Friday 4 April 2014

Sportsman: F1 - How My Predictions Look So Far

So two races have passed in the 2014 season with the third race taking place this weekend in Bahrain. So now after two races I have a decent idea of what will happen this year. I predicted what would happen this season here if anyone wants to see my predictions:  http://modernlifeisrubbissh.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/sportsman-f1-predicting-unpredictable.html

So what have I got wrong so far?

Ferrari Aren't As Strong As I Thought














I predicted Alonso and Raikkonen would finish third and fourth with the team finishing third. I still think they will probably finish third, however Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen have struggled so far. Kimi may have been unlucky in Malaysia, but Fernando was struggling to take over a Force India, even if Nico Hulkenberg was driving it. 4th and 7th in Australia wasn't exactly amazing either, but then again, Ferrari can't get much worse than they are currently.

Rosberg and Ricciardo Could Win the Title












I placed Nico in 5th and Daniel in 6th in my predictions and already they seem head and shoulders above the Ferrari pair as well as scaring their team mates. Rosberg is currently leading the championship and Ricciardo could easily have been in 2nd right behind him if he didn't have the luck of a Kennedy. A questionable disqualification and a botched pit stop has ruined any chance of points so far this season, but it can only get better from here.

I Under Rated Some Drivers









So far there have been many drivers that have wowed me. I certainly underestimated Ricciardo's ability to adapt to the Red Bull who now looks like a genuine title contender. Then there were the rookies. Kevin Magnussen managed a podium on his first race and Daniil Kvyat has managed to get himself into the points in his first two races. I wrote both of them off as weak links in their team, when in reality they are contributing a lot to their teams. Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg have also impressed me this season. Bottas was hit with a poor car last year so we didn't get to see much from him, however, now he is keeping up with team mate Massa. Hulkenberg has a pretty poor car and I assumed that would lead to poor results, but Hulkenberg exceeds expectations as usual, showing that he should be in a quicker car.

Toro Rosso Have Improved, Sauber are in Danger of Becoming a Number


Toro Rosso were looking like a car constantly finishing just outside the points and getting the odd one here and there. They already look like they will improve on the team's 8th place finish in the Constructors' Championship. Meanwhile over at Sauber, it feels like they only go backwards (in the words of Tame Impala). They have became the back team out of the competitive ones if we take away Lotus - and even at that, Grosjean seems to be enjoying his season more than Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez. Sauber havea  habit of picking it up in the second half of the season, but with the regulation changes, will they be able to keep up? They certainly look like the way Williams were last year.

So what can I expect to happen? I think Red Bull will catch up with Mercedes, but it won't be for a few races. Ferrari need to get into (sorry for the pun) gear as McLaren can look deadly on a good day and Williams may improve, although it is unlikely. Toro Rosso should be focusing on beating Force India and Sauber, whilst Lotus should be trying to beat some of them cars and get back to competitiveness. And to end this post, I think Kamui Kobayashi could spark a surprise at the back if Caterham can improve the car like they said they would.