The battle for the Championship is starting in a couple of days, The World is waiting for Qualifying in Melbourne to find out who got it right and who didn't..
11. Marussia - Jules Bianchi & Max Chilton
Lets take a look at what little the Pre-Season testing tells us,
1. Red Bull - Sebastian Vettel & Mark Webber
Red Bull, 3 time defending Champions, undoubtedly is the team to beat as has been the case over the past 3 years.. The duo of Vettel and Webber finished 12th and 16th overall in the tests but we all know how testing works, most of the top teams sandbag all through the tests, especially Red Bull. (No disrespect but that's the truth ) Red Bull turn up the heat in Q3 every time and shock us. I am expecting Red Bull to be a strong Contender all through the season..
2. Ferrari -Fernando Alonso & Felipe Massa
The Ferrari drivers finished 2nd and 4th in the tests, and they have shown us that their car is much better than it was this time last year.. When Alonso could take the Championship to the last race with a decent car, one can only wonder the sort of Miracles he will produce if he has a competitive car this season.. With Massa's support Ferrari might give Red Bull a run for their money in the Constructors Championship..
3. McLaren - Jenson Button & Sergio Perez
With a new line up at a top team like McLaren, we can expect to see quite a few surprises this year courtesy Perez who won respect with the way he raced last year.. The MP4-28 does look like a good piece of machinery but inconsistency has plagued the team during the tests. McLaren need to get this sorted out if they want to impress and give Button a chance of winning his 2nd Championship..
4. Lotus F1 Team - Kimi Raikkonen & Romain Grosjean
Although lotus haven't had the best of winter testing, the car looks quite good and when you have Kimi on your team nothing can stop you from giving good results except of course Grosjean who needs to make sure that he avoids the mistakes he made last season.. Lotus will again be the dark horse this year so watch out for them on track..
5. Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team - Nico Rosberg & Lewis Hamilton
The biggest shock from last year was Hamilton joining Mercedes this season onwards and people thought he was making the biggest mistake of his career.. I think the same because he is joining a team that has the money and man power to beat the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull but haven't produced the results.. They need to tick all the boxes before Melbourne and keep up the development race and make sure they snatch a couple of wins this season in a bid to make sure Hamilton stays at the top of his game and doesn't go down the championship ladder..
6. Sauber - Nico Hulkenberg & Esteban Gutierrez
Two new drivers and a radically different looking car, Sauber has dared to be different.. Best of the midfield teams according to me. Produced good results last year and are looking to match the Factory teams this year.. Sauber will spring a few surprises this year with their performance..
7. Sahara Force India - Paul di Resta & Adrian Sutil
The Ferrari drivers finished 2nd and 4th in the tests, and they have shown us that their car is much better than it was this time last year.. When Alonso could take the Championship to the last race with a decent car, one can only wonder the sort of Miracles he will produce if he has a competitive car this season.. With Massa's support Ferrari might give Red Bull a run for their money in the Constructors Championship..
3. McLaren - Jenson Button & Sergio Perez
With a new line up at a top team like McLaren, we can expect to see quite a few surprises this year courtesy Perez who won respect with the way he raced last year.. The MP4-28 does look like a good piece of machinery but inconsistency has plagued the team during the tests. McLaren need to get this sorted out if they want to impress and give Button a chance of winning his 2nd Championship..
4. Lotus F1 Team - Kimi Raikkonen & Romain Grosjean
Although lotus haven't had the best of winter testing, the car looks quite good and when you have Kimi on your team nothing can stop you from giving good results except of course Grosjean who needs to make sure that he avoids the mistakes he made last season.. Lotus will again be the dark horse this year so watch out for them on track..
5. Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team - Nico Rosberg & Lewis Hamilton
The biggest shock from last year was Hamilton joining Mercedes this season onwards and people thought he was making the biggest mistake of his career.. I think the same because he is joining a team that has the money and man power to beat the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull but haven't produced the results.. They need to tick all the boxes before Melbourne and keep up the development race and make sure they snatch a couple of wins this season in a bid to make sure Hamilton stays at the top of his game and doesn't go down the championship ladder..
6. Sauber - Nico Hulkenberg & Esteban Gutierrez
Two new drivers and a radically different looking car, Sauber has dared to be different.. Best of the midfield teams according to me. Produced good results last year and are looking to match the Factory teams this year.. Sauber will spring a few surprises this year with their performance..
7. Sahara Force India - Paul di Resta & Adrian Sutil
Sutil and Di resta, probably the best duo a midfield team could have.. A good mix of experience and young blood.. The VJM06 looks like a good car with good control and speed.. They have the capability to beat Sauber and become the best of the of that pack.. Lets watch how the season pans out for them..
8. Williams - Pastor Maldonado & Valtteri Bottas
Williams had an average testing season.. Maldonado is quick over one lap for sure and needs to avoid the rookie mistakes he made last year.. Its going to be a big learning curve for Bottas.. This season the car looks a step forward from the last season and they might score more points than they did last year..
9. Toro Rosso - Jean-Eric Vergne & Daniel Ricciardo
Torro Rosso need to produce results or else both their drivers will lose out on the second Red Bull seat which will open them up to new avenues.. The team doesn't look like it has developed anything new that could set them apart from the midfield pack but only time will tell us what the reality is..
10. Caterham - Charles Pic & Giedo van der Garde
Caterham are clearly the best of the new teams, new considering the history of the other teams. A team with two new drivers is always under pressure to perform and its not going to be any different for them.. They need to get their first point this season at any cost to make sure the sponsors stick on for next season so they have the money to develop further..
Marussia have presented us with a different looking car and two new drivers debuting this season.. This year they have included a KERS system which is sure to give them some boost compared to last year.. So there could be a good battle between them and Caterham for the the last two spots and also the race to score their first point..
One strong influence on the racing this season could be the Pirelli tires..There was an unusual amount of degradation during the tests but the Pirelli guys say that it was because of the cold temperatures. All i can say is that there could be more pit-stops, more drama courtesy these tires..
Two days until all is revealed and we get our answers of who will be the fastest.. My guess is that its going to be Alonso, Vettel and Raikkonen at the top again at the end of the season and a Red Bull - Ferrari battle for the constructors title..
Will be back with more :) Drive safe and get ready for the new season :)
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