Mid-season views
F1 reached the mid-season summer break after Silverstone and Hungary, and there’s 9 more to go. What do you make of the year so far?
Let’s have some thought into how teams are standing, and what looks promising for the fourteen remaining weeks (with the Belgian Grand Prix up next)…
Mercedes
Dominant, but not flawless. The reigning champions lead both title races and are the favorites to win them again, though some strategic mishaps must be fixed. They’ve got Ferrari hungry for wins behind.
Ferrari
Raikkonen’s future aside, the team has stepped up in the right direction and take the 'best of the rest' status in the grid. Sebastian Vettel’s performance has been almost error-free.
Williams
Could have been closer to their first win since 2012, and Valtteri Bottas hints to more 'intelligent' decision-making in the second half of the season. Spa and Monza should suit their car better. The Martini Racing cars struggle in low-speed/twisty circuits.
Red Bull
The Camo Bull has seen better early days, though true progress has been evident in the last races. A good chassis with a difficult engine can sum it up. Hungary’s double podium to give them wings?
Force India
Props to the team: hard work and good upgrades. Also to Nico Hulkenberg, this year’s Le Mans winner, not too many F1 drivers can say the same. Weak spots? Must look into car failures.
Toro Rosso
The Italian 'sister' team to the Bulls, impressive. With the youngest pair of drivers on the paddock, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen have performed really, really well. Bravo to the 17-year-old for being P4 at the last race.
Lotus
With a little less red on the car, Lotus’s season has been up and down. Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado have been fast, though Pastor took the 'Mad Max' feel slightly overboard. He took three penalties in Hungary’s race. Yep.
Sauber
The beautiful blue and yellow cars. Both drivers have done good jobs, and the team has really made a comeback, and only failed to finish two races to sum up 22 pts. Much better than last year’s 0 pts.
McLaren
New livery and golden boots plus a great team spirit have them with renewed hopes after Hungary’s season-high result (P5 and P9). The rest of it: way too many problems, and lack of power.
Manor
The survivors. A struggling team that barely made it into the season (now getting better sponsorship), Manor races from the back with nice driving. Both drivers doing their job as best they can, and doing it nicely.
