Top 5 Formula 1 Drivers to Watch for in 2015
As one Formula One World Championship concludes, preparations for the next begin immediately as teams and drivers look to get ahead of the opposition for the upcoming campaign. Amid a whole host of driver transfers, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will still be among the competitors to focus closely on in 2015.
The 2014 season was one that many spectators simply did not want to end, as they were treated to an intense inter-team rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg—one that was reminiscent of historic battles like Nigel Mansell-Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna-Alain Prost.
It truly was a vintage year, but that is not to say there will be a drop in standards next season. With the exception of Mercedes and Williams, all the teams contesting race victories and front-row starts have made at least one change to their driver lineups.
This latest round of musical chairs in the paddock can only be a good thing for the sport as drivers provide fresh threats with their new teams and car setups.
If the rest of the field can close the substantial gap to runaway constructors’ champions Mercedes, then next year could be even better. Continuing to look ahead, this is a countdown of the top five drivers to look out for when the sport returns to our screens in the spring.
Contenders have been chosen based on their abilities to entertain the crowd, provide a surprise or two and challenge for race victories and the all-important Formula One World Championship.
Honourable Mentions
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There may only be five vacancies on this countdown, but the truth is that there will be plenty more competitors to affix your gaze on throughout the season.
Valtteri Bottas’ impressive—and consistent—qualifying performances in 2014 often had the men on the Mercedes pit wall sweating on Saturday afternoons. He will be hoping to remedy his inability to convert high grid positions into a maiden grand prix victory when F1 returns after the winter break.
Daniil Kvyat will be hoping that his ascension from Toro Rosso to Red Bull is just as fruitful as Daniel Ricciardo’s was this time last year. At just 20 years old, the Russian will be looking to at least get on the podium with a much faster car at his disposal.
Nico Rosberg must still be hurting from the disappointment of not winning the world championship in 2014. His persistence to battle until the bitter end with an ailing car in Abu Dhabi personified his fighting spirit, and he will want to get one over on teammate Lewis Hamilton next year by clinching the title himself.
5. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso
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The freshest face sitting on the grid in Melbourne for next season’s curtain raiser will be teenager Max Verstappen. The 17-year-old Dutch driver is set to break all sorts of records as the youngest man to ever compete in a grand prix, breaking the previous record—set by Jaime Alguersuari—by nearly two years.
After finishing third in the 2014 FIA European Formula 3 Championship, Verstappen has been snapped up by Toro Rosso—the team that provided Sebastian Vettel with his first win in F1.
While it is very unlikely that Verstappen will match that feat in his rookie season, it will be interesting to follow his progress as he takes his first steps in the sport.
4. Fernando Alonso, McLaren
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Fernando Alonso will be reunited with Ron Dennis upon his return to McLaren—seven years after the controversial Spygate scandal. After terminating his contract early to pave a move back to Renault in 2007, it seems as though the Spaniard is ready to rebuild bridges and begin a second spell with the Woking-based outfit.
The double world champion had relative success with McLaren back in 2007 when he finished third in the championship, winning four races and finishing just a point behind overall winner Kimi Raikkonen.
Alonso is not the only former partner returning to McLaren, as the team will also welcome back Honda-powered engines for the upcoming campaign. Dennis will hope that the world championship-winning experience will be able to return McLaren to the top step of the podium once again.
The 33-year-old certainly has the experience and ability to contest race victories, but he needs to be given the right car to do so. If McLaren can deliver their end of the bargain, then there is little doubt that Alonso can regularly finish high up in the points.
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3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
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The 2014 Formula One season must have been unimaginably frustrating for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The German went from winning nine consecutive grands prix at the end of the preceding campaign to only finishing on the podium four times in 2014.
Such a change in fortunes for the Red Bull team cost them their most senior driver, as Vettel opted to join Ferrari, where he will attempt to emulate compatriot Michael Schumacher in returning a world championship to the Maranello-based constructor.
Comparisons are likely to be drawn throughout the year based on how well he is performing in relation to the outgoing Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard spent five years with Ferrari and finished as runner-up in the world championship on three occasions in that time.
Vettel will feel he has a point to prove after being outperformed by teammate Daniel Ricciardo for most of last season. Both driver and team will be reeling from recent failures, so it will be very interesting to see how well Vettel and Ferrari can work together to challenge the mighty Mercedes cars in 2015.
2. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
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Following such an impressive maiden season with Red Bull, it seems that things are only going to get better for Daniel Ricciardo as he assumes the role as the team’s lead driver.
It would be a mark of the former Toro Rosso driver’s progress if he can once again finish above four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in the final standings, despite the fact that the German has now moved to Ferrari.
Vettel’s departure promotes the beaming Aussie—who was the only driver other than the Mercedes duo to win a grand prix in 2014—within the Red Bull setup. With his elevated standing in Christian Horner’s team, can he provide a more sustained threat to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg next time around?
The 25-year-old exhibited some daring overtakes on some of F1’s finest drivers last season, looks like he is only going to get better and is a potential future world champion.
However, it will take a good car setup, consistent performances and a bit of luck if Ricciardo is to usurp Lewis Hamilton as the current king of F1.
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
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The recently-crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year will remember 2014 for a long time. Lewis Hamilton claimed his second world championship following a fierce, season-long duel with teammate Nico Rosberg—and he’s going to have to do it all over again next season.
Hamilton now has the chance to equal Jackie Stewart’s British record of three world title victories, which must serve as a great incentive. And with a strong car underneath him again, there is no reason why he can’t bring another championship home to Mercedes.
His biggest challenger is likely to be Rosberg once again, but as the Brit showcased in the second half of last season, he is capable of going on dominant winning runs.
Victory at six of the last seven races—and finishing runner-up in the other—showed he can deliver when it matters most, and his raw pace and driving instincts arguably make him favourite to be the man to beat once again in 2015.
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