Posted on 6th August 2014
We are half way through the 2014 season and what a season we have been treated to so far! This era of Formula One and the new technical regulations that were introduced to the sport starting this season may have sparked reasons for concerns and debate for many pundits and fans regarding for example the sounds of the V6 turbo engines. But 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 Mercedes team and its drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominate at the front of the grid but along the way we have seen the best young drivers make their mark and sign of intent in the sport, a few moments of controversy and surprise that have made the first half of the F1 season truly magical to watch!
10. Magnussen's F1 debut in Australia
With McLaren dropping their former driver and Force India driver Sergio Perez at the end of the last season for rookie Kevin Magnussen (the son of former Formula One driver Jan), many thought the team were making a huge mistake and taking a risk that they didn't need to take.
But at his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, rookie Magnussen after a fantastic drive secured at first glances third place which was a fantastic achievement for him and also taking McLaren's first podium in just over a year after a difficult 2013 season.
But this was then converted into a second place finish for Magnussen after Daniel Ricciardo was excluded from the Australian Grand Prix after exceeding the fuel limit. Just like former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton who entered the sport in 2007, Magnussen achieved the impossible and impressed everyone with not just how quickly he got to grips with driving the MP4-29, but also showing that he is very well a potential talent of the future too.
9. Team Orders
This season we have seen several occasions where team orders have been enforced that have instructed drivers to allow their team-mate through. The first incident we saw regarding team orders was at the Chinese Grand Prix where Sebastian Vettel was asked by his engineer to let his team mate Daniel Ricciardo through as “Daniel is faster than you and you cannot hold him upâ€. Vettel responded to this instruction by saying “tough luck†but a few laps later allowed his team mate through.
The second incident we saw was between Rosberg and Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Rosberg found himself stuck behind his team mate on a better strategy than Hamilton, despite Hamilton battling his way from the pitlane to get ahead of him. Even though the team asked Hamilton to yield to Rosberg, Hamilton stated in response that “if Nico was close enough, I would let him byâ€, but Rosberg wasn't close enough and Hamilton kept his position.
8. Perez gaining first Force India podium
After signing for Force India for this season after being dropped after one year with McLaren, Sergio Perez managed to secure Force India's second podium in their history since their first podium with Giancarlo Fisichella at the Belgium Grand Prix in 2009
At the Bahrain Grand Prix, we saw Perez after a brilliant drive finishing third and showing that despite his misfortune in the first two races of the season that he can deliver just as well as his team mate Nico Hulkenberg if he has the opportunity and the car underneath to do the job. This will be a podium that Force India and certainly Perez will never forget in a hurry.
7. Susie Wolff's F1 Debut
It was announced during the early part of the season that Williams Development driver Susie Wolff would take part in two Friday Practice 1 sessions at the British and German Grand Prix. However, Wolff's run in Silverstone did not go according to plan due to problems with the car and she couldn't complete the programme that she needed to.
But at Hockenheim, despite a few early problems with the car once again, Wolff managed to complete her programme for the day and became the first woman in 22 years to take part in a F1 weekend. Wolff managed to complete an astonishing lap time of 1.20.769 which was only 0.2 seconds off the pace of Massa who was eleventh. What a fantastic achievement!
6. Felipe Massa gains Williams first Pole Position in eight years in Austria
During qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, the Mercedes' drivers could not demonstrate despite winning the race with Rosberg on Sunday what they were capable of during the session on Saturday. This was the chance for the Williams drivers of Bottas and especially Massa to capitalise on and show the pace that the team knew they had in them.
With two perfectly quick laps from Bottas and Massa, they managed to take the front row of the grid. This was Williams' first front row lock out since 2003 and Massa's first Pole Position in eight years. It was really nice to see Williams once again at the front of the grid, especially after the past few seasons they have had and also nice for the team to be rewarded the next day with an podium finish with Bottas in the race.
5. Rosberg in Monaco Qualifying
There has a lot of discussion and debate within the paddock and also on social media with fans after many believed that Rosberg during qualifying in Monaco purposely crashed in order to secure Pole Position for the Monaco Grand Prix. While Rosberg in my eyes did not do it on purpose and was already out of shape as he went into the Mirabeau corner, this then affected his team mate Hamilton's chances of fighting for the Pole Position after the yellow flags were showing after Rosberg's mistake and he had to slow down.
Straight after qualifying, in an interview with the media, Hamilton stated that he was “no longer friends with Rosberg†even though both drivers have known each other since they was younger and went through the junior formulae together. At the moment, things appear to be fine with the Mercedes' drivers, but is there more trouble ahead for the pair in the second half of the season?
4. Marussia scoring their first ever points with Bianchi in Monaco
With the Marussia team making their debut into the sport in 2010 under Virgin Racing, the team has always maintained that they would struggle to score their first points in Formula One. But this year saw the Marussia team finally break their duck (so to speak) and finally achieve their first ever points (and Jules Bianchi's) in the sport with a great drive at the Monaco Grand Prix.
But it wasn't easy. In the race, Bianchi found himself in eighth place after a great drive through the field. But a five second penalty was added to his time after Bianchi started the race in the wrong grid slot. But after the penalty was applied, Bianchi finished an incredible ninth place and scored two vital points for himself and the Marussia team that see them currently in ninth place in the Constructors Championship.
3. Ricciardo's first win at Canada
Even though by everybody's standards Daniel Ricciardo has impressed a lot of people in the sport with his performances so far this season, not many people thought firstly he could battle Vettel (he has been more of a match for him personally) but also that Ricciardo would win a Grand Prix this season.
But Ricciardo at the Canadian Grand Prix with the Mercedes' drivers hitting reliability problems, grabbed the opportunity and put himself in a position to take full advantage of the situation and claim his first win in Formula One magnificently and there is no doubt that this will be one of the most popular wins this season with the fans.
2. Hamilton V Rosberg in Bahrain
We saw at Bahrain just how dominant the Mercedes car and its drivers can be but what we did also see during the race is just how the partnership of Hamilton and Rosberg is not only thrilling and compelling to watch but also how equal between them it is too. While battling each other for the lead, it was clear to see just how much respect Hamilton and Rosberg have for the team and their wishes, but most importantly for each other.
It was an absolutely fantastic battle and a battle that will be talked about long after this season is over. To watch two talented yet different drivers pushing themselves and their cars to the absolute limit on the track shows that at a time when Formula One needed to show that it hadn't lost its spark to the public, it well and truly showed that the spark had never gone out in the first place.
1. Alonso V Vettel at Silverstone
During the British Grand Prix, we saw Alonso and Vettel (two of the fastest drivers on the grid) battling and pushing each other on the track in order to get the best positions that they could achieve. Lap after lap, we saw Alonso, then Vettel trying everything that they could to pass or maintain their position on the track.
However, if the battle on track wasn't enough to watch on the screen, we were then treated to access to both of their team radios where both drivers were moaning about the situation that kept the pressure on each other and fans glued to their screens.
But after the race, both Alonso and Vettel laughed about the situation that was taking place over team radio and both believe that things were said in the heat of the moment. But what an absolute battle and this is what the fans, teams and drivers want to see race after race. Will we see anymore battles like this in the second half of the season?
What was your favourite moment of what so far as been 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 that has kept fans glued to their screens.
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? Bring on the second half of the season!
