Sunday 29 March 2015

Vettel out paces Mercedes duo to win in Malaysia


The Winner and Star of the race

There were a number of contenders for star of the race in Malaysia including fine drives by rookie Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, but I don't think you can look beyond a fantastic and emotional winning drive by the other Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

After Australia it was all doom and gloom. Mercedes could win every race people said, they will be even more dominant than 2014. It's surely too early to say that Ferrari are about to become championship challengers, but they're close and there will be more wins this year for the Scuderia.

Today we saw Mercedes beaten on pace for the first time since 2013. Vettel didn't make a great start and had to aggressively hold Rosberg off who had started third. There was an early safety car due to Marcus Ericsson spinning off with a way too ambitious overtake on Nico Hulkenberg's Force India at turn one which resulted in the majority of the field pitting including both Mercedes.

Crucially Vettel didn't pit and nor did Hulkenberg, Romain Grosjean, Carlos Sainz or Sergio Perez. Hamilton and Rosberg were sixth and ninth when the field was released again. Once Hamilton had worked his way into second place he was 10 seconds behind the Ferrari and wasn't catching him.


Vettel pitted but caught and passed both Rosberg and Hamilton to retake the lead as the Mercedes dived for his second stop. The Silver Arrow driver would surely come back at him. This was a car that looked like it had almost a second advantage at the first race.

It wasn't to be though, Vettel controlled the gap and could respond to Hamilton's attacks. Today Ferrari had genuine pace, whereas Mercedes lost grip from their rubber far quicker, Vettel was able to look after the tyres. This was a case of the red car being able to handle the high temperatures better and having a rejuvenated Vettel in control and back where he feels he belongs, at the front.

The Battles

Plenty of great racing action away from the lead battle today. A safety car almost always mixes up the pack and the action abounded throughout the race.


The Toro Rosso rookie pair continued to show their inexperience means nothing with Max Verstappen in particular highlighting his potential with a number of aggressive moves that never went over the line but trod it carefully. He ended up seventh having fallen back at the start whereas Sainz rose up from 15th on the grid to finish eighth. They raced hard with the Red Bull's eventually making a gap.

In truth Red Bull were out classed by their junior team today by quite a margin as they finished ninth and tenth. Twice Daniel Ricciardo was asked to let Daniil Kvyat ahead as the Australian suffered from brake problems. The main problem though was that the team just doesn't have the pace despite qualifying fourth and fifth, but the fight Kvyat took to Ricciardo was impressive. 

He'd been a bit anonymous in Australia and after a clash with Hulkenberg lost him time it looked to be another disappointing race for the Russian but he fought back and caught Ricciardo who isn't maintaining his smile so well this season.

I enjoyed the McLaren-Honda's of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button toughing it out in a few battles. Their power unit is way down on power, but once the problems are sorted they should be challenging for points at least sooner rather than later.

They've made progress and having Alonso back in the car would have been a boost. Both battled it out with the Force India's and kept Felipe Nasr's Sauber behind (who had a quiet race), and Button noted that before he retired he still had a Red Bull in sight. This is progress, and I expect them to be closer still in China.


Williams team mates Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a great tussle at the end of the race with Bottas managing to get one over on his rival with a fantastic round the outside pass to finish fifth with Massa sixth. But they'll be disappointed, they were meant to be fighting for best of the rest with Ferrari, instead Ferrari have decided they'd rather fight at the front. Williams look to have been left behind.

Force India seemed to be involved in a lot of scraps with both drivers given ten second penalties, Hulkenberg unfairly for his clash with Kvyat and Perez for not giving enough room to Grosjean in the Lotus who was unlucky not to get some points out of this race. 

Things of note

When you have the mindset that you're going to win, when things go wrong frustration comes easily. Lewis Hamilton questioned tyre choices and sounded very irritable on team radio today. It was an odd race for Mercedes. They definitely haven't just suddenly lost their advantage and they will surely come back stronger but when they were for once challenged, they couldn't respond. One thing I am certain of, they'll be working extra hard for China to make sure this doesn't happen again. A dominant Mercedes win in round 3? It would be a safe bet.

However, Ferrari not only won, but Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth after suffering a puncture that dropped him to the rear of the field. He was well clear of the Williams pair behind too, underlining just how good Ferrari were today, it'll take another few races to be sure, but they could be at the front for the long haul.


As mentioned McLaren have made genuine progress. They may still have only out-qualified Manor but they were much close to those in front and were able to fight, although I'm sure Alonso must be casting a wistful eye over to the guys in red. 

Red Bull could be in the doldrums for a while, their relationship with Renault is frosty at best, and with both not exactly working in harmony it could take some time for Ricciardo and Kvyat to work their way back to the front.

Manor couldn't get Will Stevens to the grid but they did finish with Roberto Merhi which is a brilliant result after all their problems. The car does look rather short of sponsors though in that they have none.

I'd like to end on one of the best things of the weekend which was Lewis Hamilton's pole position lap. It was a lap of brilliance, going over a second quicker than his team mate at the time when the track was at its wettest. Vettel did bring the gap down to under a tenth of a second but at that time in those conditions, Lewis was untouchable.   

The title chase

So what does this result mean for the championship fight? It could be exactly what we need. If one thing is worth noting it's that Rosberg has been rather tamed by Hamilton. Lewis seems to have had the edge in these first two rounds, and Rosberg almost looks like he's accepting of it. 

It's far too early to say that Ferrari are now the equal of Mercedes, but they are clearly at the very least the second best team out there, both Vettel and Raikkonen are more than capable of racking up the podiums this year, but will enough wins come their way to make it a fight for the ultimate prize? We will see, but the delight on Vettel's face this weekend will make him even hungrier for more.

If there is to be a proper fight for the title this year, then at the moment I think it's more likely to be Vettel than Rosberg. Is Nico can't strike back in China then he's very much in danger of playing the support.

Result

1. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
4. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams-Mercedes
6. Felipe Massa - Williams-Mercedes
7. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso-Renault
8. Carlos Sainz - Toro Rosso-Renault
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull-Renault
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull-Renault
11. Romain Grosjean - Lotus-Mercedes
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber-Ferrari
13. Sergio Perez - Force India-Mercedes
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India-Mercedes
15. Roberto Merhi - Manor Marussia-Ferrari
R. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus-Mercedes
R. Jenson Button - McLaren-Honda
R. Fernando Alonso - McLaren-Honda
R. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber-Ferrari
DNS. Will Stevens - Manor Marussia-Ferrari

all photo's taken from autosport.com

Friday 27 March 2015

The Malaysian Grand Prix Forecast

Round 2 - Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Sepang International Circuit

Laps - 56

Pirelli compounds - Medium and hard. High temps and abrasive result could mean two stop strategy. (pirelli)

DRS Zones  - Two, on the start finish straight and between turns 14 and 15.

Weather - Threat of rain, particularly on Saturday, high humidity with temperatures as high as 34C.

TV - Live on Skysports F1 and BBC (UK 8am lights out).

Pick a winner - Lewis Hamilton to continue his perfect start to the season.

Hot topics:

Fernando Alonso's relationship with McLaren is likely to come under the microscope once again. After missing the first race due to concussion, Alonso was back in the car for the Friday practice sessions, leading Jenson Button but having to be content with being 2.7 seconds off the pace. 

It's what he said before though that will get people talking. He suggested that the steering locked in his crash during testing contradicting what McLaren had earlier said that there was no mechanical failure. Given their history, this could be a little bit of kindling to the Alonso/McLaren relationship. It'll be watched with interest.

Another classic race gone and others under threat, what is going on with the running of Formula 1? The German Grand Prix is off the calendar due to the Nurburgring's financial problems and Hockenheim saying they can't afford it this year. The latter is due to run it next season but whether that will happen is an entirely different story because of other richer nations wanting a piece of the action.

Italy's race is by no means secure either. Go on Bernie, rip some more tradition out of the F1 calendar because everyone is just flocking to those middle eastern races. Money eh?

Teams can now have five engines for the season and not the previously allowed four. Makes sense, some teams are already using second parts for their power units although it's more to do with the tokens used for development purposes.

Red Bull's Christian Horner rashly said he wanted equalisation for the power units after a poor weekend for his team in Australia. It was even suggested the team could pull out of the sport if nothing was done. It seems it is just a case of a team losing throwing it's toys out of the pram. Although they have to rely on Renault to get them back in the ball park whereas Mercedes and Ferrari can at least get things done themselves.

Predicting the headlines:

This suddenly becomes a lot easier when holidays means the preview comes out after practice.

Ferrari much closer with Kimi leading the way. 

Lewis Hamilton to crush Rosberg.

Alonso to drag McLaren closer to midfield.

Verstappen grabs points.

Kvyat to show promise.

Williams can't hang on to Ferrari.

Romain Grosjean to get Lotus a top six finish.

Manor to qualify both cars.

Under the radar:

Although still feeling pain in his back, Valtteri Bottas was in action in practice after missing the race in Australia. What I found more intriguing was that despite Susie Wolff having been promoted to test driver and competing in practice sessions and testing she was categorically ruled out as racing in Malaysia. Why have her doing all this running if you wouldn't trust her to race? Some advancement for the female driver brigade. Not quite as bad as Carmen Jorda, recently hired by Lotus as a development driver. She's done nothing in her career, but publicity is publicity.

Money will always be on the agenda and it should be until Bernie and CVC start treating ALL the teams and the circuits fairly. Formula 1 has enough money to run a decent and highly regarded sport, not strip the heart out of it and leave it as a murky diseased plague ridden shell that it threatens to be. I'll say it again, nothing wrong with the product but the management of the sport and the selfish attitude of the participants leaves a lot to be desired. Still at least they've embraced social media now, whilst improving the website too. Of course those improvements are charged for. They'll not learn will they...

The title chase:

Hamilton had problems in first practice which restricted him to just a few laps but came back to top second practice with Rosberg only third with a Ferrari sitting pretty in-between.

Already there is a sense that Rosberg needs to strike back after his emphatic defeat in Australia by Lewis. 

Interesting though that Kimi had Ferrari just .3 of a second back from the ultimate pace... Too optimistic?

all photos taken from autosport.com

Sunday 15 March 2015

Hamilton cruises to win in Australia



Star of the race

There were three rookie drivers lining up on the grid in Melbourne. Of those three it was the youthful Toro Rosso pair of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz that were given most of the attention, not many spared a thought for Felipe Nasr of the Sauber team. After the turmoil that engulfed Sauber it was even doubtful whether Nasr or team mate Marcus Ericsson would race after Giedo van der Garde was found by the courts to have a valid contract to race for the team.

That story still has some way to go, but Ericsson and Nasr eventually lined up to take the start. Nasr was particularly impressive, qualifying eleventh which became tenth after Williams' Valtteri Bottas was ruled unfit to drive due to a soft tissue tear in his lower back. 

He made a good start and was alongside the Ferrari's and Sainz when turn one shenanigans meant he touched Pastor Maldonado, sending the Lotus into the wall. A brief safety car period followed before he launched himself ahead of Sainz into fifth. Kimi Raikkonen took that fifth place through pit stops but after the Ferrari driver retired Nasr  reclaimed that spot and comfortably held off the attentions of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull to secure a top five finish on what was a confident debut putting to bed suggestions he was a mere pay driver.

The winner

Untouchable. Oh yes, you might say it looked like a race, there was an exchange of fastest laps between the two Mercedes drivers, but a real actual race where the lead looked in jeopardy? No, no, don't be silly.

Lewis Hamilton had the edge on Nico Rosberg from Saturday practice onwards. Rosberg looked strong on Friday as Lewis struggled with set up but from then on it was the Briton in control. A dominant qualifying display followed, a great start neatly capitalised on that, a fantastic restart after that opening safety car period that made Rosberg looked like he was asleep built on that control still further. Fastest lap capped his weekend and he won in dominant fashion despite never being more than a few seconds in front of Rosberg.

It was a champions drive that showed exactly why most people are tipping him to be even more dominant than last year. It's probably too early to say, but already the impression is there that as Hamilton picks up where he left off in 2014, Rosberg will need to strike back in Malaysia if this isn't to become a Hamilton victory parade.  

The battles

Let's be honest here, this race was by no means a thriller. If you were up at stupid o'clock in the morning to watch the race live, then chances are it would have started to make those heavy eyelids close tight round your eyes and help you drift off into a more exciting race of your own making.

However, there were still a few battles to keep one entertained. Jenson Button in the recalcitrant McLaren-Honda managed to make some classy defensive moves to hold off Sergio Perez's Force India for several laps. He also got quite rude by forcing the Mexican into a spin, before eventually the battle was lost and Perez went through.

Sebastian Vettel tracking Felipe Massa kept the early stages alive, before the new Ferrari drive got past in the pit stops. The real eye catching battle was Nasr holding off Ricciardo, Kimi and Sainz in the early stages of the race. Kimi particularly was putting the pressure on the Red Bull driver, making fleeting attempts at getting by before having to back off.

Ericsson was pretty feisty in the other Sauber too and did a good job on a two stop strategy and was energetic on his newer tyres at the end of the race to jump Sainz for eighth.

Things of note

Only 15 cars took the start. The Manor cars had software problems which couldn't be rectified so they didn't even turn a wheel. Bottas was ruled out over his back after qualifying sixth. Kevin Magnussen had an engine failure on his way to the grid while the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat had gearbox issues which prevented his participation too.

Within two laps both Lotus cars were out, Maldonado because of an accident, Grosjean because of power unit issues. So 13 cars were left to entertain the Australian crowed. All the issues were something that was expected last year when these regulations were new, not after a years experience. Very odd, and not the greatest advert for Formula 1.

Button's moustache caught the attention. I'm not sure it beats his designer stubble, but it was one of the more noteworthy things of McLaren's weekend apart from the fact that they actually got a car to the finish.

McLaren and Honda have not had a good start to their renewed partnership but despite being last and the only car to finish which didn't score a point, it at least pointed to some progress. Yes the engine was turned down, and yes the other Magnussen had that engine failure but crumbs of comfort and all.

Red Bull are not where they want to be. Mostly it appears this is down to Renault. One car didn't start and Ricciardo couldn't use his star quality for more than sixth. Team boss Christian Horner is already calling for moves to equalise the disparity between Mercedes and the rest. I think the best thing he can do is ask Renault for a better power unit. They're working with ex-Ilmor and Mercedes engine genius Mario Illien so progress should come soon, but probably not soon enough.

Ferrari were a nice surprise having made significant improvements over the winter. Vettel and Kimi showed decent pace, and only a botched pit stop for the Finn and subsequent retirement meant they didn't have two cars in the top five. Vettel looked particularly delighted to get a podium on his Scuderia debut. They look like they're going to be locked into a tight battle with Williams though, both have very similar qualifying and race pace.

Both Toro Rosso drivers looked like they'd been in Formula 1 for years. Barely a mistake between them all weekend showed that the Red Bull junior program is as good as ever. Sainz was a particular surprise, out qualifying and out racing his fabled team mate Verstappen. To be fair to Max he was unlucky not to make Q3 and retired due to power unit troubles otherwise he'd have joined Sainz in scoring points on his debut. This pair are going to be fascinating to watch over the season.

Despite their good start and first points since 2013, Sauber could still be in quite the mess over their driver issues. They don't have a lot of money and to have to pay van der Garde off is not going to be easy. At least they have a quick car.

To end on a positive note, despite just two and a bit days of testing Force India scored a double points finish with Hulkenberg and Perez finishing seventh and tenth. A lot more to come from this team.

The title chase

Well one thing is for certain, it's between Hamilton and Rosberg. This story is either going to become very one sided or very close. It's up to Rosberg to make it very close to avoid being pushed into the Mark Webber when he was alongside Vettel. Still many questions to be answered and better racing to come as Formula 1 next heads to Malaysia.

Result

1. Hamilton - Mercedes
2. Rosberg - Mercedes
3. Vettel - Ferrari
4. Massa - Williams
5. Nasr - Sauber
6. Ricciardo - Red Bull
7. Hulkenberg - Force India
8. Ericsson - Sauber
9. Sainz - Toro Rosso
10. Perez - Force India
11. Button - McLaren
R. Raikkonen - Ferrari - Loose Wheel
R. Verstappen - Toro Rosso - Power Unit
R. Grosjean - Lotus - Power Unit
R. Maldonado - Lotus - Accident
DNS. Kvyat - Red Bull - Gearbox
DNS. Magnussen - McLaren - Power Unit
Withdrew. Bottas - Williams
DNQ. Stevens - Manor
DNQ. Mehri - Manor

all photos from autosport.com

Thursday 12 March 2015

The Australian Grand Prix Forecast




Round 1 - Australia, Melbourne, Albert Park

Laps - 58

Pirelli compounds - Soft and Medium.

DRS Zones  - Two, on the start finish straight and between turns two and three.

Weather - Cloudy with temperatures hitting 23C on race day.

TV - Live on Skysports F1 (UK 5am lights out) and highlights on the BBC.

Pick a winner - Nico Rosberg to get his title challenge off to the perfect start for Mercedes.

Hot topics:

Sauber driver issues are likely to be discussed in the paddock this weekend. Giedo van der Garde was test driver for the Swiss team and claimed he had a valid contract for a 2015 race seat which has found to be correct by the Australian courts despite Sauber appealing. It's all rather messy and reflects badly on the team. Although there are various reasons behind it, in short Sauber needed more money from their drivers so hired Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson instead of honouring van der Garde's contract. I'd still expect Nasr and Ericsson to race although that would risk Sauber being in contempt of court. It of course will eventually bring the discussion round to why the team reneged on a deal anyway, and of course that is money.

Fernando Alonso's accident and subsequent concussion is still a story full of intrigue and conspiracy. The likelihood is he got caught out, crashed, bumped his head, had a concussion and then doctors ruled him out. But apparently it's far more fun to think of more outlandish theories. Although it doesn't help that there has been contrasting information.

I think the grid are going to be stunned by just how far in front Mercedes are. This race is going to be all about Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It wasn't all fun and games this time last year, but it would certainly have been more relaxed as now they know where they stand with each other when it comes to the title fight. One has to strike first.

Manor's (formerly Marussia) resurrection is truly remarkable. Backed by OVO energy boss Stephen Fitzpatrick with ex-Sainsbury's CEO Justin King as interim chairman, Manor have been brought back to life. Team President Graeme Lowdon has worked tirelessly over the winter to get the team to Melbourne. Yes they'll struggle with an updated 2014 car, but work on a 2015 car is ongoing.

Predicting the headlines:

17 year old Max Verstappen for sensational debut.

McLaren to finish and score points.

Mercedes to dominate, Rosberg to shock Hamilton with overtake.

Williams, Ferrari fight for the podium but Ricciardo snatches it at the last.

Grosjean to comfortably score points in Lotus renaissance.

Vettel and Kimi rejuvenated for Ferrari.

Under the radar:

Power units are meant to be louder than last year according to those who attended testing. Of course this positive bit of news will be hushed as the powers that be have no intention of promoting their sport in a positive light.

Cost cutting will be a major talking point but one which might well be shoved aside as everyone's just relieved and amazed they've somehow managed to get 20 cars on the grid, when at some points over the winter it might have barely reached 16. Lots of deals including prize money advances have been done for some teams to get them to Australia. This year is going to be a struggle for many as the sport tries to find a way to overcomplicate matters further instead of just splitting the £1.8 billion income fairly.

The title chase:

It's already looking like it'll be an all Mercedes battle again. It could go one of two ways, Lewis Hamilton, full of confidence dominates the year or Rosberg has reset and come back stronger and takes the fight to the last race once again. I'm not going to rule out everyone else just yet either. It's the second year of fairly stable regulations, a lot of teams have huge room for development, while Mercedes could already be peaking. Of course that might just be hopeless optimism. We'll learn more when the lights go out on Sunday.

all photos taken from autosport.com

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Let battle commence


The engines are about to roar (slightly louder) into life as the teams prepare in Melbourne for the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship. Testing, as always, has given us a vague picture of what to expect, but there has been enough to colour in some of the outlines we've been presented with.

I'd love to be sitting here about to write that this could be the most unpredictable season in years but I can tell no lies. Mercedes, like last year, are sitting at the top of the pile with if anything an increased margin of superiority despite the drivers saying the set up isn't great. Lewis Hamilton has remarked he'd like more competition from outside his own team but for now at least it's looking more likely that we're going to be seeing Lewis up against his team mate Nico Rosberg once again.

That's no bad thing, despite the sports apparent inability to promote the good things about Formula 1 such as the new power unit technology which saw the cars given faster motors using a third less fuel, or the fantastic wheel to wheel on track action we saw, last year was an epic contest between the two Mercedes team mates.


I think we can expect more of the same. Rosberg will come back stronger from his defeat. He'll have to if wants to stand a chance. He needs to lay down an early marker, particularly in wheel to wheel combat to show he's not going to be a walk over. Rosberg is a deep thinker, and he'll have analysed everything from last year to return to battle a more complete driver. Despite some circumstances which went against Lewis, Rosberg has already shown he is a match in qualifying, but the races are where the points are delivered.

If Rosberg has stepped up a level this year, then will it be enough to be champion? I'd hazard a guess and say no. Lewis is too strong a driver, too great a racer and perhaps the ultimate over taker. He will have the confidence of being champion, of having taken 11 wins in 2014 to Rosberg's mere five. Lewis will be supremely confident and he seemed to have sorted his mental fragility, particularly in the run in to the final race when he took six wins from the final seven races.


However, he has once again broken up with his on-off girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. If his mood is not positive then he can break, and Rosberg could infiltrate the positivity from 2014 and erode it with a few early victories. When the reliability problems struck Lewis in the early going last year, there were times when he seemed to be questioning if the team were treating each of their drivers fairly. That way, darkness leads. But I believe Lewis will carry on where he left off in 2014, and despite a stronger challenge from Rosberg, he'll claim a third title to match his hero Ayrton Senna. But, there's plenty to say otherwise.

Behind Mercedes comes a tight pack of Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull. Williams have the all important Mercedes power unit which has been improved. They also have Valtteri Bottas who is a likely future champion and is working methodically towards a first Grand Prix victory. Felipe Massa already has 11 of those from his time at Ferrari and on his day could well earn another one. Either one could grab a win should Mercedes falter.

Ferrari have made changes. A lot of changes. Their new chassis seems good, and the power unit has been improved greatly. The most obvious staff change is the hiring of Sebastian Vettel in place of Fernando Alonso. Kimi Raikkonen remains despite an atrocious 2014 campaign where he was soundly thrashed by Alonso. However, the new Ferrari has left Kimi smiling (which is odd), the car is much more suited to him and he should bounce back with a decent campaign. 

I think eyebrows were raised when Vettel was hired for the Scuderia despite it being known Ferrari had coveted Red Bull's prodigal son for some time. Here was a team letting go of Alonso and hiring Vettel, a driver who was in the process of being fairly beaten by Daniel Ricciardo. But all was not as it seemed for Vettel in 2014. He'd just come off the back of four consecutive seasons as world champion and was faced with a car that was not doing what he wanted it to do.


No one else had maximised the exhaust blown diffusers as well as Vettel that had been banned for 2014. It left him slightly at a loss as the back end of the car would no longer stick the way he wanted it to. The Renault power unit left a title challenge unachievable and Ricciardo had given him a hurry up that he couldn't respond to as he adapted to regulations he didn't like for a title he wouldn't win. It's little wonder his motivation waned a little.

In winter testing you could see the smile was back, he's excited by the new challenge of emulating his hero Michael Schumacher to take Ferrari back to the top. He'll be challenged by Kimi this year, but I can't see Vettel not winning this battle. He may even sneak a win given the right circumstances, but this is a rejuvenated driver, and over the coming years I expect Ferrari to get stronger, as there's not many who work as hard as Vettel to achieve success.

Red Bull are probably not feeling optimistic. Renault haven't made the strides they wanted them to, but yet another decent chassis and the promise of improvements for their power unit should see them comfortably battling for best of the rest, particularly as the season develops. They've hired Daniil Kvyat as Vettel's replacement. He's only had a year in F1 but he'll make a good impression but I don't expect him to outshine the star of 2014 Daniel Ricciardo.


Ricciardo was brilliant last season, taking apart his four time champion team mate to the extent that even before Vettel announced his departure it already appeared to be Daniel's team. I think we can expect more of the same and despite looking like they might be slightly adrift of Williams and Ferrari at the moment it would come as no surprise to see Ricciardo being the one to force a win if Mercedes have problems, or even if they don't. I just hope the wait for Renault improvements doesn't hold him back too much but I think he'll be fighting for podiums all year long.


Toro Rosso have looked fairly rapid in testing. They have the youngest driver line up on the grid with Max Verstappen at 17 and Carlos Sainz Jnr at 20 combining to make an age which is just two years older than Jenson Button.

Verstappen is the prodigy and throughout testing he's looked calm and assured. I expect some good results from him and some outstanding performances. Sainz has looked a little wilder, but I think both will have their day in the sun with Verstappen the one who will be keeping Kvyat on his toes.

Lotus look a lot better this season. The chassis is improved and the switch to Mercedes power should give them an immediate pace injection. Romain Grosjean will deliver them the points while Pastor Maldonado should be able to deliver debris and a few starring results.


Sauber looked too quick in testing, but it did reinforce the belief that Ferrari have made significant improvements to their power unit. Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson have brought significant funds to the team but both are race winners in GP2 and are capable of delivering results. The Swiss team shouldn't suffer another pointless campaign as they did last season.


Force India didn't bring their new car out until there were just two and a half days of testing left. To their credit it ran reliably pretty much throughout clocking some significant mileage. They might be lingering towards the rear of the field at first but I think they'll soon get it all sorted out and be racing for points. Sergio Perez will likely spring a couple of surprise results as is his way, while Nico Hulkenberg will once again produce a decent season worthy of a top team taking a punt on him.

However, he's signed up for a Le Mans driver with Porsche this year and I can see him joining those ranks permanently at some point. I fear a career in a top car may well have slipped past him.


Marussia, or Manor, are back on the grid. They've adjusted their 2014 car to 2015 spec with a full 2015 car due out later in the season. It's a great story to have them back on the grid bringing the total number of cars up to an acceptable 20. With no testing and running a year old engine it'll be remarkable if they actually qualify for the race, but it's great to have them back anyway. Formula 1 needs these teams. So far they have signed Will Stevens who did a decent job for Caterham in a one off race at the last race in Abu Dhabi. Roberto Mehri will fill the other seat for now.

And then we have McLaren Honda. I'm not talking about them last because I think they'll be bringing up the rear of the grid in Australia, although it is a possibility, but because there's no real place to put them. They've shown terrible reliability, the Honda isn't running smoothly, and they only just beat the total mileage of Force India despite having nine and a half days more running. Or more accurately sitting around in the garage as mechanics tried to fix the numerous issues.

Red Bull were in a terrible state this time last year and went on to take three wins. The thing is the Honda hasn't run anywhere near full power, their car has been given a Red Bull make over thanks to the acquisition of Peter Prodromou from the fizzy drinks team. They have Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button as drivers. There is a lot going for this team. I believe once they're up and running properly they're either going to be terrible or potential Mercedes challengers. Significantly, despite the woes the team are said to be still quietly confident. Or maybe it's just blind optimism.

Of course it's not just on the technical front that there have been set backs. In the second test Alonso crashed leaving him with a concussion which has ruled him out of the opening race. Kevin Magnussen will step up hoping to show the team exactly why they should have kept him instead of Button.

The whole Alonso affair is steeped with conspiracy theories. It does seem odd about some of the information or lack of information that has come out about the accident, but I hope we'll see Alonso ready to go for the second round in Malaysia. Alonso is desperate to win another title and this is certainly not how he would have wanted to start his second stint at McLaren especially as Ferrari seem to have built a decent car again.

So Mercedes are out at the front, but with fairly stable regulations there's only so much more they can develop. I think the other teams will be coming for them towards the end of the season, but by then it'll be too late and we'll be celebrating a Mercedes driver as world champion. The question is which one?

all photos taken from autosport.com

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Alonso to miss season opener in Australia

Fernando Alonso will miss the season opener in Australia on 15th March due to worries about second impact syndrome. A statement from McLaren reported by autosport.com says 'Fernando's doctors have recommended to him that, following the concussion he sustained in a testing accident on February 22nd, for the time being he should seek to limit as far as is possible any environmental risk factors that could potentially result in his sustaining another concussion so soon after his previous one'.

Alonso has been allowed to return to training in preparation for the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks later on the 29th March. It's a strange situation as there has been conflicting information about the accident in winter testing after which Alonso spent three days in hospital.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis suggested Alonso hadn't got a concussion, but that is now known to be wrong. The doctors say physically he is fine and the Spaniard believes he is ready to race, however with concussion it is good to be safe.

Kevin Magnussen will replace Alonso, driving at the race where he made such an impact last season. It'll be a great opportunity for him to show up Jenson Button too, the man who was chosen ahead of him to partner Alonso this season.