Monday February 12, 2007

2007 Grand Prix review

So only a few weeks before the first race. so who will be at the shape end of the grid and who will be at the tail? Two things are different this year - the first being the fact the engine designs are frozen and the engines are now restricted to 19K. For some teams this restriction means running the engine as it ended the 2006 season - for others they will have to tweak their engines down to the max permitted revs. Of course only one tyre company is on the grid Bridgestone and for each race two out of four compounds are already chosen to be used by each team. In the race the driver must use both compounds which means the setup he uses on his car will have to be compromised to handle both types. A lot of teams are also now catching up with others by introducing quick shift The teams..

Renault. One would be expect them to be leading the pack during testing but having been so close to Michelin you would expect them to suffer a bit more than other teams. Kovalainen should be able to bury Fisi's career once and for all. During testing the team have been running second fiddle to Mclaren

Ferrari. It is of no surprise that this team has adjusted to the new tyres easiest of all the teams. However with their team leader having left them and Kimi unable to drive for them until January you might think they are on the back foot. but Massa and their test drivers have taken up the slack and been pounding out the miles with good results. The team are also going radical and have moved to a zero keel design from the single keel one. Kimi is said to be the roughest driver on his car so lets hope this years car is built like a tank.

Mclaren. Alonso was allowed to do a one day test before the new year and the team did have close links to Bridgestone before. Last years car although unstable was always kind on its tyres something this years compounds appreciate. The car has some amazing curves and shapes on its rear bodywork. Alonso has been posting some impressive testing times leading the pack.

Honda. Their defacto team leader having cracked a few ribs was unable to test prior to Xmas but the team racked up the most number of miles at the end of 2006 end of season testing. However Button's first outing in the car resulted in it not even completing a lap...The new tyres works well when driven smoothly so expect Button to do well and beat Rubens bit time again. However testing times have not been impressive. I think the team will also miss their excellent test driver Anthony Davidson.

Toyota. First to announce their new car and doing a lot of private tests at Paul Ricard. That is an unusual stance on testing. I don't expect much from this team or its drivers.

BMW Sauber. The surprise package of 2006 and expect them to climb up the grid in 2007. Kubica deserves his seat but he needs to relax a bit and not overdrive the car. Testing times have been good. He has also said the new harder tyres don't suit his driving style so he will have to adapt.

Red Bull. Grateful to pension off the RB2 car at last and get the Newey RB3 on the road with its Renault engine. Fast but fragile? Webber has been faster than DC at a lot of the tests. The car looks sleek and has been described by some as a stunner but has an odd Duck billed Platypus front nose.

Williams. Anything should be better than last year and now with Toyota engines. A major regrouping exercise is needed and Rosberg needs to show his early form in 2006.

Toro Rosso. With neither driver confirmed for 2007 the pressure is on both to do well in testing. The Cosworth V10 is gone and they have inherited the Ferrari V8 and the RB2 chassis from their senior test. Will they be allowed to use that chassis ? Lets hope it gets some serious modifications else the other backmarker teams will put them to the back of the grid.

Super Aguri. Like STR hoping they can use the RA106 chassis from their senior team. Davidson needs to give Sato a hiding to show he is worthy of the seat.

Spyker. Likely to be at the back of the grid and new Senior Tech man Gasgoige has already written 2007 off despite having Ferrari engines. It never did team Prost any good either.