The only exciting part of this race was the banging and crashing at the start. For the third consecutive Grand Prix, it was Lewis Hamilton who won the race. Without an interruption from the safety car, Hamilton stormed away with his largest margin of the victory of the season. At least the race officials did something to keep us on our toes.
F1
Formula One: 2014 Bahrain In-Season Test Recap
As part of the changes to all of the technical regulations, the 2014 Formula One World Championship season included a rules change that allows four two-day in-season test sessions for teams to work on their cars and gather data about new parts and Pirelli tyres.
The first of these test sessions was in Bahrain following last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. If you include the pre-season testing, that makes 13 days out of 23 (12 days of pre-season testing, 9 days of race weekends and 2 days of this test) of official running that has been held on this one track. So it should surprise anyone that Mercedes was still at the head of the field after this test.
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Dial “SC” For Excitement
People were looking for all sorts of reasons why the first two races of the season weren’t as epic as everyone was hoping. Much blame was laid at the feed of the new engines being too quiet. Mercedes engines absolutely dominating proceedings wasn’t helping much. Pirelli tyres, as always, were blamed too.
It turns out, though, that all we really needed to get an exciting race from the new generation of Formula One was a late safety car to bunch the field together and allow people to run all over each other in order. Despite some close side-by-side racing at the end, it was Lewis Hamilton that led the race essentially from first corner to the last as he picked up his second win of the season.
F1 Power Rankings: Bahrain Grand Prix
For the first time, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be contested under the lights. While this makes it easier on the viewers in Europe and the Americas because it won’t be competing with other sports in the middle of the afternoon or start at the break of dawn. The downside is that the cooler temperatures likely means that the cars aren’t going to overheat and expire. So we might actually get a normal-ish race this time out.
F1 Malaysian Grand Prix: Steady As She Goes
Testing isn’t the complete story but it certainly does give you an insight into how the season will play out. The Red Bulls weren’t expected to be in the same timezone as the Mercedes-powered cars but they’re running for podiums. However, the insight that said that Mercedes GP would be blindingly fast proved to be right as Lewis Hamilton led the team home in a 1-2 finish.
F1 Power Rankings: Malaysian Grand Prix
After seemingly rare two-week break to start the 2013, the 2014 Formula One World Championship is back for the second race of the season. After the race on the streets of Melbourne’s Albert Park, it’s to a Hermann Tilke designed racing circuit for the first time this season. The real battle for the World Drivers’ Championship begins this weekend. Who has the upper hand?
Australian Grand Prix: Survive, If You Can
The margin of victory wasn’t two laps. Cars were still running at the finish. There were even enough cars to fill all the points paying positions. None of the doomsday scenarios for the first race of the turbo V6 and ERS era came to fruition.
However, as it was predicted by many people heading into this weekend, the Mercedes team was at the head of the field. It wasn’t Lewis Hamilton who won the race as expected but his teammate Nico Rosberg who took the checkered flag in the first race of 2014.
F1 2014 Season Preview: Predictions
It’s time for the final part of our 2014 Formula One World Championship season preview. Having gone through the new rules, new drivers, team previews and power rankings for the season, it’s time to put it all together in our predicted results for the upcoming season.
As always, what we’ve seen so far isn’t exactly a complete picture of the upcoming season. Given that we haven’t really seen the cars in race conditions yet, we don’t actually know what will happen yet. Cars improve, teams troubleshoot and the drivers adapt to the condition. But based on what we do know so far, we do have a slightly educated idea as to who will be quick this year.
F1 Power Rankings: Australian Grand Prix
As is our Thursday tradition on Formula One weekends, it’s time to bring back the Formula One power rankings.
For those who are new to the blog or our F1 coverage, prior to each race weekend, I rank the twenty-two drivers on the grid based on who I expect to be fast at that weekend’s race. Sometimes, it’s based on momentum. Sometimes, it’s based on past results at that circuit. Always, though, it’s based on speed.
F1 2014 Season Preview: Drivers and Teams
After updating you on the rules for this season, now it’s time to get you up to speed with the drivers and teams competing in this year’s Formula One World Championship.
It’s not just the drivers being allowed to choose their own numbers that has changed things in the entry list. Unlike 2013 which saw very few driver changes, this season sees all but Mercedes and Marussia with a driver lineup change. Webber’s retirement, Ferrari dumping Massa and Lotus’ money troubles started a domino effect through the whole of the field in 2014.
The Lowdown 