Formula One

Ok, just a quick note... It's almost the start of the new 2006 season, only 3 days left. So Im making this a sticky as a global F1 thread. I have a real passion for sport and I know a lot of you do too. So lets keep this on topic as much as possible with no bashing. Cheers everyone.

Right then, lets get this thread started...

The Teams for 2006 and what the experts say...

RENAULT

Last season's worthy world champions start the new season as hot favourites for another helping of success.

The new R26 car has been consistently fast in pre-season testing and, despite F1's change to smaller V8 engines, it has also been ultra-reliable.

Fernando Alonso is leaving at the end of the season, but as engineering director Pat Symonds says, that is only likely to be a problem if the team are uncompetitive.

As that looks unlikely, the brilliant Spaniard is favourite to win a second consecutive title.



Fernando Alonso
Born: 29/7/81
Nationality: Spanish
Team: Renault
First GP: Australia 2001
Wins: 8
2005 position: 1st
Previous teams: Minardi

Fernando Alonso has emerged as arguably the finest driver of Formula One's new generation after becoming F1's youngest ever champion in 2005.



Giancarlo Fisichella
Born: 14/1/73
Nationality: Italian
Team: Renault
First GP: Australia 1996
Wins: 2
2005 position: 5th
Previous teams: Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber

Giancarlo Fisichella has not made the most of a move to Renault for 2005 that gave him the chance of serious success after years marking time.


Source: Formula One, BBC

McLAREN

McLaren have made an impact with their new chrome livery, but shiny paint is not going to solve what looks like being their biggest problem.

The team have already been afflicted by what has become a fundamental flaw in recent years - the reliability of the Mercedes engine.

Until mid-February, McLaren's winter testing programme was bedevilled by car failures.

But things improved dramatically after that, and in recent tests McLaren showed about the same pace as Renault.

With Fernando Alonso moving from Renault in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya know at least one of them will be out at the end of the season so both have plenty of motivation to do well.

Expect both to win races, but the title may again be out of reach.



Kimi Raikkonen
Born: 17/10/79
Nationality: Finnish
Team: McLaren
First GP: Australia 2001
Wins: 9
2005 position: 2nd
Previous teams: Sauber

Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren were the fastest combination in Formula One for much of last year but poor reliability let them down in the title fight.



Juan Pablo Montoya
Born: 20/9/75
Nationality: Colombian
Team: McLaren
First GP: Australia 2001
Wins: 7
2005 position: 4th
Previous teams: Williams

Juan Pablo Montoya will be considered a title contender in 2006 after an impressive debut season at McLaren.

FERRARI

Ferrari's pre-season form has been difficult to judge because they have rarely tested alongside their rivals.

Renault's engineering director Pat Symonds says he expects Ferrari to be "right back in the hunt", but the Italian team have appeared to be slower than Honda and Renault on the few times they have tested alongside them.

The signs are their car is better than last year's disappointing machine, but Michael Schumacher's chances are likely to depend on Bridgestone's tyres.

So far, the Japanese company appear to be lagging behind rival Michelin, which supplies Renault, McLaren and Honda.

But there will be races - and the San Marino Grand Prix, as usual, will probably be one - where Bridgestone have an advantage.

On those days, Ferrari could well dominate.



Michael Schumacher
Born: 3/1/69
Nationality: German
Team: Ferrari
First GP: Belgium 1991
Wins: 84
Titles: 7
Previous teams: Jordan, Benetton
2005 position: 3rd

Michael Schumacher was rarely a major factor in 2005 because of Ferrari's dramatic fall from grace.



Felipe Massa
Born: 25/4/81
Nationality: Brazilian
Team: Ferrari
First GP: Australia 2002
Best result: 4th
2005 position: 13th
Previous teams: Sauber

Brazilian Felipe Massa has won a Ferrari drive for 2006, but whether he merits it is another question.

TOYOTA

Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne told this website last week that he believes the team "can be a match for Ferrari".

But few people outside Toyota share his optimism.

The team have done some strong lap times during the winter, but by common consent their longer-distance runs have not been as impressive and they have struggled with tyre wear.

Most expect the Japanese team to head division two behind Renault, McLaren, Honda and Ferrari.

Whether Gascoyne is right or not, Toyota's hopes of success - like Ferrari's - depend on tyre supplier Bridgestone.



Jarno Trulli
Born: 13/7/74
Nationality: Italian
Team: Toyota
First GP: Australia 1997
Wins: 1
2005 position: 7th
Previous teams: Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault

Jarno Trulli heads into 2006 after completing probably the best season of his career last year.



Ralf Schumacher
Born: 30/6/75
Nationality: German
Team: Toyota
First GP: Australia 1997
Wins: 6
2005 position: 6th
Previous teams: Williams, Jordan

Ralf Schumacher's future in the sport is in doubt after a lacklustre 2005.

WILLIAMS

There were a lot of people writing Williams off after engine supplier BMW dumped them last year to set up its own team.

But Williams seem to have produced a decent car and the Cosworth customer engine appears to be reasonably competitive.

Nevertheless, while Mark Webber is one of the best drivers in F1 over a single lap, his chances of a win look slim.

Williams will probably be about where they were in 2005 - solid higher midfield runners.



Mark Webber
Born: 27/8/76
Nationality: Australian
Team: Williams
First GP: Australia 2002
Best result: 3rd
2005 position: 10th
Previous teams: Minardi, Jaguar

Mark Webber won himself a prized drive at Williams with some impressive displays for Jaguar - and for the most part lived up to expectations in 2005.



Nico Rosberg
Born: 27/6/85
Nationality: German
Team: Williams
First GP: Bahrain 2006
Best result: N/A
2005 position: N/A
Previous teams: N/A

Nico Rosberg has a lot to live up to in his first Formula One season.

HONDA

Expectations are high after a series of impressive pre-season test performances - Honda have definitely won what cynical F1 insiders call the "winter world championship".

Renault's Pat Symonds says that Honda are where McLaren were this time last year - nip and tuck with Renault as the pre-season pace-setters.

But not everyone is so sure.

In their previous guise of BAR, this team have traditionally shown well in winter tests, and only once - two years ago - has this form translated into the championship proper.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello make up an extremely strong driver line-up - second only to McLaren's in terms of combined strength.

But the team have yet to prove they have what it takes to win races.



Jenson Button
Born: 19/1/80
Nationality: British
Team: Honda
First GP: Australia 2000
Best result: 2nd
2005 position: 9th
Previous teams: Williams, Benetton/Renault

Jenson Button got his wish to stay at Honda for 2006 by paying to be let out of his Williams contract.



Rubens Barrichello
Born: 23/5/72
Nationality: Brazilian
Team: Honda
First GP: South Africa 1993
Wins: 9
2005 position: 8th
Previous teams: Jordan, Stewart

Rubens Barrichello enters a new chapter of his career at Honda after getting fed up with life as Michael Schumacher's support driver at Ferrari.

RED BULL

Red Bull have made a big splash since making their F1 debut last year.

Their impressive first season was followed by the biggest coup in F1 in years - persuading ace designer Adrian Newey to join from McLaren.

Newey, a genius, will undoubtedly make Red Bull winners in the long run, but he had no input into the design of this year's car, which has had a troubled early life.

Major overheating problems with the team's new Ferrari customer engine have seriously compromised preparations, and many insiders say they expect Red Bull to get a bit of a rude awakening in 2006.



David Coulthard
Born: 27/3/71
Nationality: British
Team: Red Bull
First GP: Spain 1994
Wins: 13
2005 position: 12th
Previous teams: Williams, McLaren

David Coulthard has erased any doubts he might struggle for motivation at Red Bull after spending all his career until last year at top teams.



Christian Klien
Born: 7/2/83
Nationality: Austrian
Team: Red Bull Racing
First GP: Australia 2004
Best result: 5th
2005 position: 15th
Previous teams: n/a

Christian Klien will be hoping this year to build on an impressive 2005, in which he shared the second Red Bull seat with Vitantonio Liuzzi.

BMW SAUBER

BMW's decision to dump Williams last year and set up its own team was not popular in certain quarters of F1 and if the German giant struggles this year there will be a degree of schadenfreude up and down the pit lane.

But the people running the team are no fools, and they gave themselves a solid base by taking over Sauber.

Expect a solid season with some good finishes lower down the points positions.



Nick Heidfeld
Born: 10/3/77
Nationality: German
Team: BMW Sauber
First GP: Australia 2000
Best result: 2nd
2005 position: 11th
Previous teams: Prost, Sauber, Jordan

Nick Heidfeld joins the new BMW team on a three-year deal after impressing the German company at Williams in 2005.



Jacques Villeneuve
Born: 9/4/71
Nationality: Canadian
Team: BMW Sauber
First GP: Australia 1996
Wins: 11
Titles: 1
2005 position: 14th
Previous teams: Williams, BAR, Renault

Jacques Villeneuve will have heaved a sigh of relief when BMW said they would be retaining him for 2006 after taking over the Sauber team.

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO

Red Bull's junior team has already been the centre of controversy.

Firstly, they are running what is effectively last year's Red Bull, when F1's rules say teams have to build their own cars.

Secondly, they are the only team to be using a de-tuned V10 engine. This is allowed, but many teams say the amount of detuning has been incorrectly calculated, which will give the team an advantage over many of the V8 engines run by other teams.

Coincidentally or not, they have done quite well in winter tests and look set to be well ahead of Midland, and perhaps even pushing Red Bull's main team.



Vitantonio Liuzzi
Born: 6/8/81
Nationality: Italian
Team: Squadra Toro Rosso
First GP: San Marino 2005
Best result: 8th
2005 position: 24th N/A
Previous teams: N/A

Formula 3000 champion Vitantonio Liuzzi failed to convince Red Bull to give him a full-time drive in 2006 in his half-season with the team last year.



Scott Speed
Born: 24/1/83
Nationality: American
Team: Squadra Toro Rosso
First GP: Bahrain 2006
Best result: N/A
2005 position: N/A
Previous teams: N/A

Formula One has long believed it needed an American driver for the sport finally to make a lasting mark in the world's richest country.

MIDLAND

Midland always said that they should be judged on 2006 - not the season they had with an out-of-date Jordan last year.

So far, though, it appears that the first car produced by Russo-Canadian steel magnate Alex Shnaider's team will be no more competitive than the one they inherited in 2005.

It has been reliable but not much else in pre-season testing.



Christijan Albers
Born: 16/4/79
Nationality: Dutch
Team: Midland
First GP: Australia 2005
Best result: 5th
2005 position: 19th
Previous teams: N/A

Christijan Albers was quietly impressive in his debut season with the lowly Minardi team and that has earned him a move to cash-rich Midland.



Tiago Monteiro
Born: 24/7/76
Nationality: Portuguese
Team: Midland
First GP: Australia 2005
Best result: 3rd
2005 position: 16th
Previous teams: N/A

Tiago Monteiro was not expected to trouble the scorers in his debut year with Jordan but he did quite well.

SUPER AGURI

Formula One's newest team will be an embarrassment to themselves and the sport for at least the first three races.

Their late entry has left them running four-year-old Arrows cars at the start of the season and these are expected to be at least six seconds off the pace.

However, this is a team with a strong record in Japanese domestic racing and they are expected to eventually be sensible contenders.

How long that will take no-one knows.



Takuma Sato
Born: 28/1/77
Nationality: Japanese
Team: Super Aguri
First GP: Australia 2002
Best result: 3rd
2005 position: 23rd
Previous teams: Jordan, BAR-Honda

Takuma Sato faces the tough prospect of rebuilding his Formula One career in a team that is bound to spend at least some of 2006 at the back of the grid.



Yuji Ide
Nationality: Japanese
Team: Super Aguri
First GP: Bahrain 2006
Best result: N/A
2005 position: N/A
Previous teams: N/A

Yuji Ide makes his Formula One debut in after a career in Japanese racing.

Opening Grand Prix @ Gulf Air Bahrain



The 2004 Grand Prix of Bahrain marked the first ever round of the FIA Formula One World Championship to be held in the Middle East and the official culmination of a multi-million dollar project started back in September 2002 when the Kingdom of Bahrain signed a long-term deal to host the event.

Located at Sakhir, 30 km south-west of the island's capital, Manama, the Herman Tilke designed circuit contains no less than five track layouts within one complex. Construction began in November 2002 and in the months prior to its March 2004 completion, work was going on around the clock. Over 12,000 tonnes of stone were used in the build, a third of it Welsh granite, chosen for the track surface due to its excellent adhesive qualities.

The 5.411 km Grand Prix circuit was designed with the spectator in mind, with 50,000 grandstand seats, all providing excellent views. Those spectators (a total of 100,000 over a race weekend) get to see the cars heading into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield. Up to 500 journalists can also witness the action from the venue's purpose-built media centre.

The track offers the driver a unique experience in the way the circuit's width varies at the end of the different straights. This allows for diverse racing lines, and the 12-corner design provides at least three genuine overtaking opportunities.

http://www.bahraingp.com
Source: Formula One

very nice work Watty, high quality post and effort.


the upcoming season gets me twisted. i want Kimi to win, but I also believe he really starts at Ferrari next year, so I hope their car is fast this season too.

Great job on this thread Watty, can`t wait till it starts.I hope Montoya gets his head on straight and drive up to his potential.

Thanks both

Yeah i think youre right Vic, i see Kimi at Ferrari next season. But ill still be supporting him. Got to admit though... Montoya is my favourite, i love his style of driving, very aggressive.

And obviously being English, ill be hoping Button can turn it on this year. Apparently he has been putting in some blistering lap times over the winter.

Great thread. I can't wait for the start of the season. This should be a great year, more cars, new teams, chamge of engines on some, name drivers moving around(Like to see Ruebens do well this year now that he is out of Michael's shadow), and the best thing is that I will be going to my first F1 race at Indy this year. Damn, can't wait for that one. Going to 5 races this year but that is the one I am most looking forward too by far.That being said I do hope all cars do manage to run the race this year. Of course that brings up anther great thing about this year and that is the tire changes are allowed again. Will Ferrari return to greatness, will Michael make a comback, will Kimi do it this year, and will McClaren have a more reliable car to go with all that speed. Damn going to be a great season.


David

Oh yeah did anyone see Robin Miller's 33 predictions dealing with all racing series for the comming year. One of his perdictions was Button would continue to be the highest paid driver never to win a race. Just for the record I hope he does well also.

David

Schumi will win his 8th title, I hope.

It can't fucking be!! McLaren's reartire's holder broke, and Kimi is now out of the qualify. Fucking brilliant. What is the matter with McLaren?!? It's always something fucked up with Kimi's car.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ascaris

It can't fucking be!! McLaren's reartire's holder broke, and Kimi is now out of the qualify. Fucking brilliant. What is the matter with McLaren?!? It's always something fucked up with Kimi's car.

mclaren fucked up again.