Mid-term report card for the 2014 F1 season
With the 2014 Formula One season at the halfway mark, herewith the Floyd mid-term report cards:
FORMER GLORY. Kimi Raikkonen probably wishes he was back in a rally car after battling to find pace in the Ferrari this season. Picture: AFP
1 Mercedes AMG Petronas F1
Points: 393
A few chinks in the armour and some pit-wall indecision, but the team is certainly on target to be the new champions.
Nico Rosberg (202 points) and Lewis Hamilton (191 points) will fight for the title, provided team orders do not spoil the fun.
2 Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Points: 219
A good chassis suffering due to a weak powertrain, but they are steadily gaining ground.
The formerly untouchable Sebastian Vettel (88 points) has had a rough season and won’t see a fifth title this year.
Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo (131) is the star of the show but could rue the loss of his Australian points.
3 Scuderia Ferrari
Points: 142
Still a long way from the dream team of the past, and they will be lucky to finish third in the championship.
Fernando Alonso (115 points) has produced good results from an uncompetitive car, while Kimi Raikkonen (27 points) still struggles to find a setup that suits his driving style.
4 Williams Martini Racing
Points: 135
A good overall package but they need to get both cars home in the points more consistently.
Felipe Massa (40 points) is still blaming everyone and everything, rather than evaluating his own performance.
Meanwhile, Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas (95 points) has proved a surprising young talent and is one to watch.
5 Sahara Force India F1
Points: 98
Owner Vijay Mallya continues to fight off legal actions as his team fights for a solid second half of the season.
They are certainly capable of chasing down Williams if Sergio Perez (29 points) avoids more of the collisions that have cost him three retirements.
Nico Hulkenberg (69 points) has finished in the top 10 of the first 11 races, and is sure to set his sights on the top five in the driver’s championship.
6 McLaren Mercedes
Points: 97
There will be a lot hanging on next season and Honda’s engine involvement, but don’t expect much change this year.
Rumours suggest this could be Jenson Button’s (60 points) last year with McLaren.
Kevin Magnussen (37 points) is having a tough rookie year, but the MP4-29 has not helped either driver.
7 Scuderia Torro Rosso
Points: 17
Struggling with the new car and with seven of their eight retirements due to mechanical failure they will be hoping for greater reliability to improve the team’s position in the championship.
Jean-Eric Vergne (11 points) produced four top-10 finishes but five retirements did not help.
Twenty-year-old Russian Daniil Kvyat (six points) in his rookie season has also had four top-10 finishes and suffered four retirements.
8 Lotus F1
Points: 8
Not a great start to the season, and rumours of further financial woes can’t be helping the team.
Romain Grosjean (eight points), is showing signs of frustration with the E22. Perhaps he’s looking at alternatives for 2015.
Pastor Maldonado (0) is probably wishing he was still with Williams.
9 Marussia F1
Points: 2
With just two points, the Banbury team are nevertheless leading the backmarkers and will be hoping to keep it that way.
Jules Bianchi’s two points were just the boost everyone needed.
Max Chilton has yet to open his score but it’s not for lack of trying.
10 Sauber F1
Points: 0
Probably a year the team would like to forget. A few years ago, Sauber were billed as the best of the rest. Now, after 10 retirements between Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, they are struggling at the back of the field.
11 Caterham F1
Points: 0
With the change of ownership and pending legal action over axed staff, it really is not looking good for the Leafield-based team.
With no points on the board and nine retirements between Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi, neither can be feeling very secure.
