Formula 1 is a complicated sport and summarizing an entire season is a daunting task, but one YouTube user took upon himself to tackle it. And the result tells quite a story. Among the chaos of new engines, rule changes, and institutional drama, F1 still manages to maintain its focus on what the sport is all about: the drivers and teams racing to be the best.
The much beloved, naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter, eight-cylinder engines were replaced this year with turbocharged 1.6-liter six-cylinders, with mixed reviews from fans and teams alike. The change in powerplants sufficiently mixed things up amongst the grid, coming as a hindrance to some of those at the top, while giving lower-rung teams a chance to move themselves closer to the front of the pack.
This was most apparent at the start of the season, as the video highlights the frustrations of reigning champion Sebastian Vettel, falling back in to the middle of the grid, territory unfamiliar to him after four consecutive championships. His worsening fortune seemed to be highlighted by the great personal success being had by his new co-driver, Daniel Ricciardo.
The video goes on to highlight the several breathtaking scrapes the cars have had, either with each other, or the walls (or both), including the heart-stopping mid-air flip of Esteban Gutierrez’s Sauber race car after an incident in Bahrain.
Throughout all of this, and put more sharply into focus in the video, is the battle between Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The two battled at the front of most races of the season, making for some of the most intense challenges of the year. Each had their own handfuls of mechanical issues, racing incidents, and plain bad luck. However, both raced spectacularly to a dramatic season finisher.
At a little over 18 minutes, the video may be a touch too long for some attention spans, but if you want to relive some of the best moments of this year’s incredible season, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better way.
