London, England - As Formula One switches off its engines for the summer break and the drivers head off in their private jets, Jonathan McEvoy gives his verdict on the season so far...
First, the awards...
Driver Award: Lewis Hamilton, close to the form of his life, notwithstanding his dodgems approach to Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. He has found his pace over one lap and raced with gusto.
Runner-up: Sebastian Vettel. Has his mojo back at Ferrari. With two wins, he looks like a multiple champion again.
Cock-up Award: Mercedes for bringing Hamilton in for a needless tyre change in Monaco. It cost him the race and lost them face.
Team Award: Mercedes, again, for being so good they nearly killed the sport.
Best Grand Prix: Hungary — Mercedes off the podium, Ferrari on it, four abreast at the start, punctures, penalties, all-out racing.
Worst Grand Prix: Melbourne, perhaps the greatest venue to attend, but a procession that was a dire start to the season.
WHAT’S UP NICO?
The biggest disappointment has been Nico Rosberg’s form. According to the statistics, he is only 21 points (equivalent to about nine under the old scoring system) behind his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton but it feels as if the gulf is far greater than that.
The state of play reflects Hamilton’s advantage in their karting days. Yet Rosberg was a real thorn in Hamilton’s side last season, up to Spa at least. Many said then that 2014 was Rosberg’s only realistic chance of the title and it looks as if that prediction was right.
Hamilton has since exerted near total command - nine poles to one; five wins to three.
I fear Hamilton’s biggest threat is finding it all too easy.
KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON!
Hamilton turning up in a floral shirt rather than jacket and tie to the Royal Box at Wimbledon was perceived in traditional quarters as the biggest threat to our way of life since 1940.
Which, of course, it may have been. What it certainly wasn’t, as some suggested, was pure James Hunt.
Sure, Hunt was a natural rebel par excellence. He was wont to walk around in his bare feet. He kept budgerigars at home, along with a stash of cash that he didn’t trust the banks to get their hands on. He also bedded so many BA stewardesses that he merits inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records.
But about protocol, James could be fastidious. I am grateful to John Hopkins’ book celebrating 100 years of squash at the Royal Automobile Club for making the point for me.
“Hunt used to cycle to the Club from Wimbledon,” wrote Hopkins. “He would discard his shorts and change into his shirt and jacket on the pavement outside Pall Mall before heading down to the courts.”
In other words he knew how to behave.
UNITED IN GRIEF
Jules Bianchi RIP. It was touching to see how the shock of losing a colleague brought a disparate collection of rich drivers together in shared appreciation of their calling. One of them, Max Verstappen, wasn’t even born until three years after Ayrton Senna’s death.
There is still a long road back to the top as McLaren’s engine partners Honda struggle for power and reliability, but the togetherness the team have shown in the dark periods has been exemplary. Even Alonso, often the biggest toy-thrower in overalls, has remained loyally docile.
Two questions, though. First, how will they fare away from a twisty track such as the Hungaroring, which suited their car?
BERNIE WON’T BOLT
Reports of Bernie Ecclestone’s imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated. Again. He is only 84.
Daily Mail