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.

Sportsman: F1 - Predicting the Unpredictable

The season started today, but I refer to it starting tomorrow as practice doesn't determine anything other than what state your car is in.

The last few years have hardly spun any surprises. Mercedes and Lotus improved slightly, McLaren and Williams had a shocker last year, but apart from that it was a pretty standard year. Red Bulls at the front, Marussias and Caterhams at the back. Straight forward.

BUT F1 giant (metaphorically speaking of course) 'Lil Bernie Ecclestone threw a curveball into this year's rules and regulations. Here are some:

• Drivers have permanent numbers for commercial reasons.
• There is a fuel limit of 100kg, down from 150kg
• The 2.4L V8's have been replaced with 1.6L turbo engines.
• The "ugly" noses are now only 15cm long.
• And finally, the last race is, bizarrely, worth double points.

This has made the title race more open than it has been in years - probably since Keke Rosberg (father of current driver, Nico) won the 1982 Championship. Of course, this is a good thing for F1, if we forget about the ludicrous double points race at Abu Dhabi. If you are not a Red Bull fan like myself, you can get bored of seeing the greatest domination of the sport since Michael Schumacher's 5 in a row in the earlier 2000s. 

Anyway, how did pre-season testing look? Williams looked like a different team who could really push for race wins, Mercedes looked almost unstoppable and Lotus looked shaky. But what was worst of all?

The reliability issues with the Red Bull.

Vettel didn't get a time in the third test, despite the fairly promising look of the car. I say "fairly" because it still looked competitive, but no longer with that blistering pace of the past three years. They needed a miracle after being one of the worst teams in testing.

They didn't quite get that miracle in the first two practices, but they done all right. Both Ricciardo and Vettel finished inside the top eight in the first practice and top six in the second. Caterham had a miserable time over the two practices as they failed to set any times. Maldonado of Lotus was the same, with team mate Romain Grosjean only finishing 18 out of 22 in Practice 2. Marussia seem to be sitting in the same position as last year, but they may be a bit closer than before.

Moving up the field, middle-of-the-grid cars Force India, Toro Rosso and Sauber failed to make any impact with 10th being the highest any of the three cars placed in practices. Then the two most improved teams: McLaren and especially, Williams. As I have said before, both teams had an awful 2013, but McLaren were consistent, with both of their cars finishing inside the top ten on both occasions. Williams were blazing in Practice 1 finishing third and fourth. Their second practice wasn't as strong as they finished 8th and 12th, but the car could easily do what Lotus did last year. 

I've already mentioned Red Bull in the elite cars, so let's talk about Ferrari and Mercedes. First, Ferrari enjoyed Practice 1 when Alonso came out top of the pile, but Raikonnen was a disappointment in ninth. Practice 2 was encouraging as they finished third and seventh respectively. Mercedes were looked a little shaky in first practice as Rosberg was sixth and Hamilton failed to put down a time, but in Practice 2 they hammered the opposition finishing in a one-two, led by Hamilton.

From what we've seen in practice, not a lot will change over a season, but this season that could well happen. The likes of Red Bull, Sauber and Lotus last year were hugely impressive in the second half of the season and with double points in the last race, this could benefit slow starters who upgrade their car well. For a good bit of fun, I will predict the Drivers' Championship as well as the Constructors:

Constructors

1 Mercedes

2 Red Bull

3 Ferrari

4 Williams

5 McLaren

6 Sauber

7 Force India

8 Toro Rosso

9 Lotus

10 Marussia

11 Caterham

Why Mercedes? They are strong already, Hamilton and Rosberg have worked together already and are both experienced. Vettel and Ricciardo however, have not. We are still to see if Ricciardo can get the most out of the car due to his lack of experience in a faster car. Ferrari seem to have the same speed as Red Bull, but I doubt they will be able to develop their car as well as RB, plus Alonso and Raikkonen may be a bad pairing. It could easily go well, but if they are sniffing around at the title it may get heated.

Williams I feel will just squeeze McLaren, but that's the romantic in me talking. The other big surprise there is Lotus in ninth. I feel that they're already in a bad financial position and this won't be a good year from them after some poor testing and practices. I mean, if they have a stroke of luck they could go as high as sixth, but I don't think that they can do any better than that.

Drivers

1 Vettel

2 Hamilton

3 Alonso

4 Raikkonen

5 Rosberg

6 Ricciardo

7 Massa

8 Button 

9 Magnussen

10 Bottas

11 Hulkenberg

12 Perez

13 Sutil

14 Grosjean

15 Vergne

16 Gutierrez

17 Kvyat

18 Maldonado

19 Bianchi

20 Kobayashi

21 Chilton

22 Ericsson 

Right start at the bottom. Chilton and Ericsson are very young, I think that Kobayashi - a risk taker - will beat the two of them. Bianchi will finish ahead as he is a quality driver who deserves recognition. Maldonado is an all-talk driver who won't make an impact, only backed by money. I think Kvyat will struggle with his team mate Vergne not being far away as he really lacks that X Factor in a driver. Gutierrez looks like he may struggle again with the current car, which doesn't seem to be doing much. Grosjean is a brilliant driver - as we saw in the second half of 2013 - but a limited car may well set him back. Sutil will finish behind the Force Indias, who should stay ahead because of two quality drivers - especially Hulkenberg who may struggle to catch the Williams and McLarens in his average car.

Into the top ten. Bottas is a decent driver with a good car this year, but I think he'll struggle with the quality of the other drivers, including Magnussen who may or may not have a good car this year. The Dane is driven, but may be limited by his car, only to be beaten by Button due to his experience and ability in a McLaren. Massa looks like a born-again driver after his last few races and if the Williams is quick, he will be too.  

Ricciardo may struggle to get into the top five and who can blame him? Four of my predicted top five are world champions with the exception being Nico Rosberg who I think will also be outdone by the four world champions. Then come the Ferrari pair. Alonso will beat Raikkonen just because Fernando is the best driver in the field, plus Kimi can be a little inconsistent. Top two - Hamilton will be defeated by Vettel for many reasons: Vettel is a better driver who can battle through a field (as seen a few times last year); Vettel seems more driven towards a title without taking anything away from Hamilton; and Red Bull's car will be the best in the second half. Last year, Mercedes looked the strongest and we all seen how that ended up. 

Overall, this is going to be an exciting year and I can bet that of my predictions I guess eight drivers positions and four constructors positions correctly because it is just that unpredictable.

Here's to another year of great Formula One. Lights out.

Sportman: Drivers Without Sponsors? F Off!

So it is this time of year where I die a little in side - Formula One hibernates for another four months.

Yes, I the left-wing teen who hates big money invading sport, loves the biggest motorsport in the world.

In this time, the 11 teams confirmed for next year will change their cars to fit new regulations for the 2014 season. However, there is something more important that is changing this season - the drivers.

Formula One in the past few years has become a sport of politics and who has the biggest buck, rather than who deserves a seat. We have had a breath of fresh air/worrying swarm of young drivers coming through the sport and making me feel old.

There are three rookie drivers who will start on the grid, with more to be announced. These kids are: Daniil Kvyat (19, Toro Rosso), Kevin Magnussen (21, McLaren) and Sergey Sirotkin (Sauber and he is 10 days younger than me).

Of course, some of you will be asking me, "Are you telling me that you are angry that young drivers are on the grid?"

Well, I wouldn't say angry, more frustrated.

The fact is, that these boys - despite their racing talent - will be chosen because they are worth vital money to the team, take a look at some of the previous rookies:

Pastor Maldonado

Venezuelan driver, soon to be ex-Williams, has developed a reputation for being quite aggressive and clumsy. Won the Spanish Grand Prix in 2012.

 Sergio Perez

Also replaced. Showed promising signs in his debut year at Sauber, before being snapped up by McLaren. Still trying to find a seat for next year.

Esteban Gutierrez

Newbie who has had a competent year, but obviously replaced Kobayashi due to his sponsorship.

This has left some very talented drivers leaving F1. Heikki Kovaleinen was gutted when asked about a seat at the end of 2012, stating that sponsors ruin chances for good drivers. Kamui Kobayashi - one of the most exciting race drivers of 2011 and 2012 - also lost his drive for Sauber in favour of Esteban Gutierrez. They also join a list of Nico Hulkenberg, Pastor Maldonado (ironically), Paul Di Resta, Sergio Perez (also ironically) and Adrian Sutil.

This spells danger for Di Resta and Sutil as both drivers do not have an oil-rig named after them or came out the womb to be sponsored by Telemex.

I know that karting has never been a hobby for the working-class, but they are certainly distancing the sport from the poorer folk. Why would I want to watch drivers who are only in the sport because of millionaires? And who can even say for certain if we will be able to watch this sport for free in the future?

Can drivers make it into Formula One without sponsorship these days? Yes, but it will take some talent. The best way to get into F1 these days is through Toro Rosso's youth system, but even at that, it's a slim chance.

Surely there will be an uproar about skint drivers losing out on opportunities? Probably, but Bernie Ecclestone won't change anything. The more money, the better.

Apparently.

Leave comments below and tell me your opinion about the state of Formula One financially.

Do you think that sponsored drivers are just as good as those who do not receive funding?

Who do you think is the best driver to receive mass funding?

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