Wednesday 31 December 2014

What can we expect from Formula One in 2015?

(Williams Martini Racing Team)

The start of the 2015 Formula One season is just two and a half months away and with that in mind it is time to have a look at what we can expect this season.

This season all but four teams have new drivers. The big move of 2015 is Sebastian Vettel’s move from Infiniti Red Bull Racing to Scuderia Ferrari replacing Fernando Alonso as Kimi Raikkonen’s team mate following six seasons with the Milton Keynes based outfit. The German had a difficult season last year and will be hoping for a stronger year this season.

It is going to be extremely interesting to see how Sebastian Vettel gets in with the new team, he has already got to grips with the feel of a Ferrari F1 car having driven an old car at their test track in Fiorano late last year.

Kimi Raikkonen will be hoping to but his miserable 2014 season behind him, having scored just 55 points last season and failed to score a podium in his first season back at the Maranello based outfit.

The Finn has already stated that from what he has seen with the designs for this season’s car he is very encouraged. The team have made a multitude of changes for this season and they will hoping that this will help them to move back up the order this year.

At McLaren Honda it is also going to be extremely interesting to see how Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button get on this year with the new Honda partnership. The pair have been team mates before during their time at Benetton when Button was a race driver and Alonso was a test driver for the team in 2001.

It is also going to be extremely interesting to see which teams will be in a position to challenge the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team as they were the dominant force last year with the Williams Martini Racing Team emerging as their chief rivals at the end of the season where Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa finished the final race in Abu Dhabi in 2nd and 3rd place respectively behind race winner and world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Massa ended the race just 2.5 seconds behind Hamilton. This means that the Williams Martini Racing Team should be a major force to be reckoned with this year if they can keep the development race up ahead of the start of winter testing which gets underway in exactly one month.

Williams Martini Racing recovered from a dreadful season in 2013 where they finished in ninth place to finish the 2014 season in third place in the Constructors championship.

The Lotus F1 Team could potentially be contenders for regular podium finishes in 2015 with the arrival of a supply of Mercedes Benz power units.

It is an extremely long season which runs right up until the end of November. One this is for certain and that is Formula One in 2015 is going to be absolutely sensational and a season that should not be missed.

We will find out at the start of next month who potentially has the most competitive package for the start of the season in Australia. One thing is certain though that if the final race of 2014 is anything to go by Mercedes are going to have their mirrors full once again with the sight of both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa in the FW38. 

© Ben Johnston 2015

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