Formula 1 2014 Season in Numbers

The 2014 Formula One season was among the best of recent years.

The two-horse title race between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg may not have been to everyone's taste, but there was always action going on further down the field, too. The action was fascinating, and so are the numbers.

How great was Daniel Ricciardo's dominance over Sebastian Vettel? What about the duel between Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen?

Who got the most penalty points, which team suffered the most retirements and which driver did the most laps?

And did Sergio Perez really bring out the safety car every time he retired?

Read on for the answers and well over 100 other fascinating, surprising or slightly irrelevant statistics from the 2014 season.

At least five facts are included for each number from zero to 15, and the final slide contains facts relating to larger numbers.

All facts and figures collected by the writer. Several tips of the hat to Keith Collantine at F1Fanatic, whose exceptional recording and presentation of all manner of statistics made my job of researching and painstakingly counting things much easier. Thanks also to Formula1.com for recording all session data.

Zero

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Sebastian Vettel became the first reigning world champion since 1997 winner Jacques Villeneuve to win zero races in defence of his crown.

His best position was second in Singapore.

Zero was also:

• The number of laps Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi spent in 22nd place.
• The number of times Lewis Hamilton finished a race in a lower position than he started.
• The number of races with a Mercedes-free podium.
• The number of points scored by Sauber and Caterham.
• To one decimal place, the average gap between the two Toro Rossos in qualifying.

No. 1

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Pastor Maldonado has been in F1 for four seasons. In three of those, including 2014, he scored points on only one occasion.

The only exception was 2012, which saw him score five times.

One is also:

• The number of laps led by Sebastian Vettel in 2014. He spent 23 laps in 22nd place.
• The number of drivers who completed at least one lap in every single position, first to 22nd (Sebastian Vettel).
• The number of laps Max Chilton spent in a points-paying position (10th).
• The number of full race distances completed by Esteban Gutierrez, the two Caterhams and the two Marussias.
• The number of laps completed by Andre Lotterer in his F1 debut at Spa.

No. 2

Christopher Lee/Getty Images

Only two drivers reached the final stage of qualifying, Q3, at every single race. Nico Rosberg qualified no lower than fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo's worst result was ninth (though penalties pushed him back a couple of times).

Two is also:

• The number of times a pole-sitter retired from the race (one each for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg).
• The number of laps cut from the end of the Chinese Grand Prix due to a race official waving the chequered flag too early.
• The number of drivers whose car number was also their finishing position in the championship (Daniel Ricciardo with three, Jules Bianchi with 17). Sebastian Vettel was fifth and his number is five, but he, of course, carried No. 1 as the defending champion.
• The number of fastest laps set by a Williams (one each for Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas).
• The number of podiums achieved by Ferrari (Fernando Alonso in China and Hungary). It was their lowest total since 1980's zero.
• The number of drivers whose car number matched their date of birth (Jean-Eric Vergne for 25 April, Daniil Kvyat for 26 April).

No. 3

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Felipe Massa was taken out of three races (Australia, Britain and Germany) by opening-lap collisions. Two of them came on the very first corner, and only one was his fault.

Three is also:

• The number of fastest laps set by Red Bulls (two for Sebastian Vettel, one for Daniel Ricciardo).
• The number of times a pole-sitter finished the race off the podium (Nico Rosberg in Hungary and Abu Dhabi, Felipe Massa in Austria).
• The number of times a driver qualified for but did not start a race (Sergio Perez in Malaysia, Pastor Maldonado in Monaco, Kamui Kobayashi in Singapore).
• The number of times a driver who started outside the top 10 finished on the podium (Lewis Hamilton in Germany and Hungary, Valtteri Bottas in Great Britain).
• The number of times Lewis Hamilton overtook Nico Rosberg at or before the first corner.

No. 4

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Usually when a driver retires, his influence on proceedings is over. Not so Sergio Perez.

The Mexican failed to finish four times in 2014, and on every occasion he brought the safety car out. Monaco, Canada, Hungary and the United States all bore witness to Perez shunts and subsequent deployments of the SLS AMG. He carried at least some blame for every one.

A 100 percent record of spectacular exits.

Four is also:

• The number of times (each) Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg missed a front-row grid slot.
• The number of times Nico Rosberg finished in a higher position than he started.
• The number of full race distances completed by Pastor Maldonado.
• The number of drivers who scored points every time they finished the race (Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso).
• The number of drivers who didn't receive a single penalty all season (Nico Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen, Andre Lotterer, Will Stevens).
• The number of times Fernando Alonso finished a race in a lower position than he started.

No. 5

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Pastor Maldonado was always going to be favourite in the penalty points championship, given he has received more penalties than anyone since he arrived in F1. He duly "won."

Five was his total, and he shared the crown with Caterham rookie Marcus Ericsson.

Five is also:

• The number of laps led by Nico Hulkenberg in 2014.
• The number of drivers who made it out of Q1 at every grand prix of the year (Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat).
• The number of grid penalties given to Pastor Maldonado (total of 25 places lost).
• The only driver number selected but not used in 2014 (Sebastian Vettel used No. 1).
• The number of times a Caterham or a Marussia got out of Q1 (three times for Jules Bianchi, once each for Max Chilton and Kamui Kobayashi).
• The number of times a world champion was eliminated in Q1 (Kimi Raikkonen twice, one each for Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel).

No. 6

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo turned the sport on its head in 2014, comfortably beating team-mate Sebastian Vettel. The first of his three race wins came from sixth on the grid—the lowest slot to produce a winner this year.

His achievement is shared with Lewis Hamilton, who won from P6 at Silverstone.

Six is also:

• The number of drivers who qualified on the front row at least once (both drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams).
• The number of times Fernando Alonso qualified fifth.
• The number of times a Mercedes failed to score (from 38 starts).
• The number of post-race time penalties awarded.
• The number of races in which every driver made at least one pit stop.
• The number of drivers who finished at least one race in their car number's position—Daniel Ricciardo (three), Kimi Raikkonen (seven), Romain Grosjean (eight), Sergio Perez (11), Pastor Maldonado (13), Jules Bianchi (17).

No. 7

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Toward the end of 2014, you could never quite tell who'd be in a Caterham. Kamui Kobayashi? Marcus Ericsson? Someone else?

The team used seven drivers in total, four in the races and three in free practice only. Andre Lotterer and Will Stevens completed their race lineups, while Alexander Rossi, Robin Frijns and Adderly Fong drove in practice sessions.

Seven is also:

• The net number of positions gained by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button on the first lap of races.
• The number of times Marcus Ericsson qualified in last place.
• The number of times Valtteri Bottas qualified third.
• The number of fastest laps set by DHL Fastest Lap trophy winner Lewis Hamilton.
• The number of times Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez out-qualified their team-mates.

No. 8

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen is something of a fastest lap specialist. He jointly holds the record for the most in a season (10, which he has managed twice) and has a career total of 40—16 more than any currently active driver.

He was one of eight drivers to record a "flap" in 2014. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo were the others.

Eight is also:

• The number of podiums made up entirely of Mercedes-engined cars.
• The number of different drivers who qualified in last place, pre-penalties.
• The number of drivers with a whole-number average qualifying position, pre-penalties. After penalties, this stat falls to zero.
• The highest number of pit stops performed by a team in a single race (Red Bull in Malaysia).
• The number of times a driver failed to reach the chequered flag but was still classified (completed 90 percent of the race distance).

No. 9

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Nico Rosberg was the master of qualifying in 2014, but his race performances often failed to make the grade.

He finished in an equal or better place than he started only nine times, converting just three pole positions to race wins.

Nine is also:

• The number of times the pole-sitter won the race.
• The number of drivers who completed more than 1,000 racing laps in 2014.
• The number of drivers who spent at least one lap in 22nd place (Marcus Ericsson, Sebastian Vettel, Jean-Eric Vergne, Adrian Sutil, Daniil Kvyat, Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton).
• The number of teams present at every single race.
• The number of teams which scored at least one point in 2014 (all except Sauber and Caterham).
• The number of drivers who did at least one four-stop race.

No. 10

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

A total of 10 different drivers stood on the podium in 2014. One of them was Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen, who finished third (later promoted to second) at the Australian Grand Prix.

The others were both drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams as well as Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez.

Ten is also:

• The number of drivers who led at least one lap in 2014 (both drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull, Williams and Force India, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button).
• The number of races which featured at least one safety car appearance.
• The number of drivers awarded at least one penalty point on their licence (Pastor Maldonado, Marcus Ericsson, Jules Bianchi, Kevin Magnussen, Jean-Eric Vergne, Valtteri Bottas, Adrian Sutil, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Esteban Gutierrez).
• The length of the longest points-scoring streak which started at the first race. Nico Hulkenberg ended his own run by crashing into his team-mate in Hungary.
• The number of team radio messages from the drivers broadcast during Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel's Silverstone duel. Including those from the pit wall, the figure is 19—and those are just the ones FOM chose to broadcast...
• The number of times Kimi Raikkonen achieved a single-digit qualifying slot (pre-penalties).

No. 11

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton's victory in Abu Dhabi was his 11th of the season. It's an impressive figure, but two short of the all-time record of 13, held by Michael Schumacher (from 18 races) and Sebastian Vettel (from 19 races).

Eleven is also:

• The number of pole positions scored by FIA Pole Position Trophy winner Nico Rosberg.
• The number of retirements suffered by Lotus and Caterham.
• The number of different drivers who started a race (post qualifying penalties) in last place.
• The number of Mercedes one-two finishes.
• The number of drivers who retired from at least one race due to an accident.

No. 12

Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Susie Wolff made F1 history in 2014 as the first female Friday practice-only driver. She is the sixth female driver to take part in a race weekend, after Maria Teresa di Filippis, Lella Lombardi, Divina Galica, Desire Wilson and Giovanna Amati.

Wolff was one of 12 drivers to take part in practice only in 2014. The others were Robin Frijns, Alexander Rossi, Roberto Merhi, Daniel Juncadella, Felipe Nasr, Sergey Sirotkin, Giedo van der Garde, Adderly Fong, Max Verstappen, Charles Pic and Esteban Ocon.

Twelve is also:

• The number of times Jules Bianchi, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo out-qualified their team-mates.
• The number of Mercedes front-row lockouts.
• The number of podiums scored by Red Bull in 2014.
• Kimi Raikkonen's championship position. It's was the worst of his career and the worst for a Ferrari driver since Jody Scheckter in 1980.
• The number of times a Toro Rosso finished in the points.

No. 13

Peter Fox/Getty Images

Daniil Kvyat became only the second Russian driver to race in F1, making his debut at the age of 19 in Australia.

A total of 13 nationalities were represented in 2014—British, German, Australian, Finnish, Spanish, Brazilian, Mexican, Danish, French, Russian, Venezuelan, Swedish, Japanese (dual nationalities excluded).

Thirteen is also:

• The number of drivers who achieved a top-six finish. Under the points system used for most of F1's history, they would have been the only points scorers.
• The number of double-DNFs in 2014 (both drivers from the same team retiring from a race).
• The number of retirements suffered by Sauber, the worst record of the season.
• The number of points Lewis Hamilton needed to equal Sebastian Vettel's 2013 points record (384 to 397).
• The number of times Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q2 (the most of anyone).

No. 14

Drew Gibson/Getty Images

Only one man driving something other than a Mercedes came from outside the top 10 on the grid to finish on the podium.

That man was Valtteri Bottas, who scythed through the field from 14th to finish an excellent second at the British Grand Prix.

Fourteen is also:

• The number of times Sebastian Vettel reached Q3.
• The number of times someone other than a Mercedes driver finished first in an official session (practice, qualifying or race). Fernando Alonso did it six times, Daniel Ricciardo four, Valtteri Bottas two and Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel once each.
• The lowest finishing position for a Mercedes in 2014 (Nico Rosberg in Abu Dhabi).
• The total number of safety car deployments. It was out in Australia, Bahrain, Monaco (two), Canada (two), Britain, Germany, Hungary (two), Singapore, Japan (two) and the United States.
• The number of drivers who completed at least one lap in either first or second place.
• The number of times Fernando Alonso qualified between fourth and seventh.

No. 15

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Surprisingly, given the identity of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso was the most dominant team-mate of 2014. No driver out-qualified his team-mate more frequently nor beat him in the races.

Where both Ferraris finished, Alonso was ahead of Kimi Raikkonen a staggering 15 times (out of 16).

Fifteen is also:

• The length of the longest points-scoring streak of 2014 (Daniel Ricciardo, Bahrain to United States).
• Romain Grosjean's average grid slot, pre-penalties.
• The number of times Pastor Maldonado, Max Chilton and Kamui Kobayashi were eliminated in Q1.
• The number of fastest laps set by Mercedes-powered cars.
• The number of races in which at least two cars built outside the United Kingdom scored points.
• The number of racing laps on the full wet tyres completed by Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson—more than anyone else.

Others

Clive Mason/Getty Images

And finally, those numbers too big to fit in elsewhere. Jenson Button gets a number of mentions here, mostly for his impressive lapping figures.

16—The number of times Lewis Hamilton finished in an equal or higher position than the one he started in. He retired from the other three races.

16—The number of drivers who appeared in Q3 at least once.

17—The number of drivers who scored a point in 2014 (one fewer than in 2013).

24—The number of drivers who took part in at least one race in 2014 (one more than in 2013).

25—The net number of positions lost by both Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne on the first lap of races (more than anyone else).

26—The number of free practice laps completed by female drivers in 2014 (all by Susie Wolff).

26—The number of podiums scored by cars which were not Mercedes W05 Hybrids.

31—The number of podiums scored by Mercedes W05 Hybrids.

36—The net number of positions gained by Esteban Gutierrez on the first lap of races (more than anyone else).

37—The number of times a non-polesitting driver finished in the same position that he started in.

46—The above fact, including pole-sitters.

48—The number of intermediate tyre racing laps completed by Jenson Button (more than anyone else).

64—The total number of penalties given throughout the season.

75—The total number of retirements in 2014.

81—The number of times a Mercedes driver finished first in an official session.

90—The total number of seconds added on to drivers' race times due to penalties.

95—The number of official timed sessions in 2014.

103—The number of hard tyre racing laps completed by Adrian Sutil (more than anyone else)

135—The number of sets of tyres allocated to each team for testing purposes in 2014.

137—The number of laps Saubers spent in points-paying positions.

167—The number of supersoft tyre racing laps completed by Jules Bianchi (more than anyone else).

384—The number of points scored by world champion Lewis Hamilton.

404—The total number of race starts made.

407—The total number of entries made. For the 11 teams, the maximum would have been 418.

414—The number of medium tyre racing laps completed by Jenson Button (more than anyone else).

500—The maximum points any driver could have scored in 2014.

506—The number of soft tyre racing laps completed by Fernando Alonso (more than anyone else).

660—The diameter of a Pirelli dry weather tyre in millimetres.

670—The diameter of a Pirelli wet weather tyre in millimetres.

701—Mercedes' record-breaking constructors' points total.

847—The number of laps completed by Pastor Maldonado, the fewest of any driver who started all 19 races.

1120—The number of laps completed by Jenson Button, the most of any driver. He was also the longest-travelled driver in 2013, doing 1126 laps. Kevin Magnussen did 1111 laps, so it was a McLaren one-two.

1134—The maximum number of laps any driver could have done in 2014.

6300—The percentage gain in points Williams made from 2013 (five) to 2014 (320). The last stat, and my personal favourite.

That was quite the labour of love. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for occasional updates on new articles, F1-related comments or if you have any questions.

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