Canada 2008 – Sauber and Kubica’s moment in the sun

2008 was the season which Sauber, with the help of BMW, took the fight to Formula 1’s top teams. It was the year which saw Robert Kubica come of age, and it gave him his first, and probably last, Formula 1 victory. On the 8^th June 2008, the Sauber BMW F1 team, had their moment in the sun.

Kubica had qualified in second place behind Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren, with Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari third. A standard getaway left the top three in the same positions as they had been on the grid. Ahead of Kubica, Hamilton romped away, to open up a five second lead over the BMW. Then, on lap 16, Adrian Sutil’s Force India stopped on track, bringing out the safety car. This was back in the day when the pits closed when a safety car was deployed, so the field had to wait for the pits to reopen.

 When they did, Hamilton led the charge into the pits. A slow pitstop for the McLaren driver dropped him behind Kubica and Raikkonen. The pair reached the end of the pitlane and stopped for the red light, but, for whatever reason, Hamilton didn’t. He narrowly avoided Kubica, but smashed straight into the back of the Ferrari, with the Williams of Nico Rosberg then hitting the back of Hamilton. In one foul swoop, Hamilton had caused mayhem. He and Raikkonen were out of the race, and Rosberg was penalised. This handed the race on a plate to BMW Sauber. But it was Nick Heidfeld who led the way!

Kubica was on a two-stop strategy, whereas Heidfeld was on a one stop. Before Heidfeld lead the field away, seven different leaders headed the field, before it sorted itself out after their pitstops. Kubica was one of those to pit over that section of the race, leaving Heidfeld in the lead. Heidfeld had a decent lead but Kubica was in a much lighter and faster car, and rapidly caught up to his teammate. Knowing resistance was futile, and a podium was still on, Heidfeld duly allowed his teammate through. Kubica did this on just the first lap out of the pits! Kubica never looked back after that, but his teammate had to! A charging Fernando Alonso in the Renault was putting pressure on the German driver, and it looked like Sauber might not get the fairytale 1-2 in which it was currently holding.

  

Alonso’s charge however came to an abrupt end just a few laps later. A rare mistake saw him spin off and damage his front wing and suspension, putting him out of the race. Heidfeld was now safely in second place, and Kubica leading the way ahead of him. Kubica had been the first Pole on pole at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier in the year, and took a solid podium in that race. Now, on this sunny afternoon in Canada, he was on his way to his first ever Grand Prix victory, and the first for Sauber BMW as well. It was a well-deserved victory for a team of pure racers.

Kubica took the checkered flag and the championship lead with it too. Sadly though, this was as good as it got for BMW Sauber. With a victory in the bag, the team decided to stop development on the 2008 car, to focus on the 2009 car, where big aerodynamic changes were coming in. Unfortunately, this headstart didn’t produce a title contender, and team endured a nightmare season, which culminated in BMW leaving Formula 1, and Sauber nearly going under. Only Peter Sauber’s tenacity saved it from extinction. To this day, it is a huge source of regret for BMW, that they didn’t carry on developing what really could have become, a championship winning car.

As for Kubica, he went to pastures new in 2010, to the Renault team, and impressed massively that year. His F1 career was sadly cut short in 2011, after a horrific rally accident nearly left him without his right arm. On the edge of Ferrari stardom, a promising career was cut short. And in 2008, a promising future for the Sauber team, was effectively wiped out, on the day that promised them so much. The 8^th June 2008. The day which Sauber, had its one, utterly glorious moment, in the sun.

IndyCar 2016 – The Final Act

The 2016 IndyCar season is rapidly drawing to a close, and it could reach a thrilling conclusion. What looked like a walk in the park for Simon Pagenaud all year long has now turned into an inter-Penske duel between himself and his teammate Will Power. Both drivers have four wins apiece, with Power fighting after missing the first race of the year. Heading into the penultimate round of the championship, the gap between them is twenty eight points. Before Pocono, it was over fifty. But a hefty crash for Pagenaud and a stunning victory for Power greatly reduced that gap. Pagenaud clawed back eight points in the Texas 600, but it is all to play for as the season draws to a close.

Both drivers have been incredibly impressive all season. Pagenaud dominated the early part of the season, taking three victories in a row and bouncing back perfectly from a disappointing 2015. And whenever he didn’t win a race, he was more often than not scoring a big haul of points. This was while his rivals like Scott Dixon and Juan Pablo Montoya were having rather difficult seasons, despite the latter winning the season opener. Pagenaud’s cause was also helped with Power missing the first race of the year due to suffering the ill effects of a practice crash.

But as the season has gone on, Power has fought back magnificently. He won the second race in Detorit and then made it back to back victories, winning the next race at Road America. Another win followed in Toronto, and then another at Pocono.  It was there where Pagenuad suffered his first DNF of the season, allowing Power to close right in on him in the standings.  It came on a rare day of inconsistency for Pagenaud, who was never in contention before his accident.

It has also been a season of Penske dominance. They have won eight of the seasons sixteen races, and have taken all bar three of the 14 pole positions so far. It is an incredible achievement in what is a very close and competitive series.

Heading into Watkins Glen this weekend, Power is twenty eight points behind his title rival. It is a decent gap for Pagenaud, but Power is unlikely to give up, and the championship is surely going to go down to the wire at Sonoma. What complicates it further, is that the race there, is worth double points…

Stay tuned…this battle is far from over!

The Rise of Max Verstappen

The rise of Max Verstappen – F1’s youngest ever winner

Max Verstappen exploded onto the Formula 1 scene in 2015, and his rise has been nothing short of remarkable. He has rewritten what many though possible for a driver at such a young age. He has caused controversy, created splendour, and enlivened many a race in his so far short career. Along the way, there have been many impressive drives, culminating in his stunning first win for Red Bull in Spain this year.

The start of something special

Perhaps the first indication that Max was indeed a special driver, came in Malaysia 2015. Qualifying was held in atrocious conditions, and Max made it safely to Q3. During the session, he qualified in an incredible 6^th position. The race was even more impressive. Some incredible race craft,particulary going around the outside of Daniel Ricciardo, netted a solid 7^th place finish. This made him the youngest points scorer in F1 history, at 17 years and 180 days. He beat Danii Kvyat’s record of 19 years and 324 days by more than two years.

Malaysia was the first indication that Max’s age would not hinder him. Far from it, it looked like it might actually help him. Could he go on to achieve Sebastian Vettel like success, except even younger? The Chinese Grand Prix showed even more promise.

Braking perfection

The next race in Shanghai showed the incredible overtaking talent of Verstappen. Battling with the Sauber’s, he made some stunning overtaking moves into the hairpin at the end of Shanghai’s back straight, at one point virtually frightening Marcus Ericsson out of the way. He hadn’t expected an underpowered Toro Rosso to be up his inside! A similar move was made on Ericsson’s teammate, Felipe Nasr. As Verstappen made his mark, teammate Sainz was spinning to the back at turn one. Sainz was currently being rather overshadowed. Sadly, for Verstappen, all of his hard work went unrewarded. Just a couple of laps from the end of the race, his car came to a shuddering halt, thanks to a technical failure. A gutting end to a brilliant drive.

Overtaking Brilliance

Max showed further overtaking perfection in the Belgian Grand Prix. He pulled a stunning move around the outside of Nasr into Blanchimont, going off the track but keeping his foot down, before completing the move into the bus stop chicane.

Further brilliance was shown in the penultimate race of the year, in Brazil. Verstappen made a stunning move around the outside of Perez into the Senna esses, quite possibly his overtake of the season. This followed some bold moves on the likes of Vettel in the US Grand Prix, where he took another fourth place finish. He only narrowly missed out on the podium as well. Verstappens bold overtaking was gaining him a remarkable number of fans, in what was a frustratingly one sided 2015 season.

Meteor Rising

Verstappen’s rise to the top has been meteoric. After four races of 2016, Daniil Kvyat was dropped from the main Red Bull team, and Verstappen was put in his place. The move was seen as controversial, particularly as Kvyat had taken Red Bull’s first podium of the season in China. The switch came ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

No one expected Verstappen to get up to speed with the RB12 instantly. It would always to take to get used to a new car, particularly one as good as the ever improving Red Bull. But his speed in practice was impressive, finishing fourth behind teammate Ricciardo. He claimed he was still getting up to speed too, which was encouraging for the rest of the weekend! Qualifying though was fantastic, and he forced Ricciardo into leaving it to the wire to decide who would line up behind the Mercedes pair. After a mistake by Hamilton put him provisionally second, Verstappen eventually took fourth, a stunning lap from Ricciardo just edging him out. It was a terrific performance though for his first qualifying with Red Bull.

Then came race day…

Barely legal for the Champagne

We all know what happened on lap one. Rosberg and Hamilton took each-other before the race had hardly begun, which left the Red Bull’s one and two, Ricciardo leading. And thus followed quite possibly the race of the season so far. Ricciardo restarted the race well following the safety car, with Carlos Sainz third. The Ferrari pair swiftly passed the Toro Rosso. Vettel and Raikkonen were arguably faster than the Red Bull’s. Indeed, when in clear air, Vettel was quicker than the RB12’s. But the Red Bull’s superior traction out of the last corner meant the Ferrari’s never had the chance to pass them into turn one with the DRS.

As the race went on, Ricciardo couldn’t quite drop Verstappen. He followed in his footsteps, matching, and sometimes bettering, his pace. Things then began to get very interesting! Vettel and Ricciardo were on different strategies than Verstappen and Raikkonen. They were on the favoured three stop, with the other pair on the two stopper. This strategy shafted Ricciardo, cycling him behind Vettel after the last pit stops. Verstappen though, was managing his tyres beautifully, but Raikkonen was bearing down on him. There were three questions that needed answering. Would the Ferrari and Red Bull’s tyres last? Would Vettel and Ricciardo catch them? And, if they stayed ahead of their teammates, would Raikkonen get past Verstappen?

As it turned out, neither Vettel or Ricciardo caught Verstappen. The Australian’s left rear blew up with just a handful of laps to go, after failing to pass Vettel. Vettel never closed up to the pair ahead due his battles with Ricciardo. And despite immense pressure, Verstappen held off Raikkonen and took a stunning first win in only his first start with Red Bull.

 It was the biggest sporting news of the weekend, and made headlines all around the globe. He had defied all the critics who had questioned his promotion to F1 pre 2015. He had shown that age is just a number. He had done something incredible. At the age of just 18, Max Verstappen was a Grand Prix winner.

The star still rises

The following race in Monaco was a disaster for Verstappen, crashing out in both qualifying and the race. But since then, impressive drives have followed in Canada, Austria, and Silverstone, to net three more podiums. A disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix was soon forgotten about with another podium in Germany.

Verstappen’s star continues to rise. The question is, how far can it continue to do so?

The curious case of Ferrari and Raikkonen

In 2014, Kimi Raikkonen returned to Ferrari after two impressive years at the Lotus F1 Team. 7 podiums, including a win in 2012, netted an impressive third place in the championship after three years away from the sport. The following season yielded more success. Victory in the opening race of the year set up a title charge, and more races should have gone his way, particularly the German Grand Prix. His first year back with Ferrari though was a complete disaster. Raikkonen only scored 55 points, compared to teammate Fernando Alonso’s 161. The following season, 2015, was much better, and netted three podiums. However, new teammate Sebastian Vettel scored three wins. He also amassed almost double the points of Kimi, and was rarely off the podium.

In 2016, the Iceman’s form has improved. He has already taken three podiums, and he came close to winning the Spanish Grand Prix. But his inconsistent form lead to many questions about his future at Ferrari beyond 2017. Ferrari put all that to bed at the British Grand Prix however, and re-signed Raikkonen for 2017. However, I feel Ferrari need to have a rethink after 2017. Raikkonen needs to go. But why?

Raikkonen has yet to win at Ferrari since rejoining the team. Whereas teammate Vettel won three races in his first year with the team in 2015. If Ferrari want to become constructor’s champions again, they need a driver who cannot just score consistently, but someone else who can win races. Both Mercedes drivers are capable of winning races and winning championships, even if one of them is still seeking their first title. Both of Ferrari’s drivers are world champions, but only one of them is driving like one. This is why Ferrari need to look elsewhere for its championship ambitions.

But who can replace the Iceman? Which driver would best fit the team?

The Honey Badger

Probably the most obvious choice for Ferrari is Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is one of the most highly rated drivers on the grid, and for good reason. His 2014 season was nothing short of stellar, and he has put in many an impressive drive since his three victories that year. Two wins have escaped him this year, the one at Monaco after one of the qualifying laps of the hybrid era, if not maybe the lap of the era. Daniel is incredible on the brakes, and his smiley exterior hides a ferocious animal. An animal that knows what to risk and when to risk it, more often than not making it work. The word ‘mistake’ is not one that is often associated with Daniel. Officially though, Daniel is at Red Bull for the next two seasons (2017-’18), and that doesn’t look set to change. However, he recently admitted that he was on Ferrari’s ‘shopping list’ if they did decide to oust Kimi. That surely won’t change in 2017. "Am I the only driver on that list? Probably not. Am I their top pick? I don't know” says Daniel. "I'm aware they'd be interested; I don't blame them!”. Whilst there has been no physical contact between either party, Ferrari would be foolish to not at least consider Ricciardo for the drive in 2018.

‘Checo’

A few years ago, you wouldn’t even consider Sergio Perez for this list. However, since joining Force India after a tough season at McLaren, things have only gone up for Checo. Despite teammate Nico Hulkenburg being highly rated, Checo has been the one who has taken four podiums for Force India since he and ‘The Hulk’ became teammates. He has taken two podiums in the last two races of this season alone, and qualified second on the road in Baku. After finishing behind Hulkenburg in the 2014 standings, Checo beat his teammate last year and looks on course to do so again this season. His tyre management is also second to none, the podium in Russia last year partly down to this, much like some of his 2012 podiums with the Sauber team. Ferrari will surely be knocking on his door.

The man himself sounds happy to be linked with the Scuderia, saying "As a racing driver it makes you feel proud, especially how my career has been in the past years”. "I know I'm doing a good job and performing well and working well with the team [Force India]. That's good for everyone." Checo historically has had one year renewals with Force India. If that is the case again this year, he could be a free agent for 2018. This perhaps might make him the most likely Raikkonen replacement.

The Iceman mark 2?

Having said that, you cannot rule out current Williams star Valtteri Bottas. The young Finn was one of the stars of 2014, taking six podiums on his way to fourth place in that year’s standings. He was in contention for victory in both Austria that year and at Silverstone last year. Some of his qualifying performances have also been stellar, for example Russia 2014, where he almost took a stunning pole position, and Russia this year, where he outpaced Raikkonen’s Ferrari to take a Vettel-penalty-assisted front row start. His drive this year in Canada to third place was superbly calculated. 

The only issue perhaps is his performance against Massa, particularly in 2015. Massa fared pretty well against the young Finn last year, which suggested that Bottas wasn't quite the real deal, bearing in mind Massa's lacklustre performance in his latter days at Ferrari. This year however, that's completely changed and Bottas has completely overshadowed Massa.

Perhaps Valtteri is the least likely of the candidates to move to the Scuderia, particularly as Williams are very keen to keep hold of him. but Bottas is certainly still within a shout of the Ferrari drive.

An All-Star German Lineup

Perhaps even less likely of a choice is the current championship leader. Nico Rosberg is yet to seal a new Mercedes deal, although at the time of writing it is looking more likely he will stay with the Silver Arrows. But, I am convinced that Rosberg has held some form of discussion with Ferrari. He has never denied this. The man himself has said “Of course I’m in an interesting situation, I just want to see what the future will be. Let’s see”. He is an improved driver and man in 2016, and has bounced right back from his slumps in Monaco and Canada. He should have taken victory in Austria, but for that last lap. His racecraft, something that was questioned a lot over the last two years, is certainly not lacking. The move he made around the outside of Hamilton at the start in Spain was brave and brilliant. A move that you would normally find Hamilton doing. With the German on form, Ferrari will certainly be interested. With Raikkonen now resigned for 2017, and a multiple year deal at Mercedes now inevitable, the Ferrari door is probably shut for now for Rosberg. But rest assured, Rosberg will be one to watch in the coming years. He could yet end up 'Red'.

Signing Raikkonen for me was not the right thing for Ferrari to do. His performance has been inconsistent and we've yet to see a race win on his return to Ferrari. Yes, he's improved this year and yes, his experience may help the team with the new regulations for 2017. But beyond that, there are plenty of drivers who could do a much better job at Ferrari. If his form doesn’t improve, the Iceman’s days are surely numbered. 

Formula 1 2016 - Rosberg's run ends in Spanish smash

The almost all-out war between the two Mercedes drivers reached its peak at the 2014 Belgium Grand Prix. It was going into Les Combes, on the second lap of the race, that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg made contact. That contact resulted in a DNF for Hamilton, and Rosberg losing his chance of victory in that race. A race won by the emerging Daniel Ricciardo. 2015 didn't see many flash-points, China and Austin probably the main two. But in 2016, after a stunning start to the season by Rosberg, the rivalry between them took possibly its biggest hit at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Going into the race, Rosberg was looking for his fifth consecutive win, after a dominant display in Russia two weeks previous. Hamilton had snatched pole for race in Barcelona, after it looked like Rosberg would do it, having beaten Lewis in all three Free Practice sessions so far over the course of the weekend. The cars formed up for the start of the race. The two Red Bull's directly behind the Mercedes. The lights came on, then went out. Off the line, Rosberg slip-streamed Hamilton, and made a spectacular move around the outside into turn one to snatch the lead. Another race, and another bad start for Hamilton. However, it was coming into turn four, that the rivalry imploded between the two team-mates.

It isn't 100% clear who is to blame for what happened on the opening lap. Was Rosberg too aggressive in his defending? Did he move over to late? Was the engine being in a different mode down to a mistake by himself, or a glitch with his switch or engine? And was Hamilton naive in keeping his foot in as the gap he went for rapidly closed? Should he have backed out of the move? Whatever the case, the outcome was that both cars collided, and it was the first double DNF for Mercedes since Australia 2011. Rosberg's perfect run, which looked set to continue after turn one, was over. And Hamilton still hasn't won since sealing the 2015 title in Austin, eight races ago. In Spa, the contact between the two of them was minor. They both were at least able to continue, even if Hamilton eventually retired. But this time, both cars were out. And it handed victory, to Formula 1's youngest ever driver.

Max Verstappen's rise to the top had been meteoric. Three year's ago, he was still racing in go karts. He had only one season in open-wheel cars (European F3) before his move up to Toro Rosso in 2015. During his debut season, he wowed the fans, and his bosses, with some incredible overtaking outmaneuvers, and his stunning speed. 'Mad Max' was a future race winner. And quite possibly, a future champion. But a race winner in 2016? No one thought that was possible. Even when the controversial swap with Daniil Kvyat took place after the Russian Grand Prix, no one thought he could win for a short while, let alone on his debut weekend. He hadn't done any mileage in the RB12 prior to Free Practice 1, and after Friday, he proclaimed he was "still getting used to the car". Let that sink in. A young man, still getting used to his car, then goes on to win the Grand Prix. What is he going to do when he gets used to the car I wonder!

The race was one of the most unpredictable in years. After the Mercedes clash, we had four cars fighting for the victory. The two Ferrari's and the two Red Bull's.

Formula 1 2016 - Rosberg's perfect start

Let's not beat about the bush. 2015 was not a good year for Nico Rosberg. He was comprehensively beaten by Lewis Hamilton, who wrapped up the drivers championship with three rounds to go, in the USA. But since that day, Hamilton has not won a race. Rosberg took the last three victories of 2015. But he hasn't stopped there. After three races, in a thrilling start to the season, Rosberg has 75 points on the board. Three wins from three. A 36 point gap to Hamilton in the championship. Yes, some luck has been involved. But the 2016 Nico is miles better than the 2015 Nico. More hungry than ever before. More determined to beat Lewis than ever before. And with Ferrari snapping at Mercedes heals, he has done exactly what he needed to do. Despite Nico's strong end to 2015, and better pace than Lewis in pre-season testing, not everyone was convinced Nico could beat Hamilton. Lewis is after all the champion of the last two seasons, and one of the fastest drivers on the grid. But Nico is no slouch. His run of six pole positions at the end of last year shows that, and he is the only team-mate to have beaten Lewis in qualifying over a whole season, back in 2014. Make no mistake. Nico has the speed of a world champion.

But having the speed is only half of the story. We know how good Lewis can overtake, he is an out and out racer. With Nico, there has always been the perception that he is not that good at overtaking. That is unfair on Nico. Perhaps this judgement has come about due to the fact Nico has only recently been at the sharp end of the grid. Go back to his earlier years in the sport, and he is far from a poor overtaker. Brazil 2007 stands out as one of his best performances. In that race, Nico was involved in a fantastic scrap for position with BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. In a Williams that, at best, was average, he battle for position with the two faster BMW's,  It was a highlight of that race, and one I remember very well. He finished the race in fourth place, nearly ten seconds ahead of Kubica and less than ten seconds behind third place Fernando Alonso in a title challenging McLaren.

Whilst Nico has yet to really overtake anyone this year, being in the fastest car on the grid means that isn't always needed, everything he has done has been inch perfect. The strategy gamble he and Mercedes played in Melbourne was ultimately the right thing to do. Ferrari opted for the super-soft tyre's for the safety car restart (after Alonso's crash with Gutierrez's Haas'). Mercedes went for the medium tyre, and whilst Sebastian Vettel had to pit again, Rosberg did not. Victory was this sealed. Then in Bahrain, after coming so close to pole position, Rosberg stared yet again.

A Meteoric start got him ahead of Hamilton into turn one, and after Hamilton made contact with the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, Rosberg never looked back. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen kept him honest but couldn't threaten Nico fully, partly down to a poor start for the Finn, dropping him to fifth place. Ferriar's challenge took a bigger hit even before the race begun. Vettel's engine let go spectacularly on the formation lap, wrecking his chances of victory. It was the first time Ferrari had lost a car on the way to the grid since France 1996, when Michael Schumacher had an engine failure after initially being in pole position. Unfazed by all that was happening around him, Rosberg secured his fifth victory in a row. A star performance. But could he make it six in a row in China, the scene of his first victory in 2012?

With Hamilton suffering an ERS failure in qualifying, the battle for pole was between Rosberg and the two Ferrai's. Initially it was Kimi Raikkonen who topped Q3, the Finnish driver had looked to have more pace all weekend than team-mate Vettel. But come the last moments of the session, both Ferrari drivers made mistakes when it mattered, and not only did Rosberg take a commanding pole position, it was Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull that joined him on the front row. Crucially though in Q2, Rosberg and Mercedes had qualified on the soft tyre, those around him had not. On race day, Ricciardo got a better start than Rosberg, and as the two made their escape, chaos reigned behind them. Both Ferrari's collided after Kvyat rocketed into third "like a torpedo" according to Vettel. Further behind, Hamilton was caught up in the Ferrari mess, and clipped the Sauber of Felipe Nasr, losing his front wing. Then on lap three, as Nico lined up a pass down the back-straight on Ricciardo, more bad luck befelled his challengers. Ricciardo's left rear let go, thanks to debris from the earlier turn one mess. And with that, Nico shot off into the distance, not looking back one bit. Hamilton, on a bizarre tyre strategy and after his turn one contact, wound up in seventh place. He is now 36 points behind Rosberg in the standings. The biggest lead Rosberg had in 2014 was 29 points. It's going to be even tougher for Lewis to recover in 2016. Rosberg has staked his claim for the world championship. Now its up to him to carry on with this momentum. If he does, we may see a new world champion come the end of the year. 

MotoGP 2015 - A season to remember

In 2014, Marc Marquez dominated MotoGP, winning ten races in a row in the first half of the season on his way to his second straight world title in as many seasons in the premier class. 2015 was a totally different story, as Marquez struggled to get to grips with the 2015 Honda, Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi slugged it out all season long for the championship. Rossi ultimately lost out to Lorenzo having lead the championship virtually all the way, and starting the last race of the season in Valencia from the back of the grid, after a controversial clash with Marquez in Malaysia.

From the first race of the year in Qatar to the last one in Valencia, the 2015 season, the 2015 season thrilled us all. It saw the return of Suzuki to the premier class, the emergence of Andrea Iannone as one of the best riders on the grid, and the resurgence of Ducati, as they had there most successful season since the Stoner days. It also saw a controversy filled and thrilling battle for the championship, between Jorge Lorenzo, and Valentino Rossi. Marc Marquez had dominated the 2014 season. In 2015, domination was a word that was rarely heard.

The season opener was once again at Qatar, and Ducati stunned in qualifying when Andrea Dovizioso took pole position on the brand new GP15 bike, ahead of the two Repsol Honda's of Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. In the race though, a mistake by Marquez and arm-pump issues for Pedrosa (which nearly ended his career) meant the Honda's hardly played a part in proceedings, as the two Yamaha's and two Ducati's battled it out for the race victory. Ultimately Rossi prevailed in what he said was one of the greatest battles of his career, but it was oh so close to being a Ducati victory.

After Marquez's victory in a much less dramatic US MotoGP, Rossi took his second win of the season in Argentina, starting 8th and clawing his way up the field with the extra hard rear tyre on his bike giving grip for longer than the normal hard rear tyre on the #93 of Marquez. After a brief battle for the lead, exiting the hairpin after the long straight, the two touched, and Marquez then rode up the back wheel of Rossi's Yamaha, taking himself out of the race but Rossi being fortunate enough to carry on and take the victory, ahead of Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. Dani Pedrosa had been forced to sit out from Texas to Le Mans, thanks to his arm-pump surgery after his struggle in Qatar.

What was to follow after Argentina can only be described as a Lorenzo masterclass. Jorge took four utterly dominant wins in a row at Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya, taking pole position at nearly all of them, and taking the championship lead away from Rossi, both on the same number of points but Lorenzo leading due to more wins so far in the season. Lorenzo had 'gone missing' in the first few races of the year, not being a threat at all to the podium, although the reason he finished down the order in Qatar was put down to an issue with his helmet. However, he had just thrust himself right back into the championship fight, and some people were wondering how Rossi would be able to fight back and re-gain some momentum from his team-mate. They soon learnt to never discount 'The Doctor'...

Rossi had won many times in Assen before, one of those occasions being his first win in over two years, after rejoining Yamaha, in 2013. In 2015, Rossi took pole position with an incredible lap, something that even he didn't expect, proclaiming "it doesn't happen a lot, but its nice when it does!". He knew the race would be very tough, as Marquez, now on the 2014 chassis/frame, was second on the grid and hungry for another victory. At the start, Rossi and Marquez both got away perfectly and lead the field into turn 1, and the fight began between the old legend, and the young star. It was to be one of the battles of the season, and again up there, by Rossi's estimation, among the greatest fights of the Italian legend's career...

Valentino was not able to shake Marc off his tail at all during the race, the two nose to tail but able to pull away from Lorenzo. Then, with just around 7 laps to go, Marquez made his move into turn 1 and dived down the inside of Valentino to take the lead, but any hope of Marc's about pulling away, and any fear from the Rossi fans of seeing Marc doing that, went out of the window as Valentino stuck to him like glue. With a handful of laps left Valentino made his move and went back down the inside of Marc, and then, at the final chicane on the last lap, Marc dived down the inside of Rossi, the paid touched, both went off but Rossi went through the gravel, somehow staying on the bike and took the victory he so desperately needed, and he took away the momentum from Lorenzo and reclaimed the championship lead.

Whilst Rossi was delighted with the win, Marquez wasn't happy at all with the Italian, feeling he had the inside line and therefore the corner. Rossi argued that he was clearly still in the lead of the race and he was perfectly entitled to do what he wanted. It was the first spark between the two riders, and would ultimately result in the controversial clash at Sepang a few months later. Lorenzo was happy to have finished 3rd in the race, not having the pace of the top two and still within striking distance of his team-mate, and knowing not to push over the limit when he knew he hadn't got the pace on the day to win.

Away from the championship battle, it had been a great two consecutive Saturday's for the Suzuki team. In Barcelona, they stunned the whole paddock by taking an amazing 1-2 in qualifying, Aleix Espargaro taking pole ahead of rookie team-mate Maverick Vinales, although the race turned out to be a disappointment, and then Aleix took third on the grid at Assen. The Suzuki was fantastic through the corners but lacked horsepower down the straights. However, at the start of the race in Barcelona, both bikes dropped way back down the order, not because of horsepower (or lack of) but due to the bikes not having a seamless shift gearbox. The team has now ran that successfully in testing ready for 2016, and is targeting podium places for the new season. 

Another rider worth mentioning as well as the Suzuki boys is Andrea Iannone, who was riding better than ever before as the season went on. He had taken an absolutely stunning pole position at Mugello, just a few weeks after injuring his shoulder, and had ridden to a solid 2nd place in the race. He had taken his first podium at the start of the year at Qatar and was starting to show up more experienced team-mate Andrea Dovizioso and was to play a crucial roll in one of the most amazing races in MotoGP history at Phillip Island later on in the season. Back to the battle between the championship contenders, and after getting back on the podium at Assen, Mar Marquez was soon back to winning ways.

In Germany, at the famous Sachsenring, Marquez took a dominant win in a Honda 1-2, amazingly only his second win of the season. At this point last year, he had amassed ten wins from ten starts, this year, only the two victories. He was a long way back in the championship but he would not give up and would push like hell to take his third consecutive world title in 2015. Another win was to follow in Indianapolis, after a last gasp pass on Jorge Lorenzo just three laps from the end of the race, to claw more points back in the championship fight. Lorenzo took victory next time out at Brno, and with 3rd place, it looked like Marquez could haul himself back into title contention. But, at the next race at Silverstone, he would drop out of the championship fight, for good.

Silverstone belonged to Valentino Rossi. In atrocious conditions, he fought his way up from 4th to pass his team-mate and take the lead from the race, Marquez soon following suit, and the two bikes pulled away from shock 3rd place man Danilo Petrucci, Lorenzo really struggling in the wet conditions. Then, on lap 13, Marquez flew off his Honda at Copse corner, his fourth crash of the year, catapulting him OUT of the fight for the championship. Just when it looked like he might be regaining some momentum at last in the fight, all of that was blown away on a wet British Sunday afternoon. Rossi meanwhile had extended his championship lead once again, and the fairy-tale of a tenth world title for the Italian looked like it really could come true.

The next race at Misano was a bit of a disaster for Yamaha. In very mixed conditions, the two Yamaha's had moved ahead of polesitter Marquez and to the delight of his fans, Rossi was leading. But, after going onto the wet weather bikes, the track started to dry again, and before to long everyone was back into the pits to change back again. Now Marquez timed his move to perfection and would ultimately rejoin in the lead of the race, but Yamaha waited to long and both Lorenzo and Rossi dropped down the top five. It got even worse, as Lorenzo skidded off the track and into his one and only retirement of the season. Rossi, in 5th place, was lucky to pull away further in the championship as he was behind Lorenzo after the disastrous stops. Marquez took the victory, ahead of surprise podium finishers Bardley Smith, who didn't change bikes at all, and Scott Redding, who actually crashed earlier in the race!

The next race at Aragon saw a dominant victory by Jorge Lorenzo, in a race that could have played out oh so differently. Marc Marquez had taken pole, but dropped back at the start behind Jorge. After that, he pushed harder than ever to pass him, as he had the pace to do so. What that resulted in however, was not a scrap for the lead, but a 5th DNF of the season, another crash, another race ruined. As Lorenzo dominated, a resurgent Dani Pedrosa brilliantly battled for 2nd position with Rossi, and won the battle. It was surely his most impressive ride of the season, after it looked like his career was all but over. At the next race in Japan, after brilliantly managing his tyres in a damp race, he won. It was his first victory since Brno 2014, over a year ago.

The next race was at the ever popular Philip Island, and it saw one of the greatest MotoGP battles in the sports history. Marquez took pole position, but his path to victory was by no means straightforward. A battle for the ages took place, the top four riders, Marquez, Lorenzo, Rossi and Iannone fought as if it was the championship deciding race, none of them giving up or giving an inch. There were fierce battles behind the top four as well but it was the front where everyone was really looking. Iannone was arguably the star of the race, passing both Marquz and Rossi at turn 10 in one go. He then passed Rossi at the same place on the last lap, just after the Italian took 3rd place from the Ducati rider. As well as Iannones pass on the last lap, Marquez stormed from 3rd to 1st, taking the win on the very last lap. This though was where all the controversy, already boiling up after Assen, really kicked off.

After the race in Australia, Rossi said that Marquez backed him up into Andrea Iannone at Philip Island, the Ducati ultimately passing the Yamaha on the last lap, as Marquez went on to win.  Asked by the Italian media after the pre-race press conference in Malaysia on why he thought this, Rossi said “Because he would prefer Lorenzo to win. He is angry at me for a personal matter. Although he never said it, he thinks that in Argentina I made him crash; and then at Assen he is still thinking about the last chicane, in his head he feels he should have won that race. Since then he has been angry and thinking like a child: I do not win, but you do not win either. At this point, the lesser evil is for him is for Lorenzo to win.”

In Malaysia, Marquez denied helping his fellow Spaniard. "Of course not," he said when asked if he was trying to help Lorenzo. "I did my race, and in fact if I wanted to help Lorenzo I wouldn't pass him on the last lap and push to the limit. I don't know why they say that. "It is true that I was trying to manage the tyres, but it's also true that in the middle of the race I was trying to push and open a gap and it was not possible. "I did the best race for my team and the most important thing for me is that I won. "Sometimes you try to manage the race, but the only time I would help is my team-mate. "If it's not my team-mate, I will push for the victory." When asked if he felt Marquez was helping him, Lorenzo sarcastically replied: "Yeah. Mainly in the last lap, a lot."

In Malaysia, the tension boiled right over, in one of the most controversial Moto Grand Prix of recent years. Pedrosa took pole and went on to dominate the race, Lorenzo fighting his way up to 2nd place, leaving Rossi and Marquez to squabble over 3rd. Squabble was an understatement. The pair passed each other 15 times, and with 14 laps to go, they tangled at turn 14, Marquez going down, Rossi staying on the bike and ultimately finishing 3rd. Accusations and opinions of what happened were thrown all over the place, but it eventually lead to Rossi starting the final race of the season from the back of the grid. He declared that "the championship is over" because of the penalty. The scene was set for a thrilling finale...

In Valencia, Rossi tried his utmost to win the title. He surged from the back all the way up to 4th place, making some fantastic overtaking moves along the way. Up front, Lorenzo was fast and consistent, but not able to shake off Marquez. Near the end of the race, Pedrosa, who had managed his tyres brilliantly again like in Motegi, surged forwards and joined the battle. However, the two Honda's ended up fighting over 2nd, allowing Lorenzo to break away in the dying moments of the race. With Rossi 4th, victory for Lorenzo handed him the title. It was his fifth world title and his third in MotoGP. There was more controversy after the race, about whether Marquez had not passed Lorenzo on purpose to stop Rossi from winning the title. Despite all that, both men would have deserved the title, after fighting so hard all year long, in one of the most memorable MotoGP seasons to date. Lorenzo though made it his year. With Michelin tyres and new electronics coming in next season, 2016 could be even better.