If you’re thinking that the 2015 Formula 1 season is this far into the future event, you might be mistaken. In fact, teams and drivers will get back to being busy in less than a month when the pre-season begins.
The actual season starts Friday, March 13th 2015 in Melbourne, Australia and if your favorite team is to have a chance at the title, all they have to do is beat Mercedes. Which brings us to the title of this feature!
1. Can anybody beat Mercedes GP?
One thing’s for sure. Nobody could beat them in 2014. Both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg looked invincible driving their Silver Arrows to pole after pole after pole as well as victory after victory. And while Rosberg had a great start to the season, it was Lewis who finished strong and took home the Drivers’ Championship. Red Bull Racing and Williams were also solid but in the end they couldn’t put up much of a fight, with Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo taking 3rd place in the final standings.
Both Ferrari and McLaren were big disappointments but for 2015 there will be a lot of fresh blood in these particular two garages. Four time champ Sebastian Vettel will race for Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso will do the driving for McLaren – a team that has fused with Honda and are looking towards a very bright future.
So will it be Ferrari with the help of Vettel? Will it be the experienced McLaren-Honda duo of Alonso and Button or will Red Bull and Williams remain Mercedes’ closest rivals for 2015 as well? It will surely be fascinating to watch.
2. Is Sebastian Vettel the right driver for Ferrari?
We know how talented Vettel is. He is aggressive, skilled and very quick no doubt. But he hasn’t really delivered since his Sauber and Toro Rosso days as he failed to perform when his Red Bull wasn’t the best car on the grid. Sure, last season tested his patience and nerves and he only finished 5th in the Drivers’ standings.
So far it’s impossible to tell if Ferrari will have a better balanced car for 2015 than Red Bull. If they don’t make a big jump, it’s very possible that they won’t and that Vettel will struggle yet again to find his form.
Lots of people say they’d rather have Alonso when it comes to a struggling or semi-struggling team and we certainly understand why. He is one of the most adaptable drivers in Formula 1. But hey, Vettel is a four time champ so maybe he is up to the challenge.
3. Just how good is Williams?
In 2014, their two drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were arguably just as consistent and almost as fast as Hamilton and Rosberg. The only reason why Williams didn’t take home 2nd place in the Constructors standings is a fellow by the name of Daniel Ricciardo who had an extraordinary season for Red Bull – and we’ll get to him in the next question.
Williams managed to score 320 points, 85 less than Red Bull but 104 more than Ferrari and 139 more than McLaren. They also had the fastest cars in a straight line in 2014 and in 2015 they’ll be using Mercedes engines yet again.
There’s just something about this team, it gives off a good vibe. They have great talent, both on the track and in the pits and maybe everybody just loves working for them – and no wonder, because as a Williams Martini Racing employee, you can save a lot of money when buying a brand new Mercedes-Benz road car. Seriously, it’s in their employee application!
So maybe instead of worrying about how to beat Mercedes GP, teams should worry about getting past Williams first on a consistent basis and then challenge for the title. Oh, and Valtteri Bottas is a star.
4. Is Daniel Ricciardo good enough to lead Red Bull to a title?
In one fairly easy word which starts and ends on a positive note, YES. Yes, he is. Ricciardo was 2014’s breakout driver, showing the world not just how fast and talented he is on the track but also how smart and patient he can be when the situation calls for it.
He’s outraced Vettel, his former teammate in just about every race of the season, finishing 3rd in the drivers standings with 238 points and actually not as far off 2nd place Rosberg and his 317 points, if you take into consideration just how dominant Mercedes were.
All Red Bull have to do as a team is make sure they can improve this year. Perhaps getting that car to be just a tiny bit faster and a tiny bit better balanced will be all they’ll need in order to fight for the title, if Mercedes maintains the same level of performance.
5. Will McLaren and Honda make magic together?
If you’re a rival team and you’re worried about their legacy, then you have our permission to be worried. In the late 80s and early 90s, the British team and Japanese engine manufacturer won 44 races together as well as four Driver championships along with four Constructors titles.
Odds are, nothing of that nature is going to happen again for them. Not anytime soon that is. But at least they have two of Formula 1’s quickest, smartest and most experienced drivers on their team, which should count for something regardless if you’re already a contender or trying to build one.
In all fairness, we have no idea what to expect from McLaren Honda. They (Honda) spent the 2014 season analyzing the competition and trying to learn as much as they could about how to catch up to Mercedes and now they’re going to get the chance to try and demonstrate what they’ve learned.
Poll: Who do you think will win the 2015 F1 Constructors Championship?
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