Intra-Team Battles As Fierce As Ever.

McLaren, F1, AGP. (C)

    With Mercedes seemingly waltzing away into the distance with both F1 championships, the state of play at the halfway point of the season suggests the competition between team mates is as potent as ever.
    At the top of the standings you have Mercedes winning all but one race, but star drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are fighting tooth and nail to gain the ascendency. With just 4 points separating the two pre-Hockenheim and as yet no apparent team orders, let's hope Mercedes continue to let them slug it out until season's end. Will one get the jump on the other, or will this battle run all the way to Abu Dhabi?
    Aussie Daniel Ricciardo is smiling his way with ease at graduating to the big time with Red Bull. D. Ricc. seems to be exploiting more of the new car's potential than 4-time world champ Sebastian Vettel, and at this stage seems to be quite simply outracing his champion team mate. Big test at the Seb-friendly Hockenheim though.
    That coveted third F1 crown may have to be placed on hold for a while longer for Fernando Alonso. Fernando always extracts the maximum from the package available and has scored points in every race. But with all available seats filled in other top teams for years to come, is Fernando's best bet to stay put at Ferrari and hope they can turn things around? The much vaunted rivalry with Kimi Raikkonen has not materialised, but let's hope Kimi can soon fight at the front. Ferrari need Kimi to push the team forward.
    Isn't it marvellous to see Williams fighting for podiums again? What a star they have in Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who has accumulated over double the points than his very experienced team mate, Felipe Massa. How soon will we see Williams on the top step of the podium again, and which driver will it be?
    Despite flashes of brilliance from Force India's Sergio Perez, team mate Nico Hulkenberg is another driver quietly amassing points in every race, and sits just behind Vettel in the standings. How long before a top team demands the services of Hulkenberg?
    Over at Woking, McLaren have a talented rookie in Kevin Magnussen who is pushing Jenson Button. Although it's obvious they are not fighting where they want to be, McLaren will bounce back. But when?
    The second year at Scuderia Toro Rosso is always a make or break year, and for Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, it's no different. Despite leading by a mere 3 points, he has been largely overshadowed by rookie Russian sensation, Daniil Kvyat. Who's going to win that battle and possibly prolong their F1 careers?
    Front runners last year to languishing near the rear this year sustaining a raft of reliability issues, that's Lotus. Romain Grosjean is slowly imposing his authority over Pastor Maldonado. However they are close enough in the standings that a decent result could reverse the order.
    Marussia is a team on the improve. They provide a reliable car and are slowly clawing their way up the grid. Brit Max Chilton is still bringing the car home banking a tonne of data, whilst Ferrari Academy driver Jules Bianchi scored the team's first championship points at none other than Monaco. Will they continue to improve and regularly trouble the midfield? 
    Independant Swiss team Sauber are renown for producing tidy F1 cars, but this year they seem to be struggling. Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez have been unable to fully show their wares, but that doesn't mean they're not pushing each other to score the team's first points for 2014.
    Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson is pushing his Caterham further than team mate Kamui Kobayashi. Sure, Caterham have had their fair share of reliability issues and are currently undergoing restructuring with their new owners. But will we see Kamui display that trademark flair that announced his F1 arrival with Toyota and overpower Ericsson?
    So there's a quick half term report. If the remaining races are as fascinating as the first half, can't wait for the second half of the season. Lights about to go out at Hockenheim. Got to go. Cheers.... 
    

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