I would just like to take the time to congratulate Lewis Hamilton on his well deserved World Drivers’ Championship title and Mercedes on their World Constructors’ Championship title. Both titles were well deserved. I hope that this is a sign of many more great races to come in 2015. I have deep sympathy for Nico Rosberg, who was unable to put up a serious battle for the title because of some mechanical failures during the race in Abu Dhabi. No one wanted to see the championship won because of double points, but more importantly, no one wanted a reliability issue to be the deciding factor. Rosberg put on an amazing effort and showed spectacular sportsmanship and determination to finish the race when a lesser man would have quit.
I would like to thank everyone in the 2014 season, especially the Mercedes duo, for putting on a stunning championship battle and giving us one of the tightest seasons that we have had in Formula One for quite a few years. There were amazing battles both on and off the track. All of the credit should not go to the just the Mercedes team, as everyone gave it their all to create a wonderful performance. I loved the plethora of battles and overtaking moves that really made the 2014 season something to remember.
Great job to all of those who scored points, but for those who were not so lucky, I would like to offer you my best wishes for the 2015 season. Sauber came so close to scoring points and the team did everything in their power to try and make that a reality. They gave nothing but a 100% effort all season long and certainly deserved to get rewarded for those efforts. Caterham had the strength to go against the odds and return for the final race of the season, despite the lack of funds. They were determined to turn to crowd funding, even though no one else thought it would work. It was a pleasure to see them back on the grid.
I hope that we will have the pleasure of seeing Caterham on the 2015 grid as well, as I understand that there is some interest in the team. Losing the Caterham gang would truly be a tragedy to the sport. The same goes for the Marussia team. They have truly had a tough season and the grid felt empty without them there. I only wish that they would have been able to finish the season on a high note, by at least attending the final race. I wish both teams the best of luck in finding some investors and I hope that we will be graced with their presence in 2015.
I would like to also applaud the rookies of this season for really showing what talented young stars they really are. I see that all of them have a very bright future in Formula One and I will be looking forward to seeing their progress in 2015. It is not only the rookies that impressed me, but also the veterans. There were multiple times this season that we saw at least two of our stars in a tyre to tyre fight. I’m saddened by the fact that we may be losing one or more of these great drivers. I wish everyone luck in finding a seat for 2015.
Finally, I would like to bring up the topic that has been the cause of our heartbreak this season. I would like to wish Jules Bianchi the best possible recovery and hope that we will see him on the fast lane of recovery. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Jules, as they are in these extremely sad times. I would like to remind them that both they and Jules have the full support of the Formula One community and that our thoughts and prayers are with Jules.
