Press release of the season: Press release of the season Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes AMG F1 awarded by FIA in Doha --- Thu 11.12.14, 11:11AM The FIA’s star-studded annual Prize-Giving awards ceremony tonight culminated in the presentation of the FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship trophy to Lewis Hamilton, with the world championship’s Constructors’ trophy being awarded to the Briton’s Mercedes AMG F1 team at the glittering event in Doha, Qatar. Hamilton’s second career title came at the end of an enthralling, season-long battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg. Team-mates in their junior karting career the racing aces resumed their rivalry at Mercedes in 2013 and this year, with the championship’s most competitive car at their disposal the pair thrilled fans worldwide as they battled tooth and nail for the ultimate prize. Rosberg drew first blood at the season-opening round in Australia but then Hamilton reeled of four victories in a row to lead the championship. The momentum swung the other way in Monaco and Canada and from there until the championship’s traditional summer break the pair traded wins to leave Rosberg in charge of the standings. A controversial collision at the Belgian Grand Prix increased the tension but the setback spurred 2008 champion Hamilton on and he rattled off five wins in a row to take a solid title lead. Rosberg returned to the top step at the penultimate round in Brazil to set up a final round showdown in Abu Dhabi but though Rosberg once again dominated qualifying, as he had done for much of the year, Hamilton was always in control in the race and sealed his second title with a commanding 11th win of a season in which he also took seven pole positions and 2014 FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton said: “This has been an incredible season and definitely one of the toughest I’ve ever been part of. We had a phenomenal car, which allowed both Nico and I to battle hard throughout the year and it was incredibly close throughout. I’m really grateful to Mercedes for giving us that opportunity and of course to the team for working so hard. As I said when I won in Abu Dhabi, winning my first title was fantastic but this win was even more special and I hope it’s a sign of a lot more success to come with Mercedes.” At the end of the 19-race campaign Hamilton and Rosberg had taken 16 wins, sealed 11 one-two finishes and scored a staggering 18 pole positions – a level of dominance not seen in the sport for almost three decades and attributable in large part to Mercedes’ W05 Hybrid car. For the 2014 season the championship switched to technologically advanced and highly fuel efficient 1.6 litre, turbocharged, hybrid engines, a regulation change Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains department exploited fully. Beginning with a win for Nico Rosberg at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the team then recorded five straight one-two finishes. The winning streak was briefly interrupted in Canada when technical issues affected both cars but the pair was back on top at the next round in Austria, with Rosberg victorious. Further wins came in Britain and Germany and after the summer break the team was simply unstoppable, recording seven wins from the final eight races. The post-break haul included another five one-two finishes, meaning that team finished the season with 11 in total to break the record set by McLaren all the way back in 1988. Mercedes AMG F1 Executive Director Toto Wolff said: “For Mercedes-Benz, 2014 has been a remarkable and historic season. Firstly, because it saw the introduction of F1’s new 1.6 litre turbocharged, hybrid power units, which were an enormously exciting challenge for all the team. But you can never go into a season expecting the kind of success we have managed to achieve. To have won 16 races, with 11 one-two finished and to have scored 18 pole positions has earned us a place in the history books and it is testimony to the hard work put in by everyone at the team. Both Lewis and Nico drove like champions throughout, with Nico winning the qualifying battle but Lewis prevailing in the races to become champion. We are hugely proud to have won the first Constructors’ Championship for Mercedes-Benz and the companys first Drivers’ title since the great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955. [But back at base, were already hard at work to make sure we can defend our title from Melbourne next year.] Widgets : News category : Sports #F1 #FIA
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 04:56:36 +0000
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