2016. Will it be a year of consolidating even further
dominance? Or will an heir to the throne finally step up and take the crown
away? Forgive those last couple of sentences which are leaning more towards
Game of Thrones than Formula One but after what was admittedly a rather
disappointing 2015 season, the sports needs a lot of drama this year to make up
for it. And when I say that, I mean on the track.
Pre-season has been dominated by the usual politics that
surround the circus that is F1. Only this year it seems to be multiplied by
ten. What seem like desperate attempts to improve the show are being made, with
the new qualifying format being the main cause for contention. Both promoters
and drivers are against the idea but the FIA have pushed through with it
anyway. Elimination style qualifying does sound exciting on paper but it sounds
like something you’d get in a video game, not a professional sport. Still only
time will tell to see if it is a success, or we are seeing a mid season change
to it.
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| Hamilton and Rosberg will renew their rivalry in 2016 |
On the track, things are looking a lot more competitive than
they were last season. Mercedes are once again looking like they are the team
to beat, with the unprecedented amount of mileage they put into their car
during pre-season testing. And don’t forget there’s been four days less of
testing than a usual season. Lewis Hamilton is being his usual self and you
wouldn’t be surprised if he turned up at Melbourne after attending a few
parties with his newfound celebrity friends, stick it on pole and win the race
at a canter. His teammate Nico Rosberg has his work cut out again this year,
but the end of last season showed he could hang with Hamilton. Whether that was
100% genuine or the World Champion easing off after securing the title remains
to be seen. And with Rosberg’s contract up at the end of this year would
another defeat to Hamilton make him believe it’s time to move on?
However, Ferrari were the fastest in Barcelona, offering
hope that they can offer a consistent challenge to the Silver Arrow this year
and not have to wait for them to slip up. In Sebastian Vettel, they have a
revitalised quadruple world champion who is relishing in his role as leader of
the Scuderia. With good friend Kimi Raikkonen alongside him, Vettel is in a
good place but will assistance from the Iceman if he is to achieve the holy
grail of a fifth world championship. Qualifying has been a major issue for them
over the past few years as well. They have to rectify that so they’re not
having to play catch up in crucial races.
After that in terms of who going to be the quickest? Well,
answers on a postcard please. The midfield looks like the most congested it has
been in years. Williams are probably leading the way, but don’t look like
they’ve made significant inroads on Ferrari and Mercedes. Red Bull, after
reluctantly sticking with Renault engines will be happy making Q3 in Australia.
Renault, now themselves back in F1 as a constructor after taking over Lotus
have an exciting young driver line up in Jolyeon Palmer and Kevin Magnusson
which should bode well with a new car and stable finances to be able to develop
it throughout the season. Toro Rosso have the X Factor in Max Verstappen and
the talent of Carlos Sainz Jr, not to mention Ferrari 2015 engines. This was an
engine that consistently delivered podium finishes. It could be crucial for
their season. Sauber & Force India retain their line-ups after solid if
unspectacular seasons last time out, the team owners will want to see
significant progress their drivers.
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| The traditional Renault livery return to F1 this year |
And then there’s the case of McLaren. After last seasons
catastrophe there have been reports that Honda have fixed the problems that
dogged the entirety of last season which gives some cause for optimism. For Fernando
Alonso and Jenson Button’s sakes, I think we all hope that they won’t be
fighting simply to make it out of Q1 and actually will be consistently
challenging for point. They insist that they will ultimately be the main
challengers & are the only ones who can eventually beat Mercedes. This
season will have to show a lot of promise to make anyone believe those
statements. The only team they could beat last year was Manor. With DTM champon
Pascal Weihrein in their team it’s a fascinating situation, a highly regarded
driver in what will probably be the slowest car out there again. Can he use his
talents to haul the car higher up the grid?
And then there’s the simple matter of a brand new team. Haas
F1 is Amercian, with Ferrari parts oozing through it. When the last batch of
new teams came through in 2010 they were all horrifically slow. This team don’t
look like they’ll be following that script. Their reliability does look a bit
dodgy but on raw pace they could be a match for the midfield runners. They have
a top quality driver in Romain Grosjean, who I’m sure must be thinking that if
he has a good season and delivers above expectations that the dream of a
Ferrari seat may become a reality.
Simply put, Formula One 2016 should a lot more exciting than
the year previous. A stacked midfield with potentially a challenger to Mercedes
control over the sport provides a terrific starting point as we head to
Melbourne. However one thing definitely does remain the same. For not at least,
Lewis Hamilton remains the man to beat. And it’s going to take a monumental
effort to stop him.
Matt’s Drivers Championship Prediction
Lewis Hamilton
Sebastian Vettel
Nico Rosberg
Constructors Championship Prediction
Mercedes
Ferrari
Williams
Williams
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