Alpine F1

Mohammed Ali once said, "To be a good champion, you have to believe you are the best."

The Best: Surpassing all others in excellence, achievement, or quality; most excellent: the best performer; the best grade of ore.

There are few drivers in Formula One at the moment who believe they are the best, despite having a fast car, high standards, or maybe even the most luck. However, there is one.

Kimi Raikkonen is, by a slight margin, the favourite to re-take the championship crown this season. He has claimed he will bounce back from a lacklustre season and that he is fully motivated.

The Iceman won't win the championship though; he doesn't believe, in his heart of hearts, that he is the best driver.

He is afraid of his team mate. Massa has finally proven himself and not only was he beaten by the Brazilian in 2008, but two other drivers in the shape of Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica.

How about his team mate then? Felipe Massa had a strong 2008 campaign, just missing out on the title. He proved that he can perform on all types of circuits, as well as maintaining a fast race pace.

He won't win the championship though. In his mind, somewhere, he will know that he wasn't quite good enough to take the championship last season; somewhere in his mind is the knowing that there is one other driver on the grid who is better than he is.

So what are his chances, the better driver? Lewis Hamilton will be booming with confidence after last season when he finally got that first championship secured.

He performed magnificently at Monaco, Silverstone, Hockenheim and Shanghai and held his nerve to take the championship.

But he won't win the championship, either. He is fully aware that the McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 isn't fast enough at present, and he also knows, deep down, that he was slightly lucky last season. He doesn't believe he is the best.

Robert Kubica may be silently optimistic about the forthcoming season, with BMW showing impressive testing form. He knows that once BMW are fully focused, he may have a decent shot at the championship, bearing in mind he still had the chance in Shanghai last season when BMW were focusing most of their efforts into 2009.

Kubica won't become the first Polish world champion, though. He only won his race last season because others crashed out and sometimes, BMW were well off the pace.

He may keep close friends at the F1 Poker Table, but he won't have friends in the F1 Hall of Fame in 2009.

Speaking of that poker table, who attends this club?

Bernie Ecclestone is one, Flavio Briatore the next.

And Fernando Alonso.

After a mad charge at during the second half of the season in 2008, Alonso scored more points than anyone from Hockenheim onwards and finished a decent fifth in the final standings.

He became the first winner of an F1 night race and proved he still had the speed and tactics in Fuji. 

Another important factor about Alonso? He believes he is the best, as shown in F1 Racing, Issue 150. 

F1 Racing: Wherever you end up, do you still believe you're the best guy out there?

Fernando Alonso: Yes.

Say no more, Fernando Alonso will become a triple world champion in 2009.

Just who is this season's favourite to take the F1 crown? Hamilton? Alonso? Raikkonen? Kubica? Massa?

It seems as though the odds with the bookies are changing every day. I have even seen Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello installed as favourites at one bookie, after their sensational testing pace at Barcelona!

The first driver that seems to come to people's minds is Lewis Hamilton. As the reigning champion, the British driver is on a wave of high confidence and goes into this season desperate to become Britain's first-ever back-to-back champion.

But it hasn't looked good in preseason testing, with McLaren having come out and said that their new car isn't as fast as they expected, and the team has been working hard to make it fast.

We won't know until Melbourne whether they have done enough to get Hamilton's title defence off to a winning start.

The Ferrari drivers naturally come as the next favourites for the crown. Felipe Massa was world champion for 20 seconds last season, until Hamilton passed Glock for that crucial fifth place at Interlagos, and the Brazilian will be wanting to bounce back from that disappointment in the best way possible by taking the title.

His teammate Raikkonen had a disappointing season in 2008, only taking two wins and appearing to be accident-prone when he was under pressure, most notably at Monaco and Singapore.

But his record-matching 10 fastest laps showed that he still has the speed to deliver and needs to match his 2007 form to take the title.

However, despite Ferrari stating that they have a fast car, they are worried about their reliability, and you can't win titles if you can't finish races.

Next in the firing line seems to be Robert Kubica. The Pole took his first career win last season, and he had a chance at the title right up to the penultimate race in China, but the lack of development at BMW ultimately cost him any realistic title chance.

However, the lack of development was due to the team shifting their focus to their 2009 car early, and Robert should reap the reward of their efforts this season.

But the team refused to shift to a one-car team last season when Heidfeld was struggling with his qualifying, and with the team splitting their resources evenly between both drivers, it could frustrate Robert as the season goes on.

The team will want the constructor's title and will make sure they are in with a chance to take it. Will this affect Kubica's driving ambitions? Only time will tell.

And finally, we move onto Alonso. The field's only double champion showed, at the end of last season, that his bad season at McLaren is behind him, and he is ready to challenge for the title once again.

But is the team ready for the title?

They seemed to struggle to understand their new car after its initial launch but seemed to be moving in the right direction as testing went on. But have they done enough to get them to the front of the grid?

The whole of Spain will be praying that they have and so will Renault's hierarchy if they are to have any chance to keep their superstar in the long-term.

So who will take the title? As you can see all the drivers have their plus and minus points, and we won't know until the first practice sessions in Australia who has taken the first steps in the right direction, and who has got the right ingredients to make a realistic title charge.

After the abolishment of Magny-Cours from this year's calendar, and the beckoning global financial crisis, many proposals have been brought forward for the return of the French Grand Prix.

One that has gained support form authorities is Flins-Mureaux, located northeast on the outskirts of Paris, in the Seine Valley. The proposed layout will be a 4.5-kilometer circuit and will be designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte in conjunction with Apex Circuit Designs.

The proposal is planned to cost 112 million euros and to be ready for a Grand Prix in 2011.

As with a new circuit, many new innovations have factored into the design. Designed with an emphasis on the environment in mind, the circuit will integrate into the landscape.

The designers have therefore retained many trees and orchards along the banks of the River Seine and placed the racing circuit close to the main Paris-Rouen railway.

With the Paris-Rouen railway close by, other proposals have been to integrate the line to have a station right up close to the circuit, thus lightening the loads for traffic entering and leaving the circuit.

Other measures have also included planting of gardens above the conference and medical centres. All the buildings will have the latest environmental technology, including solar panels above the pit buildings.

The circuit would be located on a 235-acre site and would conveniently seat 120,000 spectators.

Though not a Herman Tilke circuit, the track features many Tilke characteristics.  Run in a clockwise direction, the Grand Prix circuit, consisting of both the North and South Circuit, will have two large straights, one of which heading into a hairpin, reminiscent to many previous Tilke designs.

Other features include a high speed multi apex corner, similar to that of Tilke's Turn 8 at Istanbul. The final right-left-right sequence of turns is also similar to that of the final turns at the Tilke-designed Istanbul Circuit, just in an opposite direction.

At 4.5 kilometers, the circuit will be one of the shorter ones, only shorter than that of Monaco, Hungaroring, and Interlagos and will run for at least 72 laps.

If these proposals go ahead, one's belief would have the French Grand Prix return back to its once great former self, as this is the birth place of Grand Prix Racing.

STATS AND INFORMATION

 

ING Renault F1 Team

 

Team Principal: Flavio Briatore

Technical Director: Bob Bell

Team Base: Enstone, UK

 

Chassis: R29

Engine: Renault V8

Tyres: Bridgestone

 

Grand Prix: 249

Wins: 35

Podiums: 83

Poles: 50

Fastest Laps: 27

Points: 1056

2008 Position: 4th (80 points)

 

Last 5 Seasons:

 

2004: 3rd (105pts)

2005: 1st (191pts)

2006: 1st(206pts)

2007: 3rd (51pts)

2008: 4th (80pts)

 

First Driver: Fernando Alonso

Nationality: Spanish

Age: 28

Starts: 122

Wins: 21

Podiums: 52

Poles: 17

Fastest Laps: 11

Points: 551

Championships: 2 (2005, 2006)

 

Second Driver: Nelson Piquet Jnr

Nationality: Brazilian

Age: 23

Starts: 18

Wins: 0

Podiums: 1

Poles: 0

Fastest Laps: 0

Points: 19

Best Season: 12^th (2008)

 

DISCUSSION

Paul Murtagh

Now it's time for the first of the multiple race-winning teams from last year. Would you consider Renault's 2008 season a success or failure?

Daniel Chalmers

I would say 2008 was a mixture of both. In the first half of the season the team under-performed, but they came on very strong in the second half of the season. The overall result was a lot stronger than 2007, so all in all they will be relatively happy looking back on 2008. But the car they had in latter stages of the season is the car they should had from the beginning. With so many mistakes from the McLaren and Ferrari camp they may reflect on a missed opportunity. What if they had got the car spot on from the word go?

Paul Murtagh

It would have been very interesting indeed had they been on it from the start. But here's the thing—everyone says Renault started poorly at the start of the season. But Alonso had some very strong drives in the first few races, and I don't think they were as off the pace as people say

Daniel Chalmers

Alonso had some strong drives, but he also made a few errors out of frustration as well. He was driving too hard for a result, which wasn't possible rather than taking solid points. In the final third of the season, he got into his stride and was the best driver on the grid at that time. His win in Fuji was very well taken. I still think that he is the most complete driver on the grid. If Renault gives him a fast car, he will deliver the team the title

Paul Murtagh

I agree, I think he is the best driver out there. I think his most impressive drive last season was Brazil where he managed to split the Ferraris and matched Massa's pace mid-race. And with him settled back into the team he could be the dark horse, in my opinion, for this year's title

Daniel Chalmers

He has all the ingredients required to win the title. He also doesn't seem to have lost any of the necessary hunger needed to challenge for the title. I think what happened at McLaren may actually given Alonso even more motivation. I am sure he wants to get one over McLaren and show Hamilton the way.

Paul Murtagh

I think the whole McLaren experience changed Alonso, and he has actually become a better person for it. But you could see towards the end of last season the sparkle coming back into his eyes that we haven't seen since the end of 2006. He is very happy at Renault and, like when Schumi was at that team, it works together very well

Daniel Chalmers

His work rate and commitment is second to none. I am always impressed by how calm he is before races, and even during races when he is talking to his race engineer on the radio. He is just the sort of driver a team needs in terms of developing and setting up the car. Moving onto the other side of the garage. What do you make of the decision to give Nelson Piquet Jnr a second chance?

Paul Murtagh

I think it was the right decision, but only to a point. He drove well at the likes of Magny-Cours and Fuji which shows that he can do it in an F1 car, but he isn't consistent enough for a top team. He had a full year's testing in 2007, and now has had a full year's racing, so he has to perform this season to stay in the sport

Daniel Chalmers

In my opinion he should consider himself a very very lucky boy. In all honesty, the majority of his race performances last season were nothing short of dreadful. Qualifying was woeful compared to Alonso too. It would have been too big an expectation for him to match Alonso, but he never came even close in all honesty. Races like Fuji show he has the capability, but as Flavio said after that race, drives like that are the least that is expected when you are driving a Renault.

I do think there is potential there, but confidence is Piquet's biggest issue, and that’s what I think has let him down badly so far. He has traditionally done better in his second season in a Formula so we will have to see. It could turn out to be the right gamble to keep faith in Piquet or it could be a disaster and cost the team a potential championship, if he can't contribute enough points to the table

Paul Murtagh

He does need to up his game. Both Alonso and Kovalainen came through the test team to a race drive, and did a very good job when promoted, so that excuse cannot be used. But the only option I think Renault had apart from Piquet was to put Lucas Di Grassi in the car, which would have been a bigger gamble. So looking at it I think Flavio was right to put Piquet back in the car, but he will be watching over his shoulder because Di Grassi will be raring to go. As you say if it looks like Nelsinho is potentially costing Renault the constructors,  he could be out

Daniel Chalmers

I think you have a valid point there. Apart from Di Grassi there weren't many other options available so he decided to stick. I have to admit though, had I been in Flavio's shoes I would have been tempted to give Di Grassi a chance. His times in his tests were good and in GP2 he challenged for the title despite missing the first three events. Flavio's patience with Piquet actually seems very out of character don't you think?

Paul Murtagh

It is very unlike Flavio especially when you look at the Jarno Trulli situation at the end of 2004. But perhaps Flavio knows something about Piquet we don't and that's why he has been given a second chance. Speaking of Flavio, what do you make of the management structure at Renault? It has been the most static management structure of the top teams over the last few years and surely this has to help the team in the same way that the "Dream Team" helped Ferrari a few years ago

Daniel Chalmers

I think the management structure is very static, and this has been a big help for Renault. Flavio is still team boss, Pat Symonds is still there (albeit in a slightly different role), and the likes of Bob Bell too. Plus, Alonso is back with the team. However, how committed do you think Flavio is to the team now, especially with QPR as his other big project now?

Paul Murtagh

I questioned it myself but I think QPR is a play thing for Flavio. His passion is with Renault, and he won't let anything affect his commitment to F1. Let's remember that he was working in Benetton's New York office when the Benetton family put him in charge of their team. He wasn't a hardcore racing fan like Frank Williams or Ron Dennis, but he has developed a real passion for the sport in the last 20 years, and it shows when his team wins or fails. Flavio is Renault at heart and fully committed to the Renault team succeeding

Daniel Chalmers

So we think Flavio is committed to the cause, but what about the Renault the car manufacturer? There has been talk of a lot of cost cuts, staff within the F1 team being made redundant, and even interest in the standard engine despite being a big manufacturer. If Renault doesn’t succeed in F1, are they going to still hang around or will they pack their bags? I have to say that I am having my doubts

Paul Murtagh

Now that is where the long-term commitment doubts creep in. Renault have never looked like committing long-term to F1 like BMW, Mercedes, and Ferrari have. Despite Renault president Carlos Ghosn stating regularly that he believes Renault should be in F1, you still have a niggling feeling that he could pull the plug. But if they are successful this year, then I think Renault will remain in F1 for a long time, especially considering they have the best driver on the grid on their books

Daniel Chalmers

If they are successful they definitely will stay. But I ask the same question as in our Toyota discussion. How good do the 2009 results need to be to persuade the board to stay in F1?

Paul Murtagh

I don't think they need the results as badly as Toyota to be honest. They know that Alonso is a long-term driver who has a good few years left in him. I think their need to produce results isn't so much to guarantee their own future in the sport and to ensure that Fernando stays at the team and isn't persuaded to look for a seat at Ferrari or BMW in the next couple of years

Daniel Chalmers

Can Renault challenge for the title in 2009?

Paul Murtagh

I can't see them challenging for the title, but they could surprise. They didn't look too good in testing just after they launched the car, but in the last few tests they have improved a lot. I think they will do well this season and possibly score more wins

Daniel Chalmers

When testing started it was looking like they would be playing catch up. However, they have made some substantial improvements to the R29. Their pace is currently very strong. I think they will be one of the teams at the front. They will be able to win races this season I think. They also have a good handle on KERs too and this could be an advantage for them. (whether they use it straight away is not certain)

Paul Murtagh

My only worry is that they will be a one-car team because of Piquet, and while Alonso will have a good season the team might not have a chance to challenge the top three. So fourth looks like their best bet yet again

Daniel Chalmers

I agree that could be the case. If Renault wants to win the constructors championship they need both cars at the front. If the grid is as close as testing suggests then Piquet could well struggle and lose them a lot of points. If Renault are quick, which I think they are, Alonso will be able to challenge for the drivers championship at least.

Paul Murtagh

Alonso is the only driver on the grid that I think can get time out of a car that isn't necessary there. If Renault's car is just behind the likes of BMW and Ferrari in terms of raw pace then Alonso can challenge them. He is worth a few tenths of a second per lap, and we should see him on the podium a few times this season. But the overalls could blind us—what were Renault thinking with that livery?!

Daniel Chalmers

I think you are right about Alonso there. As long as the Renault isn't far off the front runners Alonso will find those extra tenths to win races. Renault's livery certainly isn't that pleasant to look at. It's not just the livery, but the car itself is pretty hideous too. The nose and the sidepod are very bulky.

Interestingly, the team has opted to use the sharkfin. Renault have gone down a different road more times than the other the other teams. Renault have many talented individuals in their team so I am sure they know what they are doing. Their unique and innovative design could well work for them.

Paul Murtagh

It could work, and as it has been said many times in the past, if the car is fast then it will look good. But if it is slow, then it will be remembered as a hideous car. Williams tried an innovative nose design back in 2004 and it backfired and the same could happen to Renault, but I have a feeling it will be a fast car.

Daniel Chalmers

The team seems very positive that the car will be a front-runner, and the drivers seem more optimistic than last season. They have a big upgrade coming for Melbourne just like the other teams have I am sure. Renault also showed last season that in the development race they can compete with the big guns. The leap forward they made during 2008 was huge. If they can start the season at the front, and repeat their 2008 improvement over the whole season they will be in decent shape

Paul Murtagh

If they start the season well then they will improve because, as you say, they showed last season that they are more than capable of developing the car over a season. So where do you see Renault come the end of the season?

Daniel Chalmers

I think Alonso has enough to win the drivers title. It will be difficult, but he will be one of the main protagonists. However, I can't see Renault being able to win the constructors title. The main reason being that I don't think Piquet will contribute enough points.

Ferrari and BMW both will have two drivers who are very close and can both deliver a very high number of points, but this will certainly  be Renault's best season since their 2006 title year.

Paul Murtagh

I agree. A stronger season for the French team and a step in the right direction

MARKS

 

Scores (out of 10):

 

Chassis: 8.5

Engine: 8

Aerodynamics: 8.5

Mechanical grip: 8.5

Drivers: 7.5

Reliability: 9.5

 

THREE KEY QUESTIONS

 

Do Renault have a long-term F1 future?

Does Piquet have an F1 future?

Can Alonso become a Three-time world champion in 2009?

OTHER 2009 PREVIEWS

 

FORCE INDIA
WILLIAMS

RED BULL

TORO ROSSO

TOYOTA

As strange as some of the new 2009 cars look, I have been reading with great interest, Max Mosley’s plans to introduce more and more standardised parts in to Formula One motor racing. 

As I read, I have become increasingly perturbed by it. I applaud initiatives to bring the costs down by making manufacturers supply cheap gearboxes and engines, but to increase standard parts in a sport, which is already being restricted by over zealous rules governing the cars is surely to take away the very essence of what makes Formula One great. 

During this winter period break from Formula One and the decreased testing schedule I have been gorging on the 70s season reviews. 

I’ve actually watched all 10 years in barely a week and this is the first time I have seen proper extended footage from this era and it enthralled me.

I’ve been watching Formula one continuously since 1991 and although the cars are now unrecognisable from that period, the change was more evolution than revolution. 

Watching the 70s, I was amazed at how every year the cars were changing and developing, the Tyrrell team were coming up with six wheeled cars, Colin Chapman of Lotus was inventing the wing car, Renault introduced Turbo power, and Brabham even had a fan which sucked the car to the ground (although it was swiftly banned). 

This is surely what Formula One is all about; striving for an edge over the others by inventing new things.

We see it to a less noticeable extent these days but it still exists in the mystical world of aerodynamics, but is the sport now under threat of having that taken away in the name of cost cutting, does it really have to be sanitised that much?

It seems a shame that that inventive spirit is being taken away, as even now there are rumours of standardised KERS in a few years, which surely defeats the point of it being introduced, which was to speed up development in competition.

With the teams organization FOTA preparing for battle with the FIA over a great many things, we can only hope that they fight for their own independence before it all turns a bit GP2. 

But I suppose this year we can at least be thankful the new rules have brought some good, some bad, and some weird looking designs, let us hope it continues.

I am just so happy after reading this article on Formula 1's official website about Adam Khan joining Renault F1 team as a demonstration driver. Well, this is definitely not a perfect time for new comers to start thinking about big dreams of getting into in F1 car with all these economic slowdowns and cost cutting measures being taken but at least it is a good step and in the right direction for Adam. And at least it is a step in the right direction. Best of luck Adam! Pakistan Zindabad!!!

Quote from formula1.com:

As Renault gathered at their Parisian flagship store on Tuesday to present the new R29 to their partners, the team announced that 23 year-old Adam Khan has joined their line-up as a demonstration driver. Khan will take part in city demonstrations and presentations for World Series by Renault events.

"It's an honour for me to join the ING Renault F1 team and I really can't wait to get started," said Khan as he was presented at l'Atelier Renault. "I have enjoyed a really warm welcome into the team and everyone has been friendly and helpful. It will be awesome to showcase the R28 on the streets of some of the world's greatest cities and to allow the public to witness the power and speed of an F1 car."

"The opportunity in itself encompasses a huge array of things and is fantastic preparation for the future, which I hope with hard work and commitment, as well as enjoyment, will be a bright one."

Renault managing director Flavio Braitore added: "We are pleased to welcome Adam into the ING Renault F1 Team as our demonstration driver. Our demonstration programme gives young talent the chance to work closely with the team and to showcase their skills behind the wheel of our Grand Prix cars."

“Adam now has the chance to demonstrate the talent he has shown throughout his career and to gain valuable experience working at the pinnacle of the sport."

The British driver, who has raced in the Euroseries 3000, the GP2 Asia series and British Formula Three, will make his debut for the team when their roadshow programme kicks off in the Middle East later this year.

Unquote

With the teams revealing their 2009 Formula One cars we also have chance to see some of the 2009 F1 drivers helmets. Here they come. I will be adding more (or better) pictures as they become available.

Hamilton, Kovalainen, Glock, Trulli, and Piquet keep their helmets more less same as in 2008. Alonso added some red colour to his lid (to match the new colours of the Renault car probably).

Robert Kubica keeps his 2008 colours while Nick Heidfeld has changed his dominant helmet colour from 2008 blue to 2009 green after getting inspired by similar snowboard helmet.

2009 F1 Drivers Helmets

The Renault R29 was launched this morning in a very low key, on track launch. This has come after Ferrari, Toyota, McLaren and Williams all launched their cars without the usual fanfare.

The R29 has a slight difference in the paint scheme, with much more red visible on the front and rear wings, due to the new sponsor of Total.

Renault are the only team so far to have opted for the shark-fin cover, which was used by several teams last year.

Rear View:

Side View:

Front View:

(Note the front nose, very bulky, may be due to the failure of the FIA Crash test?)

Testing Photo's

Click me to see, the new Williams 2009 competitor.

Other 2009 launches:

Ferrari F60

Toyota TF109

McLaren MP4-24

BMW F1.09

Tomorrow we will have the launch of the BMW, join me then.

Continuing my recent tradition of saying that everyone will win the 2009 championship, I have decided to turn my attention to Mr. Fernando Alonso, and work out whether he has a shot of this year's championship.

Alonso is a bloody good driver, no matter what anyone thinks of him. In a sense, he's a bit like Christiano Ronaldo, in that there are many people who would happily punch him in the face (including myself!), but cannot deny that they are good at what they do.

In my opinion, Alonso's biggest hurdle is that of Renault. He may be a good driver, but he can only challenge for the championship if he is provided with the right machinery to do so. This was proved in the back end of last year, where a late surge moved him ahead of Heidfeld and Kovalainen in the final standings.

Although a tad lucky, he also managed to achieve two race victories in Singapore and Japan. This is more than what his Mclaren replacement Kovalainen could manage in the second best car on the grid, which just goes to prove he has the talent to be in contention.

Oh, and don't forget he is a double world champion.

Then again, Alonso can only achieve this if he has the best car. At the beginning of 2008 the Renault was nowhere, with Alonso only able to pick up a handful of points from each race.

He also struggles when he is up against a competitive teammate. He may only have had Lewis Hamilton who was able to consistently challenge him, but it had an effect on his performance, and I'm sure he could have won the championship quite comfortably with a different teammate.

But with Nelson Piquet, there are no worries about that for this season.

The truth is, with the significant rule changes for this season, there are more drivers than ever who have a shot at this years championship. So far, I've decided that Vettel will be champion, Kubica will be champion, and Alonso will be champion if he has a good enough car.

But of course I'm wrong, because Felipe Massa is going to win.

The 2009 Formula One season, only two months away from the first race, has more uncertainty surrounding it than for many a season.

Although the driver line-ups are more or less finalised with only Torro Rosso and Force India still to make a decision about their drivers, there are still many aspects of Formula One that are raising questions.

Off-season news and rumblings

The big news from the off-season is the decision by Honda to withdraw from Formula One and sell the team.

This leaves Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello wondering whether or not they will have a team to drive for in 2009 as rumours of potential bidders for the team emerge.  Even before the announcement, it was not clear if Barrichello’s contract would be renewed, and the new owners (if any) will wonder whether his salary can be justified.

This leads into the other main story—the global economic crisis.

Honda’s decision is merely the most obvious sign of the tightening of belts that will be required throughout the sport.  The future of other teams will also come into question, notably Williams and Torro Rosso.

Williams has drifted away from the pack at the front of the field ever since their split with Renault after the 1997 season.  The link-up with BMW that saw them win ten races promised much but never came close to winning a championship, and the relationship was always fractious, with the fragility of the engine costing the team several victories early in their partnership, and BMW unhappy with the performance of the chassis in later years. 

Without a major manufacturer backing them, Williams have been unable to match the budgets of the bigger teams, and although they have confirmed that the vast majority of their budget for 2009 is in place, they do appear to be vulnerable in the current economic climate.

Torro Rosso is a slightly different case.  The Red Bull subsidiary made significant progress in 2008, winning in the rain at Monza with Sebastian Vettel and generally outperforming their parent team.  However, they look set to fall foul of rules outlawing the use of customer chassis, and without a significant budget and manufacturing team allocated to the separate development of their own chassis, the future of the team is uncertain.

In addition, former part owner Gerhard Berger has sold his share in the team to Red Bull, and their continued investment in two separate teams in Formula 1 looks dubious if they are unable to utilise a “customer” car.

More generally, there remains a concern that manufacturers may reduce their support for the teams given their problems in the commercial world, that sponsors may withdraw or default on their payments, and that promoters and race venues may find that the economic decline leaves them precariously placed, and potentially unable to deliver events.

What’s new for 2009?

The season looks set to consist of 17 races according to the official schedule, beginning later than normal, at the end of March, and concluding on 1st November.

The final race is set to be at a new venue, the Yas Island Circuit in Dubai, which is still under construction as of this article.  Other changes include the move back to Suzuka for the Japanese GP, and no place in the calendar for either France or Canada.

The French race has been under threat, with Bernie Ecclestone frequently asserting that he wanted a race in Parisinstead of the circuit at Nevers.  The Magny-Cours circuit has had many detractors over the years, concerned about the dullness of the configuration, the site (in the middle of nowhere in central France) and the ownership. 

Magny-Cours was one of the pet projects of Max Mosley’s predecessor Jean-Marie Balestre and used by the former Ligier team as a test track after it had been refurbished in the 1980s, but has long been considered under threat because of Ecclestone’s commercial interest in the Paul Ricard circuit and, of late, his desire to move the Grand Prix to a more prestigious location.

The Canadian Grand Prix has also been one of the races that has been regularly under threat in recent years.  In the case of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this has primarily been through commercial pressures, and with promoters unable to find the significant staging fees required by the FIA.

In terms of team structures, the most interesting change is that of Force India.  Having used Ferrari engines in 2008, they have switched to Mercedes.

Rule changes

For 2009, a significant number of changes have been made to the rules.

In terms of the chassis, the most visible one is in the size of the rear wing, which has been considerably reduced.

There are also three technical changes which may or may not have a significant impact on the 2009 Championship.

First is the return to slick tyres.  For the first time since 1997, the cars will run on tyres with no grooves.  The prevailing philosophy that the grooves were required as a safety measure to reduce speeds has been overturned, with a return to maintaining a larger contact patch on the road and ensuring cornering stability. 

Bridgestone will continue to be the contracted sole supplier of tyres and the FIA believe this means that as there is no competition between tyre brands, it should be relatively simple to control the tyre quality and ultimately to keep top speeds within reasonable limits.

The second technical change is that engines will be required to last for three races instead of two (following one allowed “joker” change of engine).  This is intended to reduce the cost of supplying engines, but will probably not have a significant effect as the season progresses unless one manufacturer has specific issues with their reliability.

The final change is the adoption of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) that can be used to store energy generated during braking for subsequent use during acceleration at the driver’s discretion.  If successfully created, this may give a significant advantage to those teams whose developments come on stream earliest or which are the most efficient, however there has been considerable scepticism from drivers that KERS can both be implemented safely and still provide any significant advantage.

The 2009 Drivers Championship

Given all the above, the only significant area left to discuss is the identity of the contenders for the Drivers Championship in 2009.

Following Lewis Hamilton’s success in 2008, it appears that he will once again have a slight advantage in 2009.  Whilst teammate Heikki Kovaleinen managed to win one race last year, he was never a threat to Hamilton, and therefore the defending Champion knows that he is the clear number one driver in his team.

By contrast, Felipe Massa’s performance in 2008 has created something of a dilemma for Ferrari, as they now know that they have two drivers capable of winning the title.  Kimi Raikonnen will still be considered by many to be the better driver and most likely to repeat his success of 2007, but he knows that his teammate will be very hard to beat in 2009.

BMW started 2008 very well, and Robert Kubica managed to score points at an incredible rate and keep himself in with a shout of the Championship until late in the season, but his prospects for 2009 may well depend much more on how he adapts to the new car than his rivals.  Teammate Nick Heidfeld has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but it seems as though he has missed his time and been overtaken by Kubica.

Renault benefited from BMW’s performance drop off in the latter part of the year, and Fernando Alonso drove two canny races in Fuji and Singapore to pick up the pieces of races that might have dropped to anyone.  The car improved as the year went along, and Alonso’s performances also improved as he gained confidence that his car could reach the heights he was looking for. 

Alonso will once again be restricted by the level of performance that he can get out of the Renault, but if they continue to make significant strides could emerge as a title contender when others fall by the wayside.

Those will be the main contenders short of a real jump forward by any of the engineering teams.  Whilst the likes of Vettel and Rosberg showed what they could do in 2008, I don’t expect either to have the car to challenge on a consistent basis.

Ultimately I expect Lewis Hamilton to retain his crown, but that it will be a hard-fought battle in 2009.