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And we’re off…… Two rounds have come and
gone and the anticipation of an exciting season remains.
For most teams, the first races represent a fine tuning stage. A time
where all the potential shown in testing is nursed and grown into points. Only Renault
seem to be comfortable and consistent
with their package out of the box. As in testing, and in 2005,
they have proven themselves to be the team to chase. Again
they find themselves in the enviable position of controlling
their performance in relation to their pursuers, without unduly
stretching their cars and engines to dangerous limits. Unlike last year however,
their dominance so far, is not as absolute and there seem to
be other teams that are competing with very quick cars that
have started this season quite conservatively. True, both
races have been won by Renault, but it's fair to say
that it hasn't been a walkover. All the top teams are showing that
they have a lot of potential for improvement. Ferrari are back. Maybe not
quite to their former glory, but Michael is surely overjoyed
at the prospect of being able to fight for wins, after an off
season that looked a little flat. They seem to be heading in the right
direction this year instead of chasing their own tails deciphering the
enigma that was last years car. It also look like they are no
longer struggling with uncompetitive rubber. Bridgestone have made huge
stride prior to the first race at Sakhir. Testing showed that they
were once again the weak link for the teams they were supplying
and Michelin had the off season advantage, but now it looks
like the Bridgestones are working well. Williams are also a
surprise package in relation to their testing form. Their cars seem
consistent and fast. The Cosworth engine is lauded as the most
powerful V8 in the paddock pushing the 730-740 bhp
barrier and 20,000 rpm. Acoustic testing has show that in might of the manufactures,
have produced a cracker (no pun intended, for in Sepang Both Webber and Rosberg
suffered engine failures). Engine
reliability is something most of the teams are struggling with and Cosworth and others will improve. Williams have also been
quite un-aggressive with their race strategy in new car, which is less an
evolution of the FW27 and more a clean sweep into a new direction,
has shown good speed. It was heralded by Sam Michael as very
aerodynamically efficient, as well as producing good downforce. We can expect to see good results, if not a little overdue good
results from Williams this year and the possibility of a win may
not be out of the question. Honda have also started the
season with a car that has tested well but isn't bearing much
relation to last years car. The team has stated that there is more to come
from the car the more they learn about it and the Honda engine is one
of the most reliable so far. Expect them to develop quickly and Jensons first win to come sooner rather that later. Raikkonnen has once again shown that he is the sole reason
that McLaren have any stake to the Constructors title this year.
His good results in spite of his car
doing it's best to commit suicide at every corner defy probability. On
a good note, they seem to be have a better time with the engine
reliability, but if it's not one it's the other and the car is proving a
tad fragile in the suspension department. But McLaren
are McLaren. Their brilliance will undoubtedly
shine through and their raw speed
despite unreliability will see them winning a lot of races, or,
they will get their reliability act together and dominate the second
half of the season and both championships. Either way, Renault need to
collect as many points as they can at the start, like in 2005 to
protect themselves from a charging Kimi. Of the rest it's much of a muchness. In the order they will appear on the Constructors
Championship leader board they are: Redbull. They Will do well and BMW Sauber
are doing a good job too considering the limited
preparation time they have had, restructuring and integrating the BMW
ethos into the predominantly Swiss outfit. have been very
disappointing and through sheer lack of enthusiasm from Ralf and Jarno, I don't expect them to bounce back quickly. The
pressure on Mike Gascoyne
for results must be immense. Scuderia Torro Rosso with the benefit of the V10
engine will score some points. Midland have improved their cars
considerably from last year. The deferential to the pace of the front running
cars has decreased. And that brings us to the little battlers from months they have done the
impossible. They basically started in with a 4 year old chassis
(ex Arrows), and have been racing for position with The Torro Rossos and last, but that may depend on
when they finish their new Honda inspired new car, which is
expected mid season, and how good it will be. Huge effort either way. |