The 2014 Formula One season so far ahead of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday:
Australian Grand Prix – March 16
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg led from start to finish as rivals dropped out with mechanical problems as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was controversially disqualified from second place over new fuel rules. Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton and world champion Sebastian Vettel both retired early, leaving Rosberg victorious by a wide margin. McLaren’s Danish debutant Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button in a McLaren took the remaining podium places.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 25 points, 2. Kevin Magnussen 18, 3. Jenson Button 15
Malaysian Grand Prix – March 30
Hamilton led the first Mercedes one-two in 59 years. He streaked away from pole and was never pressured. Team-mate Rosberg was second with Vettel third. It was the first time both Mercedes drivers have led the field since 1955, when the German marque departed the sport before returning in 2010 and now confirming themselves as the team to beat in F1’s new era. The win was Hamilton’s first since Hungary last July.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 43, 2. Lewis Hamilton 25, 3. Fernando Alonso 24
Bahrain Grand Prix – April 6
Hamilton and Rosberg repeated their one-two in Malaysia after a thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel as Hamilton equalled the legendary Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of 24 grand prix victories. Sergio Perez gave Force India just their second ever podium finish in third. Ricciardo, 13th on the grid, continued his impressive start for Red Bull with fourth.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 61, 2. Lewis Hamilton 50, 3. Nico Hulkenberg 28
Chinese Grand Prix – April 20
Hamilton sealed his first hat-trick of F1 wins and led Mercedes to their third straight one-two finish, 18 seconds ahead of Rosberg, with Fernando Alonso third. Ricciardo outran his team-mate Vettel for fourth. But there was a bizarre finish when Hamilton was inadvertently shown the chequered flag early, meaning that the race was later declared over after 54 laps instead of the 56 completed.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 79, 2. Lewis Hamilton 75, 3. Fernando Alonso 41
Spanish Grand Prix – May 11
Hamilton took control of the title race when he made it four wins in a row by grabbing a heart-stopping victory. He finished just 0.6 seconds ahead of Rosberg. Ricciardo took third ahead of Vettel, who had started from 15th. The win was Hamilton’s first in Spain and the 26th of his career. Finn Valtteri Bottas finished fifth for the resurgent Williams team.
Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 100, 2. Nico Rosberg 97, 3. Fernando Alonso 49
Monaco Grand Prix – May 25
Rosberg started on pole and claimed a faultless victory for Mercedes to regain the championship lead. The 28-year-old came home 9.2 seconds clear of Hamilton, who coped with loss of vision in one eye as he held off Ricciardo’s Red Bull in the closing laps to take second. Alonso finished fourth for Ferrari.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 122, 2. Lewis Hamilton 118, 3. Fernando Alonso 61
Canadian Grand Prix – June 8
Ricciardo ended Mercedes’s dominant run as he won the first Grand Prix of his career in Montreal. The 24-year-old Australian took advantage of power problems that forced Rosberg into second place and saw Hamilton retire. The race on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was also marred by a high-speed collision between Perez and Felipe Massa of Williams, although neither was seriously hurt. Vettel finished third ahead of Button.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 140, 2. Lewis Hamilton 118, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 79
Austrian Grand Prix – June 22
It was back to business as usual at the Grand Prix circuit returned to Austria for the first time in 11 years. Another Mercedes double with Rosberg dominant and Hamilton in second, leaving him 29 points behind the German in the overall standings. Bottas made it onto his first ever podium in what turned out to be a disastrous home race for Red Bull. For Mercedes, it was a seventh win in eight races.
Standings: 1 Nico Rosberg 165, 2. Lewis Hamilton 136, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 83
British Grand Prix – July 6
Hamilton delighted a 120,000 crowd at Silverstone with victory as Rosberg suffered his first non-finish of the season, due to gearbox problems, to reduce the German’s lead in the title race to just four points. Hamilton came home 30 seconds clear of Bottas, who started from 14th on the grid. It was Hamilton’s second home win, his fifth of the season and the 27th of his career drawing him level with fellow-Briton three-time champion Jackie Stewart in the record books. Ricciardo finished third ahead.
Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 165, 2. Lewis Hamilton 161, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 98.
German Grand Prix – July 20
Rosberg won his first home grand prix to increase his lead in the standings to 14 points ahead of Hamilton, who took third after a battling drive from 20th. Bottas took second for Williams’ 300th podium finish. A dramatic race was marred by an opening lap collision with Felipe Massa’s Williams somersaulting into the air.
Standings: Nico Rosberg 190, 2. Lewis Hamilton 176, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 106
Hungarian Grand Prix – July 27
Ricciardo charged to his second Formula One win for Red Bull, as a drenched track caused chaos among world championship leaders. Ricciardo came first ahead of Alonso in a race which saw Hamilton finish third after ignoring team orders to let championship leader Rosberg go by.
Standings: Nico Rosberg 202pts, 2. Lewis Hamilton 191, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 131
Belgian Grand Prix – August 24
Ricciardo posted his third win with a bold and well-judged drive but all the headlines were hogged by an incident on lap two., when Hamilton suffered a puncture following a collision by Rosberg in a contentious incident that added further spice to the former friends’ fractious relationship and left Hamilton trailing Rosberg by 29 points.
Standings: Nico Rosberg – 220pts, 2. Lewis Hamilton 191, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 156.
– Agence France-Presse
PHOTOS courtesy of http://media.mercedes-gp.com/
