It’s almost time for the first race of 2008. It looks as though Ferrari are going to pick up where they left off as the team to beat but the Australian Grand Prix will answer a lot of questions about how 2008 is going to pan out. Read my prediction for the top three and … Continue reading 2008 Australian Grand Prix preview
Season Previews articles archive
Season Previews
2008: Predictions
Posted onWhat are your predictions for 2008? Here are mine… Who will have the best car? Ferrari. On balance, an F2007 was the car to have last year, and at the very least I expect them to have slightly increased their advantage over McLaren. Will anyone other than McLaren and Ferrari win a race? If it … Continue reading 2008: Predictions
2008: Ferrari
Posted onOn paper, 2008 should be all about Ferrari. Double champions last year, they ended the season on an upswing in form that saw them dominate the Brazilian Grand Prix. They appear to have carried that momentum through into the off-season where Kimi Raikkonen has usually been the man to beat. As far as technical director … Continue reading 2008: Ferrari
2008: BMW
Posted onBMW were Formula 1’s third-best team in 2007: an excellent achievement given they only took over the Sauber team two years ago. Their challenge for 2008 is to reduce the gap to the leading teams, McLaren and Ferrari, It’s a big ask, and early in winter testing it looked as though they’d actually taken a … Continue reading 2008: BMW
2008: Red Bull
Posted onAlong with Williams, Red Bull are early contenders for the title of ‘most improved team’. Adrian Newey’s flaky RB3 of 2007 seems to have evolved into a rapid but reliable car in the form of the RB4. This was what the man himself had to say: This car is very much an evolution of RB3. … Continue reading 2008: Red Bull
2008: Toyota
Posted onA lot of mixed messages have been coming out of Toyota this winter. First boss John Howett back-tracked on reported remarks that the team had to become successful within two years: The rumours about us leaving the sport have always been groundless. Having signed the Concorde Agreement, we are in it at least until 2012. … Continue reading 2008: Toyota
2008: Honda
Posted onHonda had a nightmare 2007. But chief executive Nick Fry did the right thing by using it as a starting point for major change. Fry scored a major coup by luring Ross Brawn to the team as principal. He’s made several other astute hires in the past 12 months including Loic Bigois (aerodynamics), Jorg Zander … Continue reading 2008: Honda
2008: The calendar
Posted onLast year Ferrari and McLaren took every race victory on offer and, more often then not, filled the top three. On only five of 51 occasions did we see a driver in something other than McLaren or Ferrari overalls on the podium. But we also saw the two teams dominate at different types of track: … Continue reading 2008: The calendar
2008: The new rules
Posted onSeveral major changes to the rules this year have attracted a lot of attention – the traction control ban, four-race gearboxes, and changes to qualifying. Which change are going to have the biggest impact on F1 this year? Here’s a quick look at some of the rules changes for 2008.
2008: The year ahead in numbers
Posted onBeing a sucker for stats I wanted to take a look at what milestones were coming up in 2008. There’s already been some discussion about Rubens Barrichello being poised to break Riccardo Patrese’s 15-year record as the most experienced driver in Formula 1 – but exactly when will he pass the mark? McLaren have one … Continue reading 2008: The year ahead in numbers
2008: What are you most looking forward to?
Posted onIt’s getting close now: the start of the 2008 Formula 1 season is three weeks away. The teams have their final test session next week before the cars are packed away for the flight to Melbourne, Australia. The F1 Fanatic 2008 season preview starts today with my pick of what I’m most looking forward to … Continue reading 2008: What are you most looking forward to?
F1Fanatic’s complete 2007 season preview
Posted onIn case you missed any of it – our 2007 preview in full:
F1 2007 Preview: Place your bets
Posted onFancy a flutter on the first race of the season? Or planning a punt on the championship winner at this early stage? Felipe Massa may have set tongues wagging with his fast testing times but the bookies are unmoved – ranking his new team mate Kimi Raikkonen as favourite to win both the opening round … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: Place your bets
F1 2007 Preview: Their last wins
Posted onEvery F1 driver – even those at the back of the grid – has been successful. But some have tasted the sweet nectar of victory more recently than others. Felipe Massa is the driver who has won a major race most recently – 141 days ago. But who has been waiting nine and a half … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: Their last wins
F1 2007 Preview: Out with the old…
Posted onThe 2007 season is all about change – brand new drivers in top-ranking teams, three vintage circuits dropped from the calendar. And, of course, one long-time great of the sport finally stepping down. Here are the big names that have left in 2007.
F1 2007 Preview: Super Aguri
Posted onWhat can you say about the only team that hasn’t even got its new car ready yet? After ending 2006 strongly with Takuma Sato’s fine drive in Interlagos, Super Aguri are going into 2007 on the back foot after their new car failed crash tests. It may not even be ready for the first race. … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: Super Aguri
F1 2007 Preview: Helmets
Posted onTime was when drivers would go throughout their career without changing their helmets. These days F1 racers seem to spend every moment they’re out of the cockpit dreaming up a new style, or finding some way of cramming more adverts on them. Home races, one-off sponsor deals, minor football tournaments – everything has been used … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: Helmets
F1 2007 Preview: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Posted onOne of the strangest stories of the off-season was how Gerhard Berger put Toro Rosso drivers Scott Speed on Vitantonio Liuzzi on the rack, refusing to confirm their race seats until the last minute. Berger’s determination to wring the most from his drivers, the team’s aggressive new car and Ferrari engine supply all indicated they’re … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: Scuderia Toro Rosso
F1 2007 Preview: New best friends
Posted onIt’s highly unusual to see three top drivers make high-profile moves from one season to the next, but that is exactly what’s happened this year: Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber have all defected. Why did they jump ship? What lead them to the teams they chose? And, most importantly of all, what are … Continue reading F1 2007 Preview: New best friends
F1 2007 preview: Williams
Posted onWilliams slumped to eighth in the 2006 world championship, two places and 24 points behind Toyota. Now the two teams have done a deal which will see Toyota use Williams’ gearbox technology and Williams use Toyota’s engines. It offers Williams the chance not only to bounce back from the disappointments of recent seasons – but … Continue reading F1 2007 preview: Williams
