Top 5 F1 moments of the year
Mind games, wheel-to-wheel action and tragedy. Lewis Hamilton's second world championship seems like an afterthought in retrospect.
Here are five moments that changed the course of the best Formula One season in years.
Battle in Bahrain
The season-long battle for the championship between Mercedes teammates Hamilton and Nico Rosberg wasted no time hitting the throttle.
Just three races into the season, Hamilton and Rosberg found themselves wheel-to-wheel at the Bahrain Grand Prix. It was a remarkable duel. Teams often order their drivers not to race each other, especially when a victory is possible.
That didn't happen in the desert, where Hamilton eventually held off Rosberg in the first of many on-track meetings to come.
Rosberg takes momentum at Monaco
Call it an innocent mistake or Machiavellian maneuvering. Either way, Rosberg benefited at Hamilton's expense.
Rosberg was on pole position at the end of qualifying at Monaco when he appeared to lock up heading into a corner. That brought out yellow flags and ruined what Hamilton thought was a lap that would put him on the pole.
Rosberg went on to win the race while Hamilton, who was convinced Rosberg made the qualifying mistake on purpose, went into a tailspin.
“We are not friends,” Hamilton said after Monaco. “We are colleagues.”
Hamilton's turning point
Relations between Hamilton and Rosberg hit rock bottom at the Belgium Grand Prix.
Just two laps into the race, Rosberg attempted an ill-advised pass that punctured Hamilton's wheel. The result eventually led to Hamilton's retirement from the race. But fans, media and even his own team turned on Rosberg, who Hamilton said wanted to make a point.
The incident inspired Hamilton, who rallied to win the next five races. In the end, his championship might not have happened if it weren't for a hole in his tire.
#ForzaJules
Racing seemed less important for drivers and fans alike following the Japanese Grand Prix.
Marussia driver Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle and suffered severe head injuries. Marussia, which had scored its first-ever points thanks to a ninth-place finish by Bianchi in Monaco, later went into administration and failed to complete the season.
Bianchi, meanwhile, remains unconscious at a hospital in Nice, France, while the FIA has pledged to improve safety.
Vettel leaves Red Bull for Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel wasn't interested in playing second fiddle on his own team.
Vettel, who was thoroughly outperformed by new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, sent a shock wave through the sport when he announced he was leaving Red Bull prior to the Japanese GP.
The four-time world champion's defection to Ferrari has had a profound effect on what the driver's field will look like in 2015.
Vettel takes over the seat formerly held by Fernando Alonso, who then moved to McLaren. Jenson Button's career was in turn saved when McLaren opted for the experience of two former world champs over Kevin Magnussen.
Daniil Kvyat, meanwhile, replaced Vettel at Red Bull, while Toro Rosso dumped Jean-Eric Vergne in favour of youngsters Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr.