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Winners and Losers of the F1 season so far: Summer break analysis

Published 08/08/2016, 9:37 AM EDT

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We are half way through the 2016 F1 season. Unsurprisingly, the constructors and drivers championship have been dominated by the Silver Arrows. Yet there are battles all over the order. Heading into the summer break, here is a look at the winners, and not so fortunate teams and drivers from the 2016 F1 Season so far.

Winners

Lewis Hamilton

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via Imago

At the start of the season, it seemed Nico Rosberg finally had an edge over the World Champ. With six wins from seven races starting from Monaco, the pendulum has swung in his favour. He cut a 43 point lead to his teammate, to a 19 point lead. More importantly, he has now improved his starts, and once he is controlling the race, there’s no stopping him.

One of his strongest traits is his tyre management and race strategies. At Monaco, he took a gamble of staying on the wet tyres longer than anyone else and then pitted for slicks. The last 3 races, he has shown his utter dominance and seems his biggest threat might be coming from the Red Bulls (given the way Nico has fared over the last few races). The Championship is now his to lose, but it’s hard to see Lewis putting a foot wrong. A 4th World Championship seems to be beckoning.

Max Verstappen

via Imago

Four Podiums and a race win. He is pushing the established Daniel Riccardo as hard as he can. He has defended his Red Bull Machine, on older tyres against a charging Nico Rosberg in the faster Mercedes several times. None more so impressive than at Montreal. Max Verstappen has made the most of his move to the main Red Bull team, and it’s likely going to be his seat for a long time.

Still aged 18, after making the switch from Torro Rosso (in which he did drive well), he has grown into a more mature driver. Still aggressive, he can manage his tyres well and hold off other cars magnificently. His fan base is now growing, with Oranje supporters slowly becoming more visible at the stands.

Red Bull Racing

via Imago

187 points in the whole of 2015. Red Bull now sit 2nd in the constructors with 256 points. Since Max made the switch, they have 1 win and 6 other podium finishes. Ferrari have managed just 3 in the same period. They ended the Summer Break on a high, with their first double podium in a year.

Red Bull still lack the straight-line speed of the Mercedes and Ferrari engines but have the best aerodynamics. In cornering, no team is better than them. They are able to now match the pace of Mercedes at some stages of the race. With more modifications, the team is more than capable of challenging for more podium finishes. The Bulls are locked in a tough struggle with Ferrari for 2nd but have momentum on their side.

Mercedes 

via Imago

For the 3rd straight season, Mercedes have been the dominant team. 5 times have both drivers finished on the podium and 11 out of 12 wins have gone to the German team. Despite the increased competition below the order, Mercedes are still heads and shoulders ahead of the pack.

With the possible exception of Singapore, rest of the races are theirs to win. Their only downside has been the collision between Lewis and Nico at the Spanish and Austrian Grand Prix. They have to establish a discipline between the drivers, to avoid any conflict. Especially with both confirmed for the 2017 season now.

Sergio Perez

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Force India’s Mexican driver has driven admirably. The only driver that’s not part of Ferrari, Red Bull Racing or Mercedes to step on the podium more than once. A slow start to the season was overcome with podiums at Monaco and the European Grand Prix. As it stands, the Mexican is now the most successful driver from Mexico and is sitting 8th in the Drivers Standings.

No surprise, he will be linked to different drives, including Ferrari. If he keeps it up, that elusive first win for him may not be that far away.

Losers

Ferrari

via Imago

All said and done, Ferrari still have been on the podium often. They sit 3rd in the constructors and Red Bull are within touching distance. However, the car which had initially bridged the gap to Mercedes suffered reliability issues at the start of the season. And since the 5th round, Red Bull have emerged as a force to be reckoned with. They have now taken the edge in the battle between the two and seem closer to Ferrari.

And if the radio messages are to be judged, there might be some discord between Vettel in the team. They have time to get their act together before the Belgian Grand Prix, or the 2016 season is going to be a disaster.

Nico Rosberg

via Imago

A perfect start to the F1 year. 4 wins out of 4 wins, it seemed Nico had finally got the edge over his teammate. Yet, he wins just 1 of the next 7 races, as Lewis regained his stride. He struggled at Monaco, Canada and at Austria, he crashed into his teammate for the second time.

While momentum is not with him , he can use the break to recover and refocus for the remainder of the season. He knows does know the taste of continued success this year. 19 point is not a big lead, but he has to be an exceptional driver to overcome Lewis Hamilton.

Williams F1

via Imago

Since the start of the turbo era, Williams have been one of the top teams. However, 2016 has been a disaster season compared to the other two. Only a single podium place. Bottas and Massa are struggling and are not finishing in the higher places. The upgrades introduced by the team have not done the job.

Williams can work during this break, and consolidate a 4th position in the constructors from a charging Force India. However, they might be considering their options and would be focusing for the upcoming season now.

Sauber F1

For the second time since 2014, Sauber may finish without a point. Despite a reasonably fast engine, Sauber have not shown any real pace. Apart from the occasional good form shown by either driver, they are seconds of the pace of the front runners. Even Manor F1 is able to edge the team.

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This season, they have not scored a point till date. If they are unable to pick up the points before the season ends, it could cripple the finances, as the team won’t be receiving as much of a prize money from the FIA.

Danil Kvyat

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A bright prospect when he joined, he outperformed his established teammate in 2015. However, collisions with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and the desire for Red Bull to promote Max Verstappen saw the Russian heading back to Torro Rosso.

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Reliability issues at both teams have plagued him this season. Since he moved to Torro Rosso he has scored just two points. The team and him, have a lot to discuss on improving the reliability of the car. If he can grind out 9 solid performances later this year, he should not be in that much of an issue.

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