Formula 1 2019, what's it gonna be?
So, who's with me counting down the days until the first launch of a brand new F1 car for the 2019 season? Probably all die-hard F1 fans have been enduring the dark cold winter. Waiting for news about the new season. Can you smell the excitement in the air already? The first hints of teams on their new outfits, new cars, new sponsorship... And the first testing in Barcelona. The calendar is filling up with launch dates... Can't wait to see what new liveries they have come up with. Will Red Bull Racing have another camo livery for testing, and will Mercedes finally decide to go for something else then silver and hints of green?
Lot's of new
So it's no news anymore who will drive for which team. We have a lot of rookies entering, and some old faces returning (Kubica). And that's always fun, because of most of the drivers on the 2018 grid you know what to expect. Who is on the limits, who crashes all the time, and who is an easy overtake. But with rookies it's all new, and who will be the big surprise during the mid season? So we have the following options: Charles Leclerc, Alexander Albon, Lando Norris, Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell.... I told you; lot's of new.
Let's analyse; based on the car they will drive it's most likely that Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) will be the best rookie (for sure?), followed by Alexander Albon, think about the new Honda deal with Red Bull. And then, either Lando or George from a talent perspective. They both are praying for a much better car for 2019, looking back at 2018. My guess is that McLaren is able to improve more, Williams was really struggling last year to keep up. And with major sponsors leaving and the money of Stroll, it will be even more tough. So let's hope for Lando that he is smiling at the first testing day. Who could be a small surprise is Antonio. With the now Alfa Romeo Racing team, including support of Fiat/Ferrari it's expected that they will be strong. Raikkonnen will be able to develop the car and show the potential if it's there. And as with Toro Rosso, it's the B-team of Ferrari to bring in new talents.
Top 3 still Top 3?
So, a quick shot at the top 3: Hamilton, Verstappen, Vettel.. so no major changes at the front. We can only expect them to be closer, with the new regulations. Everybody is starting a bit from zero more or less, and have to find new solutions to gain advantage from the average to be in front. And we can expect Adrian Newey to design a razor sharp design for the new Honda powered Red Bull RB15. Knowing that he has a new power unit, that will be developed until the last race will motivate him to design the best.
Mercedes can only loose, but with there last car and Hamilton in peak performance they are hard to beat. Some doubts on how Ferrari have developed during winter. Lot's of changes in management at the end of the year. Will this already have a positive impact on the team's performance, or did it have a negative effect on the car development. For now it's P1 Mercedes Benz AMG, P2 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, P3 Scuderia Ferrari.
So, this was a first shot in the dark about next season of Formula 1. Next week the first launches will be showing some potential, and we will hear a lot of big talk of the teams about their goals. One week later we will have a first glims if it makes sense what they told. Will they shine in the Barcelona sun, or not?
So it's no news anymore who will drive for which team. We have a lot of rookies entering, and some old faces returning (Kubica). And that's always fun, because of most of the drivers on the 2018 grid you know what to expect. Who is on the limits, who crashes all the time, and who is an easy overtake. But with rookies it's all new, and who will be the big surprise during the mid season? So we have the following options: Charles Leclerc, Alexander Albon, Lando Norris, Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell.... I told you; lot's of new.
Let's analyse; based on the car they will drive it's most likely that Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) will be the best rookie (for sure?), followed by Alexander Albon, think about the new Honda deal with Red Bull. And then, either Lando or George from a talent perspective. They both are praying for a much better car for 2019, looking back at 2018. My guess is that McLaren is able to improve more, Williams was really struggling last year to keep up. And with major sponsors leaving and the money of Stroll, it will be even more tough. So let's hope for Lando that he is smiling at the first testing day. Who could be a small surprise is Antonio. With the now Alfa Romeo Racing team, including support of Fiat/Ferrari it's expected that they will be strong. Raikkonnen will be able to develop the car and show the potential if it's there. And as with Toro Rosso, it's the B-team of Ferrari to bring in new talents.
Top 3 still Top 3?
So, a quick shot at the top 3: Hamilton, Verstappen, Vettel.. so no major changes at the front. We can only expect them to be closer, with the new regulations. Everybody is starting a bit from zero more or less, and have to find new solutions to gain advantage from the average to be in front. And we can expect Adrian Newey to design a razor sharp design for the new Honda powered Red Bull RB15. Knowing that he has a new power unit, that will be developed until the last race will motivate him to design the best.
Mercedes can only loose, but with there last car and Hamilton in peak performance they are hard to beat. Some doubts on how Ferrari have developed during winter. Lot's of changes in management at the end of the year. Will this already have a positive impact on the team's performance, or did it have a negative effect on the car development. For now it's P1 Mercedes Benz AMG, P2 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, P3 Scuderia Ferrari.
So, this was a first shot in the dark about next season of Formula 1. Next week the first launches will be showing some potential, and we will hear a lot of big talk of the teams about their goals. One week later we will have a first glims if it makes sense what they told. Will they shine in the Barcelona sun, or not?