F1: 10 defining moments of the 2013 season

The jury is still out on whether the 2013 was a boring one or not. The tide may turn depending on individual perception but there are no two ways about the fact that the season had quite a few defining moments that attempted to make the season a bit more dramatic to say the least.

10. McLaren in the wrong lane

Mclaren led by team boss Martin Whitmarsh had a disappointing 2013 season.

One team that would want to forget the year as fast as possible. The 50 year celebrations happened ceremoniously off the track but there was nothing to celebrate the year on it. Mclaren ended the year with no podium finishes and a fifth place in the Constructor’s Championship. The only solace – McLaren became the first F1 team in history to have both cars classified at every race of the season. If the spat between teammates Jenson Button and Sergio Perez at the Bahrain GP wasn’t enough to shake things up, the Venezuelan driver getting a pink slip by the end of the season definitely did. Whether Button played a hand in the decision remains anybody’s guess.

9. Nico Hulkenberg’s charge

Nico Hulkenberg remained one of the driver’s in the limelight with his superb performances but struggled to get a seat with any of the top teams for 2014.

A driver with oodles of talent would probably be an understatement. With a decent showing in the first half of the season, Nico Hulkenberg put the Sauber in the best possible places in the remaining half. The German who is yet to find a seat with the top teams will most likely drive with his ex-employer’s Force India in 2014. He turned the tables from the Italian GP, scoring 44 points in the last eight races and ended up in 10th place in the driver’s standing. A Sauber holding on a Ferrari and Mercedes is some feat, aint it?

8. Force India loses momentum

Force India were left in the lurch especially after the tyre change with both their drivers struggling to score points.

Blame it on the tyres or driver errors, Vijay Malaya’s team squandered away whatever advantage they had during the first eight races. From looking to move ahead of Mclaren at one point to finishing way behind the British team, Force India were left cribbing about the tyre changes despite a return of their veteran driver Adrian Sutil. Yet to finalise their driver line-up, the team’s defining moment was definitely the tyre change.

7. Romain Grosjean’s resurgence

Romain Grosjean ended the 2013 season with a streak of podiums overcoming his first lap nutcase ghosts from 2012.

From being called a first lap nutcase to being considered a front runner by the end of the season with a series of podium finishes, Romain Grosjean looked ready to take up the mantle from his teammate Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus. With doubts prevailing whether he would eventually get a drive for 2014 mid-season(with just two podium finishes), the French driver took the challenge and drove for his life finishing with four podiums in the second half of the season making him the No. 1 driver at Lotus for 2014.

6. The V8 goodbye

Formula One bid adieu to the V8 engines at the end of the 2013 season making way for the new V6 engines in 2014 amid new rules.

While the notification for a rule change in 2014 was out almost two years back, the approval along with amendments to the original notification was given mid-way of the season. That meant Formula One would say good bye to the V8 engine in 2013 and make way for the turbo-charged V6 machinery come 2014. It also meant that the teams had to shell out more cash from their pockets for the new power-train development.

5. The Mercedes saga

Despite a good show by Mercedes in 2013, Team Principal Ross Brawn decided to move out amid disagreement on the management re-structuring.

It was a roller-coaster year for the Ross Brawn led team. The team had a secret testing with Pirelli, it had wins at Monaco, Great Britain(Nico Rosberg) and Hungary(Lewis Hamilton) and finished second ahead of Ferrari in the Constructor’s. However, the year ended with the Ross Brawn deciding to leave one of the biggest teams and Mercedes to look for replacement to fill in the big hole. Will that affect the Mercedes campaign for 2014? We shall find out in due-course.

4. Kimi Raikkonen’s move to Ferrari

The Iceman decided to end his stay at Lotus and move to his former team Ferrari for 2014.

It was Kimi’s move back to Ferrari in 2014(after having numerous issues with Lotus) to drive alongside former World Champion Fernando Alonso that left the Formula One paddock and fans abuzz. Arguably two of the best best drivers on the grid as teammates is one battle that everyone is waiting to watch with a bated breath and one that is expected to throw up some sparks.

3. Sebastian Vettel wins fourth title in India

Sebastian Vettel celebrated his fourth title in style after winning the Indian GP.

Beyond a point it looked inevitable and it finally happened in India as Vettel celebrated his fourth consecutive title in style with donut and a bowdown in front of the Grand Stand. He eventually finished the year with record equaling 13 wins in a season and a record-breaking 9 wins on the bounce. Sheer dominance by the German, a replica of what his compatriot and seven time World Champion Michael Schumacher did in the early part of the century.

2. Tyre blowouts

The knives were out for Pirelli as drivers suffered blowouts by the minute at the British GP.

Call it a defining moment or a scary one, tyre blowouts led to a catastrophe at the British GP. It probably changed the course of the season with teams and drivers getting affected by the switch to last year compounds.

1. Multi-21

The infamous Multi-21 controversy remained a faux pas for Sebastian Vettel.

This one had to be at the top for the on and off-track drama. Vettel dying team orders to overtake teammate Mark Webber for a win at the Malaysian GP. That left Webber understandably miffed. The result – Webber a few months later announced his intentions to retire at the end of the season and Vettel had to face the wrath of the fans with boos at multiple venues.