F1 Preview 2009
Well, there's not much going on Motorsport-wise at the moment, so here is the first of several previews for the forthcoming season. Rallying, MotoGP, Le Mans series, Superbikes; you name it, I'll do a 'short and informative' preview for it. So what better series to start with than the most overblown and pretentious motorsport series in the known universe: Formula 1!
Yes, 2009 sees the 59th season of the Bernie and Max show...sorry, Formula One motor racing, taking place on the Hermann Tilke designed or modified racetracks of the world. So what do we have to look forward to this year? For starters, the first time since 1997, we have a reigning British World Champion in Lewis Hamilton, plus slick tyres are back and aerodynamic 'widgets' have been banned. Looking to the future, we also have the prospect of proper racing returning with the banning of refuelling for 2010.
Change for the better?
At the time of writing, we have seen the new Renault, Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, Williams and McLaren cars. With the exception of the frankly ugly Renault and BMW, the other machines look good (apart from the funny rear wing). The Ferrari, in my opinion, is a bit of a stunner. However, looks aren't everything and it may perform to a lesser pedigree than it's beauty would suggest. After all, last years Ferrari had reliability problems aplenty and no car is any use parked at the side of the track.
Team round-up
Fernando Alonso will be hoping that the new Renault will perform significantly better than last season. Despite taking two wins in Singapore and Fuji at the end of the season, the French car was not anywhere near a match for the Ferrari and McLaren in terms of performance. Nelson Piquet will just be grateful if he has a better season than last year.
Fortunately Sebastien Bordais will keep his seat this year, having earnt his place enduring a tough 2008 (he should learn to pull over for Ferrari's at all times!) . The Frenchman had a lot of bad luck last year, but still managed to perform well, most notably at Monza. If he keeps his place, he will be joined by Sebastien Buemi (Does Red Bull love that name or what?), a 20 year old Swiss GP2 driver who had previously tested for Toro Rosso's sister team. Whether or not Buemi will set the F1 world on fire in the way his predecessor, Vettel, did is another matter entirely. It seems that at the moment F1 bosses believe that the younger a driver is, the better he will be (completely overlooking the fact that Schumacher was 37 in 2006 and still the best driver on the track).
Talking of Vettel, it remains to be seen as to wether Red Bull will deliver this year, despite having Adrian Newey as their designer. Last year's car wasn't a world beater by any stretch of the imagination and if Mark Webbers broken leg doesn't heal in time, their problems could get worse.
On the way out?
We are still waiting to see whether someone will buy the Honda team, but as the weeks go by the situation seems to get worse for the Brackley outfit. David Richards now appears to be uninterested in buying the team and there has been no solid interest from anyone else. What happens next is anyone's guess.
Toyota appears to have launched their car with a 'make or break' ethos this year. Team boss John Howett speech at the launch of his teams new car was worded in a way that pointed to this year being the year that the team had to justify it's continuing existence.
At the other end of the spectrum, McLaren start the year on the best footing that anyone could hope for, fielding the current world champion and benefiting from a stable team line-up, the only major change being Ron Dennis stepping down as team boss. Ferrari are continuing with the same driver line-up this year, hoping that Raikkonen, F1's highest paid driver, will erupt into championship winning form. These guys need a return on their massive investment and last year the Finn didn't exactly justify his pay. Massa will be trying to take the championship that he just missed out on last year, but I have a feeling it may have been his last chance unless he moves to another competitive team.
Tracks new and old
Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, we have another new Grand Prix to go to, this time in Abu Dhabi. I have a horrible feeling that it will be another made-for-VIP affair with a luxury paddock and pits, distracting from the unnecessarily tight and twisty nature of the track. On the other hand, it could be a modern classic like Istanbul.
On the up side, the appallingly boring Mount Fuji has been 'kicked to the kerb' and Suzuka is back! Thankfully, the powers that be have granted us the pleasure of seeing F1 cars racing on one of the worlds greatest racetracks once more. Now, how about a few more decent tracks? Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch, the new Circuito Potrero de los Funes in Argentina and Imola are all demanding circuits that deserve a Grand Prix. Unfortunately, circuit owners such as Brand's Jonathan Palmer cannot offer the money that a Shiek can, so such tracks will be overlooked in Bernie and CVC's quest for dollars.
So that's your lot for now. MotoGP preview coming up next!
