CONTENTS
WorldMags.net
March 5 2015 – vol 219 no 10
POLE POSITION
Merc on top, but Hamilton
title may not be academic
MAKING PREDICTIONS IS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS. BUT
based on the evidence of testing, there is no reason to bet on any
team other than Mercedes to win the 2015 world championship.
And that is why Lewis Hamilton is favourite to take a third title.
You just have to look at the final seven races of last season for
the evidence to support that. So many times, Nico Rosberg got into
winning positions, but six times it was Lewis Hamilton who turned
it around to claim victory. He became a relentless winning machine
during the run-in, and if he continues in that form Hamilton could
prove to be an unstoppable force.
But it’s important not to underestimate Rosberg. He’s one of
those drivers whose ruthless pursuit of self-improvement usually
pays off. After regrouping over the winter, he will likely have made
another step, ready to come back to push Hamilton harder than ever.
O This week, AUTOSPORT’s cover price rises by 10p to £3.70.
Apologies for the increase, but it’s unavoidable. At least we can say
our attempts to keep the price down over time have worked well:
if we purely based that figure on inflation over the past 10 years,
using early-2004 prices, we should be at £3.86 by now!
Cover images:
Thompson/Getty; Tee/LAT; Dunbar/LAT
PIT & PADDOCK
4 THIS WEEK IN F1
7 JONATHAN NOBLE: F1 NEWSHOUND
8 THIS WEEK IN MOTORSPORT
11 DIETER RENCKEN: F1 POLITICS
F E AT U R E S & R E P O R T S
12 FORMULA 1 TESTING DEBRIEF
18 NEW CAR: FORCE INDIA VJM08
SEASON PREVIEW
20 HAMILTON VS ROSBERG: TAKE TWO
30 WHAT’S NEW IN F1 FOR 2015
32 BUTTON TAKES ON ALONSO
36 VETTEL AND FERRARI
42 F1 TESTING TECH OVERVIEW
44 DANIIL KVYAT INTERVIEW
50 STORIES TO WATCH
52 TEAM BY TEAM F1 PREVIEW
EDD STRAW EDITOR
66 MANOR’S PLANNED COMEBACK
[email protected]
@eddstrawF1
COVER STORY
“I always
want to be
able to enjoy
the battle”
68 THE F1 ROOKIES
72 KARUN CHANDHOK: TRACKSIDE VIEW
74 2015 F1 CIRCUIT DATA
76 YVAN MULLER INTERVIEW
Lewis Hamilton, p20
80 WTCC RUNNERS AND RIDERS
82 V8 SUPERCARS; NASCAR SPRINT CUP
CLUB AUTOSPORT
97 SCHUMACHER JR FOR GERMAN F4
98 McLAREN PROTEGES TO BRITISH GT
ETHERINGTON/LAT
102 JUNIOR SALOONS’ YOUTH PUSH
SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
100 GET AUTOSPORT DELIVERED TO YOU
THE BACK STRAIGHT
106 THIS WEEK
108 FROM THE SOFA
FIND US ON
WorldMags.net
110 INTRODUCING: NOBUHARU MATSUSHITA
MARCH 5 2015 AUTOSPORT.COM 3
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40 FELIPE MASSA Q&A