Lewis Hamilton has won the Formula One world championship title for the second time after taking victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 29-year-old has reclaimed the title he last won six years ago with McLaren.
“This has been an incredible year,” said Hamilton following his success. “I just cannot believe how amazing this has all been.”
“Coming to this team last year, the decision to come here, when a lot of people said it was the wrong choice. The steps we took last year and then coming into this year, it was just unbelievable.
“And then again, as I said, the fan support has been phenomenal. I never in a million years thought I’d have that kind of support, so as I said before, this is the greatest moment in my life.
“It feels very surreal. It feels like an out-of-body experience. I feel like I’m back here watching this going on, it’s not really happening. So I’m going to really make sure I gift my thanks and count my blessings.”
List of Formula One drivers’ champions
| Rank | Driver | Championships |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | 7 |
| 2 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 5 |
| =3 | Alain Prost | 4 |
| =3 | Sebastian Vettel | 4 |
| =5 | Jack Brabham | 3 |
| =5 | Jackie Stewart | 3 |
| =5 | Niki Lauda | 3 |
| =5 | Nelson Piquet | 3 |
| =5 | Ayrton Senna | 3 |
| =10 | Alberto Ascari | 2 |
| =10 | Jim Clark | 2 |
| =10 | Graham Hill | 2 |
| =10 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 2 |
| =10 | Mika Hakkinen | 2 |
| =10 | Fernando Alonso | 2 |
| =10 | Lewis Hamilton | 2 |
| =17 | Giuseppe Farina | 1 |
| =17 | Mike Hawthorn | 1 |
| =17 | Phil Hill | 1 |
| =17 | John Surtees | 1 |
| =17 | Denny Hulme | 1 |
| =17 | Jochen Rindt | 1 |
| =17 | James Hunt | 1 |
| =17 | Mario Andretti | 1 |
| =17 | Jody Scheckter | 1 |
| =17 | Alan Jones | 1 |
| =17 | Keke Rosberg | 1 |
| =17 | Nigel Mansell | 1 |
| =17 | Damon Hill | 1 |
| =17 | Jacques Villeneuve | 1 |
| =17 | Kimi Raikkonen | 1 |
| =17 | Jenson Button | 1 |
Will Wood (@willwood)
23rd November 2014, 14:44
Congratulations, Lewis. Deserved double world champion.
That move to Mercedes in 2013 has got to be one of the greatest driver decisions in F1 history.
Huge respect to a valiant Nico Rosberg also. Pushed his team mate all the way to the end.
MarkM
23rd November 2014, 15:25
I disagree, Schumacher left a title winning Benetton to go a dismal Ferrari that I think was in worse shape for him when he got there then Hamilton when he got to Mercedes. You’re forgetting the past very easily.
Alex Ward
23rd November 2014, 16:01
Vettel left a race winning team for a non race winning team and won 4 wdcs in a row
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 16:21
Lol. True
matt90 (@matt90)
23rd November 2014, 16:15
It proved to be a great move in the end, but it didn’t have such a quick return, and Benetton had a better ’96 and ’97 than McLaren’s last 2 years.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
23rd November 2014, 16:33
Ferrari was a top 3 team in 1995. Hardly “dismal”. Mercedes was messing about in fifth in 2012.
Besides, the whole championship winning Benetton team moved to Ferrari. It was basically the same team, but with double the budget. Still it took them till 1999/2000 to finally win the titles.
LuvinF1 (@luvinf1)
23rd November 2014, 22:07
Yes, but about 18 others moved with Michael. None of them were slouches.
regs (@regs)
23rd November 2014, 19:15
Rosberg deserved it as well. 11 pole positions this year. They definitely should score points for pole positions. Some 5-7 points at least.
LuvinF1 (@luvinf1)
23rd November 2014, 22:08
Pole positions only count if you can cash them in on Sunday …
Paul
23rd November 2014, 22:37
Why points for pole? The reward is inherent in the act of getting pole.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
24th November 2014, 0:42
@regs I disagree completely. Getting to start in front of everyone else has always been the only reward for pole position and it’s a tradition which should be respected. Along with the principle of points being awarded based on race finishing positions alone. And there are other reasons why awarding points for pole position is a bad idea.
Anil Sanagavarapu (@anilsk2013)
24th November 2014, 1:11
I disagree with the idea of points for pole.
Bc
24th November 2014, 5:10
If there were points for quali would Hamilton have setup more qualifing than the race?
It seemed as without isse they would be one 2 on the grid hamilton decided to go more with race pace setup. And Rosberg being one of the top drives meant hamilton often could not sneek pole with better race setup. Hamilton may not have been able to do this if other cars had been closer at quaili
Yusha (@freebird78)
24th November 2014, 7:21
+1
sumedh
23rd November 2014, 14:46
Congratulations Lewis!! Well deserved win!!
JCost (@jcost)
23rd November 2014, 16:33
I’m happy :)
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
23rd November 2014, 20:00
+1
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 21:43
I’m elated
Diceman (@diceman)
23rd November 2014, 14:47
If we ignore double points and imagine it would have been Hamilton who’s ERS disappeared, it would have been a thriller :p
Congrats to Lewis and his family, friends & fans, well deserved.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd November 2014, 14:47
In a way, I think that Rosberg is kinda glad that he bogged down the start. Would’ve been so tough for him if that happened if he led. Not to mention that Massa might’ve split them and given Rosberg the title.
David BR2
23rd November 2014, 15:18
You’re contradicting yourself a bit! I’m sure even losing the championship, Rosberg would have preferred the race win to go with his qualifying cup.
Also I think Massa *would* have split them. Hamilton was pushing, not cruising, before Rosberg’s problems began, whereas Rosberg would have probably have pushed less, meaning Massa would have been much closer at the end. All hypothetical but it shows just how much Rosberg lost the chance from the start, irrespective of his later car problems.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd November 2014, 14:48
Ricciardo 0 time WDC
Hamilton 2 time WDC
Alonso 2 time WDC
Vettel 4 time WDC
How is this fair?
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
23rd November 2014, 14:56
So only 1 bad season and you dont deserve your WDC??
How was 2011 season for Hamilton?
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd November 2014, 15:16
@mjf1fan I’m not saying that Vettel is a bad driver. Just that it seems unfair that he has twice that of FA and LH, and the combined of them + DR, who proved that he is a great, possibly greater, driver than SV.
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
23rd November 2014, 15:55
@mashiat
When did a driver won a championship with an inferior car?
Seb won 4 on the go. Even if he isnt a great driver., no one wins it 4 in a row.
He had a bad season and Ricciardo owned him at many races but you still have to have some talent to win 4 in a row.
This years Mercedes were untouchable, so should we say lewis can also win only in a dominant car?
No it would be very wrong to say that. And nothing is unfair. LH & FA made their choices to drive for their teams with whom they thought they will win WDC.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
23rd November 2014, 15:57
2008
No, because he’s already won a WDC with the 2nd best car. ;)
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
23rd November 2014, 16:50
2008, Ferrari and Mclaren were almost equal. So your point doesnt hold any ground :P
Kingshark (@kingshark)
23rd November 2014, 17:58
@mjf1fan
Overall, Ferrari had the most wins, the most podiums, the most points, the most pole positions, the most fastest laps, and lead the most laps in 2008. Ferrari had the best car in the majority of races that season.
I’d say that Lewis has shown he can win a WDC with an inferior car.
Anil Sanagavarapu (@anilsk2013)
24th November 2014, 1:13
+1
Bforth (@bforth)
24th November 2014, 1:59
1999. The Ferrari was quicker than the McLaren. Hakkinen probably wouldn’t have won that championship without Michael’s accident.
That he barely held off Irvine is proof positive of that.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
23rd November 2014, 22:44
@mashiat What has ‘fairness’ got to do with it? Alonso and Hamilton have now finished the year with more points than anyone else twice, Vettel four times.
When Daniel Ricciardo does the same thing at least once, we’ll talk.
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
23rd November 2014, 15:05
Actually, Rosberg have more reliability issues : Canada, Britain, Singapore and this race. While Lewis only have 2 (arguably 3) Australia and Canada, and start in Italy. What makes diffrence is Belgium
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
23rd November 2014, 15:06
+ Hungary and Germany qualifying which put him at the back.
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
23rd November 2014, 15:10
Forgot to mention Qualifying
matt90 (@matt90)
23rd November 2014, 16:18
Canada was obviously less severe for Rosberg though.
Ian Stephens (@ians)
23rd November 2014, 23:52
Rosberg had the same problem as Hamilton, but managed to protect his car to the end of the race. Hamilton did not, albeit because he was following Rosberg and had the disadvantage of dirty air.
Woody (@woodyd91)
23rd November 2014, 17:08
Canada made no difference for Rosberg, He was more than likely going to finish second anyway. He was being caught massively until both of their cars went wrong.
Strontium (@strontium)
23rd November 2014, 15:06
Including Ricciardo in this list is a little bit too over the top given that this was only his first season in a front car.
Broke84 (@broke84)
23rd November 2014, 15:40
Its all irrelevant. Vettel was the best driver, car combo of 2 years and he did a good enough job in the other 2 years to get the other 2. Car and driver, not just driver.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
23rd November 2014, 15:48
@mashiat Just putting your name here so you’d reaad this. (@broke84) Vettel his 2011 and 2013 titles are no different to this one of Hamilton. It’s always car and driver.
Broke84 (@broke84)
24th November 2014, 12:35
That’s what I’m saying
Kimberley Barrass
24th November 2014, 1:29
Here’s an interesting stat though: Lewis is the first champion since Schuey to achieve the feat in two different teams!! Oh yes, and the first multiple champion since Schuey to split his championships!!
Neither Sebastian, nor Fernando can claim either of those accolades just yet…..So Lewis does sit nicely into this list: Fangio, Prost, Schumacher, Hamilton, Brabham, Stewart, Lauda…
I agree though that Alonso is probably more(?) deserving of at least one of those Vettel championships. Personally I think 3,3,2 for Vet,Alo and Ham would probably be indicative of where they should be.
Bringing Ricciardo in though is a strange one. I rate Sebastian as a ludicrously fast driver, but it is looking with a small amount of data that he may just be unable to adjust to this formula after being raised with the RB and it’s astonishing Newey inspired downforce. It may well be that putting any young driver into that car and being spoilt with it for years would have made switching to a leser car dificult, whereas this years RB is obviously much better than last years Toro Rosso, making the switch easier for Ricciardo?
I think we will only know for sure in the future, but we do know something else now:
That Lewis Hamilton is so far the only driver (obviously) to win World Championships under the old engine formula, and the new, and with only potentially Alonso, Vettel and Raikkonen from next year able to replicate the feat, I am already wondering if it is going to happen for anyone else. Rosberg will surely get one, Bottas is looking strong, and of course, Ricciardo himself and Kvyat. If between them and Lewis, they share the next five WDC, then Lewis may end up as the most lauded of the three because of stats like the three mentioned here.
Surely that won’t happen though?
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd November 2014, 14:49
Rosberg is probably bawling his eyes out now.
Traverse
23rd November 2014, 14:51
Hehe.
Oz
23rd November 2014, 17:43
While you are laughing at him think about how much he got paid for his year’s work :-)
Guy (@)
24th November 2014, 4:04
You’re assuming money is consolation for any world class competitor. It baffles me when people make the money argument. Yeah the money is nice but that’s not why they do it.
JohnBt (@johnbt)
24th November 2014, 4:15
+100 they get millions still even they’ve not not won any WDC, Eddie Irvine was the most successful investing his millions from Ferrari in property and made even more.
Wil-Liam (@wil-liam)
23rd November 2014, 14:51
Race Reliability leveled out,yaay
Traverse
23rd November 2014, 14:52
Indeed, Karma.
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
23rd November 2014, 14:54
Not leveled out. This was double points. So, ROS actually has more reliability issues now in races this year.
@HoHum (@hohum)
23rd November 2014, 20:55
Double 0 points is the same as single 0 points.
Anil Sanagavarapu (@anilsk2013)
24th November 2014, 1:14
+1
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
23rd November 2014, 14:55
HAM’s race issues : Australia, Canada, Spa
ROS’s race issues : Silverstone, Spa, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
iAltair (@)
23rd November 2014, 14:58
I see what you did there.
Abu Double.
Kroon (@kroonracing)
23rd November 2014, 15:00
ROS’s race issues : Canada, Silverstone, Spa, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Woody (@woodyd91)
23rd November 2014, 17:09
You’re actually putting Spa as a race issue for Rosberg? Really??!!
Anil Sanagavarapu (@anilsk2013)
24th November 2014, 1:17
Please subtract Monaco’s ‘getting away with cheating’….those 7 points gained offset the 7 points lost in Canada.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
23rd November 2014, 15:00
Ross also had the same issue in Canada but it didn’t cause a DNF – so you could argue he had more races issues anyway (not saying luck was even but was similar in the end IMO)
DaveW (@dmw)
23rd November 2014, 15:02
Hamilton also won twice in one race. What a performance, right? Yes double points was dumb lets all be glad it’s gone.
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 16:33
@dmw “double points was dumb let’s all be glad it’s gone”
Amen
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd November 2014, 15:17
@sumedhvidwans What about Singapore?
Patrickl (@patrickl)
23rd November 2014, 16:37
What about Hungary and Germany? It might have happened in qualifying, but that still affects the race result.
Besides Hamilton’s car failed from the leas while Rosberg had already lost the lead in the races that he dropped out.
Reality is that with this double points result the score difference finally sort of accurately reflects the dominance that Hamlton had over Rosberg all season.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
23rd November 2014, 16:43
HAM’s race issues: Australia, Canada, Spa (caused by Rosberg).
HAM’s qualifying issues: Germany Q1, Hungary Q1
ROS’s race issues: Canada (didn’t lose too much), Silverstone, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi.
ROS’s qualifying issues: 0
I would say that it’s pretty even despite it not looking like it.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
23rd November 2014, 14:56
So in the end you, after everything that’s happened this year, you could have flipped a coin to decide the championship. If Lewis’ car had failed instead of Nico’s it would have been Nico’s championship. Lewis deserves it tho, he was the better driver over the season (and would have won the race if there had been no issues) so I suppose it was justice in the end. Congratulations to him – hope to see another close battle next year.
Bc
24th November 2014, 5:22
What if neither car failed?
Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
23rd November 2014, 14:56
Thrilled for Lewis but guttered for Nico.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
23rd November 2014, 14:58
Man I felt so bad for Nico in this race. It’s one thing to have your car break down in the final race of the season. It’s another thing to have your car turn into a Caterham get passed by everyone.
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
23rd November 2014, 15:08
Actually I loved when Rosberg told on radio that he wanted to finish the race instead of pitting.
Those onboard shots of rosberg when one could see through his helmet, those were painful to watch.
DaveW (@dmw)
23rd November 2014, 14:59
Terrific work. Shame about Rosberg’s car but it’s not like that decided even the race. Let’s hope he is not dq’d for the flag. But I don’t think that will matter.
Looking forward to another fierce battle next year.
Klon (@)
23rd November 2014, 14:59
Shame for Nico Rosberg. He lost his only shot at a world title. Well, Mark Webber and David Coulthard didn’t jump off a bridge so far, so maybe there is some happiness in the future for him.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
23rd November 2014, 15:01
@klon
This is probably be true, but who knows…
Klon (@)
23rd November 2014, 15:03
I didn’t pick Coulthard as comparison lightly. 1998 and 1999 pretty much determined his fate and I honestly can’t see things being different this time around. Although, I must admit, weirder things have happened in F1.
Kimberley Barrass
24th November 2014, 1:36
I must be the only one who thinks that Nico is going to get a WDC over the next couple of years if merc’ have say a three year dominating window.
My only concern is his overtaking of a driver in the same equipment, but his consistency is good, and if the Mc-Honda and Williams and Red Bull can start picking up some genuine wins, then that consistency might come to the fore if Hamilton get’s into bother by trying to go faster than everyone around him every time he sits in a car…
David BR2
23rd November 2014, 15:02
An unbelievable season for Hamilton, DNF first race, a string of wins to rake back the points to take the lead, then Monaco to Spa with all the ‘mishaps,’ then raking in the wins again to retake the lead. That took immense character and determination against a very able rival. Must rate even higher than his first championship. Congratulations.
Strontium (@strontium)
23rd November 2014, 15:02
Well done to Lewis, but a real shame that we didn’t get a chance to have a battle because of reliability.
Ron (@rcorporon)
23rd November 2014, 15:05
Overall a great season for HAM but it never really was in doubt which team would win the WDC & WCC.
tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
23rd November 2014, 15:10
Sometimes it’s OK to be banal. With that in mind – YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! :-)
zippyone (@zippyone)
23rd November 2014, 15:17
i’ll join you, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay !!!!! :)
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 21:54
Woooooooohooooooooo
KeithR (@)
23rd November 2014, 15:12
Excellent. 2x wdc like Alonso, that feels right. So he pulls clear of Hawthorne, Surtees, Hunt, Mansell, D Hill, and Button.
Great year.
medman (@medman)
23rd November 2014, 15:14
Sweet victory indeed!!
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
23rd November 2014, 15:20
Hamilton Really deserved it, he’s 67 pts ahead of Rosberg, in my opinion thats true representation of true standings without issues in Qualy or race.
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
23rd November 2014, 15:41
Oops sorry forgot to mention Dp, D DNF. so – 14 = 53. Around high 40s or low 50s.
Yusha (@freebird78)
23rd November 2014, 15:21
Congratulations to Lewis!! Champion of the world, 2014!!! I have been waiting for this day since 2008. It took a long time but finally Lewis got there. Absolutely gutted for Rosberg. All the fun went out of the decider as soon as Rosber’gs ERS failed. I was hoping for some volatile last few laps but Rosberg’s failure put an end to that. Mercedes need to work on their reliability for 2015. What a result for Williams!!! Third in the World Championship!!! So happy for Sir Frank and Claire Williams! Williams is back where it should be. I hope they have a better 2015 and give the top teams a serious fight in the Drivers and the Constructors Championships.
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 21:56
Spot on @freebird78
RL
23rd November 2014, 15:26
That was sweet, been waiting for that since 2008, granted Rosberg’s ERS ruined the thriller but Lewis had that wonderful start which in my eyes proved that he had what it took to take it
Alex
23rd November 2014, 15:27
The best driver in f1 with difference. Congratulations!! And Alonso to McLaren confirmed spanish king Juan Carlos.
Arnold Triyudho Wardono (@ernietheracefan)
23rd November 2014, 15:43
Oh yeah…!! Well deserved
Best team & livery : Williams
Best nose : Merc, Ferrari, & RB
Guy (@)
23rd November 2014, 16:01
IMO, Ferrari’s nose was hideous! Especially when viewed from the side. The Williams livery and car overall is just beautiful!
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
23rd November 2014, 22:50
@sudd agreed, it looked like a hoover regardless of the angle.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
23rd November 2014, 16:39
Yeah, love the Williams livery too. Their race suits look great as well.
Would be sad if alcohol advertising gets banned in F1.
Chris
23rd November 2014, 15:46
11 race wins says it all. Rosberg is a very fast and consistent driver but not on the same level as a racer, it would have been a real shame for F1 if double points stole the championship from Hamilton.
Nick (@npf1)
23rd November 2014, 16:27
Well deserved and a great championship (on-track) we’ve had. Kudos for Rosberg for handling it so well.
tharris19 (@tharris19)
23rd November 2014, 16:39
Congrats Lweis “Sill I Rise”!
tharris19 (@tharris19)
23rd November 2014, 16:39
Lewis, my bad.
usukpam (@usukpam)
23rd November 2014, 18:19
+ “Still I Rise”
Chris
23rd November 2014, 17:09
So much for all these “conspiracy theories”. Can’t believe some people actually thought Hamilton would DELIBERATELY run into reliability issues because Mercedes’ was a whole are German and wanted Rosberg to be Champion.
Chris
23rd November 2014, 17:09
Because Mercedes’ as a whole are German*
Patrickl (@patrickl)
23rd November 2014, 20:51
Why do people keep saying that? The point was that it was ridiculous how often Hamilton’s car failed him.
Hamilton and Lauda didn’t claim it was a conspiracy, but that it was something that needed to be taken care of rather than constantly writing it off as “bad luck”.
In the end the technical difficulties sort of averaged out over the driver, but I’d say it’s still bordering on incompetence how often their cars failed.
Theo Parkinson (@theo-hrp)
23rd November 2014, 17:45
:)
Vrshank (@vrshank)
23rd November 2014, 18:00
In other news, Mercedez-Benz AMG divulge more information on their new engine for the next A-Class: A turbocharged 1.6 L V6, with unknown performance statistics and a hybrid option subject to speculated reliability gremlins.
Class-leading fuel efficiency and power figures claimed from a open-wheeled prototype for the engine, code-named the W04. Also, rumors float of a ridiculous 0-60 time of a little over 1.5 seconds, as recorded by test driver Lewis on a test track notable for a significant Ferrari presence.
The FW36 prototype proves to be even more fuel efficient, whereas the MP4-30 prototype was the benchmark with a Honda engine from the new Civic Type-R.
Robbie (@robbie)
23rd November 2014, 19:06
Congratulations LH as the more deserving driver ths year…and so proud of NR for a strong season. Go get’m next year Nico!
Keamo
23rd November 2014, 19:10
Great start, great drive, great year, 11 wins!! Congrats Lewis on a well deserved title. DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION! I love the sound of that. It’s been a long time coming. Enjoy.
Deej92 (@deej92)
23rd November 2014, 19:14
Yes Lewis! I think most can agree we didn’t think it would take this long for that second title to arrive, but I feel there could be some more on the way in the near future at least if he continues to race as he did this year.
I felt for Rosberg. He has played a huge part in making this season an epic, one of the greatest of the modern era. He showed great sportsmanship and will have gained a lot of respect. I’m looking forward to Hamilton vs Rosberg part 3 next season. There’s a chance it won’t be the same again (like Vettel escaping Webber after his first title), but I’m sure there will still be some epic battles between them.
Bobby (@f1bobby)
23rd November 2014, 19:17
Well done Lewis. The right driver won the title. Great season.
Guy (@)
23rd November 2014, 19:25
Weak! Don’t say anything critical of Rosberg or moderators won’t approve your post, even if its a respectful critique. Only congratulations and mentions of how graceful Rosberg accepted defeat are allowed.
We should be able to speak freely so long as we arn’t offensive or derogatory. Terrible moderators.
Matthew Coyne
23rd November 2014, 19:26
I don’t feel any sorrow for Rosberg – Karma always comes back around and the best man won in the end.
I was impressed with his professionalism after the race though, hats off to him for that. I hope he can continue it next year and take the same level of professionalism onto the race track so there will be no dirty tricks at Monaco or race ending moves at Spa, I think the damage to his reputation from those events hurt him more than losing the title.
KeithR (@)
23rd November 2014, 20:00
Brundle commented that the booing at Spa was a crucial moment in Rosberg’s year. Also I do suspect Toto told him one more and he was out of the team.
But the whole of F1 has been disgraceful in how they’ve whitewashed it IMO. The stewarding was a disgrace. Even journos who’ve recognised that Monaco and Spa were deliberate have downplayed it to the point it’s hard to dig out. And for example the Sky midweek report that showed the damning video is mysteriously and uniquely missing the video of the Monaco show.
The whole thing has been an example of how dishonest F1 can be. Personally I doubt I’ll ever be able to respect Nico again. Even Schumi only did it once in a season! And his at least looked spur-of-the-moment whereas it’s hard to explain why Rosberg chose to run first in Monaco….
Anyway Lewis prevailed, thank goodness. Maybe things will improve when Bernie goes, then basically honest people like Brundle and Mark Hughes will be able to be more open.
dan
24th November 2014, 22:52
@lockup
I been saying this all along no doubt Nico was the guy Merc were hoping too win but Ros changed that in Spa. Hungary which was before Spa told us everything we need to know. You only have to see Toto reaction wth Hamilton in Abu Dhabi, that told me Toto wanted Hamilton to win. Nico did turn people against him with Spa.
Aled Davies (@aledinho)
23rd November 2014, 20:47
Great win for Hamilton, disappointing for Rosberg but i think with 11 wins it’s fair to say Hamilton deserved it.
Some pretty telling Stats of Hamiltons Seasons
Races completed – 16/19
Wins – 11
2nd place – 3
3rd Place – 2
Hamilton finished every race he completed on the Podium. Out of the 5 races he completed and didn’t win:
Monaco – Quali ruined by dubious Rosberg mistake. Beaten fair and square in the race
Austria – Errors in qualifying meant he started 9th, recovered to 2nd
Germany – started at the back because of brake failure, recovered to 3rd
Hungary – started a the back because of engine failure in qualifying, recovered to 3rd
Brazil – Beaten fair and square by Rosberg but could have won without spin during pit stops
now the retirements:
Australia – engine issue before start but was on pole
Canada – had just taken the lead when issue hit, arguably would have won the race from there but didn’t deal with issue as well as Rosberg
Belgium – Taken out by Rosberg while leading
Hamiltons position when Rosbergs retired:
Silverstone – much quicker and catching Rosberg when Rosberg pulled off, arguably would have won without Rosbergs retirement
Singapore – was on pole when Rosbergs issue struck
Abu Dhabi – controlling the race when Rosbergs ERS Failed
When you take the season in this context its clear that Hamilton was the stronger driver and deserved the championship. Rosberg only out drove Hamilton in 3 races in my opinion.
Overall though Rosberg has proven a lot of people wrong (myself included) and i am sure they will be closely matched again next year but i think this year circumstances seemed to fall in Rosbergs favour a lot of the time, keeping his hopes alive.
Great season of F1 roll on 2015
Simon (@s162000)
23rd November 2014, 21:29
Who’d have thought he’d win another championship in just over two years: https://www.racefans.net/2012/09/28/mercedes-move-hamilton/
Dom (@3dom)
23rd November 2014, 22:21
I love looking back at speculation retrospectively @s162000 ;-)
Excellent career move
steve williams
23rd November 2014, 22:06
in my opinion rosbergs car has been tampered with by mecedes from there garage
on numerous occasions this year,yes hamilton is a great driver but rosberg was cruising to world title until mecedes made sure he didnt earlier on in the season.
dan
24th November 2014, 22:57
No Rosberg was not cruising to the title atall. Hamilton stole the momentum back going to Germany and he had a qualifying failure same in Hungary then Spa happend. So how was he walking it?. Imagine Hamilton did not fail in Australia even if he came 2nd he would have had a healthy lead going to Monaco as it was it was just 4 points. Nico momentum was Monaco, Austria and Canada that was it. Hamilton had proved if car was fine he could rack the wins up he did 4 before Nico won his 2nd race. He then won 6 of the last 7 races. That is domination.
steve williams
23rd November 2014, 22:15
mecedes made sure hamilton won this title hes good for marketing ,anyway i prefer rosberg , and i dont like cockey button the test driver who landed on his feet with brawn
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
23rd November 2014, 22:38
@liongalahad It was actually qualifying gaffs in Austria and Silverstone that was his fault. He can hardly be blamed for the exploding brake disc in Germany or his engine blowing up in Hungary.
heath
24th November 2014, 0:10
You know what. Drive of the day with out a doubt ricciardo. If he was starting feom where he qualified he probably would have won. I absolutely loved the in cockpit shots of the racers it added something to the coverage that i think has been missing for some time now.
Anil Sanagavarapu (@anilsk2013)
24th November 2014, 1:46
As a Lewis fan I am so happy today. I have cheered him since 2008.
Also, from this day forward Ed Gorman, Andrew Benson & Eddie Jordan will be unable to get away with judging every Hamilton move negatively.