Originally posted on my old blog 01/07/2020
After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, Formula 1 is officially back. Rather than the intended shortest gap between seasons ever, the winter break has become both a spring and summer break, at 217 days. My excitement levels are so high I’m genuinely concerned for how I’m going to react once I hear the words ‘Its lights out and away we go’ on Sunday. Though the season is taking a dramatically different form to the record breaking 22 races we were promised, I expect it to be filled excitement and upsets a plenty.
Mercedes are (shocker) the clear frontrunners, as per usual, and their reign could now be extended even longer due to the push back of regulation changes to 2022. This throws a spanner in the works somewhat, as it was a possibility (maybe Ferrari and Renault) would have been focusing more on perfecting a car for the 2021 season than performance during the 2020 season. Hence, maybe we will see an improvement in form coming from Maranello, the Italian team realising a chaotic season could throw up an opportunity for them to bring the fight to the Mercs? We can’t forget their assertion during testing though that they were not sandbagging (purposefully making their car appear slower than it is), a rather humbling and depressing thing to have to admit. I still believe though that the future is not all doom and gloom for Ferrari. With the announcement of Sebastian Vettel’s departure from the team for 2021, (more on that another time) I anticipate Charles Leclerc emerging as a true force to be reckoned with. He well and truly earned his place as the team’s number one driver by the end of last season, and whilst I don’t expect Seb to throw the towel in and give up, his lack of commitment to the team will surely be advantageous to Charles. Then again, Seb may just think ‘fuck it’, throw caution to the wind and put everything into a final push to be a Ferrari world champion! We’ll have to wait and see.
Following the pattern of the last couple of seasons, there is much excitement surrounding Red Bull’s chances at challenging for the top spot. If the momentum they have acquired over the last few years continues (as testing suggested), and their partnership with Honda goes from strength to strength, I would expect Max Verstappen to have his first real chance at challenging Lewis Hamilton for the World Driver’s Championship. He has matured considerably since the turning point of his crash during practice for the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, and his willingness to take well-calculated risks may serve him well in what looks to be hectic season of racing, full of unknowns. Alex Albon also appears as the perfect teammate. Fast, talented and reliable, he now looks to have fully settled into the team, and whilst he will surely want to prove himself to Horner and Marko, I don’t anticipate the inter-teammate tensions that existed in the Daniel Ricciardo-Verstappen era.
Beyond the top three there is lots to suggest that the mid-field battle will be just as, if not more thrilling, than the action at the front. McLaren will be hoping to continue their success of last season and make it a top four. Sainz should be filled with confidence following his Brazil podium, 6th place in the driver’s championship and promotion to Ferrari for 2021, whilst Norris can fully unlock his potential having shaken off his rookie season nerves. They will have to watch out for the Racing Point boys though, who have certainly been talking the talk and seem to have a lot of confidence in their car. This is no surprise, seeing as in many ways it is essentially a replica of last years Mercedes W10. If they do live up to the high standards they have set for themselves I think this will be a strong year for Sergio Perez, in which he can make the move out of the underrated driver category and into the great driver category. The return of Esteban Ocon to the grid is great news, and I’m intrigued to see how the dynamic between him and Ricciardo plays out; going by the drama of the Ocon/Perez and Verstappen/Ricciardo pairings I’m expecting it will not be all plain sailing. The pressure is on for Cyril Abiteboul: will his team be able to claw their way back to the top of the midfield, or sink further down it? The newly (and confusingly) named Alpha Tauri team had a solid showing last season, and with Pierre Gasly firmly back in a team he feels comfortable in it should be interesting to see what they can achieve.
This may be Kimi Raikonnen’s last year in Formula 1 so I’m hoping the Alfa Romeo is a strong car capable of earning him a good handful of points and seeing him out of the sport on a high. One can only hope that the fortunes of both Haas and Williams see an improvement. Whilst the outbursts of Gunther Steiner were undoubtedly hilarious to watch on Netflix’s Drive To Survive, it’s difficult to watch the team struggle so much. They completed the least amount of miles by some stretch during pre season and the drivers were reluctant to comment much on the car, so we will have to wait and see. Pre season started on a much better note for Williams than last year, though being ready for the first day isn’t exactly a monumental achievement. I so want them to do well, as do many other fans, but their current financial and sponsorship difficulties are troubling to say the least. Nicholas Latifi is the only rookie on the grid, positioning George Russell as de facto team leader; hopefully he can finally achieve that long awaited points finish!
Whilst it’s difficult to truly gage a team’s potential and race pace from testing alone, here is my prediction for how the top ten drivers and the constructor’s championship might shape up come the end of the season. Lets hope it’s a good one!
- Hamilton
- Verstappen
- Bottas
- Leclerc
- Albon
- Vettel
- Sainz
- Perez
- Ricciardo
- Norris
- Mercedes
- Red Bull
- Ferrari
- McLaren
- Racing Point
- Renault
- Alpha Tauri
- Alfa Romeo
- Haas
- Williams
