Google+ Jack Leslie F1: F1 2015 mid-season review: The rookies

8 August 2015

F1 2015 mid-season review: The rookies

Several fresh faces joined the 2015 Formula 1 grid, but how have they fared during the first half of the season? 
© Octane Photographic
Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Nasr all debuted at the Australian Grand Prix, with Roberto Merhi starting his first F1 race in Malaysia. 

The majority of the attention has been on Verstappen, as the record-breaking driver races in his debut season at the age of just 17. The Toro Rosso racer has cracked under pressure a few times, but has overall impressed with some spirited performances. 

Reliability woes have plagued Toro Rosso’s year so far, with the problematic Renault power-unit holding the Italian outfit back. The STR10 chassis is undeniably strong, but seventh place in the constructors’ standings certainly doesn’t reflect that. 
© Octane Photographic

Verstappen has been classified six times so far in 2015, scoring points on three occasions – including a good run to fourth at the last race in Hungary, despite tagging Valtteri Bottas. Sure, he was helped by front-runners hitting trouble, but it was nevertheless a note-worthy performance and one to be proud of. 

His other highlights include seventh in Malaysia, brave overtakes in China before retiring, his aggressive drive in Monaco before crashing out and eighth in Austria. Despite just one season in single-seater competition before F1, his race craft has been brilliant – you sometimes forget he isn’t even old enough to drive on the roads by himself in his native Holland. 

However, on a few occasions, small mistakes have cost him dearly. The best and most obvious example took place in Monaco, when a misjudgement saw the Dutchman clip the back of Romain Grosjean’s car on the run to the first corner, hitting the barrier hard. It was a nasty shunt and in recent races, he does appear to have calmed down the aggression. 

Overall, it has been a largely positive first half of the 2015 season for Verstappen, living up to the hype and proving the critics wrong. A few errors have crept in, through inexperience and impatience, but his talent and potential is clear to see. 
© Octane Photographic

When you look at the statistics, Verstappen may have scored more points, but it is Sainz Jr who currently leads the qualifying and race battle. The Spaniard leads both fights 6-4, having scored four top 10 finishes. With more attention on Verstappen, it has been a fairly quiet start to Sainz Jr’s F1 career, but he has done a solid job so far. 

The extra experience in feeder categories has certainly helped, but the Formula Renault 3.5 champion has still shown aggressive flare and enjoyed some clean, fair battles. He has handled the season so far with impressive maturity and a level head, despite running somewhat under the radar.

Finishing ninth on his debut in Melbourne was obviously an important moment for Sainz Jr, and he backed that up with a fine drive to eighth in Malaysia. In recent races, he has suffered more reliability woes, preventing him from adding to his tally of points. It will be fascinating to see how the inter-team battle at Toro Rosso develops. 

Nasr burst onto the scene for Sauber with a flawless drive to fifth in Australia, but sadly, the Brazilian has failed to match the result. The Swiss outfit has fallen down the order as the development battle rages on, and the Albert Park Circuit suited the C30, helping Sauber to score a double points finish. 
© Octane Photographic

The revised Ferrari power unit has been the biggest improvement for the team, meaning it has avoided a repeat of its woeful, point-less 2014 campaign. However, downforce remains an issue and two big updates are planned for Belgium and Singapore. The lack of performance hasn’t helped the Sauber drivers stand out, but both have done decent jobs, with Nasr leading the fight. 

The GP2 race winner is currently 7-2 in the Sunday battle, with a smaller lead of 6-4 in qualifying. This is despite Ericsson having one year of extra experience in Formula 1. Nasr has an intelligent approach to racing and has rarely got caught up in scraps. In recent races Ericsson has closed the gap, but despite failing to live up to the post-Australia expectations, it has been a positive debut so far – particularly with the machinery at his disposal. 

Considering Merhi is racing alongside Will Stevens, who he finished ahead of in FR3.5 last year, it was a bit of an underwhelming start to the season for the Spaniard. Both Manor cars failed to race in Australia, but Merhi finished the Malaysian Grand Prix and did a solid job for the team, with Stevens failing to race due to problems. 

The only driver you can compare him to is Stevens, as they are both battling away at the back. Manor’s revised 2014 machine is still well off the pace, but steps forward are being made and it is positive to still have the team on the grid. Merhi’s obviously doing what the team want, as he was only initially signed to compete in the early races. 

10 rounds later and he has made strides forward, often matching Stevens, occasionally beating him and battling closely on Sundays. After a more difficult start, he has clawed back ground in the inter-team fight and appears to be a calmer driver than he was earlier in the season. Weighing more than the tiny Stevens doesn’t help matters, and that has to be taken into account too. 

Which rookie has impressed you the most so far? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.   

My top 10 moments from 2015: http://bit.ly/1hjAdzK

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