2) Roberto Merhi
After two relatively mediocre seasons racing for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM Series, Roberto Merhi returned to single-seaters with the un-fancied Zeta Corse team in 2014, and was one of the revelations of the year.
Pre-season testing for Merhi did not go to plan, but once the racing started, the Spaniard was immediately competitive, and he was able to claim three race victories and was able to take the championship battle down to the final race weekend of the season in Jerez.
It was his mid-season charge that made the season interesting however. His first pole position in Moscow was followed by a dominant first victory, and he followed that up with additional wins at the Nurburgring and the Hungaroring, and finished second in the other two races.
His charge ended in Paul Ricard, when he could not finish on the podium in either race, and he lost out on second place in the championship to Pierre Gasly in Jerez through no fault of his own. A first corner clash in race one with William Buller ultimately cost him the chance of the title, and then a mechanical issue in race two cost him second.
His performances in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series caught the eye of the Formula 1 fraternity, and three outings with the Caterham F1 Team late in the year at Monza, Suzuka and Sochi followed. He was in the hunt for the race seat for the finale in Abu Dhabi before losing the drive to Will Stevens, and although he is unlikely to race in F1 next year, a third driver role should not be out of the question.
