The Wait is Over… Now the War is on

-- Contributed by Debraj B

So after a long and boring lay-off of three and half months, we are back for the excitement of race-day… Yes folks; Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport is back with a bang… and boy - O - boy, what an exciting season it promises to be ahead…

Let us quickly see where we stand at the beginning of what looks like a wonderful season -

First thing first - we need to come to terms with one truth; and a mighty (bitter for some, sweet for other) one at that… The truth is that team Scuderia Ferrari will no longer have in their cockpit one of the most dreaded conqueror of an F1 circuit… After 16 long years of wonderful success (and a fair bit of controversy), the F1 icon named Michael Schumacher has hung his racing helmet.

But like how the world shifts its gaze every fortnight from one circuit to another, we need to do too and look into the season of 2007, which we can all rightly also call as the year of changes. Be it the drivers, engines, rules, chassis, everywhere there is a change; and surprisingly most of them are for good… So, why don’t we look at the changes first?

If you look at the driver’s line-up, it tells you a significant amount about the changes of the year. Our double champion will not be wearing the blue dress any more, as he has moved from Renault to Mclaren Mercedes. Ferrari has got a perfect replacement for Michael in the flying Finn, also called as Kimi Raikkonnen. Definitely a great move for Kimi as Mclaren had been consistently inconsistent over the last two years. Then there are other changes like Mark Webber moving from Williams to Red Bull, Christian Klien moving from Red Bull to Honda as a test driver and Anthony Davidson moving from team Honda to Super Aguri

Now let’s get onto the engines. Williams, after a hugely unsuccessful year, has finally switched over to Toyota engines from the ever so fast, but never reliable, Cosworth engines. Similarly Red Bull Racing has moved from Ferrari engines to Renault in search of better consistency. But they have been wise enough to keep Ferrari engaged too, as Ferrari will now be supplying engines for their second team Scuderia Torro Rosso.

Since the late nineties FIA has been initiating ideas and technologies to make F1 more competitive and enjoyable. They have taken quite a few steps this year to make the competition more even. And the biggest step is the engine freeze, which stops any engine development after October 23, 2006. This engine homologation saves a lot of money in F1 development - estimated to be close to $ 1b – big money indeed… This engine freeze will be applicable till 2009. During this period no changes will be allowed to the homologated specification other than the changes deemed as ‘Fair and equitable’ by FIA (Something like changes in revs specification). Then comes the tyre rule for this season. We have bid adieu to Michelin as tyre suppliers at least for the near future. Now with only one tyre supplier (Bridgestone), the competition really gets tighter and closer. And finally dynamic keel has been fixed on to 0 keel. These minor but important changes will surely bring a lot of uniformity to F1.

But the technical changes apart, the year’s most exciting feature are the driver line-ups of all the big teams. Just look at the driver line up of Ferrari - We have the fastest man on the track in the form of Kimi. And what a partner he has; the man whom most of the pundits have unanimously chosen as the dark horse for this year’s WDC. And I need to confess - the way Massa has improved over the last year… I have never seen anyone else improve at that rate.

Now have a look at team Mclaren. They have the reigning World champion, side a side with the most talked about rookie for decades. Alonso is definitely going to boost the morale of Mclaren after what was a dreadful last year (for the first time in a decade they did not win even a single race). Lewis Hamilton, the second driver, is the reigning GP2 champion and is rated quiet high by peers and critics alike.

The 2 times WCC champions Renault have another very exciting rookie in Heikki Kovalainen. This is the same guy who beat Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Loeb in their own machines while racing in the Race of Champions. With a team like Renault at his disposal, doesn’t the prospect look awesome?

There are few more names which are grabbing a lot of attention. We have a fantastic driver in Robert Kubica, who with BMW has proved his mettle last year. Then we have another super kid on the block named Adrian Sutil who will be driving for Spyker.

But all these speculations and excitement finally boils down to one thing - cars. If the winter testing is any indication, then Ferrari looks the peak of them. Mclaren has also been very good, but a touch slower than the Scuderias. Surprisingly BMW looks the 3^rd fastest team on the grid. Renault has looked considerably slower so far. There is definitely going to be a challenge adjusting to Bridgestone tyres - not only for Renault but for all the Michelin runners of the previous year.

So I am sure it will be a fascinating year for F1, especially as the fortunes are definitely bound to change among various drivers as the season rolls on…

Can Raikkonnen achieve what he has not been able to so far? Can Fernando match Michael and Fangio in winning three consecutive WDCs? These are just some of the questions… Added to these is the fate of many of the old warhorses, who might have to leave the battlefield of F1 if their performance doesn’t match up to their own expectations… Ralf, Fisichella, Coulthard, Webber, Jarno, Heidfeld… the list is definitely long.

So let’s fasten our seatbelts and get set to watch the 22 cars conquer the 58 laps of Albert Park…

Good luck to all the Tifosis…

Good luck to all the Maccas…

I also need a good amount of it – so wish me the same and Adios till the chequered flag…