2014 saw big changes to the world of Formula 1. New engine regulations meant goodbye to the roaring V8s of old, ushering in a new era of energy efficient, glacier-boosting racing for the sport’s environmentally conscious fans. The return of the turbo meant that the new cars sounded more like lawnmowers than sexy, dirty, carbon fibre ground rockets, but F1 fans were nonetheless sweaty with anticipation for a season that looked sure to throw up more than its fair share of thrills.

As it turned out, the season quickly became a two-horse race between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg of Mercedes – but boy was it a riveting one. Both drivers were fast, though Rosberg tended to have the edge in qualifying: his average starting position on the grid was 1.68 compared to Hamilton’s 4.21. This meant that, on many occasions, Hamilton needed to pass his teammate in the race to gain the upper hand in an increasingly tense battle for the championship title – and more often than not he did.

It is uncontroversial to suggest that the man from Stevenage was the better racer; whenever Rosberg found himself behind his teammate he generally struggled to make a pass. When the opposite applied and Hamilton found himself staring at the German’s rear end (apparently a favourite pastime of his – don’t tell Nicole Scherzinger), one got the sense that it was only a matter of time until the leader was overtaken.

Just as importantly, it was Hamilton who won the tense psychological war with Rosberg. Despite numerous jabs from the German, Hamilton played it cool and, to the visible discomfort of his rival, let his racing do the talking. By the end of the season, Hamilton had won an impressive 12 races to Rosberg’s five. The BBC had a new Sports Personality of the Year, and Hamilton had one more world championship to his name.

So how did old Hammy do it? Was it the hair? I for one found the troll doll topping pleasing; only Fernando Alonso’s luscious Asturian locks could compete for the Most Rogue Haircut of the Season Award. The bit-more-than-Balotelli helped Hamilton distinguish himself from the perfectly blonde kopf of Nico Rosberg, the Englishman able to emphasise his rugged Hertfordshire roots with an appropriately gutsy coiffure. In a season where mind games played a critical role in the races, the use of hairstyles to make deep sociological points undoubtedly helped the champion win his mental battle with the privileged Rosberg (son of minted former world champion Keke Rosberg, for all you F1 noobs out there).

Through his hair, Hamilton made amply clear that the German/Monacan was delivered into a paddling pool of L’Oréal conditioner during his Alberto Balsam-sponsored water birth, while young Lewis was born in an alley between a Stevenage Borough Council hairbrush recycling bin and a greasy barber shop.

Fiendish Fritz never faced the struggles that plucky Lewis had to deal with. His daring hair was Hamilton’s way of pointing this out, all while breezing past his teammate in every other race.

Or perhaps it was the return to tranquillity for Hamilton’s love life. Fans will remember his torrid 2011 season – when the driver spent more time in the tyre barriers than on the track – when relationship problems with the aforementioned Scherzinger were deemed partly responsible for a disastrous season. In 2014, a year in which the ex-Pussycat Doll secured herself a role in a new production of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Cats, everything seemed tickety-boo in the Hamilton love-nest. Scherzinger turned up to lots of races – as the cameramen made sure we all knew – and Hamilton seemed at peace again.

Maybe we can even make a not at all tenuous link here between the previously discussed haircut and this new found love. A well-known head-growing hobbyist, Ms Scherzinger was undoubtedly enamoured by Hamilton’s fresh and trendy look. Perhaps it was this that rekindled the spark in an old relationship. Alas, we will never know for sure unless Hamilton decides to sit for an interview with the editor of Closer magazine, a possibility that Paddy Power are currently pricing at 15000-1.

Or maybe the Englishman’s success was down to a combination of Mercedes engineering prowess, hard training and an insatiable desire to win on Hamilton’s part. But that makes for pretty boring reading, doesn’t it?