F1 Season Review: Hamilton Takes it Easily

Controversy and non-change were dominant in F1 in 2015, some things probably won’t change completely in 2016.

When you take a look at this year’s formula one world championship, many would have to say that it continues to be very controversial, and pretty much the same results.

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Lewis Hamilton not only won his third world title, but never really had any challenges from his teammate Nico Rosberg, taking the title at Circuit of the Americas on Halloween weekend, with three races still left in the season.

Hamilton began his quest with a season opening victory in Australia, and some figured that it would be another domination by the Briton and his AMG Mercedes team. Sebastian Vettel had just transferred over to the Scuderia Ferrari team, and many wondered what the German would do after taking third in the opening race.

It was a victory in the following round in Malaysia, and for a short time, it was obvious to the fans that Ferrari was the new challenger to Mercedes. Vettel was now second in the standings and ahead of Rosberg. However, it did not take long for the Mercedes duo to continue where they left off the previous year, as Hamilton won the next two rounds in China and Bahrain.

But Rosberg got his form in gear (literally) as the f1 circus returned to the two spring races in Europe as Rosberg won in Spain and repeated for the second year in a row in Monaco. Hamilton took one back in Canada, which has always been a good circuit for him, and Rosberg returned the favor in Austria.

Hamilton won a very impressive drive in front of his home fans in Great Britain, before racing in Hungary prior to the summer break. But the Hungaroring was not a power track, and Vettel won his second race, while Mercedes was all over the track in a negative way. Red Bull, who have not been seen all year on the podium, finally placed second and third, with Dani Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo, respectively.

Hamilton took the final European races of the season at Belgium and Italy, before the grid returned to the second night race of the year in Singapore. However, for some unknown reason, Mercedes could not get their grip levels right on the street circuit, and Vettel won his third of the year. Could this have been the start of the decline of the silver arrows?? The next few races would show this.

Hamilton put an answer to this, and it was not good for the others as three more wins followed in Japan, Russia and finally, the United States, where the Briton clinched the title, to go with the constructor’s championship one round earlier.

But Rosberg, who had the lead in Austin, before oversteering one corner, which let Hamilton win the title, was furious at his actions, and made them clear that next season will not be this way by taking the last races in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

This season had more controversy that the past few years, but the big story of all had to be the divorce between Red Bull Racing and their engine supplier from Renault of France. The engines, when they switched the previous season from a V-8 to a turbo hybrid did not fit the designs of the French manufacturer and considering the team had three wins in 2014, the 2015 version was terrible, and could not match the engine to the newly produced Adrian Newey designed car, with the consequences being a very slow engine that was good in corners, but not quick on the straights. By the end of the season, Red Bull decided as much as Renault, to not work with each other after the end of the season. But Red Bull, who had nearly every top manager in the group complain about the engine and how it performed, could not find a replacement. This set a problem that not only Red Bull, but their sister team, Toro Rosso, who used the same engine, might had to pull out of the sport if they could not find another replacement.

Recently, Red Bull had to return to their French engine supplier, but now will use an unbranded engine, which name still has to be decided. This way the Milton Keynes group now have themselves to blame if their power plants do not work. And Renault at this time of press, was intending to buy the cash strapped Lotus team and make it a works team, so if it works (no joke intended) 22 cars, including the new American Haas team, will be on the grid.

Next: Can Red Bull Turn It Around In 2016?

However, many believe that it could still be a two way fight between Hamilton and Rosberg. But to Toto Wolff, the manager of Mercedes, the fighting between the two cannot go on much longer. So if anyone has any chance of winning next season, it is only because Mercedes will make enough mistakes enough for them to capitalize on it.

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