Testing is over,the show begins now.The new Formula One season is set to provide the most exciting racing in years.Can the dream pairing of Raikkonen and Montoya finally stop the invincible Schumacher??Can Jenson Button finally bring BAR their first Grand Prix victory? Red Bull Racing make their Formula One debut in the experienced hands of David Coulthard, while Jordan bring the first ever Indian driver to the sport,Narain Karthikeyan.It all adds up to a thrilling championship in prospect.
Ferrari-262 points
2004 position: 1st
Drivers: Michael Schumacher(148), Rubens Barrichello(114)
Major revisions to the aerodynamic regulations, designed to slow the cars by cutting downforce, have prompted some radical and impressive responses from the likes of Renault and McLaren, whose all-new cars have set the pace in pre-season testing. In contrast, Ferrari’s F2004 M, effectively last year’s car with a revised aero package, has been keeping a relatively low profile in the timesheets.Ferrari plan to use the F2004 M for the first four races before introducing their 2005 car at the Spanish Grand Prix in May. By then they will have had ample opportunity to assess the effectiveness of their rivals’ 2005 solutions. Whether they are competitive in the meantime remains to be seen, though of course, you underestimate Ferrari at your peril.Any weakness in their aero package would provide only a small chink in their otherwise bullet-proof armour.Then there is the team’s continuity – one of their biggest assets. Schumacher and Barrichello remain a formidable driver pairing and they are backed up by that technical dream team, including the likes of Brawn, Byrne and Martinelli.
Schumacher maintains he is as hungry as ever, despite his seven world titles, but could that hunger start to wane if he finds himself under pressure in 2005?
BAR(119)
2004 position: 2nd
Drivers: Jenson Button(85), Takuma Sato(34)
BAR ended 2004 on a massive high, seeing off Renault to finish second in the constructors’ championship.Will the changes to the regulations affect their momentum?On the plus side they are the only team apart from Ferrari to field an unchanged driver line-up – and a very good one at that. In 2004 Jenson Button proved his worth as a potential champion, not only in terms of pace, but also consistency and racecraft – assets that may be more valuable than ever this year if nursing tyres and engines turns out to be key in winning races under the revised regulations.
Renault(105)
2004 position: 3rd
Drivers: Fernando Alonso(59), Giancarlo Fisichella(22)
Flavio Briatore’s team have a lot to live up to in 2005. They may have run out of steam somewhat towards the end of last year, but in pre-season testing they have shone, with the R25 proving consistently fast and reliable.It is not only Renault’s car that is impressive. So too is their driver pairing of Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella. Both men have a Grand Prix victory to their name and both have a lot to prove.
Williams(88)
2004 position: 4th
Drivers: Mark Webber(7), Nick Heidfeld(3)
Williams’ media coverage over the winter was dominated by their hunt for a suitable team mate for Mark Webber. After the final showdown Nick Heidfeld got the nod over Antonio Pizzonia.. The move to Williams was meant to bring him the chance to win. Whether the FW27 is a potential race winner is unclear.
After a poor start to 2004 Williams gathered pace in the latter half of the season, with Montoya winning the final round in Brazil, though carrying that momentum into 2005 with its revised rules may be difficult. The team don’t have the level of continuity enjoyed by some of their rivals. Their drivers, though highly rated, are new and, as yet, not proven race winners. By their own admission, Williams are unlikely to be winning races early in the season. The drivers have suggested the FW27 is struggling for downforce as well as rear-end stability and Head has confessed to the British press that switching wind-tunnel facilities during its design process has not helped. One thing the team should be able to count on is BMW, whose V10s are usually among the best on the grid.
McLaren(69)
2004 position: 5th
Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen(45), Juan Pablo Montoya(58)
There is a real buzz surrounding McLaren going into the new season. For starters there is their driver line-up – arguably the most exciting the sport has seen since the team brought together Prost and Senna back in the 1980s. Finland’s ‘Iceman’ and a fiery Colombian may seem a strange combination on the surface, but already Ron Dennis reports that Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya are getting on like a house on fire.Of the two, Raikkonen should have the edge initially. He is more familiar with the team and is historically less prone to mistakes than his team mate. However, Montoya is looking sharper than ever heading to Melbourne thanks to an intensive training programme that has seen him shed several kilos over the winter. As always at McLaren there will be no team orders, though Dennis will not want to see any repeat of the run-ins witnessed between Montoya and Ralf Schumacher at Williams. Whether they are in contention for that title will depend on the Adrian Newey-designed MP4-20. Its predecessor caused Ferrari a few problems last year and the team appear to have maintained that momentum with the new machine.
Sauber(34)
2004 position: 6th
Drivers: Jacques Villeneuve(NA), Felipe Massa(12)
Peter Sauber’s team had a solid, if unspectacular, year of steady progress in 2004. Sixth in the final standings, there were never likely to challenge McLaren for fifth, but were in a different class to the Jaguar team behind them.The transition to French rubber on the new C24 looks to have gone smoothly so far, though there will be still be plenty to learn over a race weekend. Arguably less smooth has been the arrival of Jacques Villeneuve. After a somewhat rusty return with Renault in the closing races if 2004, the former champion is about to embark on his first full season of Formula One racing since leaving BAR in 2003.
Red Bull(NA)
2004 position: NA
Drivers: David Coulthard(24), Christian Klien(3)
The Austrian-owned newcomers(RED BULL) could be one of the surprises of 2005. The team they bought at the end of last year, Jaguar, hardly set the world alight in 2004, but their R5 machine, from which Red Bull’s RB01 is evolved, did show hints of potential – it qualified on the front row in Malaysia and third in Japan.Red Bull may seem a big step down for Coulthard after McLaren, but the Scot will relish the challenge of being lead driver with a new, up and coming team. And after the highly corporate atmosphere of his former employers, he should enjoy being ‘let off the leash’ - he has already been seen casually sporting a stubbly, almost ‘Villeneuvesque’ look at test sessions. Red Bull will be counting on Coulthard to take young team mates Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi under his wing.
Toyota(9)
2004 position: 8th
Drivers: Jarno Trulli(46), Ralf Schumacher(24)
The Toyota team will have few excuses to hide behind if they don’t succeed in 2005. With a huge budget, the first car designed entirely under superstar technical director Mike Gascoyne, and arguably their best driver line-up to date, the bosses in Japan are understandably demanding podium finishes as a minimum requirement. However, Formula One racing is a notoriously tough nut to crack – witness how long it took BAR – and in only their fourth year Toyota still have long way to go if last season’s performance – nine points and eighth in the standings – is anything to go by.From its track outings so far, drawing conclusions on that potential is difficult. Both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher have been subdued in their comments, though both reported positive progress with the latest aero package.
Jordan(5)
2004 position: 9th
Drivers: Narain Karthikeyan(NA), Tiago Monteiro(NA)
Following Eddie Jordan’s sale of the team, 2005 will be their final season under his famous name before they become Midland. As such, it will be very much a year of transition and already much has changed.Jordan’s driver selection has also prompted much debate. Whereas Red Bull’s new management chose the experienced Coulthard to lead the team, Midland have opted to go with new talent rather than look to former drivers such as Timo Glock or Robert Doornbos. Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro are the names in question. As India’s first Formula One driver, the former should guarantee the team plenty of media coverage. Both he and Portuguese team mate Monteiro have graduated from the Nissan World Series, where both raced for Carlin. Monteiro was 2004 Rookie of the Year, but both he and Karthikeyan have completed only limited Formula One test mileage. More experienced is third driver Robert Doornbos, who carried out Friday duties for the team at several races last year.
So much new blood could bring problems, though one should remember that behind the scenes at Jordan there remain plenty of staff with no end of Formula One experience, including winning Grands Prix. Midland’s long-term plans for the team should become clearer as the season evolves.
Minardi(1)
2004 position: 10th
Drivers: Christijan Albers(NA), Patrick Friesacher(NA)
Minardi may be at the back end of grid, but sometimes it seems they get as much media attention as Ferrari at the front. Outspoken team boss Paul Stoddart has a lot to do with it, especially since he began his much-publicised war of words with FIA President Max Mosley. Stoddart intends to start the 2005 season with last year’s Minardi, which will of course not meet the new regulations. The men due to be in the cockpit of the PS04B until the new car arrives for San Marino are Dutchman Christijan Albers and Austrian Patrick Friesacher, another two Formula One rookies.Stoddart has talked of a major step forward with the PS05, due to debut at Imola in April. It is expected to be the team’s first all-new chassis since 2002 and should be a far more integrated package than its predecessor, having been designed with its Cosworth V10 engine specifically in mind. In fact, there is an air of quiet confidence in the Minardi camp and with so many changes going on at Jordan moving off the bottom of the table may not be entirely out of the question.
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