Okay so I've got no idea exactly how this is going to work, but my plan is to run the entire Formula One narrative in reverse starting with the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and finishing with the 1950 British Grand Prix.
However, there is going to be one very notable difference: the rules will be reversed, so the very first season will see no Constructors Championship, the 8-6-4-3-2 (1) points system, only four counting races and only seven races in total in the season.
Seem confusing? Well, most probably yes but I'm genuinely curious how this works out so please bear with me.
Remainder of the field did not score any points this season. Big shout-out to Kevin Magnussen for sneaking point away for the Formula 1.5 teams with a fastest lap at Singapore despite finishing in 18th place. All in all, there's not much of a narrative going on aside from Kimi Raikkonen being the main challenger to Lewis Hamilton for the title, although ultimately he was never really going to be a strong challenger when Hamilton won over 70% of the races this season.
This was a slightly more interesting season than the last one, with a few more interesting narratives and one very specific turning point in the season. Having spent the previous season playing second-fiddle to teammate Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel hit a winning stride and was able to mount a real Championship challenge. It all hinged on a single moment at his home Grand Prix though, in which he aquaplaned from the lead into a wall; had he not, then it would have been he and not Hamilton who won the Championship this year. The best of the Formula 1.5 drivers this year was Romain Grosjean, whose one stellar drive at Austria counted for more than teammate Magnussen's consistent performances. Also sad to see was the loss of the Racing Point name from the grid; after their first-ever points at Belgium, they were bought out by Vijay Mallya, who chose to rename the team Force India.
Without a doubt the most interesting season yet. The four-way Championship battle went down to the final race at Brazil. The permutations were thus:
Valtteri Bottas (29 points) could score up to 32 points by finishing 1st with fastest lap. Win is enough to seal WDC.
Lewis Hamilton (28 points) could score up to 31 points by finishing 1st with fastest lap. Win is enough to seal WDC.
Sebastian Vettel (26 points) could score up to 31 points by finishing 1st with fastest lap. Win is enough to seal WDC.
Daniel Ricciardo (24 points) could score up to 30 points by finishing 1st with fastest lap. Win is enough to seal WDC, so long as other contenders scored 6 points or fewer. Dropped points are confusing guys.
In the end, it was Sebastian Vettel who took the win and the Championship, but as you can see it really could have been anyone: Valtteri Bottas had started on pole, but could only manage his fourth second-place of the season after being overtaken at Turn One. Further down the field, Sergio Perez's podium at Baku was the first we have ever seen for a "Formula 1.5" team, while Kevin Magnussen yet again performed creditably.
One of the less interesting seasons so far, this one was once again utterly dominated by Lewis Hamilton, with Valtteri Bottas as an able rear-gunner. The "Formula 1.5" teams had a bit of a field day at Singapore as Vettel, Raikkonen and Verstappen all retired, leaving fourth (Sainz) and fifth (Perez) vacant. There's not a huge amount more to say about this season really.
This season saw an impressive title battle between Hamilton and Vettel once again, but one which was somewhat counter-intuitive. For one thing, the title was decided already by the time Hamilton (38 points, max. 41 available) arrived at the season-ending Australian Grand Prix with a lead over Vettel (34 points, max. 37 available). Vettel ended up losing by four points despite winning the final race and earning six points more over the course of the season. Further down the grid, the Formula 1.5 teams had a bumper season: Perez managed six points including a fastest lap, and Lance Stroll recorded a maiden podium after five seasons in Formula One.
This is a super series, really enjoying this one. I like how two separate seasons are separated by a fortnight break - they really don't give the mechanics much of a holiday, do they
Murray Walker at the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix wrote:The other [Stewart] driver, who nobody's been paying attention to, because he's disappointing, is Jan Magnussen.
Rob Dylan wrote:This is a super series, really enjoying this one. I like how two separate seasons are separated by a fortnight break - they really don't give the mechanics much of a holiday, do they
But some seasons have multiple-months breaks in the middle!
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
Although the final standings told the story of a close season, it was a misleading impression: the season was all but over when Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton had won the first four Grands Prix of the season. Even though new teammate Nico Rosberg was in second place behind him every time, by the time he started winning it was too late. The real missed opportunity was the Malaysian Grand Prix, in which Hamilton was forced to retire but Rosberg could only manage third place behind the two Red Bulls. And that was that, the Championship battle was mathematically over. For the "Formula 1.5" teams, there were relatively slim pickings, although former Mercedes man Bottas showed some of the ambition that he had to revive his new Williams team by stealing fifth at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
For a moment, it looked as if Nico Rosberg could mount a real challenge to his already-legendary teammate. With wins in each of the opening two rounds it certainly looked that way, only for Hamilton to string together another streak of four wins that once again made him the runaway leader who would never be caught. There was a chance - a win would have given Rosberg a season's total of 40 points, which would have left Hamilton needing second and the fastest lap to retain his title. But none of this mattered - Hamilton won the race. In "Formula 1.5", both Perez and Bottas managed to climb onto the podium, while Fernando Alonso earned a fastest lap for McLaren.
Fernando Alonso (McLaren) - 2 points [1 5th, 1 6th, 1 11th ...]
Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) - 1 point
For the second time in his career, Lewis Hamilton was beaten. And the driver who beat him was Nico Rosberg, after hitting a basically unbeatable run of form in which he won the final six races of the season. One bizarre narrative from the season was the demotion of Max Verstappen from the main Red Bull team to Toro Rosso despite his impressive victory at the Spanish Grand Prix But at that same Spanish Grand Prix, Daniil Kvyat managed to take the fastest lap in a pretty average Toro Rosso. Also impressive was the progress made by Williams and their impressive driver pairing of Bottas and Massa - they were now the fourth-best and nearing the third-best team on the grid.
McLaren-Honda - 2 points Constructors do not earn points for fastest laps.
A new era of Formula One began this season with the introduction of the new Constructors Championship. It was, like most seasons of Formula One, dominated by Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes team - a trend which shows no sign yet of slowing down. Something that is changing though is the Williams team, and most notably its profound improvement since Valtteri Bottas joined the ranks alongside Felipe Massa. This season they managed no fewer than four podiums, all at different events. It seems that they have managed to climb out of the "Formula 1.5" designation that had plagued them for so long. Of the constructors, only Sauber and Marussia fail to score points.
This wasn't a season of a great title battle in either Championship, as both Hamilton and Mercedes ran away with things once again. Off the track, however, a bevy of changes might make the eleventh season of this Championship quite interesting. The catalyst of all these changes was Sebastian Vettel: the former Champion, tired of near misses with Ferrari, decided to move to Red Bull in the hope of changing his luck. It was a bold choice: the once race-winning team didn't make the podium this season, and has slipped back into the "Formula 1.5" pack. As a result of his move, Daniil Kvyat was shifted sideways to make room for Vettel. Vettel's Ferrari seat was taken by Fernando Alonso, whose project with Honda at McLaren was reaching a real nadir. Their star driver abandoning ship was enough to prompt Honda to depart the sport, and the combination of Button, McLaren and Mercedes was instantly at the top end of the field for the final couple of races. And amidst all of this shuffling, Lewis Hamilton just kept winning.
I'm looking forward to the 1950s. But it is going to make Juan Manuel Fangio's title count go down massively...
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
James1978 wrote:This is brilliant! So presumably, some point around 1990 we will briefly meet reality.
Approximately! The seasons will meet each other going the other way, though they won't quite line up with one another.
dr-baker wrote:I'm looking forward to the 1950s. But it is going to make Juan Manuel Fangio's title count go down massively...
It really will. I'm not sure I like this timeline where Lewis Hamilton is going to be a c. 15-time World Champion, but Fangio will win only three titles at most, probably only two