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The close season has been full of event and change and as the new season edges closer, you get the definitive guide from yours truly. Well, I like to think it's definitive. Feel free to debate any points I raise.
The winter saw the end for the Arrows team. It was a shame as I like a lot of cars in F1. The field now consists of just 20 cars and with Jordan and Minardi complaining about the lack of funds and a lot of teams wanting closer competition, Formula 1 needed to change and change it has done.
Some interesting rule changes have been enforced. The major one has to be the change in qualifying. Qualifying is now one lap for every driver, similar to what the British Touring Car Championship has been doing. Along with this comes the fact that when the cars have done their lap, the car cannot be touched until the race, meaning the fuel load they use in qualifying has to be used in the race. Strategy will be crucial. Will they go for grid position and an early stop or compromise their grid position and run with more fuel? Also, it looks likely that the 107% rule will be scrapped.
The points system has changed for this season. The points system goes as follows:
1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
4th 5 points
5th 4 points
6th 3 points
7th 2 points
8th 1 point
With 8 drivers scoring points, just less than half of the field can score. This could encourage tactical racing but with pit to car radio being debated, a repeat of staged finishes should be unlikely. Traction control also disappears during the season. Also, I think I'm right in saying that replacing an engine during a race weekend will result in a loss of 10 places on the grid. A hefty penalty, I'm sure you'll agree.
Some interesting changes and it will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers adapt to this. Let's take a closer look at the teams and drivers to see who'll be winning the championship and who'll be given the wooden spoon. Let's start at the most logical place:
Ferrari - Huge favourites for this season once again after the 2002 car dominated every car in the field. Ferrari are boasting another huge leap forward and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, another season of glory could be in the offing.
M Schumacher - Arguably the best driver in the field and odds on to win the championship for a record 6th time. Records are tumbling to this man and he'll be looking to break a few more this season. The biggest record yet to be broken is Ayrton Senna's pole position record. He'll be looking to get within touching distance of this, although he won't say that.
Barrichello - He is looking better and better with every passing season and if team orders are banned, I would love to see him challenge because he deserves it. His major problem is a lack of confidence when things go wrong. Let's hope they don't.
Williams - Ferrari's closest challengers last season but are not rated by Ferrari to be the closest challengers this season. Williams have suffered badly with bad tyres and unreliability. It will be interesting to see if Williams have closed the gap.
Montoya - Has had a big war of words with Michael Schumacher and will want to prove himself right. Is an obvious talent and will be hoping that he has a car that can match Ferrari.
R Schumacher - Looked better and better as the season went on and will be looking to continue that upward trend. Will want to win a few more races.
McLaren - They usually have a quality, comfortable car to drive but it lacked a bit of power last year. Ferrari has tipped them to be the main challengers and I think it's possible.
Coulthard - A few people will disagree with me here but Coulthard is over-rated. Every year, he comes out and says he will challenge and after some good, solid drives, he just fades away. He has driven the best car in the field numerous times and hasn't looked like winning the championship and got outshined by his team-mates. I'll be happy to withdraw everything I've said if he proves me wrong, but I don't think he will.
Raikkonen - He should have had his first win last season and outdrove Coulthard on many occasions. I would like to see him pick up his first win and show how good a driver he is.
Renault - I tipped this team to do well last season and they proved me absolutely right. They looked real challengers for 3rd in the championship and will be looking to progress again. I'm tipping this team again this season for greatness, maybe even a race win.
Trulli - He can be a very good driver when he wants to be but tends to drift away during races. A few good races and people may start thinking of this guy as a future star.
Alonso - One of the most highly rated drivers in the world. He has a lot to live up to and showed a lot of potential when he drove for Minardi a couple of years ago. Was Renault's test driver last year so knows the car very well. Should be a good year for him.
Jordan - Money trouble and lack of sponsorship are hurting. This team has been a breath of fresh air in F1 and I don't want to see them disappear. They named their final driver late and will need the extra session on Fridays to help them out. Not quite sure what we can expect from this team.
Fisichella - Has been Jordan's best driver and has a dream of driving for Ferrari. He has the ability to acheive it but the Jordan car has let him down a number of times. Should be Jordan's top scorer again this year.
Firman - Rookie Firman pipped Irvine to this drive and will be wanting to prove he can live with his team-mate. It will be a tough learning year but Jordan are known for producing proven race winners so Eddie Jordan obviously knows a good driver when he sees one.
B.A.R - When they first joined F1, they said they would be winning races first season. They didn't score a point that year. It's been a slow, uphill progress but there is signs of progress. Could be a good year.
Villeneuve - There seems to be reports saying he will quit F1 and he has been looking less and less motivated. There is no doubting his ability but the motivation just isn't there.
Button - B.A.R boss Dave Richards has said that he wants to make Button a World Champion and the talent is there. Button is in a very important year. He has to prove that he is B.A.R's number 1 and prove his critics wrong.
Sauber - There is no doubting that they have benefitted from having Ferrari engines but they had a very good package and deserved the success. Whether they can progress to world beaters remains to be seen.
Heidfeld - Felt upset over Raikkonen's switch to McLaren because he used to test drive at McLaren and felt he had done enough. He was Sauber's rock last year when Massa was failing and now has a solid team-mate with him.
Frentzen - Nearing the end of his career and will be looking to consolidate Sauber's position. The car needs to be good and the battle to see which one will come out on top between these two drivers should be good.
Toyota - A mixed season last year and they have decided to completely change their driver line up. Improvement is tough but they have the finance.
Panis - Has won a GP before but will never be good enough to win regularly. His role will be to score points and develop the car.
Da Matta - I've seen a bit of this driver in ChampCars but this is a whole different ball game. Not many drivers have come over and adapted well so this will be a very tough year.
Jaguar - The car just hasn't been good enough and the backers are getting restless for results. Major improvement is needed if they want to be taken seriously.
Webber - Did an exceptional job at Minardi last year and looked like a quality driver. A good car and this could be another good year for Webber.
Pizzonia - Another rookie and if past Jaguar performance is anything to go by, this could be a nightmare year for this guy.
Minardi - Every year, this team fights and scraps for whatever it can get and that is why they are liked by many. Lots of money trouble as usual but they always seem to manage to get through it. The grid would not be the same without them.
Wilson - Being at Minardi, you don't stand much of a chance of winning. Points finishes are more likely this season so if the car is reliable, a few points finishes are possible. This tall Brit looked like he was never going to break into F1 but Minardi have given him the chance and we shall see what the rookie can do.
Verstappen - Very inconsistent and can't seem to stay in F1 for a long period. Inconsistent performances probably won't mean that much at Minardi and an average year looks likely.
That is the drivers and teams for the new season with my little predictions. This is the calendar for the upcoming year:
09 March
Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park
23 March
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
06 April
Brazil Grand Prix, Interlagos
20 April
San Marino Grand Prix, Imola
04 May
Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
18 May
Austrian Grand Prix, A1-Ring
01 June
Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo
15 June
Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
29 June
European Grand Prix, Nürburgring
06 July
French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours
20 July
British Grand Prix, Silverstone
03 August
German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
24 August
Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring
14 September
Italian Grand Prix, Monza
28 September
US Grand Prix, Indianapolis
12 October
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
So, there you have it. I'm certainly looking forward to another season on F1, even if Belguim won't be on the calendar. I'm also looking forward to the F1 discussions over the coming year.
This has been a Grandprix presentation.
Thank you for reading.
The winter saw the end for the Arrows team. It was a shame as I like a lot of cars in F1. The field now consists of just 20 cars and with Jordan and Minardi complaining about the lack of funds and a lot of teams wanting closer competition, Formula 1 needed to change and change it has done.
Some interesting rule changes have been enforced. The major one has to be the change in qualifying. Qualifying is now one lap for every driver, similar to what the British Touring Car Championship has been doing. Along with this comes the fact that when the cars have done their lap, the car cannot be touched until the race, meaning the fuel load they use in qualifying has to be used in the race. Strategy will be crucial. Will they go for grid position and an early stop or compromise their grid position and run with more fuel? Also, it looks likely that the 107% rule will be scrapped.
The points system has changed for this season. The points system goes as follows:
1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
4th 5 points
5th 4 points
6th 3 points
7th 2 points
8th 1 point
With 8 drivers scoring points, just less than half of the field can score. This could encourage tactical racing but with pit to car radio being debated, a repeat of staged finishes should be unlikely. Traction control also disappears during the season. Also, I think I'm right in saying that replacing an engine during a race weekend will result in a loss of 10 places on the grid. A hefty penalty, I'm sure you'll agree.
Some interesting changes and it will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers adapt to this. Let's take a closer look at the teams and drivers to see who'll be winning the championship and who'll be given the wooden spoon. Let's start at the most logical place:
Ferrari - Huge favourites for this season once again after the 2002 car dominated every car in the field. Ferrari are boasting another huge leap forward and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, another season of glory could be in the offing.
M Schumacher - Arguably the best driver in the field and odds on to win the championship for a record 6th time. Records are tumbling to this man and he'll be looking to break a few more this season. The biggest record yet to be broken is Ayrton Senna's pole position record. He'll be looking to get within touching distance of this, although he won't say that.
Barrichello - He is looking better and better with every passing season and if team orders are banned, I would love to see him challenge because he deserves it. His major problem is a lack of confidence when things go wrong. Let's hope they don't.
Williams - Ferrari's closest challengers last season but are not rated by Ferrari to be the closest challengers this season. Williams have suffered badly with bad tyres and unreliability. It will be interesting to see if Williams have closed the gap.
Montoya - Has had a big war of words with Michael Schumacher and will want to prove himself right. Is an obvious talent and will be hoping that he has a car that can match Ferrari.
R Schumacher - Looked better and better as the season went on and will be looking to continue that upward trend. Will want to win a few more races.
McLaren - They usually have a quality, comfortable car to drive but it lacked a bit of power last year. Ferrari has tipped them to be the main challengers and I think it's possible.
Coulthard - A few people will disagree with me here but Coulthard is over-rated. Every year, he comes out and says he will challenge and after some good, solid drives, he just fades away. He has driven the best car in the field numerous times and hasn't looked like winning the championship and got outshined by his team-mates. I'll be happy to withdraw everything I've said if he proves me wrong, but I don't think he will.
Raikkonen - He should have had his first win last season and outdrove Coulthard on many occasions. I would like to see him pick up his first win and show how good a driver he is.
Renault - I tipped this team to do well last season and they proved me absolutely right. They looked real challengers for 3rd in the championship and will be looking to progress again. I'm tipping this team again this season for greatness, maybe even a race win.
Trulli - He can be a very good driver when he wants to be but tends to drift away during races. A few good races and people may start thinking of this guy as a future star.
Alonso - One of the most highly rated drivers in the world. He has a lot to live up to and showed a lot of potential when he drove for Minardi a couple of years ago. Was Renault's test driver last year so knows the car very well. Should be a good year for him.
Jordan - Money trouble and lack of sponsorship are hurting. This team has been a breath of fresh air in F1 and I don't want to see them disappear. They named their final driver late and will need the extra session on Fridays to help them out. Not quite sure what we can expect from this team.
Fisichella - Has been Jordan's best driver and has a dream of driving for Ferrari. He has the ability to acheive it but the Jordan car has let him down a number of times. Should be Jordan's top scorer again this year.
Firman - Rookie Firman pipped Irvine to this drive and will be wanting to prove he can live with his team-mate. It will be a tough learning year but Jordan are known for producing proven race winners so Eddie Jordan obviously knows a good driver when he sees one.
B.A.R - When they first joined F1, they said they would be winning races first season. They didn't score a point that year. It's been a slow, uphill progress but there is signs of progress. Could be a good year.
Villeneuve - There seems to be reports saying he will quit F1 and he has been looking less and less motivated. There is no doubting his ability but the motivation just isn't there.
Button - B.A.R boss Dave Richards has said that he wants to make Button a World Champion and the talent is there. Button is in a very important year. He has to prove that he is B.A.R's number 1 and prove his critics wrong.
Sauber - There is no doubting that they have benefitted from having Ferrari engines but they had a very good package and deserved the success. Whether they can progress to world beaters remains to be seen.
Heidfeld - Felt upset over Raikkonen's switch to McLaren because he used to test drive at McLaren and felt he had done enough. He was Sauber's rock last year when Massa was failing and now has a solid team-mate with him.
Frentzen - Nearing the end of his career and will be looking to consolidate Sauber's position. The car needs to be good and the battle to see which one will come out on top between these two drivers should be good.
Toyota - A mixed season last year and they have decided to completely change their driver line up. Improvement is tough but they have the finance.
Panis - Has won a GP before but will never be good enough to win regularly. His role will be to score points and develop the car.
Da Matta - I've seen a bit of this driver in ChampCars but this is a whole different ball game. Not many drivers have come over and adapted well so this will be a very tough year.
Jaguar - The car just hasn't been good enough and the backers are getting restless for results. Major improvement is needed if they want to be taken seriously.
Webber - Did an exceptional job at Minardi last year and looked like a quality driver. A good car and this could be another good year for Webber.
Pizzonia - Another rookie and if past Jaguar performance is anything to go by, this could be a nightmare year for this guy.
Minardi - Every year, this team fights and scraps for whatever it can get and that is why they are liked by many. Lots of money trouble as usual but they always seem to manage to get through it. The grid would not be the same without them.
Wilson - Being at Minardi, you don't stand much of a chance of winning. Points finishes are more likely this season so if the car is reliable, a few points finishes are possible. This tall Brit looked like he was never going to break into F1 but Minardi have given him the chance and we shall see what the rookie can do.
Verstappen - Very inconsistent and can't seem to stay in F1 for a long period. Inconsistent performances probably won't mean that much at Minardi and an average year looks likely.
That is the drivers and teams for the new season with my little predictions. This is the calendar for the upcoming year:
09 March
Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park
23 March
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
06 April
Brazil Grand Prix, Interlagos
20 April
San Marino Grand Prix, Imola
04 May
Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
18 May
Austrian Grand Prix, A1-Ring
01 June
Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo
15 June
Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
29 June
European Grand Prix, Nürburgring
06 July
French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours
20 July
British Grand Prix, Silverstone
03 August
German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
24 August
Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring
14 September
Italian Grand Prix, Monza
28 September
US Grand Prix, Indianapolis
12 October
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
So, there you have it. I'm certainly looking forward to another season on F1, even if Belguim won't be on the calendar. I'm also looking forward to the F1 discussions over the coming year.
This has been a Grandprix presentation.
Thank you for reading.
Page:
Well, I had been thinking about it for a couple of days and I'm a fairly quick typer so it was just getting what I wanted typed out.
Wow, that's quite quick. Thought it might of took around a day or so.
It took me about an hour and a half, on and off.
Great stuff there Grandprix.
I bet that took you quite a while to write.
I bet that took you quite a while to write.
Intresting post. Thanks for filling me in on Alonso's history.
Cheers YH! You've got to love what you do. Some really major rule changes but changes that I feel had to be done.
Man, those are some serious rules changes!
I got bored of F1 halfway through last season and haven't kept up to date at all. Looks like the races could be a lot more interesting this season though, so I may have to get back into it...
Good post, by the way :-)
I got bored of F1 halfway through last season and haven't kept up to date at all. Looks like the races could be a lot more interesting this season though, so I may have to get back into it...
Good post, by the way :-)
The close season has been full of event and change and as the new season edges closer, you get the definitive guide from yours truly. Well, I like to think it's definitive. Feel free to debate any points I raise.
The winter saw the end for the Arrows team. It was a shame as I like a lot of cars in F1. The field now consists of just 20 cars and with Jordan and Minardi complaining about the lack of funds and a lot of teams wanting closer competition, Formula 1 needed to change and change it has done.
Some interesting rule changes have been enforced. The major one has to be the change in qualifying. Qualifying is now one lap for every driver, similar to what the British Touring Car Championship has been doing. Along with this comes the fact that when the cars have done their lap, the car cannot be touched until the race, meaning the fuel load they use in qualifying has to be used in the race. Strategy will be crucial. Will they go for grid position and an early stop or compromise their grid position and run with more fuel? Also, it looks likely that the 107% rule will be scrapped.
The points system has changed for this season. The points system goes as follows:
1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
4th 5 points
5th 4 points
6th 3 points
7th 2 points
8th 1 point
With 8 drivers scoring points, just less than half of the field can score. This could encourage tactical racing but with pit to car radio being debated, a repeat of staged finishes should be unlikely. Traction control also disappears during the season. Also, I think I'm right in saying that replacing an engine during a race weekend will result in a loss of 10 places on the grid. A hefty penalty, I'm sure you'll agree.
Some interesting changes and it will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers adapt to this. Let's take a closer look at the teams and drivers to see who'll be winning the championship and who'll be given the wooden spoon. Let's start at the most logical place:
Ferrari - Huge favourites for this season once again after the 2002 car dominated every car in the field. Ferrari are boasting another huge leap forward and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, another season of glory could be in the offing.
M Schumacher - Arguably the best driver in the field and odds on to win the championship for a record 6th time. Records are tumbling to this man and he'll be looking to break a few more this season. The biggest record yet to be broken is Ayrton Senna's pole position record. He'll be looking to get within touching distance of this, although he won't say that.
Barrichello - He is looking better and better with every passing season and if team orders are banned, I would love to see him challenge because he deserves it. His major problem is a lack of confidence when things go wrong. Let's hope they don't.
Williams - Ferrari's closest challengers last season but are not rated by Ferrari to be the closest challengers this season. Williams have suffered badly with bad tyres and unreliability. It will be interesting to see if Williams have closed the gap.
Montoya - Has had a big war of words with Michael Schumacher and will want to prove himself right. Is an obvious talent and will be hoping that he has a car that can match Ferrari.
R Schumacher - Looked better and better as the season went on and will be looking to continue that upward trend. Will want to win a few more races.
McLaren - They usually have a quality, comfortable car to drive but it lacked a bit of power last year. Ferrari has tipped them to be the main challengers and I think it's possible.
Coulthard - A few people will disagree with me here but Coulthard is over-rated. Every year, he comes out and says he will challenge and after some good, solid drives, he just fades away. He has driven the best car in the field numerous times and hasn't looked like winning the championship and got outshined by his team-mates. I'll be happy to withdraw everything I've said if he proves me wrong, but I don't think he will.
Raikkonen - He should have had his first win last season and outdrove Coulthard on many occasions. I would like to see him pick up his first win and show how good a driver he is.
Renault - I tipped this team to do well last season and they proved me absolutely right. They looked real challengers for 3rd in the championship and will be looking to progress again. I'm tipping this team again this season for greatness, maybe even a race win.
Trulli - He can be a very good driver when he wants to be but tends to drift away during races. A few good races and people may start thinking of this guy as a future star.
Alonso - One of the most highly rated drivers in the world. He has a lot to live up to and showed a lot of potential when he drove for Minardi a couple of years ago. Was Renault's test driver last year so knows the car very well. Should be a good year for him.
Jordan - Money trouble and lack of sponsorship are hurting. This team has been a breath of fresh air in F1 and I don't want to see them disappear. They named their final driver late and will need the extra session on Fridays to help them out. Not quite sure what we can expect from this team.
Fisichella - Has been Jordan's best driver and has a dream of driving for Ferrari. He has the ability to acheive it but the Jordan car has let him down a number of times. Should be Jordan's top scorer again this year.
Firman - Rookie Firman pipped Irvine to this drive and will be wanting to prove he can live with his team-mate. It will be a tough learning year but Jordan are known for producing proven race winners so Eddie Jordan obviously knows a good driver when he sees one.
B.A.R - When they first joined F1, they said they would be winning races first season. They didn't score a point that year. It's been a slow, uphill progress but there is signs of progress. Could be a good year.
Villeneuve - There seems to be reports saying he will quit F1 and he has been looking less and less motivated. There is no doubting his ability but the motivation just isn't there.
Button - B.A.R boss Dave Richards has said that he wants to make Button a World Champion and the talent is there. Button is in a very important year. He has to prove that he is B.A.R's number 1 and prove his critics wrong.
Sauber - There is no doubting that they have benefitted from having Ferrari engines but they had a very good package and deserved the success. Whether they can progress to world beaters remains to be seen.
Heidfeld - Felt upset over Raikkonen's switch to McLaren because he used to test drive at McLaren and felt he had done enough. He was Sauber's rock last year when Massa was failing and now has a solid team-mate with him.
Frentzen - Nearing the end of his career and will be looking to consolidate Sauber's position. The car needs to be good and the battle to see which one will come out on top between these two drivers should be good.
Toyota - A mixed season last year and they have decided to completely change their driver line up. Improvement is tough but they have the finance.
Panis - Has won a GP before but will never be good enough to win regularly. His role will be to score points and develop the car.
Da Matta - I've seen a bit of this driver in ChampCars but this is a whole different ball game. Not many drivers have come over and adapted well so this will be a very tough year.
Jaguar - The car just hasn't been good enough and the backers are getting restless for results. Major improvement is needed if they want to be taken seriously.
Webber - Did an exceptional job at Minardi last year and looked like a quality driver. A good car and this could be another good year for Webber.
Pizzonia - Another rookie and if past Jaguar performance is anything to go by, this could be a nightmare year for this guy.
Minardi - Every year, this team fights and scraps for whatever it can get and that is why they are liked by many. Lots of money trouble as usual but they always seem to manage to get through it. The grid would not be the same without them.
Wilson - Being at Minardi, you don't stand much of a chance of winning. Points finishes are more likely this season so if the car is reliable, a few points finishes are possible. This tall Brit looked like he was never going to break into F1 but Minardi have given him the chance and we shall see what the rookie can do.
Verstappen - Very inconsistent and can't seem to stay in F1 for a long period. Inconsistent performances probably won't mean that much at Minardi and an average year looks likely.
That is the drivers and teams for the new season with my little predictions. This is the calendar for the upcoming year:
09 March
Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park
23 March
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
06 April
Brazil Grand Prix, Interlagos
20 April
San Marino Grand Prix, Imola
04 May
Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
18 May
Austrian Grand Prix, A1-Ring
01 June
Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo
15 June
Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
29 June
European Grand Prix, Nürburgring
06 July
French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours
20 July
British Grand Prix, Silverstone
03 August
German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
24 August
Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring
14 September
Italian Grand Prix, Monza
28 September
US Grand Prix, Indianapolis
12 October
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
So, there you have it. I'm certainly looking forward to another season on F1, even if Belguim won't be on the calendar. I'm also looking forward to the F1 discussions over the coming year.
This has been a Grandprix presentation.
Thank you for reading.
The winter saw the end for the Arrows team. It was a shame as I like a lot of cars in F1. The field now consists of just 20 cars and with Jordan and Minardi complaining about the lack of funds and a lot of teams wanting closer competition, Formula 1 needed to change and change it has done.
Some interesting rule changes have been enforced. The major one has to be the change in qualifying. Qualifying is now one lap for every driver, similar to what the British Touring Car Championship has been doing. Along with this comes the fact that when the cars have done their lap, the car cannot be touched until the race, meaning the fuel load they use in qualifying has to be used in the race. Strategy will be crucial. Will they go for grid position and an early stop or compromise their grid position and run with more fuel? Also, it looks likely that the 107% rule will be scrapped.
The points system has changed for this season. The points system goes as follows:
1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
4th 5 points
5th 4 points
6th 3 points
7th 2 points
8th 1 point
With 8 drivers scoring points, just less than half of the field can score. This could encourage tactical racing but with pit to car radio being debated, a repeat of staged finishes should be unlikely. Traction control also disappears during the season. Also, I think I'm right in saying that replacing an engine during a race weekend will result in a loss of 10 places on the grid. A hefty penalty, I'm sure you'll agree.
Some interesting changes and it will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers adapt to this. Let's take a closer look at the teams and drivers to see who'll be winning the championship and who'll be given the wooden spoon. Let's start at the most logical place:
Ferrari - Huge favourites for this season once again after the 2002 car dominated every car in the field. Ferrari are boasting another huge leap forward and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, another season of glory could be in the offing.
M Schumacher - Arguably the best driver in the field and odds on to win the championship for a record 6th time. Records are tumbling to this man and he'll be looking to break a few more this season. The biggest record yet to be broken is Ayrton Senna's pole position record. He'll be looking to get within touching distance of this, although he won't say that.
Barrichello - He is looking better and better with every passing season and if team orders are banned, I would love to see him challenge because he deserves it. His major problem is a lack of confidence when things go wrong. Let's hope they don't.
Williams - Ferrari's closest challengers last season but are not rated by Ferrari to be the closest challengers this season. Williams have suffered badly with bad tyres and unreliability. It will be interesting to see if Williams have closed the gap.
Montoya - Has had a big war of words with Michael Schumacher and will want to prove himself right. Is an obvious talent and will be hoping that he has a car that can match Ferrari.
R Schumacher - Looked better and better as the season went on and will be looking to continue that upward trend. Will want to win a few more races.
McLaren - They usually have a quality, comfortable car to drive but it lacked a bit of power last year. Ferrari has tipped them to be the main challengers and I think it's possible.
Coulthard - A few people will disagree with me here but Coulthard is over-rated. Every year, he comes out and says he will challenge and after some good, solid drives, he just fades away. He has driven the best car in the field numerous times and hasn't looked like winning the championship and got outshined by his team-mates. I'll be happy to withdraw everything I've said if he proves me wrong, but I don't think he will.
Raikkonen - He should have had his first win last season and outdrove Coulthard on many occasions. I would like to see him pick up his first win and show how good a driver he is.
Renault - I tipped this team to do well last season and they proved me absolutely right. They looked real challengers for 3rd in the championship and will be looking to progress again. I'm tipping this team again this season for greatness, maybe even a race win.
Trulli - He can be a very good driver when he wants to be but tends to drift away during races. A few good races and people may start thinking of this guy as a future star.
Alonso - One of the most highly rated drivers in the world. He has a lot to live up to and showed a lot of potential when he drove for Minardi a couple of years ago. Was Renault's test driver last year so knows the car very well. Should be a good year for him.
Jordan - Money trouble and lack of sponsorship are hurting. This team has been a breath of fresh air in F1 and I don't want to see them disappear. They named their final driver late and will need the extra session on Fridays to help them out. Not quite sure what we can expect from this team.
Fisichella - Has been Jordan's best driver and has a dream of driving for Ferrari. He has the ability to acheive it but the Jordan car has let him down a number of times. Should be Jordan's top scorer again this year.
Firman - Rookie Firman pipped Irvine to this drive and will be wanting to prove he can live with his team-mate. It will be a tough learning year but Jordan are known for producing proven race winners so Eddie Jordan obviously knows a good driver when he sees one.
B.A.R - When they first joined F1, they said they would be winning races first season. They didn't score a point that year. It's been a slow, uphill progress but there is signs of progress. Could be a good year.
Villeneuve - There seems to be reports saying he will quit F1 and he has been looking less and less motivated. There is no doubting his ability but the motivation just isn't there.
Button - B.A.R boss Dave Richards has said that he wants to make Button a World Champion and the talent is there. Button is in a very important year. He has to prove that he is B.A.R's number 1 and prove his critics wrong.
Sauber - There is no doubting that they have benefitted from having Ferrari engines but they had a very good package and deserved the success. Whether they can progress to world beaters remains to be seen.
Heidfeld - Felt upset over Raikkonen's switch to McLaren because he used to test drive at McLaren and felt he had done enough. He was Sauber's rock last year when Massa was failing and now has a solid team-mate with him.
Frentzen - Nearing the end of his career and will be looking to consolidate Sauber's position. The car needs to be good and the battle to see which one will come out on top between these two drivers should be good.
Toyota - A mixed season last year and they have decided to completely change their driver line up. Improvement is tough but they have the finance.
Panis - Has won a GP before but will never be good enough to win regularly. His role will be to score points and develop the car.
Da Matta - I've seen a bit of this driver in ChampCars but this is a whole different ball game. Not many drivers have come over and adapted well so this will be a very tough year.
Jaguar - The car just hasn't been good enough and the backers are getting restless for results. Major improvement is needed if they want to be taken seriously.
Webber - Did an exceptional job at Minardi last year and looked like a quality driver. A good car and this could be another good year for Webber.
Pizzonia - Another rookie and if past Jaguar performance is anything to go by, this could be a nightmare year for this guy.
Minardi - Every year, this team fights and scraps for whatever it can get and that is why they are liked by many. Lots of money trouble as usual but they always seem to manage to get through it. The grid would not be the same without them.
Wilson - Being at Minardi, you don't stand much of a chance of winning. Points finishes are more likely this season so if the car is reliable, a few points finishes are possible. This tall Brit looked like he was never going to break into F1 but Minardi have given him the chance and we shall see what the rookie can do.
Verstappen - Very inconsistent and can't seem to stay in F1 for a long period. Inconsistent performances probably won't mean that much at Minardi and an average year looks likely.
That is the drivers and teams for the new season with my little predictions. This is the calendar for the upcoming year:
09 March
Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park
23 March
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
06 April
Brazil Grand Prix, Interlagos
20 April
San Marino Grand Prix, Imola
04 May
Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
18 May
Austrian Grand Prix, A1-Ring
01 June
Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo
15 June
Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
29 June
European Grand Prix, Nürburgring
06 July
French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours
20 July
British Grand Prix, Silverstone
03 August
German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
24 August
Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring
14 September
Italian Grand Prix, Monza
28 September
US Grand Prix, Indianapolis
12 October
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
So, there you have it. I'm certainly looking forward to another season on F1, even if Belguim won't be on the calendar. I'm also looking forward to the F1 discussions over the coming year.
This has been a Grandprix presentation.
Thank you for reading.
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