Lewis Hamilton's F1 season of drama for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: the Duel of the Silver Arrows on iPlayer reminds us just what an eventful year it was in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton took a long-awaited second title in some style, but not before a series of dramas along the way - including an epic cross-continent battle with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg

Signs of a fierce battle developing between childhood friends Hamilton and Rosberg appeared at the Bahrain Grand Prix, when a memorable tussle between the two on the circuit ended with Rosberg shouting over team radio that Hamilton's racing tactics were "not on"

As ever, one of the world's most glamorous sports called in on one of the world's most glamorous places: Monaco. The race served up its usual thrills and spills around the tight and twisty Principality, but once again the Hamilton and Rosberg show stole the headlines. This time Hamilton was furious, believing Rosberg deliberately lost control of his car during qualifying leaving the Briton unable to beat his team-mate's pole position time. Rosberg went on to win the race

Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa enjoyed 2014 in his resurgent Williams car. Well, most of it. The first lap of the German Grand Prix may not be his proudest moment, nor his crashes in the Canadian and British Grands Prix - none of which were his fault

"He did it on purpose." The moment F1 froze. At the height of Hamilton and Rosberg's cold war, the German chased down Hamilton on the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix having lost his pole position when the Briton overtook him as the lights went out. Misjudging his braking, Rosberg cut into Hamilton's right rear tyre with the carbon fibre shards from his disintegrating front wing, leading to Hamilton's eventual retirement and a war of words between the two afterwards

The young and the brave: 2014 was a good year for young drivers, as (clockwise from top left) Kevin Magnussen, 22, Daniil Kvyat, 20, Valtteri Bottas, 25, and Daniel Ricciardo, 25, all put in good performances across the season. In particular Ricciardo, who outshone four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel with three race victories - the only driver to take the chequered flag in 2014 other than Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton

#ForzaJules: The world was reminded of the dangers of Formula 1 in tragic fashion in October when young French driver Jules Bianchi suffered severe head injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. His car struck a recovery vehicle, which was attending another incident, at speed and he has remained unconscious in hospital since the accident

Bianchi's Marussia team brought in Briton Max Chilton to drive as they paid tribute to the Frenchman a week later at the Russian Grand Prix. Sadly, it would be the team's final race before folding for financial reasons. Fellow strugglers Caterham also went into administration after the race, but are still trying to find investment

Hamilton dominated a sombre weekend at what was the inaugural Russian Grand Prix - located in Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics were held

Stars and their cars: The ever-popular United States Grand Prix has become a race the sport really enjoys in its new location of Austin, Texas. Hamilton won here, again overtaking Rosberg on the track with an audacious move that led the sport's watchers to believe that Hamilton was emerging as a deserved victor in the increasingly tense title race. Rosberg failed to overtake Hamilton on track all season, often relying on Hamilton's car breaking down or crashing

Seeing red no more: Following a frustrating five seasons as the figurehead of the faltering Ferrari team, Fernando Alonso will drive for McLaren in 2015. Widely regarded as the finest driver of his generation, he failed to win a single title with the famous Italian marque. The Spaniard was reportedly paid a not-so-frustrating £25m a year

Back to where it all began: Hamilton and his father, Anthony, share a moment before his son heads out of the garage. Hamilton Sr managed his son's career from the very beginning when he raced go-karts. The final race of the season was where the championship would be decided, with a controversial new double points system at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

But in perfect style, Hamilton proved he was deserving of the title by once again overtaking Rosberg off the line to win the race

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