So the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship has come to an end. The setting was the beautiful man-made island of Yas Marina, located in Abu Dhabi, and after a qualifying session that saw Lewis Hamilton make mistakes in final qualifying to end up 2nd – and behind title rival Nico Rosberg – on the grid, it was imperative that the Englishman have a good start to the race.
With the title at stake, and the possibility that a poor start could see either Mercedes driver caught up in the chasing pack, it was Hamilton that had a great start, breezing past Rosberg and leading into the first corner. He would maintain a comfortable gap of around two seconds through the first set of pit stops, until Rosberg developed car problems that saw him ultimately slip out of the points altogether.
With Rosberg needing to win – or finish no lower than 5th if Lewis retired – the last thing he needed was to drop back down the field, but unfortunately for him, his car just wouldn’t offer up any performance when he needed it most, and at any rate, Hamilton was largely untroubled – Williams’ Felipe Massa did begin to close in on him in the final stages of the race, but couldn’t get close enough and Hamilton would claim his 11th win of the season, and his second world title.
Naturally, Hamilton was delighted – and even got a message of congratulations from Prince Harry as he crossed the finish line! The emotions were clearly on display on the podium as the national anthems played – and it can be very much said that Hamilton has done Britain proud!
A special mention needs to go to Daniel Riccardo, who, despite having to start the race from the pit lane (along with teammate Sebastian Vettel) due to a front-wing rule infringement during qualifying, was able to finish fourth, once again fighting his way up the field and once again beating his four-time world champion teammate in the process. It was a sterling drive from the young Australian who has done himself proud in Formula 1 this season.
So that’s it for the 2014 season! It’s had thrills, and spills, tragedy and drama. One can only wonder what 2015 holds in store!
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