Sluggish engines, the best result of Magnussen and Mercedes on the road: the beginnings of the hybrid era, 10 years already

March 16, 2014 is marked in the history of the Formula 1 like the opening of a chapter which did not fail to raise controversy. The introduction of V6 turbo hybrid engines, decided to update a sport losing meaning on an industrial level, caused several notable events from the Australian Grand Prix contested in Melbourne.

Loss of noise, loss of sense?

The major change in replacing naturally aspirated V8s with these state-of-the-art powerplants was the loss of a tune so dear to F1. The muffled sound of turbocharged V6s no longer requires the use of hearing protection, as was the case in previous decades. The purists cry sacrilege. We no longer vibrate when a car passes by. Even the introduction of the Grands Prix on television is parodied, where the noises of single-seaters are replaced by vacuum cleaner sounds!

The only advantage of this shift towards a less sonic world: the reactions of the public shine through the small screen. An atmospheric effect that is initially pleasant but which will be used to the point of abuse by the FOM during each overtake for an obscure 8th place in the race:

Vettel's twilight at Red Bull, Ricciardo celebrated

The opening round of the 2014 season puts an end to the streak of nine consecutive victories of Sebastian Vettel carried out in the fall of 2013. The outgoing four-time world champion, hated by fans of suspense, finds himself very annoyed with these new technical regulations which he hardly appreciates. Like a symbol, the mechanics let go of him in the first laps the day after an abnormal elimination in Q2. He will suffer all year long against his new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian with the devastating smile capsizes the public with his uninhibited driving. The old hope Toro Rosso gets the opportunity he has been waiting for since his youth. With a car at a better level, he scored his first podium in F1 (3rd), but will be excluded from the results for a fuel flow exceeding the limit of 100 kg in the race, a new rule supposed to make F1 less energy-intensive (and more "eco-friendly"). "). No problem, he will make up for it with three anthology successes (Canada, Hungary and Belgium).

The Magnussen revelation

Son of the Corvette specialist in Endurance Jan Magnussen, Kevin Magnussen makes a thunderous debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. Hired by McLaren, who previously covered him in promotional formulas, the 21-year-old Dane. He becomes the first pilot since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 to score a podium on his debut in F1!

At this moment, the future of the Formula winner Renault 3.5 2013 seems radiant, and the parallels with the future seven-time world champion are legion: same team, same aggressiveness in the race. But the rest of Kevin Magnussen's career will be very disappointing. He will never get back on a podium and it is not 10 years later, at the twilight of his career with the modest formation Haas, that he risks repeating his best result in Grands Prix.

“I feel like I was a child back then, he remembered in 2023. A third of my life has passed since then and a lot has happened since then. It was a very intense weekend because your first race weekend in Formula 1 is in itself a great experience in itself. This is definitely one of the weekends of my life that I will remember forever. »

Mercedes domination

Great, the ease of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull is broken by the new regulations! The joy of the observers is fleeting because Mercedes very quickly takes over the role of the steamroller. With one distinction. The Star brand, which prepared the transition to the V6 engine much further in advance than other engine manufacturers (Ferrari and Renault) can count on two high caliber drivers.

In Australia, pole position was won by Lewis Hamilton (his 32nd career), ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes). The German will have an easy task in the race, because Hamilton gives up on the third lap, his engine only running on five cylinders.

Nico Rosberg strolls to the finish, crossed 25 seconds ahead of the pursuers. “What car you gave me”, says Keke Rosberg's son on the radio. An exclamation which sums up the state of Formula 1 in 2014. Mercedes is riding on the competition, and this will last for a long time…

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