Why McLaren should pick Button

Formula 1 doesn’t stop, just two days after the final race in Abu Dhabi finished, crowning Lewis Hamilton world champion for a second time, testing began in earnest as teams tried out new parts, new drivers and in McLaren’s case a new power unit, the Honda hybrid engine making its public debut although it only completed 5 laps.

Driving the car was Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren young driver and runner-up in GP2 this year in his rookie season. There are rumours floating around that Vandoorne could be the one to partner the yet to be announced Fernando Alonso at McLaren in 2015. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has poured cold water on this idea, it’s most probable he’ll stay in GP2 for one more year, and I’m not sure Alonso would appreciate being partnered by a rookie at McLaren.

The Woking team say they’ll announce their 2015 line-up on December 1^st. If we assume, and I think it’s fairly safe to say that Alonso is one of the drivers, then who will be the second? It’s certainly between current incumbents Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen.

I could easily make a case for Magnussen to stay on. He’s young and has had a fairly impressive rookie campaign, took second in his first race, out qualified Jenson nine times, had a number of spectacular and aggressive drivers and will only improve in his second year. Being part of the McLaren driver program, they surely would want their protégé to get a good chance.

But this is Formula 1, it’s a tough place to be and after his second place in Australia, Magnussen was fairly mediocre for a while, failing to get to grips with the tyre management, getting too many penalties for his aggressive driving, couldn’t out-qualify Button over the whole season and had less than half the points too. Is that really good enough?

McLaren have been very unfair on their current drivers, pawing over Alonso, trying to persuade the Spaniard that he should return to the team he had such an acrimonious departure from after just one year in 2007. Particularly I think they could have shown Button more respect as a world champion rather than getting to the final race not knowing whether this was to be his last or not.

After 15 seasons but still only 34 years old, albeit 35 at the start of 2015, Button has had an impressive career. He’s come back against the odds when all seemed lost, particularly after 2008. He took his title opportunity in 2009, and then raced brilliantly against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, where more often than not he was the equal of him, and sometimes just better.

I’m not going to talk about Button’s career as if it’s over, because in my opinion his time in Formula 1 should have at least another couple of years left. But looking back everyone expected Button to be trampled on by Lewis’ speed at McLaren despite being the reigning champion when he joined McLaren. But he raised his game to meet the challenge.

Yes he wasn’t as strong as him in qualifying, and his main problem is working around problems if the car isn’t to his liking, but that wasn’t seen as much at McLaren when up against Lewis. Button actually out pointed Lewis over their three years together and only took two victories less.

Give Button the car and he can be unbeatable, just look at Belgium in 2012, no one could get near him that weekend. Perhaps those weekends don’t come round often enough, but if you need a fast reliable racer who will get the job done, then Button is your driver.

Sergio Perez last year and Magnussen this year have both been young chargers who may have the raw speed but ultimately have been out performed by Button. He will bring home the points. He’s also very good with developing a car. As McLaren enter a new era with Honda, that expertise will be crucial especially in the first year.

Jenson also is popular in Japan and with Honda having worked with them while at BAR which became the Honda F1 team which is now Mercedes. His knowledge of how they work could make it easier to develop the car at a quicker rate from the driver’s perspective.

Alonso is probably still the best overall driver on the grid and his capture by McLaren is seriously good news for the team, but as good as I think Button has been the last couple of years, I think like with Lewis, he’ll be step up again and be more than a match for Fernando and there’ll probably be less of the tension.

In the end I think Alonso would have the better of Button, but Jenson will give as good as he gets and he would not let the Spaniard have everything his own way. In fact he could even surprise Alonso, if the chassis is decent then Button is just as good at running a race as he is. That competition would surely drive the team forward at a quicker rate. I don’t see Magnussen being able to offer that same competitive edge to Alonso just yet.

I do see him being able to learn a lot with a year as a test and reserve driver for the team with the aim being to slot in in 2016 if a seat became available. In the end though I think it’s going to come down to age and money. Button would realistically only be around for another couple of years in the sport whereas Magnussen can get much better and is very young and also very cheap.

I believe Magnussen deserves a second chance, but I think he’d benefit from a learning year, it certainly did Alonso no harm at all. And personally I’d love to see Button have a crack at Alonso, it would be a lot closer than many might think and the team would benefit from the car being developed by two experienced racers. Alonso is in a hurry to get a third crown, he’s only a year younger than Button, and if he’s smart, I get the feeling he’s already got some influence over the team so desperate were they to get him, then he’d use that to make them keep Button so as to sort the car out and make it competitive quicker, rumours go he’s already working on it.

Talking about the better numbers Button has against Magnussen Boullier told autosport that ‘If it was all about statistics, it would be really easy…but it is not like this’. McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis is said to want Magnussen while other senior staff would prefer Button. Unfortunately you get the feeling Button may well have driven his last race in Formula 1 and that’s a great shame for the sport and McLaren as he’s one of the most genuine and sporting guys out there. Still, the World Endurance Championship is growing nicely and it’s been a while since anyone has done the F1 championship and Le Mans double.

all photos taken from autosport.com

Vergne casualty of Red Bull program

Jean-Eric Vergne will not be driving for Toro Rosso next season. In a tweet posted yesterday he said 'Despite a good season & 22 pts, I'll not drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015. Thanks for those years. Let's go for another big challenge.'

It's a great shame for Vergne and for the sport. Another talented driver is potentially on the scrap heap at only 24 years old, his Formula 1 career just three seasons. Let's look at his stint in F1.

He partnered Red Bull star Daniel Ricciardo over two years at Toro Rosso in 2012 and 2013. The total points were only 30-29 in Ricciardo's favour. Ok, Vergne was blown away in qualifying 30-9 but he always moved forward in races and generally gave a good showing of himself.

I'd say he was only slightly shaded by a man who has battered four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel this season at the senior Red Bull team. This is not a driver who should be consigned to the ex-F1 driver brigade just as Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi were before him. These are drivers who deserve to be on the grid ahead of many others who are securing seats through money.

It is yet another example of Formula 1's inadequate payment structure that these drivers are not on the grid whereas some drivers, perhaps ones who, ok may have had a dud car but were comprehensively out performed by their team mate and yet are now at Sauber. Vergne at least deserved a midfield drive if not better.

What Toro Rosso are doing is bringing in a driver who has one years worth of car racing behind him in Max Verstappen. Yes he may be the next big thing, but who to judge him against? Carlos Sainz Jnr if he is to be confirmed? He'll be a rookie too. Vergne would have been an excellent comparison to judge Verstappen against, instead they'll have two rookies who could well take some time to sort out their new 2015 car. 

Daniil Kvyat was excellent as a rookie this year, we know this because he showed well against Vergne and actually out-qualified him over the year. So we know he has the raw pace. However, we also know he still has a bit to learn in the races as his 14 point deficit shows. Especially when the ban on helping the driver through the radio came in, we saw Kvyat start making mistakes while Vergne produced some epic drives in the latter portion of the season.

Kvyat deserves his shot at Red Bull alongside Ricciardo, he has amazing potential, but I think another year at Toro Rosso might have been even more beneficial perhaps promoting Vergne, as you know he's already a close match to Ricciardo. The Red Bull young driver program is a brutal one though and if you don't perform highly at all times then you're out, but Vergne deserved better. I hope he's back on the grid soon.

all photo's taken from autosport.com

Lewis Hamilton: 2014 World Champion

As the teams unpacked for the first winter test in Jerez back in January there was already a perception that Mercedes possessed an advantage. Quite how big that was had yet to be determined, but there had been rumours circulating for months that 2014 would be the year of the Silver Arrows. Their power unit was meant to be way ahead of Renault’s or Ferrari’s and before he left Ross Brawn had brought in a number of top technical people that had been working on this seasons all new regulations for a couple of years, they were well prepared.

Go back a few years further to 2012, Lewis Hamilton had a tough decision to make. One which would likely shape his career and the success he’d have in the future. At this point in time he was sitting in what was developing into the fastest car of the season, the McLaren MP4/27, a car that brought him four victories.

Perhaps one of the factors that Lewis came to consider was that he should have had at least another three and be fighting for the championship with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. That these losses were not down to him, but two down to basic operational errors by the team, perhaps made him consider a new era.

When he entered Formula 1 in 2007, he broke apart the establishment and did things no rookie had managed in years. He took it to his double champion team mate Alonso and damn near almost won the title in his first year. He did win in 2008, but it was a season that saw errors creeping in. When McLaren gave him a car that couldn’t defend his title, he went all out, but still it felt like the near perfect driver of 2007 couldn’t match up to the expectations.

2011 he fell apart, he admitted he was not in a good place, no other driver seems to have been quite as honest as Lewis to admit that. But he came back stronger in 2012, more consistent even with still tempestuous outbursts such as tweeting secret telemetry in Belgium as Jenson Button outclassed him over the weekend.

McLaren often gave him a good car, but they also let him down too. This was a team he had grown up with, parented him through junior formulae and helped to crown him world champion. But he was restricted by the team, not allowed to be who he wanted to be, perhaps he felt still treated a bit like a child.

Mercedes in 2012 had started positively, but were falling behind as the season progressed. But the new hybrid power regulations had already been agreed for 2014, and Ross Brawn and subsequently Niki Lauda sat with Lewis and explained the Mercedes plan for the future. The choice was simple; to stay at home or to flee the nest and become his own person?

As he sat in the Mercedes W05 in January 2014 and went out for those first exploratory laps, he knew he made the right choice, he was sitting in the best car by far, one which when pushed could lap a second quicker than anything else out there quite easily. This was going to be a year of domination for Hamilton, the quickest driver out on the grid.

But not everyone thought this. In his Karting years he was team mate to Nico Rosberg. He often had the beating of the German, and Lewis knew going head to head with Nico, it was he would win, who would ultimately triumph. However, Rosberg was initially favoured by many, the new regulations were said to favour the thinking driver, to manage these new fragile power units, the fuel restrictions and the tyres.

In 2013, their first year as Mercedes team mates, they were often equal, so Hamilton scored the most points and was the best qualifier but Rosberg had actually finished ahead more often when they both reached the chequered flag and had scored one victory more while he positively outclassed Lewis in the latter stages of the season.

Rosberg learns and consumes new information and experiences and absorbs them into his mind to use again. He learns and evolves as a driver that perhaps Lewis sometimes struggled with relying on his natural ability. Rosberg was over shadowed at points in that season, but then came back stronger.

So in the cold winter months of 2014, just as Lewis knew he had a car to take the title with, Nico thought exactly the same, this was his chance for championship glory.

Hamilton started out with pole position in Australia but was out within a few laps due to a technical failure, Rosberg won. He was obviously disappointed but it was just the first race and he knew he was better than Rosberg, and proved it by reeling off four straight victories including two races where he was the slower on race day than his team mate.

Then came Monaco and he realised Rosberg had learnt and would deploy tactics that might be called desperate, might be called calculated. Going down an escape road that brought out the yellow flags denying Lewis an opportunity to snatch pole back was deemed a mistake by the stewards but for most of the rest of the world looked anything but.

Lewis seemed rattled especially as Mercedes did not sanction Rosberg at all. He lost in the race, retired in Canada, made a mistake in qualifying in Austria and then at Silverstone too. This Mercedes, the car which should be giving him his second title was letting him down and then he was pushing too hard to make up for it.

He won the British Grand Prix, but more technical failures in Germany and Hungary qualifying left him charging from the back. Incredibly after a safety car in the Hungarian race he finished ahead of Rosberg to take third, despite a team order asking him to let Nico through which he argued successfully against. But this wasn’t how it should be, he should be winning, not fighting back from technical trouble and against a team mate who would arguably bend the rules. 

Any time he fought back, Rosberg would be just behind or come back stronger.

After the summer break came Belgium and possibly the decisive moment of the season. Lewis, though he had grown as a person and looked more focused than ever since he left McLaren was still open to bouts of outspokenness, of feeling like the world was against him, pushing him into a siege mentality. The car let him down more than Rosberg, the team did nothing to Nico after Monaco.

But then on lap one he’d grabbed the lead after starting second, but Rosberg having been beaten on the track several times by Lewis wasn’t going to be pushed around, he attacked, Lewis closed the door but Nico left his front wing in there causing a puncture for the #44 Mercedes which forced it’s eventual retirement.

Rosberg finished second in the end, increasing his lead by 18 points, up to 29. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was outraged, the world came crashing down on Nico, the fans booed him, the team fined him and made it clear it was unacceptable, team mates should not make contact.

Lewis suddenly felt the team was behind him, that they knew wrong from right, he reeled off five consecutive victories passing Rosberg for the lead in three of them. Rosberg fought back in Brazil, but by then Lewis had a points lead and a perfect start at the finale in Abu Dhabi launched him into a lead that turned into a win as Rosberg’s car failed, equalling the technical issues for both. It made Lewis Hamilton the 2014 world champion.

After all the tension of a title decider with the extra worry of double points it was a thoroughly deserved championship win, Hamilton has won 11 times to Rosberg’s five, and has defeated him in wheel to wheel combat every time. After Belgium his focus was brilliant. Lewis reset himself. Even when his qualifying problems seemed to continue eventually losing out to Nico 7-12, he’d have a think, go to sleep and by the time he woke up would be stronger, more determined to achieve his objective.

He’s invariably been the fastest driver on race day. His brilliance in understanding these new cars was fantastic. When everyone thought it would suit Rosberg more, Hamilton has defied those expectations and was the better on fuel consumption and looking after the tyres even when he was fighting his way to the front or streaking away in the lead.

His race craft in Bahrain where he spectacularly and robustly held off Rosberg was as intense racing as I’ve ever seen, his move around the outside of Rosberg in the pouring rain of Japan was mesmeric and his calm stalking of his team mate in the USA waiting for a mistake to pounce on was fantastic.

This is what everyone imagined would happen if you put the fastest driver in Formula 1 in the fastest car, he would reel off the victories. It’s only taken so long because Rosberg has been a brilliant competitor who has never backed off in trying.

Rosberg will come back stronger, it’s what he does, but with this success I think Lewis will also find an extra gear to take him to new heights of success. Mercedes should be just as strong next year and could well be start of an Hamilton era of success, where he gets the titles his talent has deserved, without machinery or mental blips holding him back.

Finally he’s come of age and is ready to attack anything that comes in his way. Lewis has showed himself to be not only capable of dealing with these problems but resetting himself to come back stronger than ever. Even after his title success he has said he’ll be focussing on making himself stronger next year for qualifying. The fight is never over in Formula 1, and this year Lewis has proved he’ll never back down, and always come back for more to take on his competitors and win. A brilliant year for the sport’s most naturally gifted driver and arguably the best racer on the planet.

all photos taken from autosport.com

Hamilton clinches title in style

Lewis Hamilton is the 2014 world champion, taking it in style by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was a calm assured performance, a true champion's drive. There was tension throughout the build up with both drivers looking nervous.

Lewis particularly seemed to just keep an icy stare and be unresponsive, his mind obviously focused on the race ahead. He was second on the grid to his title rival and team mate Nico Rosberg, but got the most perfect immaculate start he could have wished for, Rosberg bogged down slightly, Lewis was in the lead by the first corner.

There wasn’t a better time to be heading the pack, he had the control, he knew Nico needed to be in front to have a chance, but Lewis immediately got a gap and never looked to be under the kind of pressure that actually must have been weighing on him heavily. Through the first round of pit stops the status was maintained.

Lewis kept a gap of over two seconds, then the moment came when he must have allowed himself to relax. It’s fair to say Lewis has had the most reliability problems this year over qualifying and race time, but on lap 23 Rosberg went wide losing a second. Lap 25 the radio message came on air that he was losing power.

He’d lost all his Energy Recovery Power, that’s about 160hp leaving him a sitting duck on the straights. It only got worse as more problems afflicted him and he could do nothing about holding cars back, especially in the DRS zones. By lap 52 he’d dropped out of the points and team told him to pit the car.

It’s a measure of the man that Rosberg said he wanted to go to the end which he did, finishing down in 14^th place. Afterwards he admitted that perhaps the better driver had won this year, but that he’d work harder for 2015, he knows he needs to get better at wheel to wheel combat.

I’m tempted to say that this was his one chance for the title and Lewis will overwhelm him next year, but too many times people have written him off, against Michael Schumacher, against Lewis Hamilton. But he took the championship down to the last race, and I have no doubt he will already be focussing on 2015 and will be back stronger than ever. He has been a more than worthy opponent.

Hamilton though could not relax as Rosberg for a while hung on around fifth position, the place that would make him world champion should the 44 Mercedes retire. As Rosberg then slipped down the field, Lewis took his foot off the throttle a bit allowing Felipe Massa back into contention in the Williams.

As Hamilton pitted for the final time on lap 32 of 55, Massa now in the lead kept going until lap 44 switching to the much quicker super-soft tyre. He carved into Lewis’ 11 second lead, but Lewis reassured his team he was controlling the gap, pumping in the odd fastest lap as proof. But Massa kept on attacking and by the flag was just a couple of seconds behind.

In truth though Hamilton had this entire race in his grasp from the start, capping a brilliant season. He’s suffered reliability problems, he’s made mistakes, he’s been out of sorts in qualifying. No one expected Rosberg to get more pole positions than him but in the races he’s been supreme. 11 victories show just how much of a class act he’s been.

He’s attacked Rosberg for the lead several times over the year, passing his team mate with clinical precision and on the edge manoeuvres that  have shown just how much he wanted it this year.  There’s a case for other drivers to be crowned driver of the year, but with the pressure on him in the best car of the year, fighting a driver who was always there fighting, he didn’t crack. Even after Brazil where Rosberg held him off, it could have affected his game this weekend, but he was focused, and always reset his mind to come back stronger.

Ultimately though Hamilton is the fastest guy out there and quite possibly the best over taker in the business and he’s had ample opportunity to show it this year on a Sunday afternoon.  

Behind Lewis and Massa, Valtteri Bottas took third in the other Williams, fighting back brilliantly after dropping to eighth at the start. Both Red Bull’s had been disqualified from qualifying due to overly flexi front wings and had to start from the pit lane, but Daniel Ricciardo stormed through the field to finish fourth while in his final race for the team Sebastian Vettel could only manage eighth. A sad end to his Red Bull career, but he’ll look forward to reenergising himself at Ferrari next year, although from the sounds of it, that’s going to be full of difficulties.

Jenson Button in possibly his final driver for McLaren and in Formula 1 finished in fifth out-classing his team mate, scoring over double the points of Kevin Magnussen as well as out-qualifying him over the year. Magnussen could only trail in 11^th after a scrappy first lap. Button looked saddened at the end of the race and I think he deserves another year although Magnussen has put together a decent first year.

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez got Force India a double double points finish getting to the chequered flag in sixth and seventh after racing an alternate strategy to the majority of the field by running the super-soft tyres at the end. Hulkenberg was particularly impressive after suffering an unjust five second penalty for forcing Magnussen off the road.

Fernando Alonso in his last race for Ferrari finished ninth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. A disappointing end to the season and to the Spaniard’s career with the Scuderia after what had promised championship success in 2010. That after five years they have managed only close second places can only be seen as failure on the teams part. Alonso looks set to go to McLaren, but his story seems to be rapidly moving to a career which he’ll see as unfulfilled.

Hamilton though is back on the up, thanks to a crushingly dominant car and some supreme driving. Today he showed his champion qualities to become Britain’s first multiple world champion since Jackie Stewart. This could be the start of a Hamilton era.

all photo's taken from autosport.com

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Forecast

We've arrived at the final race of the season. The Abu Dhabi track is fast and wide for half of it with the second half having more of a street circuit feel, barriers lining the track quite closely at some points. Pirelli have brought the soft and super-soft tyres which should produce at least a two stop race. There are two DRS zones, one between turns 7 and 8 and the other between 10 and 11, which is more of a curve anyway. The weather as always here looks bright and hot, with temperatures around 30C.

Of course this is a twilight race, it starts in the light and finishes in the dark, so as the temperature lowers the cars could behave differently on their rubber so we could see some interesting strategies unfold.

Only two men can be crowned World Champion now we've reached the finale of the 2014 season. Mercedes team mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been fighting season long in their battle for supremacy, but it's not quite a winner takes all race.

What looks like a one season only affair with the rule likely to be dropped for next year, the final race of this year is worth double points. It is a quite stupid rule that was meant to make the championship battle last longer, but it's a rule hated by the fans, the F1 press and the drivers, although not Nico Rosberg at the moment, although he concedes he didn't like it at first.

Thankfully Rosberg lies just 17 points behind Hamilton, so even without double points the title fight would have gone to the wire anyway. But if it had been a normal season Hamilton would only have to finish sixth to clinch the title if Rosberg were to win but alas Formula 1 has a tendency to bring turmoil upon itself, only a result that is unaffected by double points will be considered uncontroversial.

I have no problem with either man winning the title despite the current win ratio of 10-5 in Hamilton's favour. Sometimes it pays to be consistent, so a Rosberg championship win would be more than worthy, but only if it is unaffected by double points in my opinion.

However, double points are what we have so here are the permutations for the championship showdown:

Hamilton wins the title if he finishes first or second. If Rosberg finishes second Hamilton must finish fifth or higher. If Rosberg finishes third then Hamilton must finish sixth or higher. If Rosberg finishes fourth then Hamilton must finish eighth or higher. Finally if Rosberg wins the title he can not finish lower than fifth and Hamilton must finish ninth or higher to stop him.

Both drivers will be praying their cars hold together, but the likelihood is that this will be a Mercedes 1-2 such has been their advantage this year. Hamilton would like to win it in style, but even over the course of this season you can see how his driving has matured so perhaps if there is no opportunity to make a move he will settle back for a calm drive to second.

Yes, I agree that's an unlikely scenario, he'll want to put one over on Rosberg one more time. It'll be tough though, Brazil showcased Rosberg at his best. He was the fastest throughout Friday and Saturday, and despite Lewis being quicker on race day, managed to hold him off to take a brilliant win. It gave him confidence and it'll be no surprise to see him win again this weekend. But Lewis is brilliant in Abu Dhabi and I can see him laying down a marker for this season, but also for next year when Mercedes are likely to be challenging for the title again.

Hamilton can see this is an opportunity to get another title, but to trounce Rosberg one more time this season could set the tone for an era of success with Mercedes provided he signs a contract beyond 2015. It takes a lot for Rosberg to be rattled, but he knows he's not as quick, and like Mark Webber before him against Sebastian Vettel, he might see this as his only opportunity to get a championship and we've already seen this season he can get a bit desperate.

There are plenty of other talking points surrounding Formula 1 at the moment, not least the debacle with the smaller teams of Formula 1. Talks will be on-going about how to resolve their financial situation and give a fairer deal to all the teams, but the big teams don't want to give up their monetary advantage and there's more and more a feeling that Formula 1 could be heading for a customer car scenario which I think will lead to more teams folding. The Super GP2 idea is absurd and should be written off already even if the grid numbers fall further.

Bernie Ecclestone's future should be up for debabte too. Unless he's playing a really clever game, which he has done before, then his comments regarding Formula 1's fan base mark him out as someone who should no longer be in control of the motor racing worlds premier series. He has said that the sport doesn't need to appeal to younger viewers, that it's the smaller teams own fault in regards to their financial situation and nothing to do with how uneven the money is shared out. This is someone operating a world away from reality.

Fernando Alonso was expected to be announced as a McLaren driver but that announcement has been put back to 1st December as they decide whether to take Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen. It's appalling treatment of a world champion, Button deserves a lot better. We can now be certain that Vettel is off to Ferrari, the team confirmed today he is to join them on a three year deal. In other driver news, Romain Grosjean has signed to stay with Lotus for 2015 as they take receipt of Mercedes power units.

Back to the race though, with Mercedes likely to be heading the field Red Bull and Williams are likely to be the main challengers once again. Vettel has won here three times, but it's very unlikely he'll be able to do it again. It's his last race for Red Bull so he'd at least like a podium as a parting gift. Of course he'll have to outdo his team mate Daniel Ricciardo first which has proved a far tougher proposition than he probably thought at the start of the season.

Williams think they'll be strong here, strong enough to interrupt the Mercedes battle? Probably not, but it's one final try at getting a win that I think they deserve. McLaren have shown improved form recently, Button was an absolute star in Brazil, and if this is to be his last race in F1 then he'll want to go out in style.

Alonso is likely to be saying goodbye to Ferrari this weekend, he'll be dragging the most out the car as always but for some reason I have a feeling Kimi Raikkonen may get the better of him this time out ...

Sauber look likely to end the campaign with their first pointless season in their history. Having not retained either of their current drivers I doubt they're going to get 100% commitment from either this weekend.

Caterham let go over 200 employees this week but are re-joining the grid as they seek a buyer for the team. Kamui Kobayashi is driving while Roberto Merhi says he'll be driving the other car but this is all still to be confirmed. It brings the grid back up to 20 cars, but whether they'll still be around for 2015 is another matter entirely.

Some better news about Jules Bianchi too. Although still unconscious he is now out of a coma and has been flown back to France to the Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice. He is still however in a serious condition after suffering severe head injuries in the Japanese Grand Prix last month.

So, the finale is upon us and the tension is growing. In one sense it's about who will win the title, in another it's about the huge furore that will erupt should it be decided on double points. Only Formula 1 could potentially screw up a brilliant season. Let's hope it's a great way to end the year.

all photos taken from autosport.com

Schumacher's first title success: Twenty years on

Michael Schumacher became Formula 1 world champion for the first time twenty years ago today. It started a continuing success that lasted for over a decade, picking up another six titles along the way and finishing with 91 victories.

But 1994 was when he rose up to be king in a season that was tragic, controversial and epic. Everyone expected Ayrton Senna to dominate this season when he joined Williams but he got a surprise when Schumacher in the Benetton was immediately on the pace.

It's such a shame we only had one head to head confrontation that year. The opening race in Brazil was possibly the best race of the year as Schumacher tracked Senna down and began pressuring him. In what would become a trademark, Schumacher got ahead in the pit stops after setting some extraordinary lap times to exit in the lead. Senna tried to get back at him but spun into retirement.

It was a marker, a new challenger in town ready to take the fight to the expected champion. That we didn't get that fight is immensely sad after Senna died at the San Marino Grand Prix. Senna's team mate Damon Hill took up the baton and gave it his best shot, getting to within one point by the final race.

Senna had suspected Benetton to be running illegal traction control and launch control, although the software was found it wasn't proved it was used. Ross Brawn and Pat Symonds technical director and engineer at Benetton both say they didn't run it. But that was just the start of the issues that affected the team. Schumacher was disqualified from Silverstone after ignoring a black flag after he'd jumped ahead of Damon Hill on the formation lap. The team had told him to stay out but he was banned for two races afterwards.

He won the Belgian Grand Prix but again was disqualified for his car running too low to the ground after the wooden plank underneath the car had worn away too much. He had spun over kerbs during the race which likely resulted in the wear, but the stewards were having none of it and again another 10 points were lost handing the victory to Hill. 

Through it all Schumacher remained dignified and focused winning race after race and never commenting on his teams apparent indiscretions. He had eight victories in all, but perhaps his best drive was finishing second to Hill in the Spanish Grand Prix after being stuck in fifth gear for half the race.

Coming back from his ban, he immediately won before Hill brilliantly beat him in the rain in Japan at the penultimate race. So to Australia and the final race separated by one point. Schumacher and Hill immediately took the top two positions and drove away from the rest of the field, in a class of their own.

For most of the season, Schuey had been in a class of one, but finally as the season reached its climax Hill joined him there. They raced for 36 intense laps before for whatever reason, just as he'd pulled a bit of a gap to Hill, Schumacher went off. Hill saw the Benetton come back on the road not realising it was damaged, he immediately went for the inside of the next corner. Schumacher was already turning though, the two collided, the Benetton almost flipping before coming to rest out of the race.

Hill continued but the damage had been done, his suspension was gone and he sat forlornly in the pits. Had Schuey clashed deliberately? Judging from the future, perhaps, but I still believe it's arguable and he's never admitted to this one. 

Despite this, anyone looking to argue Schumacher didn't deserve the title has to remember he won eight out of the 12 races he could score in. In two others he was disqualified and a further two, harshly banned. Hill had 16 races to fall one point short.

As I've said, Schumacher truly emerged as the next major driver in Formula 1 during 1994, he was the one that all others would be judged by and that didn't stop until 2006 when he retired for the first time. Schumacher showed a flaw that would emerge every now and then over the years, but he also showed just how brilliantly he could drive on the edge. 1994 was a tough year for the sport, but through it emerged a new hero and one of the best showdowns the sport has seen.

If Abu Dhabi in just over a weeks time can come close to this race, it's going to be quite the ride.

#keepfightingmichael #forzaJules

Rosberg beats Hamilton in Brazil

It was always going down to the wire in Abu Dhabi, but Nico Rosberg showed he is more than up for the fight with a brilliant win in Brazil. The expected rain didn't turn up but if anything that would have taken away from a fantastically tense Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton hounded his team mate all the way to the flag, losing out by under a second.

Rosberg truly deserved his victory, he was quickest in every single session, and although it looked like he tensed up during the race, he remained under control to hold off a fierce challenge from the ever present Hamilton.

With the front row locked out by the Mercedes cars, they both got away well and led the early laps fairly comfortably. The soft tyre was blistering quickly and all those who started on them started pitting after only five laps. 

Rosberg and Hamilton maintained their positions, but got ever closer to each other as they fought their way through the traffic of those who started on the medium compound and were able to go longer in the first stint.

It was the second stops that very nearly swung the race Hamilton's way. Rosberg stopped on lap 26 and immediately Hamilton set a banzai fastest lap that brought him into contention for the win. He went for a second lap, but the grip was gone, turn four, the car snapped and Lewis went sliding into a half spin, the potential win was gone.

The team actually apologised to him for making him do one more lap, but it is arguable whether he'd have exited ahead of Rosberg but it would have been extremely close. As it was Hamilton came out seven seconds back, but closed and closed. Every lap the number 44 Mercedes became more threatening to Rosberg's lead, but he didn't put a wheel out of line.

Through the third stops and into the final 10 laps, Hamilton was there filling the mirrors of Rosberg, but this time there was to be no pass despite Hamilton always having the DRS. Rosberg withstood all the pressure and the win was his, probably his best win of the year by a long way.

So it's to Abu Dhabi and double points. Thank goodness in a way that Hamilton didn't win as if we were in a normal situation he'd have won the title. Even better that Rosberg didn't retire at the same time as then the gap would have been 49 points, almost two normal wins ahead, the outrage would have been immense.

As it is now, for the title to be unaffected by double points for Hamilton to win he need only finish second or win. For Rosberg to win without doubles points affecting the result he needs to win and have Hamilton finish seventh or lower. In reality because of double points for Rosberg to win, he only needs Hamilton to finish third or lower.

I only hope mechanical failures don't come into it and we get an unaffected double points win in the finale. You have to expect the two Mercedes cars to once again head the field in Abu Dhabi, so lets see them race and may the best driver win. Today Rosberg showed he can live with Hamilton, but it's going to be a tough result if Lewis is to lose this title now.

Felipe Massa gave his home race crowd a great result for Williams with third place despite doing as much as he could do squander the opportunity. He got a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and then tried to have his tyres changed in the McLaren pit box. He still showed strong pace throughout and deserved his podium. 

His team mate Valtteri Bottas finished up 10th after starting fourth and suffered an unfortunate result, nothing seemed to work right for him once his second pit stop meant he had to have his seat belts tightened and then at the next stop debris cleared from his wings after Nico Hulkenberg politely squeezed him off track and turn one.

Jenson Button was my star of the race. Left hanging by McLaren about a drive for next year, he produced a brilliant drive, chasing after the Williams cars in the opening stints in a McLaren which although improved is still a way off their pace. He held off challenges behind and just looked like a man who should be continuing in Formula 1 next year. 

I thought he might have grabbed a podium after Massa's penalty but strangely he seemed even further behind, still fourth was a fine result, while his team mate Kevin Magnussen was embroiled in battles that eventually dropped him to ninth after starting sixth. Both drivers deserve another season at McLaren but with the looming presence of Fernando Alonso that's highly unlikely. Having said that, the rumours of third cars for Ferrari and Red Bull might well shake up just who goes where again. If I were Ferrari I'd be grabbing Button immediately.

Sebastian Vettel was the lead Red Bull all weekend finishing fifth after utilising the undercut at the second pit stops and then chasing Button down to fight for fou.rth. It was a decent display after a tough first lap when he ran wide at turn four, but fought back brilliant. Daniel Ricciardo in the other Red Bull retired early on with a suspension failure while running behind, but with Ricciardo I think you begin to sense he's always going to make an attack at some point, so it's sad we didn't see that.

Sixth and Seventh was Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso could have been in the hunt for fourth and fifth and might have expected a call from the team for Kimi to let him through, but as he's supposedly leaving that call was not forthcoming.

Kimi held him off brilliantly on over 30 lap old tyres as he was the only one to make a two stop strategy just about work. Alonso was always going to get through but it was nice to see Kimi show he's still got his fighting skills, and it was a great effort when a three stop strategy was probably the way forward.

Hulkenberg took eighth with a very fine drive after starting 12th. He went the opposite way on tyre strategy running medium three times before ending on the soft compound. A very good drive after some quieter races in the middle of the season.

Formula 1 was still discussing the future of how money is split while despite Marussia closing its door there are still rumours it could be bought. I don't want to see third cars for the top teams as fun as that may sound. As many other people have pointed out, running third cars will squeeze the back of the grid still further from top results, leaving them with less money. We'll end up with just a few makes maybe one day even just one manufacturer.

Formula 1 is about many teams competing to design their own cars, make them and get the best engineers, mechanics and drivers to race them to push each other to the limit. This formula should not be messed with. Bernie Ecclestone says $900million goes to the teams and the lower teams should spend their money more wisely. Well maybe he should split the money in a fairly way and not give so much to himself, FOM and CVC, the owners of Formula 1 and concentrate more on funding a sustainable sport with teams competing on an even level.

That argument will continue for a while yet, but what we should all concentrate on now is a thrilling title showdown in Abu Dhabi one which hopefully will result in a world champion unaffected by double points. 

#ForzaJules

all photo's taken from autosport.com

The Brazilian Grand Prix Forecast

Rain, Rain and more rain is forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. It's a race often effected by inclement weather and in recent years has also been a dramatic finale for the Grand Prix season. It won't end anything this year but it will still be crucial in deciding who is world champion by the end of the Abu Dhabi weekend.

The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is a mixture of fast straights and a tight twisty infield. Set up will be a compromise especially with the weather predictions being rain all weekend. The DRS zone may not come in to it if it's too wet but there is one on the start finish straight and between turns three and four. Pirelli have brought the medium and soft compounds but again at the time of writing it's unlikely they'll be used much. If they are they should offer decent grip and the degradation should offer us at least a two stopper for the 71 lap race.

I'm not sure either title contender wants a mixed up race this weekend, they just want a straight fight for the title. Lewis Hamilton has won and lost a championship here in mixed conditions, but it's certain he won't do either this year. In a normal season, one not potentially tainted by double points, then he would be on the verge of sealing it.

He is 24 points ahead of Nico Rosberg with only 25 for the win, but with Abu Dhabi offering 50 points for the final race of the season that championship win is still some distance away. Last season Rosberg qualified and finished ahead of Hamilton. He's going to need a similar result now, preferably for him with a few cars in-between.

The likelihood is that once again both Mercedes cars will be heading the pack, in this case all Lewis needs to do is finish second both in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to take the title. We all know he's not going to settle for second though, not if he's close behind and senses an opportunity to make the pass.

I think as always this year it'll be extremely close between the pair, but I can see Hamilton taking pole and the win and extending his title lead this weekend leaving us on tenterhooks as to whether double points is going to leave a bitter taste if something were to go wrong for Lewis.

It doesn't matter who wins as long as double points doesn't affect the outcome. Ideally if Lewis just finishes second to Rosberg then it'll be fine with the current points gap. If Rosberg is within seven points at the end of Brazil then again whoever is first and second in Abu Dhabi won't matter. Although looking at the season as a whole, with ten wins to Rosberg's four it seems inconceivable that Hamilton should not be the rightful winner. But Rosberg is up there for a reason, he's kept himself in the battle and driven some great races. It's all to play for still and with the weather not looking great, Brazil is going to be a very exciting chapter indeed in this thrilling title fight.

Behind the championship duo, I expect Felipe Massa to put in a strong performance for Williams at his home race. In 2006, '07, '08 he was quite simply superb and should have had a hat trick of victories. He'll certainly be one to watch, his team mate Valtteri Bottas is going to have to be at his very best to beat Massa this weekend. However, Williams have not had the best pace in the rain and if the forecast is right, then they may struggle.

Which will leave Red Bull as the main challengers, or the ones most likely to finish third. Again you would have to pick out Daniel Ricciardo as the man most likely to, he's been fantastic all year. I'm still expecting a stand out showing from Sebastian Vettel at some point, but he's running out of time to really leave a mark this season before he leaves Red Bull.

If the weather is wet, then again you cannot go wrong by predicting that Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for Ferrari and McLaren respectively will be up there. Put Nico Hulkenberg into that category too, they are all brilliant in mixed up conditions and could play a major part in the final result. 

Alonso has still not announced where he's driving next year, but he looks more and more certain to go to McLaren with Kevin Magnussen most likely to be his team mate. This leaves Jenson Button fighting to stay in Formula 1, but although Porsche have denied it, there are still strong rumours he might go to the World Endurance Championship next season. I think Button still has a few more good years left in him in Formula 1 and this race could be ideal for him to showcase why.

Sauber have signed Felipe Nasr, currently second in GP2 this year and Williams third driver. He'll partner Caterham's Marcus Ericsson. It is to be presumed both have backing but Nasr is a fast driver and deserves a chance in Formula 1. It of course leaves both current Sauber drivers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez without drives for next year. They'll be going all out to secure seats for 2015.

Jean-Eric Vergne has been doing that since it was announced Toro Rosso had signed Max Verstappen. It's not inconceivable that he might end up staying put, and the way he's been driving recently has shown just what a great racer he is. In the wet he's brilliant so keep an eye out for him.

Marussia and Caterham's continued absence means we still have just 18 cars. Even though the Austin race was very good, it still looked a lot emptier out on track and that is not a good thing. There needs to be more seats in the top echelon of motor sport so the stars of tomorrow can learn. But these smaller teams need more money from the sports authorities to survive so that can happen rather than taking pay drivers.

It looks like there may be a deal going on with CVC (Formula 1's owner) potentially offering $100million to be split between the smaller teams. There is good news of sorts with both Marussia and Caterham lodging entries for next season despite still being in administration while Marussia definitely hopes to be back for Abu Dhabi. Hopefully we'll have a full complement of cars soon.

Anyway, driver moves and the cash crisis are still likely to be high on the list of talking points, but it's the fight for the championship that'll be everyone's headline. In the wet of Brazil, it's about to get ever more intense.

#ForzaJules

all photos taken from autosport.com