Formula 1's 12 Days of Christmas
Christmas is almost here!
In the spirit of the season, we've decided to repurpose the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" to hand out some gifts to Formula One's most deserving girls and boys.
Apologies in advance for not having all of the verses rhyme, but you should still feel free to sing this version at your family Christmas gatherings this week.
On the First Day of Christmas...
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On the first day of Christmas, Ron Dennis gave to McLaren a new title sponsor.
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis has been promising a new title sponsor for his team since before the first race of the 2014 season. The season is now over, and the sponsor has yet to be announced.
With Fernando Alonso and Honda now onboard, maybe Dennis will finally get the price he wants for the sponsorship.
On the Second Day of Christmas...
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On the second day of Christmas, F1 gave to its fans (at least) two championship-contending teams in 2015.
There was plenty of great racing in 2014, but the only team with a realistic shot at the championship for most of the season was Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows should still be the strongest team in 2015, but it would be good for the sport if one or two other teams could regularly challenge them at the front.
On the Third Day of Christmas...
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On the third day of Christmas, Force India gave to Nico Hulkenberg a top-three finish.
Nico Hulkenberg has now raced four seasons in F1 but has yet to taste the champagne that comes with a podium finish. He has come tantalizingly close—most recently in Bahrain last season—but has never quite made it.
The German has talent to spare but has yet to have a car to match it. Maybe, as my colleague Oliver Harden wrote earlier this year, a podium finish is the result he needs to finally have one of the big teams take a chance on him.
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On the Fourth Day of Christmas...
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On the fourth day of Christmas, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault gave to their teams four engines that can last the entire season.
Power unit failures were one of the leading causes of retirements in 2014. With a brand new engine formula, this was to be expected.
For 2015, the engines will have another year of development behind them, but the number of power units allowed per car will drop from five to four. There is also an extra race in 2015.
That means engines that had to last an average of 3.8 races last season must now last five races. Expect plenty of engine failures in 2015, too.
On the Fifth Day of Christmas...
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On the fifth day of Christmas, Volkswagen or another car company gave to F1 a fifth car manufacturer.
One of the goals of the new engine formula was to attract car companies back to the sport. Honda is rejoining in 2015 as an engine supplier, with Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault already involved.
There are ongoing rumours, per the BBC's Andrew Benson, that Volkswagen are considering an F1 entry, although it may be a few years down the road, if it happens at all. Still, what is Christmas without wishes?
On the Sixth Day of Christmas...
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On the sixth day of Christmas, the F1 record book gave to Sauber sixth place on the all-time races started list.
Since 1993, the independent (apart from four years when they were owned by BMW) Sauber team from Switzerland have started 381 grands prix, good for seventh on the all-time list.
If the team starts every race in 2015, they will pass Brabham for sixth place at the Singapore Grand Prix, and the Brazilian Grand Prix will be their 400th race. That is quite an accomplishment for a small team.
If Sauber remain in the sport for another five seasons after 2015, they could be behind just Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.
On the Seventh Day of Christmas...
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On the seventh day of Christmas, the F1 gods gave to Kimi Raikkonen a lucky No. 7.
Drivers were allowed to choose their own permanent numbers starting in 2014. Kimi Raikkonen chose No. 7, since he had it the year before and didn't see a reason to change it, according to the BBC's Andrew Benson.
The Finn promptly suffered through the worst year of his career, finishing 12th in the drivers' standings—even in his rookie year with Sauber, he was 10th!
For 2015, Raikkonen will be matched with another world champion, Sebastian Vettel, and he could use a bit of the luck often associated with No. 7 to rebound from a disappointing season.
On the Eighth Day of Christmas...
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On the eighth day of Christmas, Formula One Management gave Bernie Ecclestone eight more people for his social media department.
In an interview with Forbes' Christian Sylt, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone revealed there are eight people working on social media for F1.
There have been some noticeable improvements this year, but much work remains, particularly in engaging younger fans. The racing was great in 2014, but that doesn't matter if nobody is watching.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas...
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On the ninth day of Christmas, the FIA gave to Ferrari and Renault nine months of in-season engine development.
As it became apparent that the Mercedes power unit was so far ahead of its competitors, Ferrari and Renault began to push for a relaxation of the restrictions on in-season development. The BBC's James Allen has a good primer on both sides of the argument on his personal website.
If Ferrari and Renault had it their way, they would be able to develop their engines throughout the 2015 season, giving them a chance to catch Mercedes. But Mercedes would also be improving their engines at the same time, so it might not matter.
On the 10th Day of Christmas...
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On the 10th day of Christmas, Williams gave their fans a 10th constructors' championship.
Williams and Red Bull were the only two teams who were able to take the fight to Mercedes (at times) in 2014. It remains to be seen whether Williams can keep pace in the development race, given their smaller budget, but they, along with Red Bull, are the best hope for dethroning Mercedes in 2015.
Admittedly, this is very unlikely to happen, but Williams' fans can dream.
On the 11th Day of Christmas...
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On the 11th day of Christmas, a mystery buyer gave the grid an 11th team (and a 10th one, first).
With Marussia and Caterham in administration, there are currently only nine teams set to start the first race of 2015.
If someone decides to buy either team, they could try to make it to the grid in Melbourne, but they are running out of time, particularly as Marussia's assets were just auctioned off.
On the 12th Day of Christmas...
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On the 12th day of Christmas, Williams gave to Felipe Massa his 12th grand prix victory.
Following on the Williams title gift, this one for Felipe Massa is a bit more realistic. The Brazilian has 11 career wins but none since his accident at the Hungaroring in 2009.
In 2014, he qualified on pole in Austria and nearly tracked Hamilton down in Abu Dhabi, but he could not get back to the top step of the podium. If Williams produce a competitive car again next year, there should be a few opportunities for Massa or his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, to steal wins from Mercedes.
Follow me on Twitter for updates when I publish new articles and for other (mostly) F1-related news and banter: @MatthewWalthert.
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