F1 - 2014 - ABU DHABI

The curtain closes down on the 2014 season here in Abu Dhabi in the way that pretty much everybody expected to be.
The few hopes for a thrilling race, kept alive by an outstanding pole position performance from the German Nico Rosberg on Saturday, faded away at the first corner of the race.
No one could have taken away this Championship from Lewis Hamilton's pocket, no driver, no team, no "double points in the final race" rule.

The combination Hamilton-Mercedes this year was just simply the best. The car that translated into racing performance the big technical changes introduced this year better than anyone else. The driver that improved the most since last year.

It has been an astonishing season for the British driver that today sits on top of the racing world. The inconsistency and the temper that produced much trouble for him in the past seasons seems well back in the past. Today's Lewis is a solid, concentrated, calculating driver that fits well in the team mechanisms, even when he has to share the box with his direct competitor for the title. He comes out as a much more humble and personable character, definitely much more diplomatic when needed and his maturity translate in more confidence and more coolness behind the wheel.

It's the evolution that impresses more than the result. Being F1 Champion again, for the second time, it's definitely an achievement but it's probably even better knowing that the driver is fully developed and at his best. Mercedes fully gets it and they will put all the effort needed to keep the gap from the other teams, to make this the first of a long strike of successes.


On the other hand, Rosberg proved to be a very respectable individual. Inside the car he showed an incredible consistency that only cracked a couple times when the pressure for results was getting heavier. The determination the pushed him to never give up is remarkable and it's all summarized in his willing to finish this Sunday Gran Prix under the checkered flag even though it was clear that the title slipped away form him way back in the race and the team suggested an anticipated retirement.
He finishes this season with his head up, showing pride, respect for the opponent and knowledge that this year there was really nothing more to do.

The frictions and tensions showed sometimes on track and in the paddock between the two drivers proved to be part of the competition that we often experienced in the past and that contributed to build up legendary sort of halos around some of the best drivers ever. If we kept watching race after race, lap after lap, it's because these two gave everything they had and the team took the only role of supervising them without giving orders that could have killed the show.

Much more can be said about this season, and it will be, but there is one particular little good news that is good to share today. Jules Bianchi, still in the fight for his life after the horrible accident of Suzuka, was able to be moved back to France, in a medical facility closer to his place, to his family and to his friends and fans. The road for him is still long and steep but hopefully the comfort of being back home will play in his favor.

WEC - 2014 - 6 HOURS of BAHRAIN

Watch the second last race of the 2014 World Endurance Championship now!

VIDEO - WTCC - Macau - 2014

Watch the last races of the 2014 season for the WTCC Championship. Here!

F1 - Brasil - 2014

Two weeks, two races, same situation in the run for the World Championship title.
The victory of Hamilton in Austin could have curbed the expectation of many but not for Rosberg, who lands in San Paolo with only one thought: win and keep the math away from the paddock.
The best way to achieve that is to start fast from the beginning, faster than everybody else if possible, teammate included, and positioning yourself on the first seat on grid.
That's exactly what happened on the newly resurfaced Jose' Carlos Pace the days before Sunday.
Then there's the race. 71 laps to run all in one breathe, with an eye on the mirrors and one one the tires, that could let you drive on chewing gum at any moment.
The result is a chasing game that sees the two Mercedes run in another league, no surprise about that, with Hamilton putting all the pressure he could on the German driver ahead but also leaving room for errors. and in this game of milliseconds, going out of track sideways and trowing away about six seconds can make a difference between 31 or 17 points of advantage on your teammate.

It ends like this, the same way it started. This time we don't see the overtake that could have given the final push in the run for title. This time the smile on the first step of the podium is blonde, and in two weeks we'll all stare at the stunning landscape of Abu Dhabi anxious to unfold the last chapter of this German Tale.

Only a couple more considerations:

Thumbs up for Massa who scores one of the few podiums of the season at the hometown race despite entertaining the audience with first speeding in the pit lane and second stopping at the wrong box. Good result for the confidence and good celebration for the memories;

Thumbs down for the circus that devotes good words about keeping the cost of F1 at an accessible level for all the teams but then keeps adding races every year in preposterous places and the calendar looks like the dream of an Aeroplan Miles carholder.
Result? Two teams missing, one in bankrupcy and a sad short grid;

Thumbs up for the Brasilian supporters. They show up on a Sunday finally sunny for the first time in years and they push Massa to the third place under the flag. Goosebumps when, after celebrating Felipe, they let go a joyous "ole ole ole ole Senna Senna" that bring us back to 1993;

Thumbs down for the double point system in the last race of the year. Sure Bernie was afraid that closing the race for the title before the end of the season could translate in less money but go tell this to Hamilton...;

Thumbs up for Mercedes that, with a Constructor Championship in the pocket, lets the drivers fight each other until the end, even if sometimes it translates in delicate post race debriefings, and to the two drivers who may be livid when the teammate stands on their left on the podium, but they always show up with a big smile and some gesture of congratulation.

Thumbs down for Nelson Piquet who starts off with a question for Hamilton about his girlfriend and walks away from him without giving time for an answer. Lewis leaves the podium disappointed to come back just one minute after to give Nelsinho the chance to make up for it. Hilarious;

Thumbs down for NBC. This is Formula 1, not NASCAR, we don't care about statistics or recaps while the race is on!!! We don't care about 5 minutes commercial brakes with no background screen on the race!!! If this is the way you'll keep doing it, please give up on the rights.