It’s about that time of the year again what with the teams heavily involved in the winter testing of their new machines and opening day at Bahrain a mere 28 days away.
With that in mind any and all comments are welcomed. Please keep in mind that during the racing season itself this thread will contain spoilers for just like last year, live racing comments are not only welcomed but encouraged.
Unlike last year however, here’s hoping for a much tighter season with an undecided outcome till the last possible minute. From what little can be gleaned from the winter testing so far, it appears no Brawn-like (now Merc) dominant car will rule the field nor there appear to be any questionable mechanical aids. So here’s hoping for many an exciting battle and moreover, may all/most of them happen on the track.
I can’t wait either. It should be a cracker.
With no obvious car advantage it’ll be down to who can develop their car most effectively during the year (Mclaren?..Ferrari?) and the raw driver talent. In that case we can expect to see Hamilton, Vettel, Massa, Alonso and Schumacher going wheel to wheel.
It promises to be very exciting indeed.
I still reckon Hamilton is the most talented driver of the current crop and my money will be on him for the F1 crown.
That said, I really think we’re in for a really exciting season with no one team really dominant for more than a couple of races in a row. A priori I see Ferrari, Macca, Red Bull and possibly, Merc, as the teams fighting for both the WDC and the Constructors’ champion.
Must admit though that on looks alone the new MP4-25 is already a WC. :::drool:::
I’m stoked for the new season but haven’t done my homework enough to make a prediction for the season.
You linked to this site on technical development in last year’s OP and I’ve been addicted to it. I offer it up again this year in the hopes that someone else will waste as much of their ‘work’ time there.
I’m curious to see if the USF1 project turns into a plucky laughingstock or a complete and utter embarrassment of a failure. This messageboard post perhaps explains the sudden post Pechito signing media silence. Should have know better than to put any faith in a Ken Anderson production.
At the very least they have Campos to share the pain with.
Wow. I’ll be really disappointed if the operation really is as bad as that thread sounds. I just got interested in F1 last year so I haven’t really adopted a team yet. I was looking forward to a US presence on the circuit.
Ah yes, Kobayashi. With a meaningful motor beneath him he could provide serious entertainment. His debut at Interlagos was interesting to say the least.
Also, just looking at the link that RedFury posted, I noticed amongst the various engine specs. the fact that the engine itself weighs just 95kg
95kg!!!
2.4 litre, no forced induction but putting out something in the region of 700bhp. I know it is a sport of superlatives but it seems amazing for something that powerful to be something I can pick up comfortably with the help of a friend.
It’s great to see Schumacher there again and I won’t be surprised if he does really well. 2) Also nice to have Alonso back in a (presumably) competative car. 3) The british big shots together in the same team, it will be fun to watch the competition between Hamilton and Button.
Also with all the new teams, we might get another Brawn-type surprise package. But given all the changes mentioned above, I wouldn’t be too disapointed with the big guns slugging it out.
No, you couldn’t. The 95kg isn’t the problem; somewhere in the back of you head would be the distinctly uncomforable thought of how much it would cost if you dropped it.
I’m looking forward to the start of the season. I’ve been following the testing a bit, but that doesn’t really tell you much. I think this season is going to have McLaren and Ferrari, and possibly Mercedes competing for the Constructors’ trophy. For the Drivers’ I’m mostly looking at Hamilton and Vettel. But if the Ferrari car is any good, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either Massa or Alonso running strong. I think Schumacher is too much of a wildcard right now to make any guesses about his performance on race-day.
Too bad about USF1, really. I hope they can pull their collective ass out of the fire. I’ve been looking forward to cheering an American-based team all winter!
I’ll be amazed if USF1 can get their act together in time. Hell, we’ve still yet to see any evidence the car’s even been crash tested.
The Merc won’t be as strong as it should, even with Schumi at the wheel, simply because the Brawn was under development for close to two years by Honda before it turned a wheel last year. There’s simply no way to match that level of domination in back-to-back years in this Formula 1, especially now that everyone’s figured out their tricks from last year.
McLaren will be improved, but not as much as Ferrari.
Well guys, it’s getting close to crunch time what with the last weekend of winter testing happening at Barcelona as we speak. All the top contenders will show up at Montmeló with their latest aerodynamics improvements and more than likely do a few laps in qualifying trim – possibly giving a better idea of where they stand.
Anyone interested in looking at this season’s cars and drivers, I leave you with a link to this gorgeous slide show taken by the BBC last weekend at Jerez:
Lots of red flags plus the ever present rain at this year’s tests, leave us, once again with very little to go by in terms of favorites – other than what was originally said: there’s no Brawn-like, controversial bullet in the field. Which of course, is a good thing as last season was about as suspenseful as watching paint dry after the first six races.
As for the whole US F1/Campos mess, here’s the latest news – including a rather harsh tongue-lashing from Ferrari to Mosley on the topic. Can’t say it wasn’t earned…
Sadly, yes. They are still trying to get dispensation to start their season with Barcelona. Chad Hurley’s YouTube-powered checkbook may or may not be locked away forever from the Charlotte operation. Bernie may want the American project to succeed for his own commercial purposes (how much depends on who you read) and might just give USF1 all the rope it can possibly be given. USCamposF1? One thing is for certain, Pechito Lopez is certainly taking his Argentine government money somewhere else.
The consensus to the rumors is that the team had the talent and money to complete the car (the CAD drawing is in place at least), but micro-management and simple bad management by Ken Anderson ruined the project. Which, perhaps, is not surprising, given Anderson’s not-so-glorious history.
That’s REALLY upsetting. I need an F1 team to root for and had followed USF1 since it was announced. Sounds like things are an absolutely CLUSTER down in Charlotte including infighting on internet racing message boards and all sorts of crap.
Oh well. Guess I’ll have to adopt someone again this year. Vettel was growing on me last year.
