The Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paolo marked the final act of the 2006 Formula 1 season. It was the scene of a pulsating and emotionally charged contest, where Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) battled Fernando Alonso (Renault) for the driver’s championship. Well, it wasn’t really a “battle;” all Alonso had to do to win was stay in the race. This he did, although Schumacher unleashed yet another in a seemingly endless number of superlative drives, proving that he was still The Man, mechanical misfortunes notwithstanding.
Many people had asked what would become of Formula 1 after Ayrton Senna’s tragic demise. The F1 world was asking the same question as Michael Schumacher hung up his helmet. Michael has decided to call it quits after winning seven world championships, and demolishing all previous records for race wins, pole positions and fastest laps. Although Schumacher had more to offer, he now faces the enviable challenge of administering his estimated $750m empire from the peace and tranquillity of his $50m estate cuddled in the Swiss mountains.
Meanwhile, praise to Fernando Alonso. At 25, Alonso has become the youngest driver ever to win back-to-back F1 championships. The Spaniard made the most of an impressive racing package, slightly betrayed by a fall in performance from Michelin at one stage of the championship. He also surmounted ‘political’ obstacles, such as the abolition of the ‘mass dumper’ device from his Renault, and the much-debated penalty for ‘apparently’ blocking Felipe Massa (Ferrari) during the final practice of the Italian GP at Monza.
Fernando will drive for McLaren next season, with the clear intention of reviving the fortunes of the Anglo-German outfit, hunting for his third successive championship victory. A quick overview of the 2006 season and the final race at San Paolo tells us that next year will bring many changes in driver line-ups, engine suppliers and technical regulations. Let’s take a quick look at the top teams:
Ferrari: Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen will lead the challenge of the Scuderia. They have inherited the onus of keeping Ferrari on top, although that in itself is not a heavy burden to carry.
Renault: Deploying Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikke Kovalainen, Team Boss Flavio Briatore has opted for experience and exuberance. Renault’s compulsory switch to Bridgestone tyres (due to Michelin’s exit) may be a technical setback, but they have a winning basis from which to progress.
McLaren: Uncharacteristically, McLaren didn’t win a single Grand Prix race in 2006. Team Boss Ron Dennis will push his men hard to return to their winning ways. Alonso’s co-driver will either be Pedro de la Rosa and GP2 champion or McLaren protégé Louis Hamilton. Raikkonen, though always a front runner, was daunted by poor reliability. A demotivated Juan Pablo Montoya was dropped halfway through the season.
Toyota: The big spending Japanese team has again failed to reap the rewards of their huge investment. Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher only produced flashes of brilliance, as their racing package lacked consistency. Toyota is supplying engines to Williams for 2007, in an effort to raise its prospects in the Formula 1 circus on two fronts.
Honda: Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello may provide the only real competition to the Ferrari and Renault teams. Honda has certainly displayed a positive progression of performance through the ’06 season, culminating in Button’s maiden Formula 1 victory at the Hungaroring.
Williams: Team owner Sir Frank Williams characterized the ‘06 season as ‘decidedly humiliating.’ It was certainly a transitional season; running Cosworth engines, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber struggled with reliability and committed points-killing racing blunders. For ’07, Rosberg will be partnered by Austrian Alex Wurz and Toyota engines.
BMW-Sauber: Joining forces was a wise decision for both partners. The arrival of young polish driver Robert Kubica, replacing Jacques Villeneuve mid-season, gave Nick Heidfeld and the team extra motivation. Kubica could well be the next big thing.
With a proposed 18-race calendar, a single tire manufacturer, the retirement of Michael Schumacher and a renewed tussle between the big constructors to edge their way to the top spot, one question springs to mind: who will be the dominant force in Formula 1 next season, and who will take the place of Michael Schumacher as the true Number One? Will Fernando Alonso make McLaren winners again? Will Kimi Raikkonen continue in Schumacher’s footsteps? Will Giancarlo Fisichella be top dog at the helm of Constructor’s Championship winners Renault? Can the young guns, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Kubica and Hamilton challenge the ‘old guard’?
Teams will fight to retain their supremacy. Others will attempt to regain lost glory, while the majority will work hard to present themselves with a competitive package. Winter testing may prove to be deceptive. As always, as it should be, the answers to these questions and more will only be revealed on race-day.
F1 is nice and all…
Can you tell us more about the blond?
The real question for the 2007 season is whether SPEED will continue to assault F1 fans with the insipid Bob Varsha.
Who do you think should be America's F1 commentator? I'd like George Clooney to be the sport's official voice, although you gotta admit. Tony Danza would be an interesting choice.
“F1 is nice and all…
Can you tell us more about the blond?”
Coffee out the nose and onto my keyboard again. I’ve got to stop reading the comments section.
So, Tonio, how about a prediction for next year?
That being said, your analysis was spot-on.
I can only marvel at the cubic money Toyota is throwing at F1, for no apparent reason. They’ve won….nothing. They’re budget is, according to rumors, upwards of $300 MM per year. Sponsors offset some of that, but it still means Toyota is burning through lots of cash.
Why they persist with Ralf and Jarno is beyond me. I understand loyalty, but F1 is a cruel master, and there’s no room for sentimentality in this sport. They need a couple of young, hungry drivers to move them forward. Jarno has flashes of brilliance, but cannot sustain his energy; Ralf, well, if his last name wasn’t Schumacher, I doubt he’d still be at this level. Until they make a driver change, they’ll be mired in the midfield.
For a company that spends so much on motorsport, Toyota doesn’t seem to get any traction for it, at least in the US. F1, Craftsman trucks, IRL, NASCAR next year, and they’re still boring Toyota. Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t have any real performance cars in their lineup, with the demise of the Supra, MR2/Spyder, and Celica. I just son’t see any racing connection with thier production lineup.
Honda is 90% there, but they still don’t have the ponies to break through. Much as I like Jensen Button, I think he’ll be a perpetual Coulthard, always a bridesmaid. Same for Rubens.
Williams is toast unless they sell out to a manufacturer. Calling VW? Hello? Bueller?
Renault let Alonso go when Carlos wouldn’t commit to F1 long-term, and now they’re stuck with Fisi and the new guy, Heikki Generic Scandinavian. Fisi was once very, very good, but he’s past his sell-by date by a few seasons. Besides, he always wanted to go to Ferrari, and it seems all his stops along the way were just marking time until he could wrangle a ride with The Scuderia. Now that such a ride is out of the question, he seems to be on “Collecting Checks Cruise Control”.
Alonso and Mercedes may be the team to watch. The 2005 Mclaren was the fastest car on the grid, but hopelessly fragile. The 2006 was good, but never consistent enough for Kimi to mount a challenge. If they get their act together, and Ron and M-B are very determined and LOADED with cash, they may be hard to beat.
BMW might also bear watching. Kubica is very fast, he’s fearless, and BMW does have something of a reputation for engines, as I remember. Now that they’ve got their own wind tunnel, and with a year onder their belts owning the whole enchilada, they could contest for wins next year. Titles? Nah, but they could pull out a couple of races here and there.
Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Spyker, ….whatever. We need teams to fill the grids. At least the Toro Rosso’s look cool. And we can hope that Scott Speed can use it to get a good ride.
I’ll call it for Raikkonen, followed by Alonso, Massa, Button, Fisi, and Kubica.
Alan de Cadenet should be the voice of F1. David Hobbs and Peter Windsor of course should remain as well.
The reason Toyota and the other automakers are in F1 is quite simply to train their engineers. It is the fastest moving target in the industry and produces better employees for the companies.
Makes you wonder why those who need the most help are not represented.
David Hobbs is certainly the best commentator for American F1 coverage.
Hey Guys thanks for the positive response! Am glad to be aboard!
Okay, so here goes! Sorry but I have not connection with the blond, for further details, ask Superman Alonso!
Scott Speed had a very decent F1 season, being more proactive than more famours entries such as Michael Andretti! Keep in mind he was racing with a restricted V10 engine! Personally, as a rookie, I think he did a sterling job!
Don’t know about American F1 commentators, but Robert’s suggestion to get George Clooney to do the job has my backing 100%!
Hey Zarba! Thanks for the warm welcome, and for your contribution. I’d say Toyota is on a marketing exercise! Of course they want to win, but money does not churn out a winning chassis and racing package. Knowledge does! Jarno Trulli is a decent driver but does not have the blood of a champion, and Ralf Schumacher is there for a simple reason, being Michael Schumacher’s brother. Need I say more? I do feel Toyota’s decision to supply Williams with race engines for 2007 is a wise move, and nothwithstanding their current dire form, Williams remains one of the best outfits in Formula 1. Zabra, I do not agree with you that Williams has to sell out to the big guns! Keep in mind that round about 2/3 seasons ago Schumacher Jr. and JP Montoya battled it out with Michael Schumacher for the title, and the winning factor turned out to be superior Bridgestone rubber, and inconsistent driving from both drivers! They will bounce back, mark my words!
Zarba, you are wrong on Jenson Button! The boy will be up there with the rest, and he has what it takes to be champion. The comparison with David Coulthard was a bit harsh in my view, and I feel he is one of the best British drivers to come into Formula 1 for ages, including Damon Hill.
Renault! Alonso took a unilateral and financially viable decision to switch to McLaren. Some say he was mistaken to leave a winning package, I’d say he will prove many people wrong. Don’t be so hard on Fisichella, he was always given ‘second best’ material and was always on different tactics. I think he did a superb job. By the way, the ‘Generic Scandinavian’ is Kovalainen….have you ever seen him drive a GP2 car?
Yes, McLaren and Alonso are certainly top dogs for 2007, but potentially there are another 4/5 teams that can steal points and challenge through consistency. Watch Ferrari, Renault, Honda, Toyota and Williams…..!
BMW had a fantastic year as part-team owners with Sauber. I like Kubica (watch out for this one!) but am not a great fan of Heidfeld. The team can only improve.
Its very wrong to place Red Bull in the ‘fill the ranks’ section. They have two very good assets for next season. Loads of money and Adrian Newey (remember him?). Toro Rosso is the second team owned by the energy drink mogul. Could work as a positive satellite team, but I am sure it was more of a marketing-cum-financial exercise!
Zarba! It will be more of a level playing field with one rubber supplier this year round. I do hope that the FIA does not intrude with political decisions taken to discourage the technical advantages of another team. The ‘mass dumper’ affair last year, which effected Renault, was scandalous to say the least. How can you ban a technical innovation after the team in question (Renault) had asked for approval a year earlier (which was granted), had raced with it for so many races (and even won the driver’s and constructors’ championships), then to have a change of heart only because the other top teams (see Ferrari!) did not get the same benefits after an attempt to copy the system from Renault. That’s political power in sports for you!
More to come, keep the comments flowing!
It’ll be an insteresting season next time. Ferrari probably has the better balance of good cars and good drivers. While Renault has the better car but not as good drivers. And Mercedes? One very good driver but lousy cars.
Oh, and David Hobbs should be fired. That biggotted pig has no business commenting on anything, let alone get paid for it. SpeedTV should be ashamed of having such individuals working for them.
The real question for the 2007 season is whether SPEED will continue to assault F1 fans with the insipid Bob Varsha.
Bob may have his faults, but I have two words for you that will make you bite your tongue…
Sam Posey.
As one who suffered through the Sam Posey years on Speed, I can rightfully say that Bob Varsha is sooooo much better.
Maybe I will watch this time around. Too bad I don’t have SPEED channel.
Heikke? Louis? Who are these people you speak of? Your story lacks credibility when you don’t appear to take enough interest in the drivers you write about to spell their names correctly…