It is time to get excited again as the Formula One 2015 season is just around the corner. Considered as the highest form of motor sport for open-wheel single seat racing cars, this will be the 66th season of Formula One World Championship, as recognised by the Federation International de Automobile (FIA). The season is scheduled to start on the 15th of March with the Australian Grand Prix and ending on 29th November in Abu Dhabi.
Formula One 2015 Season about to start
Formula One originally started in the mid 1920s and early 1930s in Europe. Some say that motor racing evolved in France as early as 1984. Back then it was a simple race from one town to the next and there was no circuit, demarcated track or proper run-off areas. The races were held on open roads and without proper safety which gave rise to many accidents resulting in fatalities to both the drivers and spectators. In 1901 the first Grand Prix known as the Pau Grand Prix was held in three different classes on the city streets of Pau, France. The first ever Grand Prix was officially held at Pau in 1933 on a proper race track. A World Driver’s Championship was set up by the FIA in 1950 with technical regulations and safety norms playing a major role for the first time. This announced the arrival of Formula One races as an international sport.
Over the years, Formula One changed a lot in terms of rules and regulations. There is a lot of glamour now associated with the sport. The races themselves are a tough challenge for the man-machine combination which is constantly at the edge for the whole duration of any and every race. The Formula One economics and job opportunities are significant at the global stage. The sport touched it peak in the early 2000s with high viewership and almost every team making huge profit. However, since then, the sport’s spiralling expenditure has forced several teams and manufacturers out of the competition like BAR Honda and William, plunging others like Jordan and Marussia into bankruptcy.
The season of 2015 has a lot in store for us starting with Lewis Hamilton who would be the defending champion. There are 20 races scheduled to take place in 2015 season. The Mexican Grand Prix is a new addition to the calendar. The race is to be held at the Autodromo Hemanos Rodriguez circuit located in the centre of the Mexico City. This year the American Grand Prix has a change in venue and will be held in Austin, Texas. While the German Grand Prix is confirmed in the month of July, the venue is yet to be announced. The German Grand Prix was set to be held at the Nurburgring this year in accordance with the event-sharing agreement established between Nurburgring and Hockeinheimring in 2008 but due to disputes between the two and Formula One, the venue is yet to be announced. Sadly, Indian Grand Prix was cancelled for the second consecutive year following tax disputes between the FIA and the Uttar Pradesh government. The Korean Grand Prix was also scheduled for the 2015 season but ultimately abandoned as the number of races increased.
In terms of engines and teams, there are a lot of new changes. Honda will return to Formula One as an engine supplier, providing McLaren with a V6 power unit. This is the first time, McLaren have broken the 20 year partnership with Mercedes-Benz as their engine supplier. However, Honda and McLaren are not complete strangers to each other; they competed together 23 years ago with the British car powered by the Japanese manufacturer. Lotus has gone for an engine from Mercedes ending their relation with Renault. After Marussia went into administration and missed the last three races of the 2014 season, they have been put on provisional entry as “Manor F1”.
The list of races in 2015 Formula One season:
1. Australian Grand Prix 15th March
2. Malaysian Grand Prix 29th March
3. Chinese Grand Prix 12th April
4. Bahrain Grand Prix 19th April
5. Spanish Grand Prix 10th May
6. Monaco Grand Prix 24th May
7. Canadian Grand Prix 7th June
8. Austrian Grand Prix 21st June
9. British Grand Prix 5th July
10. German Grand Prix 19th July
11. Hungarian Grand Prix 26th July
12. Belgian Grand Prix 23rd August
13. Italian Grand Prix 6th September
14. Singapore Grand Prix 20th September
15. Japanese Grand Prix 27th September
16. Russian Grand Prix 11th October
17. Unites States Grand Prix 25th October
18. Mexican Grand Prix 1st November
19. Brazilian Grand Prix 15th November
20. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 20th November
There is a lot of expectation from the Season of 2015 in terms of driver and team rivalries resulting in a lot of action packed drama and thrilling races.
Tags: American Grand Prix, Australian Grand Prix, F1, FIA, Formula One, Grand Prix, Honda, McLaren, Motorsports, World Championship
