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Hello and welcome to Grandprix’s preview of the new F1 season. It’s become a bit of an annual tradition and this season is shaping up rather nicely already. In this preview, I’m going run through some of the rules for the new season, the calendar and have a look at the drivers and teams, giving some predictions and I’ll link some pictures of the new cars too. Beware: IT’S LONG!!
Let’s begin by looking at where the teams will be travelling to in what will be a gruelling season.
Australia – 18th March
Malaysia – 8th April
Bahrain – 15th April
Spain – 13th May
Monaco – 27th May
Canada – 10th June
USA – 17th June
France – 1st July
Britain – 8th July
Germany – 22nd July
Hungary – 5th August
Turkey – 26th August
Italy – 9th September
Belgium – 16th September
Japan – 30th September
China – 7th October
Brazil – 21st October
There are only 17 races this year, down from the 18 last year. San Marino and the European races have been removed and Belgium has returned. San Marino was removed while upgrades to the track and facilities were being made, although there are rumours that it may not return next year, even though they have a contract.
The European round was at the Nurburgring but due to financial issues, Hockenheim and the Nurburgring will be sharing the German Grand Prix, alternating between the two each year. The Nurburgring will be the German Grand Prix this season.
There is also bad news for fans of Suzuka as it is no longer the host of the Japanese Grand Prix. That honour goes to the newly redesigned Fuji Speedway, designed by F1 new favourite son, Herman Tilke. It’s a real shame because Suzuka was a real driver’s track loved by many drivers.
With so many places looking to get on the F1 calendar, South Africa and Singapore being just 2 of many, a lot of tracks on the calendar are not safe. There is talk of more races in a season but I would guess that they won’t go beyond 20. That would mean a potential 25 tracks aiming for 20 places, which will mean some missing out.
The rules for the new season haven’t changed a great deal. The FIA’s decision to go to one tyre supplier means that the field are all running on Bridgestone’s, as they won the right. Bridgestone will bring two types of tyre to each round. In previous seasons, the teams pick one and run that for the weekend. This season, they have to run both types during the race. Obviously, cars will run better on one type than the other and it will hurt performance but most are agreed that it won’t affect the outcome of races.
The horsepower battle is pretty much over now as engine designs given to the FIA at the end of last season is the engine they have to use for the next 4 seasons. There will be limited development on them, strictly watched by the FIA, probably to do with reliability. The 2 races an engine restriction still applies but it has been relaxed a little in that they don’t have to use that engine in the Friday practise sessions. The Friday practise has been extended to 90 minutes a session instead of 60, probably due to the FIA’s attempts to limit testing. A third car is not allowed this season but a third driver is allowed on the Friday.
The most interesting change is probably in the safety car period of races. There is to be no cars entering the pits until all the cars are bunched up behind the safety car and lapped cars won’t be getting in the way as they will be allowed to go past and to the back of the field.
Most of the changes seem to be about cost cutting and better racing and with a load of changes to happen over the next few years, such as bio fuel and power boost systems recycling waste in the next 5 or so years, Formula 1 is looking at a competitive, ecofriendly future but also cost effective and at the cutting edge of technology.
That’s the background for the new season and it’s now time to look at the teams and drivers competing for the Championships this season and a brief description of how well they’ll do in my opinion.
Looking at some of the cars, I think the most interesting area of most of the cars has to be the front wing. There are some interesting design concepts, mostly on the front of the car and the side pods.
For a look at some of the launch pictures of the cars, visit this site Launch pictures and click the launches link.
If you are interested in learning more about the technology behind some of the cars, go here: Technical analysis
McLaren
McLaren started building for this season early by signing Alonso before the 2006 season had even started. Things got progressively worse as top aerodynamicist Adrian Newey left for Red Bull and the Mercedes V8 was not as competitive as they had hoped.
Preseason has been kind to McLaren though. McLaren have been consistently near the top of the timesheets in testing and are considered one of the teams to beat. I certainly thought that this would be a tough year for McLaren but there is a possibility that this could be McLaren’s return to the winners circle.
Alonso
For a return to winning ways, Alonso is the man to do it. Alonso has matured and works hard out on the track. McLaren now have the only World Champion in the field and he’s a two time World Champion to boot. I thought this might have been a bad move but there is a chance that Alonso could be a 3 times World Champion come October.
Hamilton
Hamilton was last years GP2 winner and he has now been thrust into a potential World Championship contender’s car. It’s a potentially steep learning curve and he’s has a World Champion to compete against as a team-mate. Hamilton’s objective for the season, in my opinion, will be to stick close to Alonso in terms of qualifying and race pace and go for consistent finishes to gain the experience that will serve him well in later years. I will be very impressed if he manages to win a race this season.
Renault
Things are looking bleak in the Renault camp. Renault is well known to have won their Championship by spending less than their competitors. That worked fine when they were at the front and had a driver that could drag every last millisecond out of the car. Now they are already downplaying their chances and they are claim to be at least half a second slower than the McLaren and Ferrari. Also, their driver line up is not looking good. They might steal a win or two but no third Constructors Championship will be coming their way in my opinion.
Fisichella
This could well be Fisichella’s last season at Renault. He was getting openly criticised by Flavio Briatore when it seemed that he was not trying hard enough. He now leads the team and I can see him getting beaten often by his team-mate. Fisichella just doesn’t have the look of a Champion about him and it’ll be just another year of excuses.
Kovalainen
He has been Renault test driver for a few years now and with Alonso’s departure, he has a chance to drive a season in Formula 1. Obviously, this will be a season a lot like Hamilton but I feel that he could beat Fisichella on a regular basis. Kovalainen could be the reason that sees the end of the line of Fisichella as a top team driver.
Ferrari
I did try to not mention Schumacher but this is going to be an interesting year at Ferrari. Ferrari was building cars around Michael Schumacher and now he has retired, Ferrari will have to be at the top of their game. They seem to have managed it as Ferrari is considered the team to beat for the new season.
Ferrari has not escaped the inevitable grilling from the media. The media have claimed that they won’t get the same technical information from Raikkonen that Schumacher would have given them. They also claim that the longer wheelbase will hurt their performances over longer distances. Whatever they say, Ferrari will be the team to beat in 2007.
Massa
What a fantastic opportunity Massa has in front of him! With no Schumacher to hold him back, he has everything in place to be World Champion. His performances at the end of last season has shown how far he has come since his untamed pace back in his Sauber days. Bernie Ecclestone has tipped Massa to be World Champion. He’ll have to overcome his team-mate and Alonso to win it but this may be his best chance.
Raikkonen
Raikkonen has come in for some criticism for his partying ways and is claimed to not offer much technically. There is no denying his pace and Ferrari have a habit of making reliable cars and fast cars, something that Raikkonen had been missing at McLaren. His biggest rival will be Massa and it could be an almighty showdown between the two of them. He’ll be a contender for the title; there should be no question about that.
Honda
The optimism at the end of last season was high after Button’s victory and the improvement in form from the poor start they had. However, that optimism has eroded away as the new car has failed to live up to expectations. It’s so bad for them that they’ve already said that a major upgrade will be ready for the 2nd round. That’s never a good sign and it very rarely works. It is likely to be another season of struggles for Honda.
Button
The win that finally came last season propelled him from an also ran to a potential World Champion and 2007 became the season that everyone thought Button may be World Champion. Button has all but said that it won’t be this year and I think it won’t be his year either.
Barrichello
Barrichello’s best years are probably behind him now and Honda will be looking for his experience to get them through what looks like a rocky patch. The contest between Button and Barrichello will be competitive and Barrichello is in the position where he doesn’t have to prove himself.
BMW Sauber
This team may very well be the team to watch this season. The car is very highly thought of and the boss reckons they aren’t far behind Ferrari and McLaren. There is concern over the reliability of the car. Whether this materialises is anyone’s guess but they should have a good season in my opinion.
Heidfeld
Heidfeld doesn’t really stand out as a driver that could be World Champion. He’s quick but quiet and he now has a young driver as a team-mate with a lot of pace. Heidfeld has to beat him consistently or I could see him potentially being replaced. He does seem to thrive under this kind of pressure though.
Kubica
He exploded onto the F1 scene late last season, replacing Villeneuve. Obviously, consistency is the key but with his lightning pace, he could cause an upset or two. This guy should have an interesting season.
Toyota
Toyota, in previous seasons, has had good one lap pace only to become mobile road blocks in the races. Toyota seems to be in all kinds of problems though. The new car has been disappointing and has been haunted by unreliability. Because of this, they will probably be in an almighty scrap for points in a midfield group with not much to choose between them, although a recent test has given them hope on the reliability front.
R Schumacher
Ralf has said recently that he is one of the top 3 drivers in Formula 1. I’m not as convinced. He’s much more a consistent racer than Trulli, his team-mate, but he does have that one lap pace and doesn’t have that ability to drag performance out of a poor performing car. He’ll probably outscore Trulli but that’ll be about it.
Trulli
Trulli is one of the most frustrating drivers on the grid. Without doubt, one of the quickest drivers in a single lap and backs that up with average race pace and a tendency to settle rather than achieve. If he could start to back up that one lap pace with a better race pace, the battle between him and Ralf should be a good one.
Red Bull
Red Bull has all the pieces of the puzzle to become a race winning team. They have a top aerodynamicist in Adrian Newey, who likes to work with Renault engines, which they now have and they have drivers who can win them races. There is a problem though. Despite topping a few testing sessions, the drivers aren’t happy. The car seems to lack a bit of pace and Newey’s cars tend to be unreliable as he has a habit of being uncompromising in his search for aerodynamic perfection.
With car improvements being made, the car should come good at some point but it’ll probably be too late to do anything meaningful this season.
Coulthard
Red Bull came to Coulthard’s rescue when he left McLaren and he was driving on a points = cash basis. It looked like Coulthard was having fun and doing a good job. Coulthard then said that Red Bull were not improving the car at the end of last season and was giving the impression that he wasn’t having fun anymore. Maybe that’s down to the change of mentality at Red Bull. Coulthard won’t be challenging for any titles but the inner team rivalry with Webber will be good.
Webber
I think Webber made the right move to switch from Williams. It may not pay off this season but he’ll be in the right place when everything comes together. He has the qualifying pace and the race pace to be a contender in a competitive car and this car will be competitive at some point. He was going to win in Monaco last season but the car let him down and that first win may come this season in the right conditions. He should have the upper hand on Coulthard at least.
Williams
Williams is a tricky team to judge this season. They’ve had a quiet preseason and the only real hyping of the teams potential was from Damon Hill. Williams are the on the back of a poor season in 2006 and they’ll be resting their hopes on the Toyota engines to move them up the field.
Rosberg
Rosberg started brightly in 2006 and stood out in a number of races but as Williams began to slip down the field, Rosberg began to struggle. He’s now in his 2nd season and 95% of the time, this is the key season for drivers hoping to stick around. He’s up against it as the midfield is going to be seriously congested and he is up against a very racer in Wurz as a team-mate.
Wurz
Wurz has had a strange career. He showed some good speed in his Benetton days and then got stuck as a test driver at McLaren. After a brief spell in the McLaren when Montoya was injured, he signs as Williams test driver. He could easily have done a good job for any team. He now has another chance at Williams and he really has nothing to lose as he seems to be highly regarded as a test driver. Let’s hope he goes for broke and shows us all what he is capable of.
Toro Rosso
Although part of the Red Bull group, this is a separate team due to the regulations. It took a long time for Toro Rosso to finalise their driver line up and a late new car launch gives the team serious concerns over their competitiveness. They could be fighting at the back of the pack for a little while yet.
Liuzzi
Liuzzi was the first to be signed up for Toro Rosso’s new season and that would indicate that he did a better job than Speed in his first full season. The stats tend to back that up and he’ll have to prove it all over again. There is a lot of competition for seats in the Red Bull franchises with their driver programme so the pressure is always on.
Speed
I think Speed is quite fortunate to keep his seat for the new season. Maybe the management feels he’ll be better in a second season but this seat is up for grabs if he doesn’t raise his game. Beating Liuzzi is of top priority and any points that may happen to come up could be the difference between keeping the seat and losing it.
Spyker
Spyker bought out Midland last season, who had bought out Jordan not that long before that. This constant transition just makes me think that they’ll be propping up the field this season. Testing has been difficult and they have openly admitted that they’ve had to work hard to improve their one lap pace. They have managed to get Ferrari engines, which might help them get off the bottom.
Albers
Albers seat was safe when the Dutch company bought Midland. I think he’s done a solid job anyway and I enjoyed following the progression of Albers and Monteiro during last season, particularly when they showed some good pace. It’s going to be a tough season again though and I doubt points will be readily available.
Sutil
Sutil won the Japanese Formula 3 title last year and it is usually a difficult Championship to win, so there is some pedigree there. For those perhaps not interested in the race at the front, Albers V Sutil during races may be interesting viewing on the live timing screens.
Super Aguri
They were the worst team last season but it doesn’t reflect the effort that they put in just to get on the grid in 2006. The new car won’t be released until the Wednesday before the Australian Grand Prix but if the interim car they’ve been using in testing is anything to go by, it should be quite good, maybe good enough to get off the bottom of the pack. The interim car managed to get the quickest time on a testing day in preseason.
Sato
Arguably Japan’s best driver, he has worked very hard and raced the Midland cars hard last season in a car that was not really ready to compete. He’ll be racing his team-mate and the Spykers to start with but that’s depending on how the new car goes. Davidson will be a tougher prospect than his team-mates Yamamoto and Montagny last year.
Davidson
Davidson finally gets a F1 drive after a bit of a wait and he stays within the Honda organisation by signing for Super Aguri. Obviously, this is going to be very tough but he should know most of the tracks after doing 3rd driver duties last season. I think a lot of eyes will be looking at how he gets on.
So, there are the drivers and teams competing this season. I think the season has opened up quite a bit now that Michael Schumacher has left. Obviously, it will be difficult to see any other team than Ferrari winning but there may be a good battle with McLaren in the offing. Here’s how I think the season will end up.
Constructors Championship
1st Ferrari
2nd McLaren
3rd BMW
4th Renault
5th Red Bull
6th Honda
7th Toyota
8th Williams
9th Super Aguri
10th Toro Rosso
11th Spyker
Drivers top 5
1st Raikkonen
2nd Alonso
3rd Massa
4th Hamilton
5th Heidfeld
That’s a bit of a rough estimate but I think it’s a fair assumption at this point.
I’m looking forward to a fantastic season of F1 racing and I hope you’ve enjoyed my preview to the new season.
Thanks for reading
Grandprix
Let’s begin by looking at where the teams will be travelling to in what will be a gruelling season.
Australia – 18th March
Malaysia – 8th April
Bahrain – 15th April
Spain – 13th May
Monaco – 27th May
Canada – 10th June
USA – 17th June
France – 1st July
Britain – 8th July
Germany – 22nd July
Hungary – 5th August
Turkey – 26th August
Italy – 9th September
Belgium – 16th September
Japan – 30th September
China – 7th October
Brazil – 21st October
There are only 17 races this year, down from the 18 last year. San Marino and the European races have been removed and Belgium has returned. San Marino was removed while upgrades to the track and facilities were being made, although there are rumours that it may not return next year, even though they have a contract.
The European round was at the Nurburgring but due to financial issues, Hockenheim and the Nurburgring will be sharing the German Grand Prix, alternating between the two each year. The Nurburgring will be the German Grand Prix this season.
There is also bad news for fans of Suzuka as it is no longer the host of the Japanese Grand Prix. That honour goes to the newly redesigned Fuji Speedway, designed by F1 new favourite son, Herman Tilke. It’s a real shame because Suzuka was a real driver’s track loved by many drivers.
With so many places looking to get on the F1 calendar, South Africa and Singapore being just 2 of many, a lot of tracks on the calendar are not safe. There is talk of more races in a season but I would guess that they won’t go beyond 20. That would mean a potential 25 tracks aiming for 20 places, which will mean some missing out.
The rules for the new season haven’t changed a great deal. The FIA’s decision to go to one tyre supplier means that the field are all running on Bridgestone’s, as they won the right. Bridgestone will bring two types of tyre to each round. In previous seasons, the teams pick one and run that for the weekend. This season, they have to run both types during the race. Obviously, cars will run better on one type than the other and it will hurt performance but most are agreed that it won’t affect the outcome of races.
The horsepower battle is pretty much over now as engine designs given to the FIA at the end of last season is the engine they have to use for the next 4 seasons. There will be limited development on them, strictly watched by the FIA, probably to do with reliability. The 2 races an engine restriction still applies but it has been relaxed a little in that they don’t have to use that engine in the Friday practise sessions. The Friday practise has been extended to 90 minutes a session instead of 60, probably due to the FIA’s attempts to limit testing. A third car is not allowed this season but a third driver is allowed on the Friday.
The most interesting change is probably in the safety car period of races. There is to be no cars entering the pits until all the cars are bunched up behind the safety car and lapped cars won’t be getting in the way as they will be allowed to go past and to the back of the field.
Most of the changes seem to be about cost cutting and better racing and with a load of changes to happen over the next few years, such as bio fuel and power boost systems recycling waste in the next 5 or so years, Formula 1 is looking at a competitive, ecofriendly future but also cost effective and at the cutting edge of technology.
That’s the background for the new season and it’s now time to look at the teams and drivers competing for the Championships this season and a brief description of how well they’ll do in my opinion.
Looking at some of the cars, I think the most interesting area of most of the cars has to be the front wing. There are some interesting design concepts, mostly on the front of the car and the side pods.
For a look at some of the launch pictures of the cars, visit this site Launch pictures and click the launches link.
If you are interested in learning more about the technology behind some of the cars, go here: Technical analysis
McLaren
McLaren started building for this season early by signing Alonso before the 2006 season had even started. Things got progressively worse as top aerodynamicist Adrian Newey left for Red Bull and the Mercedes V8 was not as competitive as they had hoped.
Preseason has been kind to McLaren though. McLaren have been consistently near the top of the timesheets in testing and are considered one of the teams to beat. I certainly thought that this would be a tough year for McLaren but there is a possibility that this could be McLaren’s return to the winners circle.
Alonso
For a return to winning ways, Alonso is the man to do it. Alonso has matured and works hard out on the track. McLaren now have the only World Champion in the field and he’s a two time World Champion to boot. I thought this might have been a bad move but there is a chance that Alonso could be a 3 times World Champion come October.
Hamilton
Hamilton was last years GP2 winner and he has now been thrust into a potential World Championship contender’s car. It’s a potentially steep learning curve and he’s has a World Champion to compete against as a team-mate. Hamilton’s objective for the season, in my opinion, will be to stick close to Alonso in terms of qualifying and race pace and go for consistent finishes to gain the experience that will serve him well in later years. I will be very impressed if he manages to win a race this season.
Renault
Things are looking bleak in the Renault camp. Renault is well known to have won their Championship by spending less than their competitors. That worked fine when they were at the front and had a driver that could drag every last millisecond out of the car. Now they are already downplaying their chances and they are claim to be at least half a second slower than the McLaren and Ferrari. Also, their driver line up is not looking good. They might steal a win or two but no third Constructors Championship will be coming their way in my opinion.
Fisichella
This could well be Fisichella’s last season at Renault. He was getting openly criticised by Flavio Briatore when it seemed that he was not trying hard enough. He now leads the team and I can see him getting beaten often by his team-mate. Fisichella just doesn’t have the look of a Champion about him and it’ll be just another year of excuses.
Kovalainen
He has been Renault test driver for a few years now and with Alonso’s departure, he has a chance to drive a season in Formula 1. Obviously, this will be a season a lot like Hamilton but I feel that he could beat Fisichella on a regular basis. Kovalainen could be the reason that sees the end of the line of Fisichella as a top team driver.
Ferrari
I did try to not mention Schumacher but this is going to be an interesting year at Ferrari. Ferrari was building cars around Michael Schumacher and now he has retired, Ferrari will have to be at the top of their game. They seem to have managed it as Ferrari is considered the team to beat for the new season.
Ferrari has not escaped the inevitable grilling from the media. The media have claimed that they won’t get the same technical information from Raikkonen that Schumacher would have given them. They also claim that the longer wheelbase will hurt their performances over longer distances. Whatever they say, Ferrari will be the team to beat in 2007.
Massa
What a fantastic opportunity Massa has in front of him! With no Schumacher to hold him back, he has everything in place to be World Champion. His performances at the end of last season has shown how far he has come since his untamed pace back in his Sauber days. Bernie Ecclestone has tipped Massa to be World Champion. He’ll have to overcome his team-mate and Alonso to win it but this may be his best chance.
Raikkonen
Raikkonen has come in for some criticism for his partying ways and is claimed to not offer much technically. There is no denying his pace and Ferrari have a habit of making reliable cars and fast cars, something that Raikkonen had been missing at McLaren. His biggest rival will be Massa and it could be an almighty showdown between the two of them. He’ll be a contender for the title; there should be no question about that.
Honda
The optimism at the end of last season was high after Button’s victory and the improvement in form from the poor start they had. However, that optimism has eroded away as the new car has failed to live up to expectations. It’s so bad for them that they’ve already said that a major upgrade will be ready for the 2nd round. That’s never a good sign and it very rarely works. It is likely to be another season of struggles for Honda.
Button
The win that finally came last season propelled him from an also ran to a potential World Champion and 2007 became the season that everyone thought Button may be World Champion. Button has all but said that it won’t be this year and I think it won’t be his year either.
Barrichello
Barrichello’s best years are probably behind him now and Honda will be looking for his experience to get them through what looks like a rocky patch. The contest between Button and Barrichello will be competitive and Barrichello is in the position where he doesn’t have to prove himself.
BMW Sauber
This team may very well be the team to watch this season. The car is very highly thought of and the boss reckons they aren’t far behind Ferrari and McLaren. There is concern over the reliability of the car. Whether this materialises is anyone’s guess but they should have a good season in my opinion.
Heidfeld
Heidfeld doesn’t really stand out as a driver that could be World Champion. He’s quick but quiet and he now has a young driver as a team-mate with a lot of pace. Heidfeld has to beat him consistently or I could see him potentially being replaced. He does seem to thrive under this kind of pressure though.
Kubica
He exploded onto the F1 scene late last season, replacing Villeneuve. Obviously, consistency is the key but with his lightning pace, he could cause an upset or two. This guy should have an interesting season.
Toyota
Toyota, in previous seasons, has had good one lap pace only to become mobile road blocks in the races. Toyota seems to be in all kinds of problems though. The new car has been disappointing and has been haunted by unreliability. Because of this, they will probably be in an almighty scrap for points in a midfield group with not much to choose between them, although a recent test has given them hope on the reliability front.
R Schumacher
Ralf has said recently that he is one of the top 3 drivers in Formula 1. I’m not as convinced. He’s much more a consistent racer than Trulli, his team-mate, but he does have that one lap pace and doesn’t have that ability to drag performance out of a poor performing car. He’ll probably outscore Trulli but that’ll be about it.
Trulli
Trulli is one of the most frustrating drivers on the grid. Without doubt, one of the quickest drivers in a single lap and backs that up with average race pace and a tendency to settle rather than achieve. If he could start to back up that one lap pace with a better race pace, the battle between him and Ralf should be a good one.
Red Bull
Red Bull has all the pieces of the puzzle to become a race winning team. They have a top aerodynamicist in Adrian Newey, who likes to work with Renault engines, which they now have and they have drivers who can win them races. There is a problem though. Despite topping a few testing sessions, the drivers aren’t happy. The car seems to lack a bit of pace and Newey’s cars tend to be unreliable as he has a habit of being uncompromising in his search for aerodynamic perfection.
With car improvements being made, the car should come good at some point but it’ll probably be too late to do anything meaningful this season.
Coulthard
Red Bull came to Coulthard’s rescue when he left McLaren and he was driving on a points = cash basis. It looked like Coulthard was having fun and doing a good job. Coulthard then said that Red Bull were not improving the car at the end of last season and was giving the impression that he wasn’t having fun anymore. Maybe that’s down to the change of mentality at Red Bull. Coulthard won’t be challenging for any titles but the inner team rivalry with Webber will be good.
Webber
I think Webber made the right move to switch from Williams. It may not pay off this season but he’ll be in the right place when everything comes together. He has the qualifying pace and the race pace to be a contender in a competitive car and this car will be competitive at some point. He was going to win in Monaco last season but the car let him down and that first win may come this season in the right conditions. He should have the upper hand on Coulthard at least.
Williams
Williams is a tricky team to judge this season. They’ve had a quiet preseason and the only real hyping of the teams potential was from Damon Hill. Williams are the on the back of a poor season in 2006 and they’ll be resting their hopes on the Toyota engines to move them up the field.
Rosberg
Rosberg started brightly in 2006 and stood out in a number of races but as Williams began to slip down the field, Rosberg began to struggle. He’s now in his 2nd season and 95% of the time, this is the key season for drivers hoping to stick around. He’s up against it as the midfield is going to be seriously congested and he is up against a very racer in Wurz as a team-mate.
Wurz
Wurz has had a strange career. He showed some good speed in his Benetton days and then got stuck as a test driver at McLaren. After a brief spell in the McLaren when Montoya was injured, he signs as Williams test driver. He could easily have done a good job for any team. He now has another chance at Williams and he really has nothing to lose as he seems to be highly regarded as a test driver. Let’s hope he goes for broke and shows us all what he is capable of.
Toro Rosso
Although part of the Red Bull group, this is a separate team due to the regulations. It took a long time for Toro Rosso to finalise their driver line up and a late new car launch gives the team serious concerns over their competitiveness. They could be fighting at the back of the pack for a little while yet.
Liuzzi
Liuzzi was the first to be signed up for Toro Rosso’s new season and that would indicate that he did a better job than Speed in his first full season. The stats tend to back that up and he’ll have to prove it all over again. There is a lot of competition for seats in the Red Bull franchises with their driver programme so the pressure is always on.
Speed
I think Speed is quite fortunate to keep his seat for the new season. Maybe the management feels he’ll be better in a second season but this seat is up for grabs if he doesn’t raise his game. Beating Liuzzi is of top priority and any points that may happen to come up could be the difference between keeping the seat and losing it.
Spyker
Spyker bought out Midland last season, who had bought out Jordan not that long before that. This constant transition just makes me think that they’ll be propping up the field this season. Testing has been difficult and they have openly admitted that they’ve had to work hard to improve their one lap pace. They have managed to get Ferrari engines, which might help them get off the bottom.
Albers
Albers seat was safe when the Dutch company bought Midland. I think he’s done a solid job anyway and I enjoyed following the progression of Albers and Monteiro during last season, particularly when they showed some good pace. It’s going to be a tough season again though and I doubt points will be readily available.
Sutil
Sutil won the Japanese Formula 3 title last year and it is usually a difficult Championship to win, so there is some pedigree there. For those perhaps not interested in the race at the front, Albers V Sutil during races may be interesting viewing on the live timing screens.
Super Aguri
They were the worst team last season but it doesn’t reflect the effort that they put in just to get on the grid in 2006. The new car won’t be released until the Wednesday before the Australian Grand Prix but if the interim car they’ve been using in testing is anything to go by, it should be quite good, maybe good enough to get off the bottom of the pack. The interim car managed to get the quickest time on a testing day in preseason.
Sato
Arguably Japan’s best driver, he has worked very hard and raced the Midland cars hard last season in a car that was not really ready to compete. He’ll be racing his team-mate and the Spykers to start with but that’s depending on how the new car goes. Davidson will be a tougher prospect than his team-mates Yamamoto and Montagny last year.
Davidson
Davidson finally gets a F1 drive after a bit of a wait and he stays within the Honda organisation by signing for Super Aguri. Obviously, this is going to be very tough but he should know most of the tracks after doing 3rd driver duties last season. I think a lot of eyes will be looking at how he gets on.
So, there are the drivers and teams competing this season. I think the season has opened up quite a bit now that Michael Schumacher has left. Obviously, it will be difficult to see any other team than Ferrari winning but there may be a good battle with McLaren in the offing. Here’s how I think the season will end up.
Constructors Championship
1st Ferrari
2nd McLaren
3rd BMW
4th Renault
5th Red Bull
6th Honda
7th Toyota
8th Williams
9th Super Aguri
10th Toro Rosso
11th Spyker
Drivers top 5
1st Raikkonen
2nd Alonso
3rd Massa
4th Hamilton
5th Heidfeld
That’s a bit of a rough estimate but I think it’s a fair assumption at this point.
I’m looking forward to a fantastic season of F1 racing and I hope you’ve enjoyed my preview to the new season.
Thanks for reading
Grandprix
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Machie wrote:
> Congratulations on the GAD GP =)
Likewise :)
> Congratulations on the GAD GP =)
Likewise :)
Congrats, the Kawada support machine never fails :-D
Thanks, it was a bit of a surprise to win to be honest.
Anyway, I was discussing the whole Button situation with my brother. With the exception of perhaps Renault, who I reckon will get rid of Fisichella, I can't see Button getting a drive in a car that's faster than the Honda.
I very much doubt Ferrari would take him on and I can't see him getting a drive at McLaren, not with the driver programme they seem to have. BMW would be unlikely as they'll probably keep with the one German driver, Heidfeld, and Kubica looks like a real talent. Renault is a possibility but I personally don't think it will happen.
I suppose Red Bull may be a possibility when Coulthard retires, which may be soon. Other than those, Honda is his best choice because of the close nature of the midfield. Any move may just see him shuffling around the midfield.
As for Schumacher leaving, I was actually looking forward to it. He may very well have been the greatest driver we'll see in our generation but I'm looking forward to a season where I don't know who will win.
I'll be up at 2am Saturday and Sunday for the qualifying and race. Can't wait!
Anyway, I was discussing the whole Button situation with my brother. With the exception of perhaps Renault, who I reckon will get rid of Fisichella, I can't see Button getting a drive in a car that's faster than the Honda.
I very much doubt Ferrari would take him on and I can't see him getting a drive at McLaren, not with the driver programme they seem to have. BMW would be unlikely as they'll probably keep with the one German driver, Heidfeld, and Kubica looks like a real talent. Renault is a possibility but I personally don't think it will happen.
I suppose Red Bull may be a possibility when Coulthard retires, which may be soon. Other than those, Honda is his best choice because of the close nature of the midfield. Any move may just see him shuffling around the midfield.
As for Schumacher leaving, I was actually looking forward to it. He may very well have been the greatest driver we'll see in our generation but I'm looking forward to a season where I don't know who will win.
I'll be up at 2am Saturday and Sunday for the qualifying and race. Can't wait!
Well done on the GAD, your F1 season previews are GAD winners every year!
I personally think Button should take Hill's advice and look towards making a move to a better team sometime soon. As for this year, I'm rooting for Alonso again and hoping that Hamilton can show some promise...
I personally think Button should take Hill's advice and look towards making a move to a better team sometime soon. As for this year, I'm rooting for Alonso again and hoping that Hamilton can show some promise...
Congratulations on the GAD GP =)
Kawada wrote:
> If Drongo's Gameinformer post or whatever wins a GAD instead of
> this i will personally go to freeola offices and give them all a
> swift kick in the nuts
And I'll be there for a follow up kick!
Great post here a very comprehensive guide to the forthcoming season which I'm very much looking forward to.
I think the top 2 are pretty much guaranteed but I think Alonso will take the drivers title with Ferrari taking the constructors.
I always thought without Schumacher my interest in F1 would dwindle but it's done the opposite and made me even more interested in it probably because there's more chance of a new F1 champion being crowned.
Looking forward to the weekend and the Australian GP!
> If Drongo's Gameinformer post or whatever wins a GAD instead of
> this i will personally go to freeola offices and give them all a
> swift kick in the nuts
And I'll be there for a follow up kick!
Great post here a very comprehensive guide to the forthcoming season which I'm very much looking forward to.
I think the top 2 are pretty much guaranteed but I think Alonso will take the drivers title with Ferrari taking the constructors.
I always thought without Schumacher my interest in F1 would dwindle but it's done the opposite and made me even more interested in it probably because there's more chance of a new F1 champion being crowned.
Looking forward to the weekend and the Australian GP!
Oh indeed, i know it's a mainstay of the forums every F1 season and you have a great passion for it, i'm just starting the bandwagon rolling for it to get a GAD. Of course with me backing you it'd probably have the opposite effect so ermmm sorry mate :-D
Heh, sure, a GAD would be nice but it wasn't a thought when I wrote this. I look forward to every F1 season and I hope some of the enthusiasm comes through in my post. :)
If Drongo's Gameinformer post or whatever wins a GAD instead of this i will personally go to freeola offices and give them all a swift kick in the nuts
I think that's going to be the main thing about this season, the possible congested midfield. I reckon Ferrari and McLaren will take the top 4 and form is to be believed, BMW take the next 2. That leaves potentially 5 teams battling for 2 points places. There is going to be a lot of unhappy drivers.
I'd agree with the assessment of the drivers to look out for, Kubica in particular. He was really good at the end of 2006.
I'd agree with the assessment of the drivers to look out for, Kubica in particular. He was really good at the end of 2006.
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