Here's Why It's All Going To Kick Off In F1 2014

‘As long as Vettel doesn’t win, I’m happy’. So goes the refrain from a million armchair F1 fans worldwide, who hope 2014 is the year Red Bull loses its vice grip on their beloved sport. But, while the struggle to be crowned 2014 world champion while wrestling with an unruly turbocharged car will be the main focus of the F1 circus, here are the tasty subplots which will keep you gripped for this year’s season.

1. Kimi’s return versus Fernando’s last shot

Let’s not mess about: Fernando Alonso deserves to have won more than two world titles. His driving talent is generally thought of as the pinnacle among the current pack, but he’s lost titles to Vettel by a handful of points year after year. Last year, his frustration with Ferrari’s failure to build a contender car boiled over in interviews. Rumours are he’ll take his talent elsewhere in 2015 if Ferrari fails to deliver a decent car.

In 2014, he’ll be battling once again, only without Felipe Massa as a lapdog teammate. In fact, his opposite number is the coolest man in Formula One: 2007 champ Kimi Raikkonen. A man who knows damn well what it takes to win an F1 world title with Ferrari, having succeeded in 2007. The Ferrari in-fight could turn into an all-time great rivalry, like Senna vs Prost, or Hakkinen vs Schumacher. Let’s have it!

2. Don Ron back at McLaren

When Ron Dennis left the F1 side of McLaren in 2009 to concentrate on the 12C road car project, the world had never read a Ferrari 458 vs McLaren 12C road test, or imagined that one of F1’s most decorated teams could end up struggling to score points at all.

After a disastrously uncompetitive 2013, Ron has booted Martin Whitmarsh out of the top chair at McLaren, and is back running the show. Love or hate the guy, he tends to get results – and he knows a thing or two about fast turbo cars too. Watch out for a McLaren return to form, sharpish.

3. Money vs talent at Lotus

Lotus will rarely be out of the headlines in 2014. The ridiculous car looks like a tuning fork and the team has designs on the constructor’s title. But most of all, it's got a clear split across the driver base. Romain ‘first lap nutcase’ Grosjean has gone from crash-borne liability to a highly regarded racer in the space of a year. Meanwhile, fiery Pastor Maldonado’s career peaked with a single win at the 2012 Spanish GP, and plenty of us believe the only reason he’s got a drive at Lotus this year is that he’s minted. So, you’ve got a crazy car, an ambitious team and one awfully nice, handy driver. You've also got one not-so-pleasant, petulant driver – with enough money to buy the team out. Lotus is the place for awkward press conferences and nailbiting racing this year.

Which subplots away from the main title chase are you most excited about this year? Torquey turbo cars bringing back the F1 drift, perhaps, or unreliable drivetrains blowing up and casting the championship into disarray?