Posted on 13th August 2014
As you all know, we are halfway through the 2014 season and what a season it has been so far. A brand new era of Formula One and the new technical regulations that were introduced to the sport starting this season have been debated by many pundits and fans on social media (such as Twitter) on issues such as the V6 turbo engines and also double points at the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Even though this debate is still going on, this hasn't stopped the drivers or the fans enjoying some thrilling and exciting racing where it matters, which is on the track.
The season so far has seen the dominance and the 'coming of age' of the Mercedes team. With their driver line up of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, they managed with the most competitive car on the grid (the W05) to fight for victories and also are now fighting for the Drivers Championship at the front of the field. It is clear that this will be the battle to watch for the rest of the season.
But we have also seen the best young drivers make their presence and their potential apparent along the way, while also giving us enjoyable battles to watch throughout the rest of the grid that have massively contributed to the magical season we have been enjoying so far!
10. Daniil Kvyat
Kvyat has been one of the major surprises of the season so far. At the first race in Melbourne, Kvyat produced a stunning drive to gain his first points in Formula One at his first attempt which is a fantastic achievement. Ever since scoring his first points in the sport, Kvyat has consistently been able to get into the points ever since.
The next few races saw Kvyat score points in Malaysia, Bahrain and China. However, Kvyat then struggled in Spain and had reliability issues that didn't allow him to score in Monaco, Canada and Austria after once again impressing many with his form over the course of the race weekends. As we headed into the summer break, Kvyat once again scored points at Silverstone, retired in Germany and was out of the points in Hungary with a fourteenth place finish.
But overall, Kvyat has shown so far that when he has the car underneath him, he can deliver for Toro Rosso and score points unlike his team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne (who has taken more than his fair share of bad luck I should point out). If anything, he will only build upon what he has achieved so far and will continue to get better during the season and also in the near future.
9. Jules Bianchi
This season has seen Bianchi once again improve as a driver and show his consistency that has highlighted further that he is a potential talent of the future.
Even though at the first two races of the season Bianchi was not classified in Melbourne and had to retire from the race after suffering damage from an incident with Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado, he has been consistently able to outqualify and outperform his team mate Max Chilton.
The next few races saw Bianchi finishing in sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth places at Bahrain, China and Spain. But after a stunning drive in Monaco where he had a five second penalty added to his time after starting in the wrong grid position, Bianchi managed to finish in ninth place and gained his first and also Marussia's first points in Formula One which is a remarkable achievement.
The next race in Canada saw Bianchi retiring from the race after suffering extensive damage to his car after colliding with his team-mate Chilton. But as we headed into the summer break, Bianchi managed to achieve fifteenth place in Austria, Germany and Hungary and also a fourteenth place at Silverstone.
Overall, Bianchi has impressed everyone in the paddock with his regular consistency and finishing the races ahead of his team mate Chilton whose future in the sport for me looks very shaky. But to finish in ninth place at Monaco and also his performance in the Silverstone in-season test (after standing in for Kimi Raikkonen after his accident in the race) where he topped the timesheets will have made more people sit up and take notice of the talent that Bianchi has. I feel it will only be a matter of time before he moves up the grid in a competitive drive that shows more of the talent we have already seen and I believe he is worthy of it too.
8. Kevin Magnussen
So far, Magnussen has shown in his debut year in the sport the performances that many expected of him as a rookie but there is no doubt that with the flashes of promise and potential he has also shown, that he has impressed many along the way with his ability to consistency bring the car home to finish a race.
At the first race of the season in Melbourne, Magnussen scored an unbelievable second place finish (after Daniel Ricciardo was excluded for exceeding the fuel limit) and got his first points in Formula One at his first race just like fellow rookie Kvyat.
However, the next five races saw Magnussen struggle to extract pace and performance from the car. Magnussen finished a disappointing ninth place in Malaysia, retired at Bahrain due to clutch failure and also a thirteenth place finish in Spain showed that McLaren needed to improve their car quickly and also that his team-mate using his experience had the jump on him.
But from the Monaco Grand Prix, Magnussen for me has impressed. He managed to achieve a credible tenth place at Monaco, he finished ninth at Canada after an action packed race and in Austria he managed to finish a credible seventh and finished ahead of his team mate Jenson Button. As we headed into the summer break, Magnussen finished seventh at Silverstone, ninth place in Germany and out of the points at Hungary with a twelfth place finish.
Even though Magnussen has had mixed results this season so far just like his team-mate, there are flashes of promise that if McLaren can extract the pace and performance from the car, he can deliver as well as his team mate. In my opinion, Magnussen has been no slouch behind the wheel and has given Button a run for his money and I feel that Magnussen will continue to improve and has the ability and the talent to be a talent of the future.
7. Sebastian Vettel
Many expected before the season started that Vettel once again would be the favourite to win the Championship and take his fifth consecutive title.
However, this has not been the case for Vettel and the Red Bull team who have struggled since pre-season testing to extract pace and performance from the car.
Despite this, Vettel has shown that even though challenging for the title is going to be difficult, he has managed to gain the best results that he can from the RB10 and has impressed with his determination to succeed despite this.
At the first race in Melbourne, Vettel's season did not get off to the best start after he was forced to retire from the race due to problems with his power unit. In the next few races, Vettel achieved after a brilliant drive in Malaysia a third place finish (despite him being asked to let his team mate Daniel Ricciardo through as he was “faster than youâ€), a sixth place finish in Bahrain, fifth place in China and a credible fourth place in Spain.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel was forced to retire again due to issues with his turbo. But at the next race in Canada, he bounced back to finish a brilliant third after an action packed race where his team mate Ricciardo scored his first win in Formula One and of the season. In Austria, Vettel was forced to retire yet again with reliability issues on his RB10. But as we headed into the summer break, Vettel managed to finish in the points with a fifth place at Silverstone, fourth place in Germany and a seventh place finish in Hungary.
Even though it is clear to see that Vettel has not had the best season many thought he would have after dominance over the past few years, he has shown why he is a world champion and has done his best in the races with a car that is neither to his liking nor the standard he needs to fight at the front of the grid.
His battle with Alonso at the British Grand Prix was one of the closest and most exciting battles of the season so far and showed that he can race and race well for the best results that he can achieve at the moment.
6. Nico Hulkenberg
After a brilliant second half of the season with Sauber in 2013, many thought that Hulkenberg resigning to Force India was a step backwards for him after many fans (including myself) believed that he should have got the Lotus seat ahead of Pastor Maldonado. But it would seem that the move back to Force India was the correct decision for Hulkenberg and he has been rewarded with scoring consistently in the points at every race but one and reminding everyone in the paddock why he has considered for the drive at Lotus and also Ferrari in the first place.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Hulkenberg got his season off to a flying start with a sixth place finish and finally broke his duck (so to speak) at finishing the first race of the season for the first time in his career. At the next few races, Hulkenberg continued the momentum from Australia and finished in the points. Hulkenberg finished in fifth at Malaysia, Bahrain and Monaco, finished sixth in China and tenth place in Spain.
Hulkenberg still continued his momentum as we headed into Canada and finished in fifth place. He then managed to finish in ninth at Austria where he and the Force India team struggled with the car all weekend, eighth at Silverstone, seventh in Germany and he retired for the first time this season at the Hungarian Grand Prix after spinning after colliding with his team mate Sergio Perez.
Once again Hulkenberg despite not finishing on the podium like his team mate Perez did at Bahrain has demonstrated why he was considered for the drive at Lotus and Ferrari last season. Personally, Hulkenberg has done a superb job so far this season and his consistency has been rewarded with the Force India team giving him a car to put him in this position. It is only has to be a matter of time before Hulkenberg gets the call to move further up the grid and is provided with the chance to fight for victories and a championship that I feel he is well more than capable of achieving.
5. Fernando Alonso
This season has shown once again that Alonso is the most consistent driver on the grid by scoring in every single race so far despite not having a car that is competitive or worthy of his talent.
At the first few races of the season, Alonso finished a remarkable fourth in Australia and Malaysia, finished ninth in Bahrain, scored his first and also Ferrari's first podium of the year with a fantastic drive to third in China and then finishing sixth in Spain.
Alonso continued his form at Monaco with a fourth place finish, sixth place in Canada, fifth place in Austria, sixth place at Silverstone, fifth place in Germany and a fantastic second place finish at the action packed Hungarian Grand Prix.
It is clear for all to see that Alonso is just able to extract pace and performance from the Ferrari unlike his team mate Kimi Raikkonen who has been struggling so far this season to do so. As we have seen over the past few years, Alonso is able to put himself into positions and situations that many feel should be impossible for him, but he does it.
This season so far once again has been damage limitation for Alonso and the Ferrari team, but they should be proud that they have managed to achieve points at every race, gained two unlikely podiums and along the way we saw Alonso and Vettel (two of the fastest drivers in the world) in a epic battle at Silverstone that showed and highlighted just how talented Alonso is and his determination not to give up and to fight until the very last minute for the best result possible on the track like a true world champion.
4. Valtteri Bottas
This season has seen the emergence of Bottas showing what he can do if he is provided with a competitive car. He has surprised and impressed many people so far this season with his performances and this will have done wonders for his future in the sport as a potential talent.
The first race in Australia didn't go exactly according to plan for Bottas after he clipped the wall in the early stages of the race when he was looking good for a podium finish. But he fought his way through the field and finished in fifth after a great drive back.
The next few races saw Bottas continue this form. Bottas finished in eighth in Malaysia and Bahrain, seventh in China and fifth in Spain. At Monaco, Bottas was forced to retire from the race after problems with his power unit. Bottas then bounced back at the next race in Canada with a seventh place finish.
As we headed into the summer break, Bottas upped his game even further and managed to achieve his first podium in Formula One with a third place finish in Austria after a fantastic weekend for him and the Williams team when they gained with Felipe Massa their first Pole Position since 2003 and Massa's first Pole since 2008. He then gained another two podiums with second places in Silverstone and Germany and then an eighth place finish at Hungary.
So far this season, Bottas has shown just how talented he really is and he has the potential to develop and improve much further. He is a potential talent of the future and has the right attitude and mindset to achieve greater success. For me, it is clear for all to see that Bottas will win a race in the near future and I believe that if he has the chance this season, Bottas will grab the opportunity with both hands and score what would be a well deserved victory. It will only be a matter of time before Bottas achieves his first victory in the sport.
3. Nico Rosberg
As the championship leader, Rosberg for me really has stepped up his game this season. With the best car on the grid, Rosberg has demonstrated that he is more of a match for his team mate Lewis Hamilton and that he is more than capable of becoming a world champion at the end of the year.
Rosberg got his season off to the best start possible with a victory at Melbourne, four second place finishes at Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Spain where his team mate Hamilton had the upper hand and won ahead of him. But at the Monaco Grand Prix, Rosberg was back to winning once again (even though events in Qualifying slightly overshadowed this victory).
As we headed into the summer break, Rosberg finished second in Canada after problems with his car, and managed to win at Austria after battling with the Williams throughout the race. However, Rosberg was forced to retire his Mercedes at Silverstone after encountering gearbox issues during the race while leading ahead of Hamilton. But Rosberg won his home race in Germany and finished in fourth in Hungary.
There is no denying that Rosberg has performed brilliantly this season and this is reflected in him leading the championship ahead of Hamilton. Rosberg has managed to achieve the best results possible when things haven't gone his way and it is this consistency that could win him the championship, but anything can happen in Formula One and Rosberg will continue to drive the way he has in order to be crowned the champion at the end of the season.
2. Lewis Hamilton
Even though Hamilton is not leading the championship currently, throughout the season we have seen him at his very best and showing his determination and passion to never give up and fight. Personally, I feel that Hamilton deserved to be ahead of Rosberg here after some stunning performances especially in the last races to keep himself in the hunt for the championship.
At the first race in Australia, Hamilton's season did not get off to the best start after suffering engine problems that forced him to retire from the race. Hamilton then bounced back with four victories at Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Spain. Hamilton then finished in second place behind his team mate in Monaco and Hamilton once again had to retire in Canada with brake problems.
As we headed into the summer break, Hamilton bounced back at Austria with a second place finish, a home victory at Silverstone and third places in Germany and Hungary.
Hamilton has experienced his fair share of bad luck during the season, but will use this to extract more motivation to make sure that he does whatever he can to beat his team mate or gain the best result possible if things do not go his way, just like he has so far.
You cannot discount Hamilton for the championship; it would be stupid to do so. Not only does Hamilton have the experience behind him after winning his first title in 2008, this could prove to be an advantage that could pay off for him at the end of the season.
He has shown especially in the latter stages of the first half of the season with some brilliant drives through the field that the passion and the determination burns brightly enough to take the fight to Rosberg and to regain the lead of the championship again. But can Hamilton regain the Championship lead back again?
1.Daniel Ricciardo
What can you say about Daniel Ricciardo? Many pundits and fans believed that Ricciardo may not have what it takes to match up to his team mate Vettel. But by God, he has proven his doubters (even myself) wrong with his performances so far this season.
Even though the first two races of the season did not go according to Ricciardo's plan after being excluded from second place in Melbourne after his car was found exceeding the fuel limit and then in Malaysia he retired from the race after a challenging race that saw him gain a penalty for the next race in Bahrain after an unsafe pitstop.
Ricciardo then bounced back in the next few races and has consistency finished in the points. Ricciardo started this form with finishing in fourth in Bahrain and China and also third places in Spain and Monaco. After a thrilling race in Canada, Ricciardo won his first race for Red Bull and also the first race of his career with a superb victory worthy of his talent.
In the next few races, Ricciardo finished in eighth in Austria after battling with Nico Hulkenberg during the race and passing him on the final lap with a brilliant move, third at Silverstone, sixth place in Germany and once again in another epic and exciting race, he secured his second win of his career in Hungary after a fantastic and faultless performance during the race.
In my opinion, Ricciardo has been the biggest surprise of the season so far. Ricciardo has shown that he is more than a match for Vettel and that he is a fantastic driver in his own right. The performances he has given so far this season has exceeded his own and his team's expectations and he is the only driver that has been able to win two races when Hamilton and Rosberg have not been able to do so.
Ricciardo is consistently able to extract pace and performance from the car as and when he needs to and finds himself being in positions to capitalise if things don't go according to plan for other drivers in front of him. He has silenced his critics in the best way possible; which is on the track. I feel that Ricciardo will only continue to improve throughout the course of the season remaining and will sooner rather than later be in the fight for the championship in the future.
Who are your favourite drivers of the season so far in one of the most exciting and fascinating seasons of Formula One in recent years? It was extremely hard to choose from a season that has far so far produced some amazing races from the best racing drivers in the world that has kept fans glued to their screens weekend in and weekend out.
But with only a few weeks until the second half of the 2014 Formula One season resumes from its summer break at the next race at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit; will we see more on track battles, controversies, surprises and shocks in store ahead from the best drivers in the world? And will my top 10 change in the second half of the 2014 season? Bring on the rest of the season!
