driver I rated well in the top ten last season doesn't just become my 14th rated pilot because he forgets how to drive. However a car which was often one of the top two vehicles on the track in 2013 but becomes one of the worst this year helps contribute to a fall in driver performance. 

For me Grosjean will be a Grand Prix winner given the equipment, he has learnt to be fast and consistent, long gone are the days of predicting the lap Grosjean might have a crash. But the car was not there for him this year despite two fantastic eighth places in Spain and Monaco.  

His fifth place qualifying at the Catalunya track has to be one of the laps of the season. But as the season went on and he suffered yet another failure of his Renault power unit, things got to him and he started making public his frustrations. With Mercedes power next year in his Lotus, we may see him able to exploit his talent properly.

13. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)

Podium in your first race for McLaren, certainly not a bad way to start your Formula 1 career. Magnussen qualified brilliantly in Australia and took third place which became second after Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification. It was as impressive a debut as any, it looked like Button had a fight on his hands at McLaren. 

The season ended with Button out-qualifying Magnussen 10-9 and out scoring him 126-55. Magnussen was far better than those statistics make out, some of his Saturday afternoons were fantastic. However, you can't escape the fact he lost his way after the podium for several races and barely deserved a mention. But he came back fighting, his driving in Belgium and Italy, particularly his defence was extremely impressive, he suffered penalties but I think both were arguably unfair, it at least made people aware of him once again and brought a spark back to his driving. 

But still there were other times like in Japan, where he looked a little lost. Magnussen is young, quick and is only going to get better. He deserves another year but for now will have to settle for a reserve driver role at McLaren for 2015.

12. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)

Vergne isn't the best qualifier but he sure is a racer. 22 points, 14 more than his Red Bull bound team mate Daniil Kvyat managed to score. But Kvyat was in his rookie campaign and still managed to out qualify him over the year and the Russian could have scored a few more points if it weren't for problems. He pretty much matched Vergne in his debut year, he's only going to get better. 

That's Vergne's problem unfortunately, he almost matched Ricciardo, he was matched by a 20 year old rookie while Vergne was in his third year. Very good, but not quite good enough? Toro Rosso is meant to bring on talent so although Vergne would have been a good bench mark for either incoming Toro Rosso drivers, Max Verstappen or Carlos Sainz Jnr, he's had three years in the team, their aim is to breed drivers for Red Bull. They've not promoted him twice now, why would they do it a third time? 

It was a shame, after he thought he was being ousted by Verstappen he came alive in the last third of the season with a number of charging drives, particularly in Singapore. Vergne has got himself a seat in Formula E in that series next race in Uruguay this weekend but he's too good to not be in Formula 1 and deserves a chance with another team, however as other Toro Rosso rejects have found out, it isn't easy getting back in when you've been thrown out.

11. Sergio Perez (Force India)

I'm not sure Nico Hulkenberg thought Perez would be quite as up for the battle within Force India as he turned out to be. Perez took the teams only podium of the year in Bahrain and nearly scored another in Canada. He was still prone to the odd moment of over exuberance, but I was impressed by Perez this year. He scored in eleven races, further shaking off the tag he is just a driver for a few stand out drives while not bringing home the points in the rest. His comparison to Hulkenberg is favourable as Nico is highly rated, Perez was close and many times better over the season. The question is though, do people now think Perez is better or Hulkenberg worse?

Click on the link for the top 10 drivers of the year.
 
all photos taken from autosport.com

The Russian Grand Prix Forecast

The Formula 1 community is still in shock after the horrible accident that has left Marussia’s Jules Bianchi with a severe head injury confirmed as a diffuse axonal injury which usually comes from the effects of rapid deceleration of the head and affects the nerves in the brain.

No new information about Bianchi has been reported for the past few days, but one can only hope that good news will emerge soon, but as with Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident it seems likely that any more information will take time and patience.

F1 also suffered a loss as former F1 driver Andrea de Cesaris lost his life in a motor bike accident. He had several shots a winning a race but was largely known for crashing a lot and being Schumacher's first team mate in a race where de Cesaris could have won if it weren't for an engine problem. But he must have had some talent as he competed in 208 races, the most without winning one.

It’s been a  tough few days just to get the show back on the road, especially with Typhoon Phanfone slowing down the packing up process in Japan and then shipping it off to Russia for the first Russian Grand Prix based at the Sochi Olympic Park which held last year’s winter Olympics. 

There’s been a fair amount of discussion on whether Formula 1 should even be in Russia with the conflict in Ukraine still happening but as always the FIA policy is not to get involved in politics so if there’s no safety reason not to go, then Formula 1 will go. It’s a market many of the big company names also want to be seen in.

Let's focus on the racing though. The track winds its way through the Olympic stadiums and first impressions seem to show that this will be a pretty spectacular track. Of course the teams will have prepared themselves to the extent of having a baseline set up aided by their simulators, although they haven’t been able to map the track as significantly as others as Williams chief technical officer wrote in his preview for F1 Racing magazine, it’s ‘difficult to obtain permission for LiDAR scanning in Russia’ which helps map the topography.

But it doesn’t really matter how well prepared you are, racing for the first time on a brand new circuit is always going to throw up some surprises that weren’t accounted for. It looks to have a few high speed sections and Sebastian Vettel, who has driven a road car around it, has said there’s some technical challenges too. It’s not quite a step into the unknown but it is a foot into a puddle you’re not sure of the depth of.

There are two DRS zones, one on the start finish straight and the other between turns 10 and 13 which might give you a small indication that that piece of track isn’t exactly straight. Pirelli have brought their medium and soft tyre and are expecting the track to be quite abrasive so it could be a three stopper but if the teams get on top of any issues quickly it could be a two. There doesn’t look like any chance of rain, all three days are forecast for bright sunny days with temperatures averaging 23C, so after the racing it’s a nice day for the beach situated on the coast of the Black Sea.

Nico Rosberg won’t be thinking about the seaside though, he’s aware he has to turn the tide against Lewis Hamilton this weekend. After suffering three defeats in succession he really has to win this weekend to not lose any further ground. He scored a fine pole position in Japan but yet again in wheel to wheel combat Lewis was better and able to get ahead.

When Rosberg has been in that position such as in Bahrain or Spain he has not managed to find a way through hence why the incident in Spa happened. He wanted to show Lewis he wouldn’t be pushed around, but perhaps Spa has now made even more apprehensive about taking on Hamilton in battle.

Whatever it is, he needs to show he can beat Lewis this weekend, he can start that by simply being quicker and driving off into the distance but the last three races have shown they’re going to be neck and neck. Rosberg is going to have to fight hard to claw any points back.

For some reason as much as the tension is rising as we enter our last four races of the year, I can’t help but feel that the final double points round in Abu Dhabi is taking some of that excitement away. The likelihood is that Lewis won’t manage to get a 50 point gap to Nico by then, so the significance of the rounds before is diminished.

We all know it’s going to the final round, who cares if Lewis eeks out another seven points to make a 17 point advantage, this race despite the present gap is not a make or break round for Rosberg. I think that’s a shame. However in terms of momentum it is significant and he has to strike back now.

The championship battle may be the major talking point after concern for Bianchi but there are plenty of other matters to get excited about, many of them off track especially as regards the driver market.

It seems like Vettel and Ferrari outplayed Fernando Alonso last weekend. Although the Scuderia has not officially confirmed either Vettel’s arrival or Alonso’s departure this transfer is likely to take place. Vettel will line up alongside Kimi Raikkonen, at least for now. Kimi struggled again in Japan and will be desperately hoping for something to go right for him soon.

Alonso seemed quite happy with his situation last weekend and so the rumours go a deal with McLaren Honda for next year might well have been signed. Or it’s being delayed because he wants just a one year deal in case Honda don’t bring the goods and so he’ll be available should a seat arise at Mercedes in 2016. Hamilton wants to stay, Mercedes want him to stay but should he leave for whatever reason then Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hasn't backed away from saying they'd have Alonso but I'd say that is unlikely.

It all looks like he might be backing himself into a sabbatical and as Autosport.com pointed out, potentially leave him unable to get back into the sport should Mercedes, McLaren and even Williams retain their 2015 driver line ups. It’s unlikely but could this be an ignominious end for the career of a driver regarded as the best for the last eight years.

Jenson Button did himself no harm at all with a brilliant driver in Japan for McLaren as his team mate Kevin Magnussen floundered, while also doing a good job was Jean-Eric Vergne, looked over by Red Bull once again beating his senior team bound team mate Daniil Kvyat. Both Button and Vergne need to maintain this form if they want to be in Formula 1 next year while Kvyat will look to get back on track at his home race.

Back to the racing, you can only assume that Mercedes will be leading the field with Red Bull, Williams and Ferrari in pursuit. I don’t expect any surprises with the result, it’ll be a Mercedes win, but I do expect the battle behind to be close again.

McLaren were good in the wet of Japan but in the dry of Russia they’ll be scrapping for lower end points as they hope to leap ahead of Force India finally. Toro Rosso will be tagging along in that battle while unfortunately once again, Lotus, Sauber and Caterham will find themselves on the fringes.

Marussia are reported to be preparing two cars for this weekend, but it’s not yet known if or when they’ll announce another driver for the second seat alongside Max Chilton. All the drivers have shown great concern for their colleague Bianchi, but once the visor comes down they’ll be focused only on being fast. The best thing they and the world of F1 can do now is put on a great show. #ForzaJules

all photos taken for autosport.com except title picture from skysports.com/f1

Lewis Hamilton wins in Japan

It hardly seems to matter as we learn that Jules Bianchi has suffered a severe head injury following his accident at the Japanese Grand Prix. After surgery he will be transferred to intensive care. There are more details here. But there was a race today that got underway on time behind the safety car. It was then stopped after two laps and restarted behind the safety car before finally racing commenced after nine laps.

The conditions were not good but were safe to race on despite the uncertainty surrounding the event because of the approaching typhoon. In fact as racing got going properly the rain had relented and it was only towards the end that it came back in force.

Nico Rosberg led for the first 28 laps including a switch from full wet tyres to intermediates. Lewis Hamilton tracked his Mercedes team mate for all those laps never letting him get much further than two seconds away. He again ignored advice from the team to hang back and attacked Rosberg as he sensed the German’s tyres were wearing quicker than his own.

Hamilton began to push harder, even too hard as he had to catch a slide into turn one sending him wide but he was still in the race. Only a few laps later he was right behind Rosberg again coming into the final chicane at the end of the lap. Rosberg’s car squirmed under acceleration out of the final corner and across the line into lap 29 Lewis had the DRS open. Nico couldn’t see in his mirrors and went straight to the inside for the first corner.

It opened the turn for Hamilton and judging the grip to perfection he went around the outside of Rosberg and was through into the lead. He quickly opened a gap and through another pit stop for more intermediates he led until the race was slowed by a safety car for Bianchi’s accident and then finally stopped with seven laps to go and the result declared.

It was another telling statement from Hamilton to Rosberg about where this title could be heading as he opened a ten point gap in the drivers championship. It was great to see the silver cars battling wheel to wheel once again.

It was his eighth victory of the year, four more than Rosberg has managed. It’s beginning to look like Lewis now has the decisive edge. Having said that Rosberg did take pole position this weekend and he’s always there to take second. To be suffering an 8-4 victory deficit and only ten points behind, Rosberg is a man of consistency and that could still pay off especially with the double points round.

Behind the title contenders Sebastian Vettel produced a great drive to finish third, although he was fourth on the road behind his team mate Daniel Ricciardo when the race was stopped but in a red flag situation the result is taken from two laps before.

Despite a trip through the gravel he made a couple of good moves on the Williams cars before pitting early for his second stop and jumping a heroic Jenson Button to be in third. He was only lying behind Ricciardo as the Australian had yet to stop, although it wasn’t sure if he would.

Ricciardo followed Vettel for most of the race despite out qualifying him and was never far behind, making brilliant moves on the Williams cars in the esses  as he kept up with the current world champion. But this is two races in a row Vettel has beaten him. He’ll want to rectify that especially with Vettel moving on from Red Bull and Ricciardo becoming team leader. He won’t want people believing that once Vettel got on top of his issues with the car he would have been consistently beaten, although that’s highly unlikely after the season he’s enjoyed.

Jenson Button ended up fifth after suffering a problem at his second pit stop but he was my star of the race. When the safety car pulled in to let the race get underway he immediately pitted for intermediates. When everyone else pitted a few laps later he had judged it brilliantly to end up in third place, lapping at the same pace as the Mercedes pair.

When he came in for the second time only an electrical problem that resulted in a change of steering wheel and which his McLaren team mate Kevin Magnussen also suffered from dropped him behind Vettel. The Red Bull’s had compromised their qualifying by going for a full wet set up and Button really had no response to that once they were close.

He did manage to remind people just how good he is in the mixed conditions and it was timely too with his drive and career under threat after the recent driver moves. A fifth place finish doesn’t sound wonderful but as the rain came down harder towards the end he was one of the first to pit for full wets again, it was then that the race was brought to a premature end, so you never know, it could have been a podium.

The Williams boys held a second row lock out after qualifying but ended up sixth and seventh with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa. Their car hasn’t looked good in the wet all year so it was no surprise to see them drop back a bit, but they held on to take some solid points and tighten their top three position in the constructors ahead of Ferrari.

This was helped greatly by Fernando Alonso retiring with an electrical failure while behind the safety car. Such a shame as I think he could have been a podium threat. Kimi Raikkonen failed to score and ended up 12^th after being nowhere all day. It stops Ferrari’s run at 81 consecutive points finishes. After two successive failures I’m sure Alonso can’t wait to be out of there.

Force India just about held on to fifth in the constructors ahead of McLaren with Nico Hulkenberg getting eighth and Sergio Perez tenth. Despite a grid penalty leaving him 20^th on the grid Jean-Eric Vergne seemed to come from nowhere to claim two points with ninth beating his team mate and the new Red Bull graduate Daniil Kvyat once again.

Sauber had Esteban Gutierrez in 13^th, Magnussen eventually got home in 14^th with the Lotuses 15^th and 16^th, Romain Grosjean ahead of Pastor Maldonado. Marcus Ericsson headed the Marussia Caterham battle ahead of Max Chilton and Kamui Kobayashi.

But it is Jules Bianchi who our thoughts are with. Adrian Sutil’s crash the lap before meant a safety vehicle was brought onto the track covered only by waved double yellow flags. Perhaps the conditions warranted a safety car, Sutil explained that as the rain got harder he was experiencing aquaplaning.

It seems Bianchi suffered a similar accident; it was just unfortunate a safety vehicle was already at trackside which the Marussia struck. I wish Jules Bianchi a speedy recovery. 

all photos taken from autosport.com and bbc.co.uk/formula1