Happy New Year, one and all!
But let’s quickly focus on 2019 just once more and dish out some awards for what was a pretty eventful season.
Driver of the Year
It is near impossible to separate Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen but, having just won a sixth title and more than half of the 2019 races, this award has to go the world champion. Both men barely put a foot wrong all year but we are yet to find out whether Verstappen can keep that level of up over the course of a title battle. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Hamilton has been operating at that level for some time now and discussions have moved from whether he is the greatest of his generation to whether he is the greatest of all time. Whilst it may sometimes feel a little dull watching one man win 50% of the races, we should all be appreciative that we are witnessing greatness and the creation of a legend. It was similar during the Michael Schumacher years and many now look back on that time with much nostalgia.
Honourable Mentions: Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz
Team of the Year
Once again, you just can’t overlook the champions. Yes, there was the utter fiasco of the German Grand Prix with Benny Hill-esque scenes as the team ran about, bumping into each other in their fancy dress outfits. But that was almost a nice reminder that this juggernaut of metronomic success was, in fact, human.
Over the past three seasons, Mercedes haven’t always had the fastest car. But their operational level is such that they still finish each year with the championship having looked a formality by the end. This is now arguably the greatest team in F1 history. Can they keep it up for another year? It seems very likely. Can they even then carry their supremacy over into the new set of regulations? You wouldn’t bet against it.
Honourable Mentions: McLaren, Red Bull
Race of the Year
The second half of the Brazilian Grand Prix was full of incident, entertainment and drama but the German Grand Prix had all of those from the first lap to the last. The only wet race of the year made up for the lack of another (and made you wonder whether Bernie was right about those sprinklers all along…) with absolute carnage from the outset.
A literal soaped-up drag strip on the outside of the final corner added to the Wacky Racers scenes and left many drivers sliding helplessly into the wall. There was the aforementioned Mercedes pit stop, Lance Stroll temporarily leading, Sebastian Vettel fighting through from last to second and a Toro Rosso on the podium for the first time in over a decade. Yeah, it was alright.
Honourable Mentions: Brazilian Grand Prix, Austrian Grand Prix, British Grand Prix
Drive of the Year
It is very hard to pick just one drive as there are so many different factors that are hard to compare – just look at all the honourable mentions below – and that’s before you even consider the Hamilton dominations which, whilst less spectacular, are just as impressive.
But I’m going for Pierre Gasly‘s second place at Interlagos. After such a tough year – both professionally and personally, with a demotion to Toro Rosso and the loss of his close friend Anthoine Hubert – Gasly’s performances towards the end of the season were highly commendable. And they were capped off by a shock podium in Brazil. Gasly had been ‘best of the rest’ throughout the weekend and thus was in position when all those around him lost their heads. He kept his and the outpouring of emotion on the radio after was genuinely moving.
Honourable Mentions: Leclerc in Bahrain, Verstappen in Austria, Vettel in Germany, Hamilton in Hungary, Sainz in Hungary, Norris in Belgium, Albon in Belgium
Blunder of the Year
Unfortunately Vettel is front and centre in both the main contenders for this award. His mistake at the Italian Grand Prix, spinning out in front of the Tifosi (whilst his teammate went on to win) and then rejoining unsafely was amateurish. But the collision between the two Ferraris in Brazil had greater ramifications.
Whilst the championships were already decided, this was acutely embarrassing for such a proud marque as Ferrari. It was easily avoidable. And yet, it seemed equally inevitable. As the sparks flew from Leclerc’s destroyed front right suspension, the tensions that had been boiling under the surface for a few races came to the fore.
Honourable Mentions: Vettel in Italy, Bottas in Germany, Grosjean in Britain
Rookie of the Year
A tough one as each has done very well in varying circumstances. Alexander Albon came in with little hype but drove well at Toro Rosso and earned himself a mid-season promotion to Red Bull. In the difficult circumstances of a top drive halfway through your rookie year and a teammate the calibre of Verstappen, he has performed very respectably.
George Russell has also done all he can with a very poor Williams, thoroughly outperforming Robert Kubica and completing a 21-0 qualifying head-to-head whitewash. But then the Pole was an unknown quantity upon his return and was effectively driving with one hand. So, all things considered, Lando Norris takes the gong. He suffered some terrible luck throughout the year but was generally neck-and-neck with his more experienced teammate, Carlos Sainz. A few stellar performances – including sixth in his second ever race – clinch the deal. Plus, he’s just so damn likeable.
Wheel-to-Wheel Battle of the Year
Hamilton and Verstappen in Hungary was box office and had more at stake but the battle between Leclerc and Verstappen at Silverstone was personal. And lasted practically half the race.
Coming just one race after Verstappen controversially bumped Leclerc out of the way with a couple of laps remaining in Austria to take the win, the young Monegasque decided he was going to get his own back. He did everything in his power (and just about within the rules) to remain ahead and set the stage for what is sure to be a thrilling rivalry for many years to come.
Honourable Mentions: Hamilton vs Verstappen in Hungary, Kvyat vs Albon in Hungary, Hamilton vs Bottas in Britain, Grosjean vs Sainz vs Ricciardo vs Stroll in Singapore
Controversy of the Year
Whilst the rest of 2019 was not without controversy, there is a clear winner here. The decision to penalise Vettel in Canada for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner, which effectively handed the win to Hamilton, sent shockwaves through the sport. And the reaction to it changed the way Race Director Michael Masi has handled the regulations ever since.
I went into great depth in my race report at the time – and still feel the penalty was just about the correct decision all things considered – but it came on the back of six consecutive Mercedes victories and was a less than ideal time to hand out a penalty that resulted in another one. Ferrari hung their victory flag in Maranello nonetheless and the sport recovered with a new outlook on applying rules and some excellent races soon after.
Honourable Mentions: Verstappen not being penalised in Austria, Ferrari’s engine legality, the Ferraris clashing in Brazil, the Haas–Rich Energy debacle
Crash of the Year
There were no Fernando Alonso or Marcus Ericsson-sized crashes this year, so instead the award can go to the most bizarre crash. Daniel Ricciardo not checking his mirrors and reversing into Daniil Kvyat in Azerbaijan was just downright comical.
Honourable Mentions: Magnussen in Canada, Bottas in Austria, Albon in China
Bromance of the Year
This was very much a year for bromance. Amongst others, we had Hamilton and Vettel, Ricciardo and pretty much everyone, but the duo at McLaren really took it to another level.
Norris and Sainz were as inseparable off the track as they were on it. Hopefully it can last if McLaren continue their upward trajectory and start fighting for podiums or wins…
Honourable Mentions: Ricciardo and Verstappen, Hamilton and Vettel, Norris and Albon
Press Conference of the Year
No real competition here.
