12/21/24
March 14, 2007
2007 Formula One World Championship preview: With Melbourne mere days away, what can we expect from the top drivers fighting to be number one? A column by sportsfilter's own Drood.
posted by justgary to auto racing at 11:19 AM - 7 comments
Thanks. I'm a Williams fan since day one of watching F1, so I dearly hope they humble Toyota this year. Would have covered all the teams, but was trying to stay under the 1000 words:) So it seemed just covering the front runners seemed fair. I think Fernando will adjust okay. He's extremely good at getting the best from his machinery. Rain is forecast for first practice last I checked, so we may not get a real indication until Saturday. Going to be a fun a weekend.
posted by Drood at 05:29 PM on March 14, 2007
Ever since Damon Hill retired, I have been a fanof the sport rather than a driver or team. This looks to be the most wide open, competitive year I have seen in a long time. I can not wait for the race. I hope it comes down to 3 drivers at the last race to decide both championships!!!
posted by vipers-pit at 01:27 AM on March 15, 2007
Same here actually. Once Damon retired, I had no real driver I supported, but I really started to cheer for Alonso last year. It was nice to have someone to cheer for again.
posted by Drood at 04:26 AM on March 15, 2007
Thanks for the preview, Drood. I may well follow this season a bit more closely than the last few.
posted by qbert72 at 08:34 AM on March 15, 2007
You're right, Drood - Fernando is good at milking his car for all it has, I'm not trying to question his ability, at all. However, Renault essentially gave him a go-kart to drive. He could put it anywhere on the track, pick any line and then drive the wheels off. I'm sure he'll get the most out of the McLaren, I'm just not sure how much the "most" is going to be, with a car that has reliability issues and traditionally has a handling characteristic not matched to his style. I'd also like to see Williams back at the front, but I don't know if that'll ever happen again. The ha-ha joke around the paddock is that Williams ditched the Cosworth for being underpowered and then replaced it with an engine with 10HP less. Williams have been in a hole ever since they tried the twin-keel. I don't think they've ever got the time back to the other teams. I'll settle for some proper racing though, whoever wins the title. If we could get to a point with five teams, (Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, BMW, ...?...), seriously in the mix for points and podiums, that would be fantastic.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:53 AM on March 15, 2007
Problem with Williams is with Cosworth, they got an engine, that's it. With Toyota, they have tech sharing, and the engine is subsidised I think. I know they've already shared their seamless shift gearbox tech with Toyota. After practice today, Massa was quicker than Raikkonen. Hamilton faster than Alonso... And who else is up there? Nick Heidfeld... Curious...
posted by Drood at 04:15 AM on March 16, 2007
Nice run through there, Drood. I'm interested and to see, (and slightly pensive about), what Fernando can do in the McLaren though. A driver with a brutal first move on the steering wheel in corners, paired with a car that traditionally understeers is a mix that could go very wrong. I'd love to see the Macs back at the front though.