Formula 1 Events

The 2007 Formula 1 world championship will go down as one of the most fascinating and memorable seasons in many a year.

Gone was the dominating presence of Michael Schumacher; McLaren had a reigning world champion on their hands for the first time in years and they also made the decision to add rising starlet Lewis Hamilton to their payroll.

Twelve months and we know what the results were – Kimi Raikkonen is World Champion, Fernando Alonso has returned to Renault after a public and bitter falling out with Ron Dennis, and McLaren have firmly backed Hamilton as the man to return the team to title-winning ways.

That’s all done and dusted now. Pre-season testing is complete, the teams’ freight has begun to arrive in Australia and, after 2007, we can only hope there is even better to come over the coming months.

To paraphrase Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, you cannot read too much into pre-season testing times. They should, at best, be used as a rough guide but beyond the actual times, some things have become evident over the winter.

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Title challengers

There has been little to suggest that any team other than Ferrari or McLaren will be capable of mounting a title challenge, for instance.

The Scuderia has been very impressive at several tests - most notably in Bahrain where Kimi Raikkonen beat last year’s pole position mark on successive days, despite driving in a machine without driver aids.

The Italian outfit also called on the experience and talent of Michael Schumacher to help them with their preparations and the German showed that he is still no slouch behind a wheel, despite retiring from motorsport in 2006.

The F2008 has been the car to beat over longer runs, with the main questions being asked about their reliability and even more behind-the-scenes changes over the winter. The latter did not hurt their aspirations in 2007 though.

McLaren, after a meek enough beginning, have also shown some incredible pace over the winter, particularly at Barcelona. So far the squad has shown no ill effects from having lost Alonso and the technical insight and feedback he has become so famous for.

In Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen they have two quick and hungry drivers, but whether the same pair will be able to push forward the development of the MP4-23 as well as Alonso did last year remains to be seen.

One thing the team have got spot on in recent years – with no evidence to suggest a change for 2008 – is their cars’ reliability. The Silver Arrow was bullet-proof last year and was a major factor behind Alonso and Hamilton’s respective challenges for the drivers’ title.

Hamilton proved all his title credentials last time around but has the pressure of expectation on him now, while Kovalainen has never been too far behind his illustrious team-mate and will be looking to make his own mark over the coming months.

The Finn got off to a slow start for Renault last year, but, by the final race, he had Giancarlo Fisichella firmly in his back pocket and was looking to move onto the next level with a better car.

With McLaren he will have found just that, so as Hamilton plants his eyes on Raikkonen’s rear wing, he might also want to look across his garage occasionally.

Where does that leave us? Kimi Raikkonen is now used to Bridgestone tyres, the Ferrari way of life and simply seems more comfortable in his skin at the Scuderia.

He struggled slightly with the qualifying format last year, but has the pace and ability to beat Massa. The Brazilian is quick and should win races, but was let down by reliability in 2007. In a straight fight at Magny-Cours though, he was well beaten by Raikkonen.

Ferrari still seem to have the edge over their rivals when it comes to race pace, but McLaren looked strong at Barcelona where they beat the Ferraris when it came to one-lap times.

However, Massa suggested people not read too much into those very same times when asked about it afterwards - the true state of play will take a couple of races to emerge… one thing is for sure – it’s too close to call based on pre-season alone.

Point collectors

Much of the discussion might be about Ferrari and McLaren right now, but there is a massive battle brewing for third.

BMW Sauber’s endeavours to latch on to the coat tails of the two in front of them took a slight wobble with some disappointing early results in testing.

This time last year Mario Theissen’s crew were the talk of the town, and duly delivered coming second in the championship following McLaren’s expulsion.

The German himself admitted that BMW Sauber took “an aggressive approach” with their new car as they target their first win in the sport, but instead of moving closer to the frontrunners, they have, seemingly, been caught by a handful of the chasing pack.

Renault have renewed focus and energy now that Alonso has been forgiven and restored to the fold, and Williams have certainly been the outfit to make up the most ground over the winter.

BMW’s F1.08 seems to have decent one-lap pace, but the drivers have had to work hard on improving a ‘nervy’ car in race trim, while Alonso believed, at one stage, that his new car was an entire second off Ferrari and McLaren.

That gap too has closed, with the Spaniard coming to the fore again with his ability to gather a team around him and push his car to its limits.

Partnered for 2008 by Nelson Piquet Jr, he is unlikely to have the same team-mate problems he encountered last year, and the special ingredient that saw him claim two world championships should help move Renault back towards and even edge in front of BMW at times.

Hot of their heels – if not right in the heat of the battle – will be Williams’ Nico Rosberg. Sir Frank Williams recently confirmed what we all knew for months – McLaren had tried to get their hands on the young German as a replacement for Alonso – so this is a big year for Rosberg.

He overcame the challenge of colleague Alex Wurz last season but there will be even more pressure on his shoulders in the coming months, as the squad have taken rookie Kazuki Nakajima on board.

If Rosberg can make further inroads, hauling the Williams team behind him, he could be an in-demand commodity by October. If not, his growing reputation could be dented – just a little.

The lower midfield gaggle

Red Bull will find themselves disappointed not to be included among the points collectors ahead of Lights Out in Australia.

Their new car is Adrian Newey’s second, and while there is no doubt that he has made an impact with the team, we might have expected a little more at this stage.

Mark Webber has been leading the way in testing and if the squad sort out their reliability issues, he and David Coulthard should be close on the tail of BMW, Renault and Williams when the conditions suit.

Their initial concern might be to stay ahead of ‘junior team’ STR though, who have been making their own steady progress with the talented Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel of last year’s car.

Toro Rosso’s new machine is pencilled in to be ready by the time the calendar returns to Europe and it is then that we might see this impressive young German making a real impression.

Alongside Vettel, STR have taken a risk by bringing Sebastien Bourdais on board. It goes without saying that the Frenchman knows that this is his one chance to prove himself in Formula 1, but it will be far from easy running alongside one of the sport’s rising stars.

Still, after seemingly dropping into the doldrums of the sport, Vitantonio Liuzzi reminded people of why he earned a shot in the series by keeping close to - and challenging - Vettel in the second half of last year.

Vettel might finish Bourdais’ hopes of making an impact in F1, but, he also might kick them into action.

Another unknown quantity is Toyota. Personnel seem reasonably satisfied with their pre-season; there is definitely more confidence evident than last year and with Timo Glock running against Jarno Trulli, we could see some healthy competition behind the wheel.

Trulli is an incredible qualifier and has been the source of much of Toyota’s better displays in recent seasons, but, while Glock is still to set the team alight, he has a decent track record behind him and should improve as the season goes on.

The Rest

Honda, judging them before the addition of updates at their private Jerez test, seem set for another disappointing term if their winter is anything to go by.

The new car has proved to be reasonably reliable but shockingly slow, and though Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello believe they have taken a step forward in terms of handling and speed with the aerodynamic measures introduced at their final test, they are still a long way off making ripples on the grid.

Before Jerez, Force India had better speed than the Japanese manufacturer, which is an embarrassment in a time when bigwigs within the company are starting to question the money being spent and the resources being siphoned.

The recruitment of Ross Brawn was a coup, but the Briton’s prediction of glory for Button within a couple of years remains a well-meaning dream at the moment.

Force India, in contrast, are a team on the up with new money on board in the form of co-owner Vijay Mallya. Eyebrows were raised when the Indian opted for veteran Giancarlo Fisichella alongside Adrian Sutil, but the Italian’s comments and testing displays since have shown the wisdom of hiring an experienced hand alongside the potential of Adrian Sutil.

The German had a mixture of team-mates last season and emerged from a difficult year with a lot of credit. But that burgeoning standing will be given a good test over the coming months by Fisichella.

Finally, Super Aguri look, at this stage, as if they will start the new term despite a winter of discontent and massive money trouble. With virtually no testing under their belt, it will be hard to imagine any improvement on the promise they showed last season.

Indeed Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson could have a very lonely season ahead and only each other to battle. The only chink of light? They will have the help of Honda at hand but last year’s RA107 hardly set the grid alight.