Post by schumi on Feb 1, 2008 11:39:58 GMT
So who's going to join me in being up at 3am to watch the eagerly anticipated first GP of the season - the one where if anything can go wrong it usually will, the race which determines who's hot and who's not, and lets us see just how good those cars really are? Let's face it - if it wasn't the first race of the season I suspect the majority of us would be snoring comfortably in our beds whilst the action gets underway in Melbourne.
For the first time in 16 years we face a season without the Schumacher name on the grid. Michael is missed, even Ralf admits he won't be. In fact I only realised recently he didn't have a drive.
New names on the grid this year are Nelson Piquet in the Renault, Nakajima in the Williams Toyota and Sebastien Bourdais in the STR. Out of those you'd expect the cars to be doing most of the work, but I expect all eyes will be on Piquet, his father being who he is. However, having the slimy diva claiming number one spot in the team won't be much fun, unless Piquet manages to get one over on him - then the tantrums will begin. The one worry for me is that his heart isn't really in it - he could have made his debut much sooner, but seemed to take a very lackadaisical attitude and instead opted for the test role. The very reason he's even in the team is because Kovalainen, who drove for Renault last year, was seen as too much of a threat to Alonso, so Flav dropped him to appease his golden boy.
It will be interesting to see how Nakajima takes to F1. The ex GP2 and Formula 3 driver is no stranger to the sport, having been Williams' test driver, although it's very rare we see a rookie make his mark on the sport, Hamilton being the exception. The Williams certainly isn't the worst car out there, but it's not the best either, although I do expect them to be picking up the spoils, and Melbourne is one of the races where the unexpected can happen, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he could score a point or two, with reliability always being an issue at the season's start.
Bourdais is the eldest of the three debutants, and the one with the least experience, although he's a successful champ car driver. However, in the STR I don't expect him to be a threat - more likely he'll be another name that will fade and die.
I haven't mentioned Timo Glock in the list of rookies, though he should get a mention. He made his F1 debut with Jordan in 2004, replacing Giorgio Pantano for a brief spell at the end of the season, managing to finish 7th in his first GP at Canada due to the misfortune of Williams and Toyota, who were disqualified. He's also the current GP2 champion.
So, the race begins with the weight of expectation on Brit, Lewis Hamilton. Will he have learned lessons from last year, will Kimi prove too strong, or will his team mate, Heikki Kovalainen outshine him? I'm pleased to see Heikki in the McLaren because I don't think we got to see his true potential in the Renault. He's a calm racer who we didn't really see much of in 2007, but given a helping hand from Ron Dennis, and an enthusiastic team mate, I think this pairing has the most potential to push each other to the limit.
Alonso has openly admitted they need to find about a second's worth of time to be competitive, and, to be honest, I really don't know what possessed him to go back to a team who struggled last year, except that they'll massage his ego and pander to his every whim. Oh, and no doubt he's on a big, fat wedge too.
Ferrari I fully expect to be back up at the sharp end of the grid. Massa improves steadily every year, and Kimi is going to want to go out with a bang. He's said he wants to end his career at Ferrari, and with a contract until only the end of 2009, and an attitude that commands results or sulks, I expect him to be able to muster up enough enthusiasm for one more title.
BMW - the quiet team last year, but managed to finish an impressive second to Ferrari (okay, 3rd, but McLaren cheated) should have made moves over the close season. Heidfeld is a reliable enough old soul, and Kubica is going to be a star of the future. I expect him to out-do his team mate for the majority of the season.
The rest - well, they're just making up the numbers, aren't they? See you all on the 16th March.
For the first time in 16 years we face a season without the Schumacher name on the grid. Michael is missed, even Ralf admits he won't be. In fact I only realised recently he didn't have a drive.
New names on the grid this year are Nelson Piquet in the Renault, Nakajima in the Williams Toyota and Sebastien Bourdais in the STR. Out of those you'd expect the cars to be doing most of the work, but I expect all eyes will be on Piquet, his father being who he is. However, having the slimy diva claiming number one spot in the team won't be much fun, unless Piquet manages to get one over on him - then the tantrums will begin. The one worry for me is that his heart isn't really in it - he could have made his debut much sooner, but seemed to take a very lackadaisical attitude and instead opted for the test role. The very reason he's even in the team is because Kovalainen, who drove for Renault last year, was seen as too much of a threat to Alonso, so Flav dropped him to appease his golden boy.
It will be interesting to see how Nakajima takes to F1. The ex GP2 and Formula 3 driver is no stranger to the sport, having been Williams' test driver, although it's very rare we see a rookie make his mark on the sport, Hamilton being the exception. The Williams certainly isn't the worst car out there, but it's not the best either, although I do expect them to be picking up the spoils, and Melbourne is one of the races where the unexpected can happen, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he could score a point or two, with reliability always being an issue at the season's start.
Bourdais is the eldest of the three debutants, and the one with the least experience, although he's a successful champ car driver. However, in the STR I don't expect him to be a threat - more likely he'll be another name that will fade and die.
I haven't mentioned Timo Glock in the list of rookies, though he should get a mention. He made his F1 debut with Jordan in 2004, replacing Giorgio Pantano for a brief spell at the end of the season, managing to finish 7th in his first GP at Canada due to the misfortune of Williams and Toyota, who were disqualified. He's also the current GP2 champion.
So, the race begins with the weight of expectation on Brit, Lewis Hamilton. Will he have learned lessons from last year, will Kimi prove too strong, or will his team mate, Heikki Kovalainen outshine him? I'm pleased to see Heikki in the McLaren because I don't think we got to see his true potential in the Renault. He's a calm racer who we didn't really see much of in 2007, but given a helping hand from Ron Dennis, and an enthusiastic team mate, I think this pairing has the most potential to push each other to the limit.
Alonso has openly admitted they need to find about a second's worth of time to be competitive, and, to be honest, I really don't know what possessed him to go back to a team who struggled last year, except that they'll massage his ego and pander to his every whim. Oh, and no doubt he's on a big, fat wedge too.
Ferrari I fully expect to be back up at the sharp end of the grid. Massa improves steadily every year, and Kimi is going to want to go out with a bang. He's said he wants to end his career at Ferrari, and with a contract until only the end of 2009, and an attitude that commands results or sulks, I expect him to be able to muster up enough enthusiasm for one more title.
BMW - the quiet team last year, but managed to finish an impressive second to Ferrari (okay, 3rd, but McLaren cheated) should have made moves over the close season. Heidfeld is a reliable enough old soul, and Kubica is going to be a star of the future. I expect him to out-do his team mate for the majority of the season.
The rest - well, they're just making up the numbers, aren't they? See you all on the 16th March.
