As the teams prepare for a grueling season ahead, Vineet Kanabar looks at the new driver signings, possible driver line-ups and all else that is cooking for the teams in the close season.
The close season before the start of the Formula One 2008 calendar has seen some wholesale changes, larger than life controversies and some big decisions, with each one expected to leave its own set of indelible impressions on the year ahead.
Bridgestone tyres signed an official agreement with the FIA to become the supplier for all teams, something that the old Michelin faithful will cringe about. Williams and McLaren have both had to change suppliers since the French tyre makers pulled out of F1 in 2006, leaving Bridgestone as the only players.
All things didn’t go against Renault though, as they regained the services of their prodigal son, the double-world champion, Fernando Alonso, making him the highest paid F1 driver ever. Alonso was reportedly paid $70 million for his two year deal at Renault. An unsuccessful season, by his standards, at McLaren where he was second favourite to Lewis Hamilton left Alonso miffed at his British employers. And a move to his former employers, where he had a famous spat the year before too, was inevitable when Renault said they were in the market for a new set of drivers. Alonso will team up with Nelson Piquet Jr., son of the former triple world champion with the same name. Nelsinho is expected to run Alonso close, but with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore apparently assuring the Spaniard of being the team’s number one driver, he can expect a less torrid time, than at McLaren.
Kovaleinen, meanwhile has moved to McLaren to partner the young British hope Lewis Hamilton. Both Hamilton and Alonso lost out on the Driver’s Championship last year, as Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen stole their thunder in the last race of the season. Kovaleinen is the third Finnish driver to race for McLaren in recent years, after the Iceman Mika Hakkinen and Raikkonen. McLaren's chief operating officer Martin Whitmarsh told the team’s website that he expects the partnership of Hamilton and Kovalainen to become a "formidable combination".
With both their championship rivals ringing in the changes, Ferrari remain the team to beat in 2008. A settled line-up, although Ross Brawn has left the management, should ensure a solid car for next season, and with drivers Raikkonen and Felipe Massa gelling well together, another trophy winning year for the men from Maranello is not hard to imagine.
The season will also see a new team coming onto the grid, one donning the Indian tricolour. Vijay Mallya’s Force India will take the field with Adrian Sutil, and an unconfirmed driver. Sutil is expected to be partnered by experienced hand Giancarlo Fisichella, although a formal announcement is yet to be made. Mallya bought the erstwhile Spyker team and was expected to sign Ralf Schumacher as a driver, before the ageing German declined to race, sparking off rumours of his retirement.
At Williams, another German Nico Rosberg put pen to paper to a deal that will keep him at the team till 2009. The son of former Williams champion Keke Rosberg had been widely tipped with a move to McLaren or Ferrari but his loyalty to Frank Williams means that he would be staying for two more years.
With all the teams almost finalizing their driver’s roster, the only seats available at the high table of speed are at Japanese side Super Aguri. Keeping in mind, boss Aguri Suzuki’s policy this season, these seats are expected to be taken up by drivers from Japan.
The biggest story to come out of the Formula One circus in the off season was what was dubbed ‘Stepney Gate’. McLaren were accused, and then found guilty as charged, and beyond of stealing and circulating vital Ferrari technical information within their paddocks. McLaren in turn accused Renault of doing the same to them. Renault were found guilty by the World Motor Sport Council of being in unauthorised possession of confidential technical information belonging to McLaren, but were let off by FIA president Max Moseley. The FIA had stripped McLaren of their constructor’s championship points in 2007, and fined the Woking-team £50million. McLaren issued a public apology, following which a hearing to investigate the design of McLaren's 2008 challenger was cancelled by the FIA.
The whole show left Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo with a bad taste in the mouth. The Scuderia boss lashed out at the FIA saying that it was the nadir of his season when the decision was announced.
Seemingly the storm has blown over, and with the teams gearing up, it looks like the 2008 season is set for a clear three way tussle between the big three of F1. Raikkonen at Ferrari, Hamilton at McLaren and Alonso at Renault will battle for the title in a fashion not seen since the Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost vs Michael Schumacher seasons in the early 90s. Alonso has announced that it will be impractical to hope for a title right away after joining the Regie. But with a talent like the Spaniard, the French team are always in with a loud shout. And with Williams and BMW Sauber also showing promise in the 2007 season, the next year could be one to savour for all Formula One fanatics.
The seating arrangement on the Formula One grid is expected to look like this.
Vineet Kanabar for iSport Ventures - http://isport.in/content/view/45/57/
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