Enough lamenting, what made the 2015 Grand Prix season worth watching?
Max Verstappen. Let’s start there.The young rookie (he’s still 18, you know) accounted for 49 passes during his debut season – an average of close to three overtakes per race – and don’t forget fellow rookie team-mate Carlos Sainz who made 45. Verstappen provided an exciting alternative from the voices in the paddock moaning and groaning about competitiveness. While Lewis Hamilton complained that overtaking was nearly impossible, Max just went out and immediately acted like a veteran F1 driver; points-scoring finishes in the last six races, with fourth places in Hungary and Austin his best results. Yes, there was the Monaco accident. There will be a few more, but make no mistake. Max Verstappen is a future Formula 1 World Champion. Take that to the bank, and watch as he matures further in 2016.
Sebastian Vettel. In 2014, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was an absolute revelation, throughly beating teammate Vettel and had paddock wags suggesting Vettel was through; no fight left due to the new power units’ complexity. In 2015, the tables were turned in the greatest possible way. Vettel left for Ferrari and found it both exhilarating and restorative. He captured three resounding victories and clearly was a threat for the remaining spot on the podium at every race. Ricciardo disappeared in the morass of the Red Bull engine-search soap opera.
Lewis Hamilton. After Hamilton won his third World Championship, it was always a guess as to which Lewis would appear at the next Grand Prix. Perhaps it was his partying, perhaps, as he suggested, a change of Mercedes’ setup for his car? Whichever path you choose, it was a mystery as to where his dominance went. Rosberg was only to happy to pick up the advantage and run with it. 2016 looks to be a pivotal year for the duo; who will find their form first and who will hold on to it the longest? Even Mercedes’ team principle,Toto Wolff, suggests that changes will need to be made in the duo’s relationship or changes will be made to their employment status. Stay tuned.
And finally. McLaren Honda. Yes, their problems were dismal. The team had two world champions in Alonso and Button, the reunion with former multiple world championship engine manufacturing partner Honda, and just dropped the ball. Both found out that challenging Mercedes technical prowess, even after a full year of preparation was an immense challenge that they appeared to mismanage. Both driver’s made the excruciating struggle watchable by their fire, humour and professionalism, even if it only lasted for a few laps. We all rooted for the underdog, although it was difficult to understand Ron Dennis’ failure to find the solutions or his steadfast refusal to play nice with McLaren’s long-time fans. Here’s hoping that the team’s long nightmare ends early in 2016.
