Lewis Hamilton: a phenomenal year

Lewis Hamilton and Team Mercedes AMG Petronas had one heck of a year – 7 poles, 11 checkered flags and 7 fastest laps. Here’s a look back at all the action.

He called it the “greatest day of his life.” On Sunday, November 23, Lewis Hamilton won the 2014 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX and sealed the 2014 FIA Formula One World ChampionshipTM. 

Making the most of Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid’s dominance, Hamilton took 7 poles, 11 wins and 7 fastest laps en route to his 2nd world title. Only teammate Nico Rosberg was able to challenge him all the way to the end.

VIDEO: Watch Lewis Hamilton as he receives the 2014 DHL Fastest Lap Award in Abu Dhabi.

Terrific start
After pre-season testing made it pretty clear that Mercedes was the team to beat in 2014, Hamilton began the season in fine fashion, taking the year’s first pole on a wet Australian Saturday. However, engine failure led to early retirement the following day and Hamilton watched from the sidelines as Rosberg won comfortably.

In Malaysia, Britain’s highest earning active athlete showed us that as long as his car was functional, he was the man to beat this year, driving to victory from pole position and racing the day’s fastest lap.

In perhaps one of the most exhilarating races of the season, Hamilton and Rosberg fought perilously wheel to wheel throughout the entire Bahrain Grand Prix, with Hamilton making a brave move to retake the lead and grab his second consecutive checkered flag. 

The Brit went on to win in the Chinese and Spanish Grands Prix after qualifying on pole in both races. After not having a chance in China, Rosberg tried to mount a decisive charge in Spain, but it was too little too late. The Hamilton crossed the finish 0.6 seconds ahead and took the championship lead from the German.

“It’s about winning. You’ve got to be fastest to win.” (Lewis Hamilton)

Mid-season slump?
You might say the Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry went into high gear in Monaco. Rosberg took pole and the win, regaining the lead in the championship, while Hamilton had to settle for third. In Canada – a circuit that supposedly fits the Brit – his problems continued and he was forced to retire. Rosberg held on to second and expanded his lead.

Back in Europe, the Austrian Grand Prix didn’t go as planned either, and Hamilton found himself 9th on the grid. Although he stormed up the field right off the grid, he was unable to catch his teammate, who had led from the get go.

Brit wins British
Another poor showing in qualifying put Hamilton P6 on the grid in his home Grand Prix at historic Silverstone. But he recovered well and found himself on Rosberg’s tail within a few laps, fighting for the lead and driving the fastest lap in the process, his second of the season. Fans were denied a real battle as Rosberg’s gearbox kept him from keeping pace at the end. It was the first time Hamilton emerged victorious at the British GP since 2008 – the year he won his first drivers’ title.

Hamilton’s qualifying curse followed him to Germany, where a brake failure caused a massive crash. With Rosberg on pole, the Brit drove a brilliant race from the back, picking his way through the field to third place with phenomenal pace. A front wing clash with former teammate Button made the challenge for second impossible, but he walked away with fastest lap bragging rights. 

“When you are sitting on the grid basically in last place, with no other cars in your mirrors, it's very hard to imagine that you could be standing up there two hours later.” (Lewis Hamilton after the 2014 German Grand Prix)

The Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix saw Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo become the beneficiary of the growing Mercedes team tensions, taking the checkered flag in both races. Rosberg piloted the fastest lap in both races, moving ahead of his teammate on that table.

Italian job
At the Gran Premio, Hamilton marked his comeback in superb style, taking the pole and the win. After “blowing” the start, as Christian Danner put it, Hamilton fought back against Rosberg, ultimately passing the German, taking his 6th checkered flag and 4th fastest lap of the season.

In Singapore, his fortunes continued. After edging out Rosberg for pole by just 0.007 seconds, his teammate’s car failed before the start and this time Hamilton found himself at the front while Rosberg brought up the rear. He eased to his 7th victory of the season, moving ahead of Rosberg in the title race and to within one in the fastest lap fight. 

“Catching Rosberg made him the fastest man.” (Christian Danner, Former F1 driver and DHL’s F1 Expert) 

Shiny happy Sundays
Though Hamilton continued to struggle in qualifying at driver-favorite Suzuka in Japan, he shined on the wet track on Sunday. After hounding Rosberg all afternoon, he made a decisive move on lap 29, sweeping past the German on the outside into turn one, driving the fastest lap in the process. The victory was overshadowed by Jules Bianchi’s horrifying accident.

Hamilton’s three-race fastest lap streak may have ended two weeks later at the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, but the checkered flags kept coming. A Rosberg mistake in lap one produced an easy victory.

The streak continued in the United States, where the Brit showed everyone how to race like a Yankee for the second time in three years. Here again a pivotal move made the difference. Down the long back straight of the Circuit of the Americas, he made a late lunge down the inside with the rear wing flap wide open. Rosberg never had a chance.

Bittersweet Brazil
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton was forced to watch his teammate drive a perfect weekend – a perfect response to Hamilton’s five straight wins that couldn’t have come any later. Rosberg led through practice, qualifying and the race from start to finish. Despite hounding his teammate in the closing stages, and piloting the fastest lap to boot, he came up short. Rosberg’s win put him to within 27 points and set the stage for the final showdown in Abu Dhabi.

Though he had one more race to secure his 2014 title, the 7th Fastest Lap put him out of Rosberg’s reach and made him the winner of the 2014 DHL Fastest Lap Award.

“It’s a beautiful trophy. This is what all the Formula 1 trophies should look like.” (Lewis Hamilton)

Icing on the cake
Eyeing the double points up for grabs this year at Abu Dhabi, Rosberg started on pole with Hamilton right behind him. The question was whether the Brit was going to drive cautiously to the drivers’ title or stay true to his competitive spirit. After all, he needed only to finish second to be crowned champion. We had our answer in the first turn when Hamilton made a thrilling maneuver to pass his teammate, a lead he held the rest of the race. 

His 11th win secured his place in history as one of a very select group of two-time Formula 1 champions. It was an honor to award Lewis Hamilton with the 2014 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy this year. Congratulations, Lewis!

WATCH cockpit footage of every single fastest lap raced in the 2014 season on DHL’ YouTube channel, and listen to predications and analysis from former F1 driver and DHL F1 Expert, Christian Danner.

 
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