Doha: The FIA’s star-studded annual Prize-Giving awards ceremony on Friday culminated with the presentation of the FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship trophy to Lewis Hamilton, with the world championship’s Constructors’ trophy being awarded to the Briton’s Mercedes AMG F1 team at a glittering event in Doha.
Hamilton’s second career title came at the end of an enthralling, season-long battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg. Team-mates in their junior karting career, the racing aces resumed their rivalry at Mercedes in 2013 and this year, with the championship’s most competitive car at their disposal, the pair thrilled fans worldwide as they battled tooth and nail for the ultimate prize.
2014 FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton said: “This has been an incredible season and definitely one of the toughest I’ve ever been part of. We had a phenomenal car, which allowed both Nico and I to battle hard throughout the year and it was incredibly close throughout. I’m really grateful to Mercedes for giving us that opportunity and of course to the team for working so hard. As I said when I won in Abu Dhabi, winning my first title was fantastic but this win was even more special and I hope it’s a sign of a lot more success to come with Mercedes.”
At the end of the 19-race campaign Hamilton and Rosberg had taken 16 wins, sealed 11 one-two finishes and scored a staggering 18 pole positions — a level of dominance not seen in the sport for almost three decades and attributable in large part to Mercedes’ W05 Hybrid car.
For the 2014 season, the championship switched to technologically-advanced and fuel-efficient 1.6l, turbocharged, hybrid engines — a regulation change the Mercedes team exploited fully.
Mercedes AMG F1 Executive Director Toto Wolff said: “For Mercedes-Benz, 2014 has been a remarkable and historic season. Firstly, because it saw the introduction of F1’s new 1.6l turbocharged, hybrid power units, which were an enormously exciting challenge for all the teams. But you can never go into a season expecting the kind of success we have managed to achieve. To have won 16 races, with 11 one-two finishes and to have scored 18 pole positions has earned us a place in the history books and it is testimony to the hard work put in by everyone at the team. Both Lewis and Nico drove like champions throughout, with Nico winning the qualifying battle but Lewis prevailing in the races to become champion. We are hugely proud to have won the first Constructors’ Championship for Mercedes-Benz and the company’s first Drivers’ title since the great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955. But back at base, we’re already hard at work to make sure we can defend our title from Melbourne next year.”
THE PENINSULA
