F1: 2006 Primer, Part Deux
Since the 2nd half of this primer involves describing the likely frontrunner teams and drivers for the championship, it'll also involve a bit of recap of 2005. I decided to talk about Suzuka in the next post.
The 2005 Championship Race
In short, after years of Ferrari dominance, Renault and Fernando Alonso broke Ferrari's streak by taking both Constructor's and Driver's championships, which are separately awarded from sums of points won from each race.
Renault had the best car in the initial races, and had two of the best drivers who weren't Michael Schumacher (driving for Ferrari). They were Fernando Alonso, and Giancarlo Fisichella. Both were highly acclaimed by journalists, and were basically underdogs given a chance to shine at a major manufacturer's team (in the lingo, a 'works team').
Alonso took a huge early lead, but by mid-season McLaren started to catch up. Ferrari got onto the podium with a few 3rd places by Schumacher, but the McLaren car, along with its roughly 950hp Mercedes V10 (F1 cars weigh a bit more than 600kg ~ 1300lbs) started to become alarmingly aerodynamic.
By the end of the season, McLaren's technical lead was simply absurd, sometimes 2 seconds or more a lap (an eternity in F1). Due to technical or driver accidents in qualifying, McLaren drivers Kimi Raikonnen or Juan Pablo Montoya might find themselves at the back of the 20-car grid. However, the vast majority of the time, by the end of the race they would be contending for 2nd or 1st.
McLaren's two drivers were also two of the best, but proven winners. Both had been at different times runners-up to Michael Schumacher's numerous Ferrari-driven World Championships.
Furthermore, of the six drivers (2 per team) at Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari, only Ferrari had a driver change for 2006. Rubens Barrichello left for Honda, with Felipe Massa joining from Sauber. Massa's seat, however, will be for the second Ferrari car, or IOW, the "bitch seat." At many teams, the first car typically gets more attention and better tuning. Nonetheless, these three teams, having suffered little ownership upheaval nor significant driver changes, are likely to be at the front of the 2006 grid.
In 2006, new regulations mandate a move from 3.0 liter V10's to 2.4 liter V8's. There are some interesting technical ramifications of this move. However, as far as the competition is concerned, this means that the question of who has the best car is up for grabs. The different engine package means different size constraints, which means different aerodynamics. Whoever is able to find an optimal solution to all of these changes first will take a significant points lead, as Renault did last season.
My personal theory is that Ferrari, with its ridiculous budget resources, held back last season in order to develop this year's car. They will very possibly return to form. With Schumacher, it's definitely possible. But all the new manufacturers in F1 means that it will be harder to leap ahead of the field in technical competence, and so it will be down to the drivers to prove themselves. But it will take the entire field as well as F1 administrators to make the sport as enthralling and entertaining as it can be.
The 2005 Championship Race
In short, after years of Ferrari dominance, Renault and Fernando Alonso broke Ferrari's streak by taking both Constructor's and Driver's championships, which are separately awarded from sums of points won from each race.
Renault had the best car in the initial races, and had two of the best drivers who weren't Michael Schumacher (driving for Ferrari). They were Fernando Alonso, and Giancarlo Fisichella. Both were highly acclaimed by journalists, and were basically underdogs given a chance to shine at a major manufacturer's team (in the lingo, a 'works team').
Alonso took a huge early lead, but by mid-season McLaren started to catch up. Ferrari got onto the podium with a few 3rd places by Schumacher, but the McLaren car, along with its roughly 950hp Mercedes V10 (F1 cars weigh a bit more than 600kg ~ 1300lbs) started to become alarmingly aerodynamic.
By the end of the season, McLaren's technical lead was simply absurd, sometimes 2 seconds or more a lap (an eternity in F1). Due to technical or driver accidents in qualifying, McLaren drivers Kimi Raikonnen or Juan Pablo Montoya might find themselves at the back of the 20-car grid. However, the vast majority of the time, by the end of the race they would be contending for 2nd or 1st.
McLaren's two drivers were also two of the best, but proven winners. Both had been at different times runners-up to Michael Schumacher's numerous Ferrari-driven World Championships.
Furthermore, of the six drivers (2 per team) at Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari, only Ferrari had a driver change for 2006. Rubens Barrichello left for Honda, with Felipe Massa joining from Sauber. Massa's seat, however, will be for the second Ferrari car, or IOW, the "bitch seat." At many teams, the first car typically gets more attention and better tuning. Nonetheless, these three teams, having suffered little ownership upheaval nor significant driver changes, are likely to be at the front of the 2006 grid.
In 2006, new regulations mandate a move from 3.0 liter V10's to 2.4 liter V8's. There are some interesting technical ramifications of this move. However, as far as the competition is concerned, this means that the question of who has the best car is up for grabs. The different engine package means different size constraints, which means different aerodynamics. Whoever is able to find an optimal solution to all of these changes first will take a significant points lead, as Renault did last season.
My personal theory is that Ferrari, with its ridiculous budget resources, held back last season in order to develop this year's car. They will very possibly return to form. With Schumacher, it's definitely possible. But all the new manufacturers in F1 means that it will be harder to leap ahead of the field in technical competence, and so it will be down to the drivers to prove themselves. But it will take the entire field as well as F1 administrators to make the sport as enthralling and entertaining as it can be.
posted by joe at 12:19 AM
6 Comments:
So basically, I disagree with your predictions completely. I think that Hyundai, the old Yugo car company, and the Poopie car company will come in 1,2,3 during the 2006 season. Considering the technical expertise and physical adeptness of the all-Korean Hyundai team, there's no doubt they'll be #1. The old Yugo car company - the fact that they're really uncomfortable must mean that they're REALLY fast. However, the lack of driving skill on the Yugo team, and the hemmorhoids that the uncomfortable cars cause for the drivers mean that 2nd place is the best they'll do. And finally, with the Poopie car company - given the many different kinds of poopie in this world (e.g., big ass poop, diarrhea, corn poop...you know what I'm talking about - corn poop...etc), their diversity makes them a shoe-in for 3rd place.
Now - how can you argue with that logic?
I was just about to say the same thing.
Ah, an interesting prediction, supported by well-thought and remarkably consistent logic.
However, I think you overestimate those team's chances. Hyundai will indeed likely have an excellent car, highly reliable and backed by a 10-year warranty.
However, the noted Korean fondness for kimchee and Counter-Strike means that their drivers will stay up late at night playing CS and eating buckets of that spicy yet delicious food. With their brains stimulated and stomachs full of excessively spiced cabbage on race day, Hyundai drivers simply explode in their fire-retardant suits driving in the F1 car, due to in-car temperatures and various metabolic reactions. Quite simply, no Korean driver has survived a full F1 season.
The Yugo team is composed entirely of 1980's Yugoslavians currently on the run from the UN. Still distraught over their loss in the 1998 War That No One Cared About, I predict that Yugo will not build a single car in the 2006 season. Instead, they will opt to build various state-of-the-art ingenious retaliatory weapons of war. At Bahrain in March, they will launch their counterattack, get conquered by a UN/NATO military coalition composed of Chuck Norris, and get disqualified for the season.
Poopie car company, however, may likely be the come-from-behind team of the season. Poopie, as we all know, is as relentless as it is unbeatable. You simply cannot fight poopie, you just have to let them do their thing. God, I hate poopie. I predict that since Poopie prefers entropy, they will fight all other teams for last place, which is their home, in a vicious fight to the death, which poopie will win because they spawn endlessly, and only die by becoming dirt, which grows food, which people eat, and then turn into more poopie!
No run-on sentence will ever be able to express my hatred for Poopie.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.
I HATE CHUCK NORRIS!!!
Did someone hack into Lauren's account and post non-sequitors about Chuck Norris on everyone's blog?
My favorite was when NBC bought Universal and Conan started playing clips from Walker Texas Ranger on his show.
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