THE new Formula One season begins this weekend, two weeks later than initially planned. The Australian Grand Prix takes over the mantelpiece of the F1 opener, after Bahrain’s cancellation, following the current unrest in the Middle East. With another big shake-up in the rules, another new race in India to look forward to and a rather stable driver market this time around, 2011 can beat the drama of 2010. Can Sebastian Vettel defend his title? Will Fernando Alonso bounce back from last year’s Abu Dhabi heartbreak? How will Renault fare without Robert Kubica? Is Michael Schumacher going to prove his critics wrong? Have McLaren been sandbagging in testing? All the talking stops this weekend in Albert Park, so here’s the inside guide.
Red Bull Racing Renault
1 Sebastian Vettel (GER)
2 Mark Webber (AUS)
Red Bull starts as defending double champions and on pre-season testing evidence look like the class of the field again in 2011. Adrian Newey and his technicians at Milton Keynes have come up with another highly impressive contender, which looks quicker than last year’s RB6 and far more reliable to its predecessor. Sebastian Vettel stole the title last season, with some irresistible driving at the end of the last campaign. If the young German cuts out the silly errors, then Schumacher’s records could be beaten after all. Mark Webber came so close, yet so far last season and the Aussie knows that he needs to beat Vettel this season, especially as he is out of contract at the end of the season. Webber rattled Vettel at times last season, but lacked the cutting edge when required. He has some points to prove this time around.
McLaren-Mercedes
3 Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
4 Jenson Button (GBR)
They were undoubtedly second best to Red Bull in championship last year and McLaren so badly want to take the constructors title for the first time since 1998. However, their car just hasn’t been up to scratch in testing and looks way too slow to cope with Red Bull and Ferrari. Expect Lewis Hamilton to wring the neck out of it, and he has a better chance than at the start of 2009 at least. Jenson Button had a promising debut season with McLaren, and could be the one to beat in changeable/wet conditions. However, he fell away from the ultimate pace in the title run-in and how he handles the new Pirelli tyres will be interesting to see. Race wins are certainly possible, but a championship tilt looks a long way off at the moment.
Ferrari
5 Fernando Alonso (SPA)
6 Felipe Massa (BRA)
Ferrari’s strategy cock-up cost them a driver’s title in Abu Dhabi last season and heads have rolled in the winter. Chris Dyer, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen’s former race engineer has been demoted to a factory role and the charming boss Stefano Domenicalli is surely on a last chance. The pressure is intense, not just from Luca di Montzemolo, but also from the Tifosi. No driver’s title since 2007 is simply not good enough. The car looks short of one-lap speed in comparison to the Red Bull, but its long-run speed could be its wildcard. Fernando Alonso has moulded the team around him and is sure to be Vettel’s main threat this season. Felipe Massa’s morale was destroyed by the team-orders debacle at Hockenheim last season and time is running out for the likeable Brazilian at Ferrari. If he doesn’t score consistent podiums, expect Alonso to have a new team-mate for 2012. Massa’s last corner title heartbreak in Brazil 2008 seems like a century ago. . .
Mercedes GP
7 Michael Schumacher (GER)
8 Nico Rosberg (GER)
After the miracles of Brawn in 2009, the much-hyped takeover of Mercedes GP somewhat fell flat as a pancake in 2010. The car just didn’t do the job and Michael Schumacher drove much of the season like a pig, resulting in several calls for him to pack it up again. However, the 41-year-old stays on for 2011 and is bound to be better on the Pirelli tyre. Nico Rosberg is getting ever closer to that maiden F1 win, but this is his sixth season in the sport and he must deliver that breakthrough this season if he really wants to be considered as serious championship material. The addition of Bob Bell as technical director is a shrewd move and though testing has delivered mixed results, they look quicker than McLaren at least. The jury’s still out on where they will be in the chasing pack.
Renault
9 Nick Heidfeld (GER)
10 Vitaly Petrov (RUS)
The heart of Renault’s team was ripped out by Robert Kubica’s horrific rally accident in Italy. His absence from the team for this season is going to have a major effect, but Nick Heidfeld is the best possible stand-in. Heidfeld has finished second on eight separate occasions in his career and the car looks good enough for race wins, even though championship material looks some way off. At worst, Heidfeld will be a consistent point’s scorer. Vitaly Petrov showed promise in 2010, notably in holding off Alonso in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, but too many daft errors cost Renault a load of points in the season. Renault have the best resources to break the top four, but the loss of their golden jewel in Kubica could have some major implications, especially in the early races.
Williams-Cosworth
11 Rubens Barrichello (BRA)
12 Pastor Maldonado (VEN)
Juan Pablo Montoya’s win in Brazil 2004 seems like a century ago now, and although Williams have dropped into the midfield, they seem to have produced a very quick car for 2011. With more sponsorship terminations, the Grove squad has been hit the hardest in the post-2008 recession, but what they do have is winners in Patrick Head and Sir Frank Williams. With money tight, the late season heroics of Nico Hulkenberg wasn’t enough for him to keep his drive and GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado takes his place. Maldonado will do well to match Hulkenberg’s impressive point’s tally of last campaign, but he isn’t any slouch. The incredible Rubens Barrichello enters his 20th season in the sport and his energy and enthusiasm never seems to dwindle, despite having a midfield car again. If Williams sort out the KERS issues that have dogged pre-season, they could be the dark horse.
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