It’s time for the second annual Racing Clothesline awards article! This is the article in which I award drivers, teams and events different titles as a result of their performance or activities in the season. Do you agree or disagree with the awards listed in this article? Share your opinion in the comments of this article.
Driver of The Season: Lewis Hamilton
This award is for the driver that demonstrated the greatest performance behind the wheel of the car. Lewis Hamilton is the clear winner for this award, having secured the third World Drivers’ Championship title of his career and aided Mercedes in their second consecutive World Constructors’ Championship title.
Constructor of The Season: Mercedes
This award is for the constructor that demonstrated the greatest performance as a team. Again, this award is also quite clear. Mercedes completely dominated the season and was able to cope with the rapidly improving Ferrari. With a second consecutive World Constructors’ Championship title wrapped up and car that is nearly impossible to beat, who can deny that they are currently the strongest constructor on the grid.
Engine of The Season: Mercedes
This award is for the engine with the greatest performance and reliability and all of the teams wish that they had powering their car. Circuits like Mexico and Italy really showcased which engine had the most power. The Mercedes engine also demonstrated much improved reliability from last season, with the exception of a few minor hiccups.
Unluckiest Driver: Kevin Magnussen
This award is for the driver that must have broken a dozen mirrors, walking under many ladders and had a litter of black cats cross their path during the off-season. Despite having a great rookie season for McLaren in 2014, Kevin Magnussen was bumped from the McLaren seat in order to make room for the team’s new lineup. When Fernando Alonso was injured during the Barcelona test ahead of the season opener in Australia, Magnussen was given the chance to return to the driver’s seat. This was his chance to show off his Formula One abilities once more. Unfortunately, a mechanical failure destroyed his opportunity, making him one of the many drivers not to start the race. Months later, on his birthday, Magnussen received an email from Ron Dennis, releasing him from the team. Now he remains without a driver contract for 2016, as of right now, and could be one of the many talents that will never get a proper chance at a career in Formula One.
Most Improved Driver: Kimi Räikkönen
This award is for the driver that made the greatest improvement in their race results from last season. In 2014, Kimi Räikkönen had to worst season of his career. With Räikkönen rapidly approaching the retirement age, many fans began to doubt that he career would last much longer. With an improved Ferrari this season, Räikkönen has been able to perform fantastically in the races this year. Although he isn’t as good as he was before he left Formula One for a three year rally career, he has improved greatly. Unfortunately, he was overshadowed by his new teammate, Sebastian Vettel, this season. Räikkönen showed just how good of a season he was going to have, with his amazing recovery from a string of opening lap incidents early in the season. He is probably the most underappreciated driver on the 2015 grid.
Most Improved Constructor: Ferrari
This award is for the constructor that made the greatest improvement in their race results from last season. Last season was a nightmare season for the “Prancing Horse” and they have really recovered from that. They were able to not only able win a few races, but were also able to match the pace of the Mercedes power unit. With some improvements over the winter break, it is quite possible that they could be a big threat to Mercedes next season.
Best Driver Lineup: McLaren
This award goes to the constructor that most powerful driver lineup of the season. With a lineup of two World Championship winning drivers, McLaren had the lineup that was the most powerful. Unfortunately, the team was overshadowed with serious performance issues, so we were never able to see the true performance of the Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button lineup. Had the McLaren car been able to achieve the pace of the high performing or even middle teams, it would have been a very entertaining lineup to watch for in the races.
Historic Driver of The Season: Fernando Alonso
This award goes to the driver that will forever be remembered for their activity both on and off the track. Perhaps not for the best of reasons, Fernando Alonso clenches this season’s award. He was often the topic of discussion, due to his comments to the press and over the team radio. He was even the center of a hashtag trend. He will forever be remembered in the 2015 Formula One season.
Race of The Season: 2015 United States Grand Prix
This award goes to the most entertaining and exciting race of the season. Although it wasn’t the greatest race weekend, in terms of weather, the American Formula One fans persevered and were rewarded on Sunday. There was lots of shuffling throughout the field and some very entertaining battles to watch. The somewhat damp track conditions added to the excitement. Of course, the other days of the weekend were not an entire wash, as the fans were given pit lane access and treated to some shenanigans during the qualifying delay. They also received a visit from the legendary Elton John in the post-race concert. In the end, this race weekend was entertaining both on and off the race track.
Rookie of The Season: Max Verstappen
This award goes to the rookie who has demonstrated the greatest potential. Although he was heavily criticized going into Formula One at such a young age, I think Max Verstappen shows the most potential, of the rookies this season. He proved that he was fast and managed to beat his rookie teammate in most of the races. He made some unnecessarily risky moves at some points in the season, but that happens to most drivers as they learn the ropes of the sport. These risky moves also show that he is willing to push the car to its limits. That’s what separates a driver from a racer: the willingness to go for an overtake. It’s a quality that is slowly fading from the sport because of the DRS and we are getting more drivers that will just ease off and go for maximum points, rather than maximum finishing position. That is one of the things that makes Verstappen so entertaining to watch.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
