Cinderella Story

With the first weekend of Formula One racing wrapped up, I still find myself needing to question ‘did it really happen.’

This weekend has been surreal. I honestly don’t remember such a game changing moment as we witnessed. Pre-season testing has been more or less spot on, something that doesn’t always carry forward into the season.

Brawn’s one-two is nothing short of a fairytale. The whole story is sort of thing that you expect from a Hollywood blockbuster, not Formula One. It just isn’t supposed to happen, barring an intervention from Mother Nature.

Fortune as well as skill was on their side. I was surprised how long it took for the safety car to be pulled out after Nakajima found the wall. That being said, Jenson Button drove superbly; with only a slight hiccup in the pits his only blotch on his copybook. Barrichello had an eventful day but still came home second. Even watching, you can sense that feel good buzz that is around the team right now.

On the podium, we saw real emotion between the two. Not the fake stuff we often see between team-mates up there. Both were genuinely happy for each other. And why not! Up to a few weeks ago, both were written off. Button criticised for not exploring other options, Barrichello considered ‘past it’. Now they are the toast of Formula One.

It was great to see that the paddock is happy for them. I can’t remember a time where we say cars applauded down pitlane as they headed up to their parking slots. It was a wonderful gesture from the teams in a day and age where people are more likely to snipe at each other rather than pat them on the back.

As for the pre-season championship contenders, Ferrari looked strong at times. At the time of writing, we are still waiting to find out what happened to Massa. Somehow, I’m not surprised to see Raikkonen fight the wall. His race drew too many similarities to those he raced last year - quick when he wants to be, but also quick to find the wall.

Lewis Hamilton is another who deserves a pat on the back. In an inferior car and assisted by retirements, he drove the sort of race that a world champion should. He picked up valuable points that will aid his fight to retain the title down the line.

Alonso was steady if unimpressive. Kubica was the only one of the five who looked an actual threat, until he stuck it up the inside of Vettel and the two of them took each out. That isn’t the way to win championships.

As for KERS, I definitely find myself on the fence about it. To me, the way it was explained and how it affects the weight would concern me that it would alienate certain types of drivers – for example Mark Webber and Robert Kubica, because of their stature.

That been said, in the race, you could see where those using KERS could use it to their advantage. It’s definitely something to watch over the coming races. Much the same can be said about the new aero-packages.

Qualifying was brilliant. I haven’t enjoyed a quail session like that in years. It was fantastic with the field so close that not even the perceived front runners could play it safe. If the gaps stay like that for the rest of the year, it will definitely make Saturday watching mandatory!

Malaysia is next weekend, at the wonderful starting time of 9am GMT. Got to love the lie in!

F109 Countdown: Brawn Grand Prix

Day of the F109 Countdown looks at Brawn Grand Prix. After a season of uncertainty, pundits claim the former Honda team could be about to make a big splash.

Brawn GP Fact File:
2008 Results (as Honda Racing)
Best Finish: 3rd (Rubens Barrichello at the British Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 14
Championship Position: 9th
2009 Drivers: Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello

Where Brawn GP stand is likely to remain a mystery until we get to Melbourne. So far, they have been more than happy to make a big splash. Their debut week of playing with others saw them rule the roost.

I just don’t believe we will see that when the real racing starts.

Testing, even Friday practice, always has to be taken with a pinch of salt. When it comes to this team, even more so. How many pre-season tests have we seen this time in its former guises shoot to the top of the standings and set the pace, only to disappear when the real racing started? It has happened enough times that their results definitely warrant questioning.

A number of observers have guessed that Brawn is running low fuel and ballast in their cars in an attempt to attract attention of sponsors. On the bright side, at least Brawn has the sense not to look for a gimmicky sponsor like the failed ‘Earth Dream’ concept.

Others have decided to talk up Brawn’s pace, which is a bit of a strange tactic. Maybe they are setting the team up for a bigger fall and deflecting the attention away from their own work.

If the car was going to be that good, I don’t think Honda would have pulled the plug. After investing so much time, effort and most importantly, money in the development of this car, it would just be a piss poor business decision. You give up half way through the year and work on this car, only to pull out. Don’t forget, this was the team that seriously tried to court Fernando Alonso to join their ranks for this season. To me, the Honda pull-out screamed that the car wasn’t right and they wanted to cut their losses.

Imagine if Brawn went on and were competitive. I think that would be a serious case of eggs on the face for Honda. Sure, we are in a recession, but everyone is affected by it. I would definitely think there was less to lose on a potentially championship contending campaign, than one rooted to the rear.

That been said, I raised my eyebrows with others at the speed of the car in the past few tests. I never thought it would be that easy for an engine power plant to fit in another car. For all the song and dance about manufacturers concerning standardised engines, I find it somewhat ironic.

The team retains both Button and Barrichello. Strangely enough, it was the Brazilian’s seat on the line over the winter. While both had a season to forget about, I always found it strange that it wasn’t Button on the chopping block. Given the Brit’s sizable wage packet, he was poor value for money against the veteran Barrichello last year.

Rubens came home with eleven of the teams fourteen points. Button has suffered a landslide fall from grace. With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, the spotlight if off him, which given recent seasons, probably isn’t a bad thing!

I think, if given the right car, Button can still deliver. I’m surprised there wasn’t more talk about him moving when Honda pulled the plug. The lack of talk perhaps an indicator of just how far his stock has fallen in recent years.

The decision to retain both was the best decision for the team. While they don’t have the financial clout as they have had previously, running a rookie driver who would pay for a drive would be detrimental for a team that needs to get the most out of their car. The delay in the driver decision left Bruno Senna the odd man out, scrambling for a competitive drive in a series.

As I said at the start, gauging Brawn can only be done once we get the season started. Who knows, the pace might actually be credible.

Masterclass And Mishap

Hamilton provided another masterful drive whilst his rivals spent time dancing in the puddles.

Take nothing away from Lewis, it was fantastic drive. There was a bit of luck involved with the Ferrari strategy, but in the second half of the race, his pace was relentless. He is quickly developing the knack of been a rain-master on track. The result takes him tied top of the tables with both Ferrari drivers.

Behind him, the Ferrari strategy was nothing short of abysmal. With Raikkonen catching Lewis hand over fist, all they had to do was match him to stay in contention. I don’t know what their weather report said, but it was obviously was dodgy. The decision not to take tires ruined the Finn’s race, backed up with the decision not to bring him in when he was losing time hand over fist.
Massa was the driver of old. Every time we saw him he was going around in circles. It was a pathetic weekend for Ferrari. Not since the Schumacher era have they made a good strategic call. A head should roll for this, because the last two years the choice of race strategy has been as plain as dried bread. Not good enough.

Heidfeld got one up on team-mate Kubica. Quick Nick got his qualifying right and produced his traditional strong race. He kept his head whilst the rest around him lost theirs to pick up his second podium of the year. Rubens Barrichello benefitted from the Ross Brawn book of tactical genius to come home third. It could have been so much more if the fuel rig worked. On the extreme wets, Barrichello was light years ahead of anyone else.

Raikkonen made the best of a bad day with fourth. Kovalainen will be disappointed with fifth, on a day where to be fair, he was all over the place. Alonso provided a gutsy drive to come home in sixth, followed by Trulli and Nakajima.

Driver of the Day: Lewis Hamilton. Rubens get’s an honourable mention but it was Lewis who drove fantastic today. After the Ferrari’s decided to screw themselves over, he could have taken it easy. Instead he pushed on and despite an off track excursion, obliterated the field.

In Another World

That’s exactly where Lewis Hamilton was today. He was untouchable throughout the three qualifying sections and took a dominant pole position.

Judging by the timings, Lewis is making a killing in that last sector. Over the course of qualifying the Ferrari’s, Kubica and Kovalainen could match him in sectors one and two. But Lewis in sector three was something to behold. You can’t see it, but it’s there.

Sector three consists of a hairpin, the long back straight, a chicane and a short sprint to the line. By most tracks, that is nothing of a sector. So for Hamilton to pull off on average three tenths of a second advantage is something to behold. He said beforehand that he could take that chicane better than anyone else.
He proved that today. The gap he has over the rest of the field is something we haven’t seen since the days of Schumacher.

Kubica popped up out of nowhere to join him on the front row. Raikkonen and Alonso take up row two, a great effort from the Spaniard. Be interesting to see how he is on fuel tomorrow. Another star man of the day was Rosberg with fifth , with Massa beside him. Kovalainen ended up a disappointing seventh with Heidfeld eight. Barrichello kept his nose down and snuck in unawares to secure ninth whilst Webber finished out the top ten. The Aussie didn’t run in Q3 due to damage on his in-lap.

The condition of the track could be a major concern tomorrow. While track break-up is not abnormal, it is during a qualifying session. Trulli and Webber saw the track fall away from them and on some of the on-board shots we saw around the hair-pin, drivers were taking it very tight. All eyes will be on the organisers to see how to sort it. The last thing F1 needs is another track scandal in North America. It might not come to that severity but drivers were taking it extremely easy out there today.

Singing In The Rain

Lewis Hamilton added another win under abnormal conditions today with a stunning drive at Monaco.

The skies opened before the race which led to a lottery on the track. Hamilton touched the barrier causing a puncture early on. Luck would be with the McLaren driver as this moved him to an alternative strategy – one that allowed him to win the race. By running longer, he was better placed to make his last stop at the point where returning to dry tires was optional.
In racing you not only have to be good, but you need luck. Hamilton had both today and came home a deserved winner.

Despite looking good early on, both Ferrari’s enduring a trying day. The pair emulated former Ferrari leader Schumacher with a trip up St. Devote, although neither could take to the streets like the Ferrari legend. Massa’s day was effectively ruined with a decision to fuel him to the flag. His mid-race pace was terrible, coupled with Hamilton’s stunning pace left the Brazilian out of contention. The late decision to change to slicks saw him nipped by Kubica.
Raikkonen was nowhere all day. He was off the pace, broke a wing, a drive through penalty and finally ended up ploughing into the back of Sutil after hitting a rain patch. Force India’s claim to have him suspended is laughable and out of emotion. Shit happens. Nobody called for Hamilton to be banned after he smashed into the back of Alonso, or Coulthard into the back of Schumacher in 98. Collisions happen, it’s part of racing.

I have to feel for Sutil though. An awesome day that should’ve rewarded the German with points. His year has been full of disappointments and his luck doesn’t look like changing. The youngster will have to take a page out of Vettel’s book and rebound after the heartbreak.

Kubica picked up a fine second place, but BMW will no doubt be worried as they haven’t been on the pace as of late. Webber continued his fine run as best of the rest with fourth. Vettel put all his bad luck behind him to come home to a quite fifth. Barrichello scored his first points since 2006 followed by Nakajima and Kovalainen

It was such an action packed race that the points could have been filled by any. Alonso was racy until he ended up collecting Heidfeld. The BMW driver had a torrid day, finishing four laps down. A second safety car, for the crash of Rosberg, brought the field back in. I’m struggling to figure out why Heidfeld or Heikki waited so long behind the safety car. It just delayed things. I wonder if it was a Ferrari back there would James Allen be saying it was team delay tactics. Wouldn’t be the first time. Strange how things like that are mentioned at Melbourne but not here for something that would be so obvious.

PC’s Driver of the Day: Lewis Hamilton. Could it be anyone but? Survived an early scare and once more like Canada and Japan last year showed an air of maturity to drive around all the problems. The Ferrari’s bungled around and he now goes into the track which gave him his first win on top of the standings. Honourable mention to Adrian Sutil who drove superbly until his day ended in tatters.

...And Past It They Go.

Well that didn’t take long. After having their trucks barred from entering the paddock, Aguri Suzuki announced today that the team would shut up shop. Hardly surprising for the team trying to be the little team that could.

Three years is a short lifespan for a team, but to their credit Super Aguri made a mark in the sport. The 2007 saw the team humble their works counterparts during the early part of the season that eventually saw the team score points. The Japanese team finished ninth in the constructors table.
Aguri gave a rightfully deserved parting shot to Honda team boss Nick Fry. As I stated earlier, Fry had no right sticking his nose into the affair. It was between the Honda company and Aguri.

What next for Sato and Davidson?

Taku is likely to find some capacity with Honda. They sanctioned Super Aguri for him after he was ousted from the main squad. Perhaps a move for the Honda backed IRL series is a second option for the driver. I would be surprised to see him on the grid again. While he has raw pace within him, he is too erratic for a team to take a gamble on.
As for Davidson, to be honest I have never been as impressed with him as the ITV commentary team. While he has began to beat Sato consistently, he failed to take advantage of the early part of the 2007 season when the car was capable of nicking a point.
Nick Fry is likely to have a place for him in the short-term given that he is a big fan of the Brit. Fry even went as far to say that Aguri had no choice but to use him this year when other names were been mentioned with the second seat. Should Barrichello decide to retire at the end of the year it could provide Davidson with a final chance at Formula One.

Iceman Cools Spanish Hearts

Kimi picked up his first pole position of the year with Alonso plopping his car into second. The Spaniard is obviously on a lighter fuel load but it will be interesting to see just how light he is come tomorrow.

McLaren endured a poor last section. I think they could have run light in an attempt to jump the BMW’s. If they have then they are in serious problems considering how things turned out. The third row is not what they expected. Kubica kept up his great form as of late with a second row start alongside Massa.

Major surprises of the day came from Rosberg and Vettel being beaten by their lesser experienced team-mates. Both will be looking for a good race day to save face. Barrichello, on his record equalling 256^th Grand Prix start, depending on whose statistics you read, almost made the top ten. That Honda looks horrid with the ‘Dumbo Ears’ on it. They must look like a crosshair reticule in the cockpit.

Tomorrow’s race day will be one to watch. Can the McLaren’s recover anything? How will Kubica go in relation to the two McLarens? What can Alonso do? What is Ferrari’s race pace going to be like? So many questions that will be answered tomorrow at lunch time. It’s going to be worth watching for sure!

On another note - How long did it take ITV to use the Spygate excuse for McLaren and Hamilton’s poor showing? Just four races. For any of you who saw the ITV pre-show you would’ve seen it. Why am I mentioning this? Well just to prove a point really. I stated a while back this excuse would be brought up when McLaren season took a turn and there we have it. Credit to McLaren for not actually saying it when they could have though.

Let's Go Racing!

A 3.30am start, a race filled with thrills and spills and a number of curse-filled rants at the ineptitude of the commentary of James Allen. It only means one thing, Formula One is back!

I hate Melbourne starts. The time was supposedly changed to suit people getting up but I didn’t feel it all. The start been mired in the middle of the night calls on fans to make a difficult decision – whether to stay up or to catch a couple of hours and wake up for it. I chose the latter and paid for it later on in the evening with falling asleep trying to watch NASCAR.

Was it worth the hardship? Definitely. We were treated to a race that had everything with the exception of a rain shower. The race drew many parallels to Montreal last year. Hamilton avoids all the mayhem and produces a mature assured display that saw him pick up the win. The McLaren driver controlled the race and rarely found himself under pressure. Heidfeld again drove a steady race whilst all the talk was about his front-row winning team-mate Kubica to collect second, followed by a stellar drive from Rosberg. Behind that we got treated to crashes, passes and blow-ups.
Ferrari once more find themselves on the back foot and with the exception of Raikkonen’s win last year, they have not been impressive at the Albert Park circuit over the past few years. There is no point having a fast car if it won’t last the race distance. With only a week between Melbourne and Sepang there is little opportunity to rectify the problem. However Raikkonen did pick up a point following the disqualification of Barrichello and if last year is anything to go by, every point counts. Massa’s performance will be of more concern. We saw the Felipe of old out on track leading to suggestions that the loss of traction control will affect him most.

Toro Rosso looks like a team capable of springing a surprise or two. While Bourdais was quiet, he showed the maturity of a champion to keep himself out of trouble and was on the way to 4^th when his car broke down. The abnormal amount of retirements meant he picked up two points allowing the Frenchman some reward for his drive. We can only speculate what Vettel could’ve of done had he not been eliminated in the first corner scuffle.

Renault was a massive disappointment in qualifying. Piquet’s debut was the stuff of horrors, drawing some parallel’s to Kovalainen’s last year. There’s only one way up he will be thinking! Alonso drove a determined race after a poor qualifying and was involved in a great scrap with the man he traded seats with. Would’ve been interesting to see Ron’s face after Alonso re-passed the young Finn after seeing his absolute delight with Heikki getting past the former champion. Haven’t seen Ron that happy in ages!

One must feel for poor Barrichello. The most experienced driver on the grid put a torrid 2007 behind him and showed the sort of race craft that saw him drive a Ferrari. It all went wrong in the end but his performance shows a beleaguered Honda operation that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It was great to see the embrace between Rosberg and Hamilton heading up to the podium. Usually when we are talking about emotions in Formula One, the positive stuff remains within the team and any emotions showed to another competitor is negative. For a change it’s great to see two of the sports brightest young talents so happy for each other. The result for Rosberg is the accumulation of two years of hard work by the starlet and the first of many. Of course, many can say that when you put the Ferrari’s into the equation he wouldn’t get there, but Rosberg more than had the pace to stick with the BMW’s who themselves were hardly shabby on pace.

PC’s Driver of the Day: Nico Rosberg. The young German drove flawlessly all day keeping the BMW of the vastly experienced Heidfeld honest. With the Williams lacking the financial clout of the works team it only goes to put his performance into perspective. His reward was his first podium.

2008 Season Preview - Part I

Slightly delayed but worth the wait! This is the Chequered Flag’s 2008 season preview. Like last year it will be divided into three parts covering the field. Last year I hit the nail on the head with a number of predictions, so hopefully I’ll be right again this year!

Toro Rosso

Can they step out of big brothers shadow?
A slow start to last year ended with their first double points finish in China, the Red Bull Junior squad has a new line-up this season. An Achilles heel may be their late arrival of the new car which means they will start the season in the '07 car. Starting late has never been a successful formula, especially for a mid-tier team. They will be playing catch-up all season and they hardly have a driver line-up brimming with experience to develop the car along. Toro Rosso would do well to hire an experienced hand to help bring the new car on song.

Vettel is a potential starlet, so much so he was allegedly coveted for the free McLaren seat. He showed tremendous character to come back from running into the back of his team-mate at Fiji to score points at China, even if one could point to Hamilton’s excessive stop-starting weaving as a cause to it. If STR provide a good car he can bring it home in the points. How long he will be there is probably the more concerning thing for them. A talent like him risks been poached by the bigger teams at any time. I’m sure BMW have an idea for him to replace Heidfeld when he retires.

Sébastian Bourdais comes into the sport on the back of four Champ Car titles. A help or a hindrance? Well in the past a number Champ Car winners have failed to light up the show. Testing has gone okay for the Frenchman but he is in the deep end and will have to learn to swim fast. Toro Rosso have shown themselves to be brutal if a driver fails to live up to expectations. Bourdais will be looking to be on Vettel’s coat tails or will be joining Klien, Speed and Luizzi on list of former drivers.

Honda

It can’t worse than last year, could it?
That’s the question Honda fans and Jenson Button are asking. Their joke of a livery that was only superceded by their joke performances, 2008 is all about rebuilding credibility. Ross Brawn, tactical genius has been drafted in to assist the ailing team but his arrival is surely too late to provide any major impact in 2008. Testing so far has failed to show that the team has made significant improvements. In my view money that could be better spent on R&D is used to finance the running of team which otherwise would be paid by actual sponsorship. Their failure to secure a long term main sponsor after the loss of BAT has hurt them bad. Paying the expenses for the ‘B’ team don’t help the situation either. Of course having Super Aguri on the grid would make sure that Honda aren’t going to be last!

How this car goes will ultimately decide Button’s future. I don’t see him waiting around for another season, even with Ross Brawn on-board if this years car is as bad as the last. I’m sure there is clauses in his contract that would allow himself to extradite himself from the team if it came to it. In a way it’s a touch of irony that he would be wanting to ditch the team after he worked so hard to break his Williams contract seeing Honda as the future.

Along with Button, this is a make or break season for Barrichello, albeit if he doesn’t match Button it will be him out of a job. The Brazilian, who will eclipse the record for longest serving grand prix driver this year scored zero points last year and was outclassed by Button. Regardless of the car he should have at least matched his team mate. Rubens has to show he still has the hunger to succeed. After everything he’s accomplished does he really have that hunger? I doubt it.

Force India

I wonder how much it costs per year to get uniforms updated with new team logos?
Ever since Eddie Jordan sold up this team has been falling about like a drunk in search of it’s identity. Is Mallya the man to finally take the team by the hand and find it? Time will tell. Talk of progression has been big this camp with the new Indian billionaire owner but isn’t that always the case with the previous reincarnations of the Jordan team. On track results and not big words is the yardstick teams are judged by.

In Giancarlo Fisichella is a Jekyll and Hyde driver. He failed, despite his own protestations that it wasn’t his fault, to take advantage of race winning cars provided by Renault. His move to Renault a number of years ago should’ve headlined a new beginning and perhaps the first Italian Formula One champion since Ascari back in the 1950’s. It proved to be a false dawn and Fisichella takes his bruised reputation back to the tail end of the grid. Have Force India signed a washed up driver? Maybe. But the Italian’s best work has been in middle and lower tier teams. The likes of Minardi, Jordan, Sauber all benefited from the Italian and perhaps it is in this sort of environment that can get the most out of him. Failure to put aspiring Sutil away though will mean the end of his career at the end of the season.

Adrian Sutil remains with the team for his second year despite been heavily linked with Toyota. Last year saw raw pace sprinkled with inexperience that he must overcome to show himself as a star of the future. He could benefit most from Fisichella’s arrival. Look at how much Rosberg grew with Wurz alongside him at Williams. Beating his teammate must be his number on objective. In the eyes of many Fisichella is past it and if Sutil fails to beat him, then he may wish he pushed harder to get his chance at Toyota.

Super Aguri

Will they, won’t they?
That’s the question swirling around the Honda ‘B’ team at the moment. The last time I remember a team missing this much of pre-season was Lola back in 1996 and look how that turned out. Their future has always been in doubt given that they suckle from Honda’s cash flow. Remember that Super Aguri was basically founded to keep Takuma Sato in an F1 drive as outrageous as that sounds. The 2007 was a successful one by the team’s first year standards. They scored points and encroached on second qualifying at times. Their end of season slump was due to the bigger budget teams having the development money. Of course in this sport, it’s down to the bottom dollar and that is where Super Aguri are in trouble with their failure to attract a major sponsor. Honda cannot afford to run two operations, especially seeing as both are flops as it stands.

Driverwise should they make the field they will most likely remain with the same driver lineup. As previously stated, the team was built for Sato which makes him a given. Davidson was given the nod by Honda ‘A’ squad chief Nick Fry who said he would object to another driver been brought in his place. This is exactly why Aguri is failing – sentimentality. Davidson showed pace in qualifying but his races were nothing to write home about. Sato is inconsistent, at times he shows he has what it takes, others he’s off in the doldrums. Honda need to get ruthless and cut them and Super Aguri and try to salvage a waning main team.

The Iceman Taketh

Alls I can say is what a race!

It all seemed set for either McLaren to take the title and Kimi pops up and takes the title by a point from the McLaren pair. The most unlikely of scenarios to have played out in a race that was edge of the seat stuff from start to finish.

So the question rages on did the right man win the title. Well the points total tells you that it was for any naysayers. Alonso didn’t seem at the races at all and Hamilton received the mechanical jinx we have seen become synonymous with McLaren over the past few years. His tactics for the first lap were strange given his position. Like in China he raced for position and wasn’t thinking of the championship. He was lucky these days there are more run-off areas than gravel traps if a car runs off. His charge through the field was good to watch, but hardly groundbreaking.

His change from a two to a three stop didn’t work. I don’t agree with Ron Dennis in his statement that they gained 10 seconds from it. He was running on the skirts of the top 10 on his first stop. Why the decision to go onto a three stop was a little baffling. Had it worked, it would’ve rated with the times that Schumacher had the ability to make an extra stop turn into a great result.

Personally I’m not a fan of the whole ‘give way to the championship leader barging through’ that many of the lower ends of the grid showed. In fairness, only the BMW’s looked like they came to race and not give way, which is the way it should be. Kubica not showing any mercy to Alonso, albeit on a different strategy was good to see. Hamilton’s overtaking move on Rubens, well it was risky. Like Italy though I reckon he would’ve been in the wrong had the Honda driver turned in on him. He did come from too far back and was lucky that a Rubens sighted him.

Kimi Raikkonen – World Champion. It’s been long overdue for the Finn who from the moment he stepped into a Formula One car has shown brilliance behind the wheel. After a first half of the season struggle he really rebounded well. Of course we have to wait for the courts to decide if it will stand over the appeal. After all the talk of ending the championship on the track the fans once more have to wait for a court to decide how things end up. It is shambolic that we are in that situation. While Alonso’s ‘I’d be ashamed if the championship was won in this way’ comments but fair juice to Hamilton coming out to say he wouldn’t want to win the title by appeal. He is a true racer and without a shadow of a doubt a future world champion.

Another season done, well, not officially till the McLaren appeal is heard. We’ve had a great season of racing mashed with ugly politics. Opinions over the year are likely to be the talking point over many a drinking session in pubs around the world.

Good, bad or indifferent the 2007 season will be one long remembered.

2007 Preview - [Part Two]

After the big three teams, the 2007 season promises to have a tightly packed midfield battle.

Honda

Jenson Button enters the third year with the Honda works team and still only has the single grand prix win to his name. One has to be careful when listening to commentary about just how good Jenson really is. I have always thought he was overrated beyond belief and still stand by that. Apart from being a ‘smooth’ driver, he hasn’t shown anything that puts him in the leagues of the great. His first win came at a rain affected grand prix and wouldn’t of happened if Mother Nature hadn’t of intervened, so he is still out searching for his first ‘proper’ grand prix victory.

Last year I expected Barrichello to provide Button with good competition but that quickly went down the drain. Rubens suffered from having to deal with a car that was built to suit his team-mate; such was the case he had at Ferrari. At this stage in his career Rubens is quickly becoming a journeyman and I don’t expect to see anything special like last year.

Honda as a team is quickly approaching a crossroads. After years of expectations and show-boating in pre-season which quickly drained away during the year they have struggled so far this year. Whether it’s a case they are sand-bagging to hide their pace or deciding not to show their one lap pace as has been the case in past winters remains to be seen. Their line-up whilst experience is hardly world class. They will have a fight on their hands to hold back BMW.


BMW

Heidfeld had a penchant for being in the right team at the wrong time throughout his career. After promising results early in the career he found himself in the likes of Prost, Jordan and Williams as they fell from grace. Now at BMW he has a car of showcasing his talents. He must deliver however. As was the case with Villeneuve there is another youngster snapping at his heels for his race seat. A failure to perform could see his seat in threat.

The rise of Kubica in the past 12 months is as astonishing at the improvements seen in Massa. He was unknown to the majority of the racing world up until he was chosen as BMW’s reserve driver and it took him only half a season to oust a former world champion out of this race seat. As is the case with all the Friday drivers there performances have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Kubica showed that there is talent behind the raw speed with a podium inside his first three races.

Towards the end of last year BMW were easily the fourth best team. If they carry their testing pace over to the season I expect them to be giving Renault a run for their money, if not McLaren and Ferrari. BMW have always produced a class engine and combined with Sauber’s knowledge in how to put the rest together and a driver partnership that will push each other – expect fireworks.


Toyota

2007 will mark the first year that Ralf will be driving out of his brother’s shadow – at least on the track. Having promised so much earlier in the career, Ralf’s career is on the slide as of late. He is in need of a challenge to bring his top game back much in the way Montoya did when he joined Williams.

Jarno Trulli suffers much like Fisichella. We never know which one we will see on the track. Will it be the racer or the Sunday driver? By raw speed he’s one of the quickest on a single lap. It’s a shame Trulli never realised a race is more than a single lap. I’m sure Toyota wish he could qualify the car and let someone race it.

Toyota entered this season again promising much. Their car was one of the first out and after early promise they have again fallen into the midfield back in testing. As is the case with their NASCAR venture they need to realise that throwing money at the problem wouldn’t solve the problem. Dumping Gascoigne was a mistake. If Toyota is to succeed they need to stop letting the big wigs that have no knowledge of the sport to stop making the decisions.


Red Bull

With Schumacher’s retirement, Coulthard is now the old man of the F1 grid. While he doesn’t show any intention of letting up, I’m sure he will be looking over his shoulder at the abundance of talent that Red Bull has. The talent remains within him to drag that Red Bull up the field if the right car is given to him.

Like Button I think that Mark Webber is overrated. I’ve yet to see anything from him that merits the praise he often gets. He’s also got a big mouth. Webber needs to be more focused on establishing his racing career than taking pot shots at other teams. Interesting how he defines Williams as no more than a Toyota B squad when his own team have attained the label of a Renault B squad. He would do well to check up on things before talking.

The strongest part of the Red Bull package is the arrival of Adrian Newey to the team. In him they might have found the missing link that had denied them success so far. Red Bull must be willing to invest in the car however. In the past two years they have taken the stance to kerb car development in favour of working on next year’s car. If they can set the wheels in motion then they could be a surprise package and move up closer to the top ten.