Winners and Losers of the 2015 F1 season

The 2015 F1 season is over, and once again the Silver Arrows were dominant, Ferrari have re-emerged as a threat while Red Bull and McLaren slumped big time. Sebastian Vettel is now happy once again and Nico Rosberg fell short in his Championship bid. Lotus and Red Bull have been the two teams that were having the most off-track discussions over their future. So who were the winners and losers over the 2015 F1 season? Let’s find out!

Winners of 2015

1. Lewis Hamilton

With 10 wins in 2015, a single retirement and another race out of the top 3, Lewis Hamilton had a magnificent 2015 season. He sealed the title with 3 races to spare. He was also able to win the battle of nerves over Nico Rosberg, who until Japan had a fairly strong chance of winning the title. Lewis also won the FIA Pole Trophy, qualifying on pole for 11 races.

While he somewhat slacked off in the final 3 races, he could realistically afford to, given the confirmation of the title. He was still able to push his teammate in those races. He finished the season with 381 points, 3 points shy of his 2014 tally (although, double points were awarded at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix).

2. Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel had hinted on moving to Ferrari sometime in the future when he was at Red Bull. Following a low key 2014 season, he made the switch to the Italian outfit. Coupled with other managerial and team changes, the team were able to build a car that bridged the gap between them and Mercedes to some extent.

Since the V6 Turbo Era began, only 6 races have been won by non-Mercedes drivers. Vettel, who won 3 in 2015, was able to clearly out pace and just outperform the Silver Arrows. He was also able to consistently finish on the podium, concluding a successful 2015 season. He will be looking to duel with Lewis Hamilton properly next season, should Ferrari bridge the gap further, and they might even fight to become the first driver to reach 2000 points.

3. Ferrari

Ferrari had a resurgent 2015. With the departure of Fernando Alonso and the arrival of Vettel as well as other key managerial and team changes, the team looked like the Ferrari of old. As many people stated, the Ferrari camp was once again a happy camp, and many noted their positivity during the races.

The team was able to win 3 races and finish consistently on the podium in 2015, with their best result being a 1-3 finish in Singapore. They were the only car that, realistically could hope to beat the Mercedes cleanly in some scraps and they proved it. It was an all-round team effort with the drivers doing well and even the pit crews who managed to consistently put in good stops throughout the season (they were rated as the best crew of 2015).

With 428 points, they finished well behind Merecedes, but better than the 405 points attained by Red Bull last year. If they keep this rate of progress up, they should be able to bridge the gap further to the Silver Arrows in 2016, especially with a now re-energized Vettel behind the team.

4. Romain Grosjean

Grosjean has finally ended his association with Lotus F1, having signed for Haas F1 for the upcoming 2016 season. Lotus really struggled since 2014 with the new regulations. This was a blow to his development as he was really a strong driver in 2012 and 2013 seasons, especially in the last few races of 2013.

In 2015, he managed to push the Lotus car, frankly beyond its limits and through him they got 51 points and a 6 place in the constructors standings. Hopefully, it might help the team get additional prize money to use in their upcoming tax payment case. His performance at Belgium which saw Lotus get a 3 place finish, showed his calibre, as he could push the car to catch the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. It’s no surprise to see him be linked to Haas, who are working closely with the Ferrari team, and given Lotus’ off-track court issues.

If they are unable to win their case, Lotus’s participation in 2016 is a doubt, so by switching teams at the right time, he will be able to compete in the sport, without worrying too much about the future.

5. Toro Rosso

Toro Rosso had the youngest line up. Max Verstappen was not even legal to have his own driver’s license at the start of the year. Carlos Sainz Jr, was just 20 years old, but was the Formula 3.5 Series champion of 2015.

Many doubted the calibre of their line up, considering it a gamble, especially the signing of Verstappen. Yet the team had its best season in years. The “kidlets” of Toro Rosso racked up the points, with the team finishing 7 in the constructors standings, with their best ever points total of 67, making it the team’s best season since 2008. Max Verstappen was able to rack up an impressive 49 points, while Sainz had 18 himself.

With young talent that is still developing, at their disposal on the track, the team can now target loftier ambitions, as they have both their drivers competing in 2016.

6. Force India

Force India, in terms of constructors standings, had their best season by finishing 5. They also got their 3 podium finish with a 3 place at Russia. Thanks for reliable finishing by both drivers at the end of the season, coupled with the sub-par performances of teams like Lotus and McLaren, Force India finished 5 with 136 points (compared to their 155 of 2014).

The prize money should be beneficial for the team, which struggled at the start of the season, and also give them a better saying in the team agreements, where Force India led an objection to the prize payment distribution enjoyed by the top teams. With the possibility of Aston Martin partnering the team, the future is bright for the team.

Losers of the 2015 Season

1. Red Bull Racing

Red Bull probably had their worst ever season since 2009. With the unreliable Renault power unit powering their well-designed car, they were well off the pace in the early part of the season, with the cars being lapped by the Mercedes and Ferrari.

Red Bull were always making the headlines, threatening to pull out of the sport (which would mean Toro Rosso as well), unless Renault improved their unit. Later on, the team were more competitive but having used most of their allotted units in the first half of the season, they suffered multiple penalties.

Red Bull and Renault ended their somewhat bitter, but fruitful partnership when Renault said they will restart their works team. Now, Red Bull have also confirmed they will be racing in 2016, but are yet to announce an engine partner. With 187 points, it’s their worst total since 2009 (considering points system were changed in 2010). Let’s see if the team are able to secure an engine for 2016.

2. Williams F1

After their success in 2014, Williams were expected to push their way up the constructors. They retained their same line up, they had fine-tuned their car and they still had the dominant Mercedes Power Unit. While not being the same as Factory team unit of the Silver Arrows, it was as powerful if not more, than other manufactures units.

Yet, they were not able to replicate the same success as last year.

This time, they were well off the pace of the Ferrari and Mercedes for most of the season, and were struggling to match the pace. It also played in their favour that Red Bull and McLaren were also struggling this season, that allowed them to finish 3 in the constructors, but they finished nearly 70 points down on their 2014 performance, and only came on the podium 3 times, compared to 9 appearances in 2014.

At least, with the engines being refined and the good prize money, maybe they can recreate a competitive car for 2016.

3. Valterri Bottas

2014 was a great year for Bottas, who surprised everyone along with Williams to claim 186 championship points, along with 6 podiums as the young Finn finished 4 in the drivers’ championship.

He was not able to replicate the success this year, failing to finish out of the points more often. The Williams was by far, the 3 best car in 2015, nowhere near the pace set by Ferrari and Mercedes. And in the head to head teammates battle, he was not able to always out qualify Felipe Massa, although he would finish ahead of him in the championship.

Mid-season, he was even linked to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari but in the end, Kimi was retained by Ferrari, who was performing much better than Bottas in the latter half of the season. The pair would even collide at Russia as they raced each other hard.

Bottas would finish with 136 points, 50 below his tally of 2014 and only 3 out of 6 podiums to his name.

4. Lotus F1

When they came into the sport in 2012, they came in with a bang, scoring over 300 points in 2012 and 13. However, with the introduction of the new V6 Turbo Era, Lotus have just looked lost. Their car has been unreliable and their Renault (2014) and Mercedes Power Units (2015) have not been able to propel them forward.

2014 was a disaster and 2015 was worse. Yes, the team got more points including a podium finish, but even then they are troubled with a lot of off-track problems over unpaid taxes, that has resulted in a high court ruling to be passed. They were suspended form the Japanese Grand Prix hospitality box, they were unable to pay Pirelli on time for the tyres indicating their financial distress. The cars on the track were not reliable, with Pastor Maldanado crashing out on the first lap in 4 of the 19 races.

So although Renault has already bailed them out this season and have signalled their intent in a letter to buy the team from GENII, it’s not confirmed. The team’s participation in 2016 is dependent on the high court ruling.

They have also lost Romain Grosjean who has left the team to join Haas F1. Until the tax case is resolved and unless Renault officially buys the team to remake it’s works team, the future is really bleak for Lotus F1.

5. Nico Rosberg

Once again, for the second consecutive season, Nico Rosberg fell short on his bid for a World Title. Realistically, he is the only driver that can match Hamilton for pace over the course of the season. He had a good start to the season, and up until the Japanese Grand Prix, he had a hand on the title, or so it seemed.

From the Italian GP, a combination of bad luck and brilliant driving from Lewis saw Rosberg’s lead evaporate, and from the tone of his radio messages, his frustration and nervousness could be heard.

In Japan, Russia and Austin, despite qualifying first he was unable to convert those pole positions to wins, and that allowed Lewis to win the title at Austin. However, with nothing to lose then, Nico won the last 3 races of the year and proved to be more than a match for his teammates, although pretty late.

2015, was another ‘almost’ season, but disappointing as he was not able to drag the title battle to the final round (despite scoring more points than 2014). Can he finally do it in 2016? Because the chances of other teams closing the gap by 2017 is higher, decreasing his chances of winning.

6. McLaren F1

Between 1988 and 1992, McLaren and Honda were the dominant teams of F1, with 4 Drivers Championship and winning the constructors 4 times. The logic behind their move to Honda in 2015 was to replicate that partnership. They even signed Fernando Alonso back to the team to partner Jenson Button, giving them a line up with 2 World Champions.

So far, they have failed to take off. The Honda Power unit was woefully under powered and behind even the unit of Renault. The car was good enough to just beat the Manors who were using a modified 2014 Power Unit. Despite Honda getting additional development tokens, the updates that showed even a bit of progress, came much later in the season, and only in the last few races were the McLarens able to at least battle some of the other mid level teams.

The drivers got a total of 27 points for the team, the lowest since 1980. Between them, they recorded 6 points finishes, with Alonso finishing only twice in the points along with the team’s best finish at 5th. Jenson was the more consistent of the two.

If there is any positive news for the team, both of the drivers are committed to the future and such veteran hands are useful in developing the car. Also, the data gathered should be more than enough to help at least bring about a more powerful unit into the 2016 season.