Many may be forgiven for thinking that the 2013 F1 season, which kicks off today in Melbourne, will be yet again characterised by Red Bull’s dominance, as has been the case for the past three seasons.
But during the launch of the RB9, which I was fortunate to attend, Adrian Newey said that winning this year will be searching for the devil in the minute detail of the car.
Towards the end of last season, many teams were close to some excellent results but these came late due to rule changes. Having been at Silverstone awaiting the unveiling of the new Sahara Force India F1 2013, I had the opportunity to view at close quarters both last year’s car, the VJM05, and the current 2013 VJ06.
Visually the difference was minimal, but close inspection of both cars showed changes beneath the skin; wheel supports were moved for better handling, while the famous Coanda exhausts that gave many of the design engineers sleepless nights seem to have mastered the trade. We have seen all cars sporting this exhaust layout and possibly this is an area where modifications will make the difference.
Compared to previous years, Ferrari are upbeat, with both drivers claiming to be 200 per cent on last year. Lotus seems to have a very reliable car while Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have opted for the infamous Ferrari pull rod configuration, resulting in a much leaner front. However, it is a fact that Ferrari took a rather long time to get to grips with this configuration.
McLaren last year were the only top team not to sport a leading step at the front of the car. This year nearly all teams have covered the step with a vanity panel taking a bit more weight but a definite gain in aero stability.
Double drag reduction system (DRS) has been abolished, and during qualifying, DRS will be used in designated areas. DRS should never have been adopted, because getting close to the car in front and then zooming past is not a sign of a driver’s ability but the result of an aero adaptation to minimise drag and attain more top speed.
We have read little of the serious consequences if DRS had to fail at the end of a straight or the delay in aero behaviour when the DRS is closed. I saw this being simulated at one of the F1 teams’ wind tunnel, and the results can be catastrophic.
Tyres will also be an issue and will need acclimatisation. They will be quicker but will degrade faster.
New McLaren driver Sergio Perez, who is renowned for mastering tyres, complained that the current tyre resembles cauliflowers after being pushed. One has to mention the fact that the ambient testing temperature in Spain was nowhere close to what the teams will be facing in Melbourne today.
Eleven teams will be participating this season after HRT were left high and dry with financial problems. Qualifying will eliminate two batches of six drivers, then the final 10 will battle for pole.
This year will be the maiden F1 season for five drivers – Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi driving for Marussia, Esteban Gutierrez at Sauber, Giedo van der Grade at Caterham and Finn Vallteri Bottas at Williams.
Adrian Sutil will return to Force India, Sergio Perez has moved to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is back with Mercedes while Nico Hulkenberg has joined Sauber.
Prospects 2013
Team-by-team prospects for the Formula One season that starts in Melbourne, Australia, today:
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel (Germany), Mark Webber (Australia).
Vettel and his team, both chasing their fourth successive titles, are the favourites. They showed last year that they can come roaring back from a sluggish start and opponents know that any car designed by Adrian Newey is sure to be quick and competitive.
Webber, now the oldest driver on the grid at 36 and maybe in his last season with Red Bull, has a new race engineeer. He also had a 38cms titanium rod removed from his leg over the winter, which will give him peace of mind.
They were fastest on only one test day but rivals suspected they were masking their potential and have plenty in reserve.
Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (Spain), Felipe Massa (Brazil).
The glamour team are on a different planet compared to this time last year. Alonso has said the new F138 car is “200 times better”, even if still not the fastest.
The Spaniard skipped the first test to focus on fitness work and will be hungrier than ever for his third title.
Massa knows it could be his last season with the team but he has his confidence back after a dismal start to 2012. Sure to be contenders all the way to the finish.
McLaren
Jenson Button (Britain), Sergio Perez (Mexico).
This could be Button’s best chance yet of a second title. Lewis Hamilton has left and new team mate Perez is still finding his feet.
The car looks quick but the team need to unlock a more consistent performance from it. McLaren expect the pair to be trading places and battling for grid position from the start.
Perez is well placed to take his first win and the team expect him to push Button all the way.
Lotus
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland), Romain Grosjean (France).
Raikkonen took one win in his 2012 comeback year and the Finn hopes to do much better than that now, with a real championship challenge a possibility.
The Lotus has shown good pace in testing, even if the mileage has been less than the others, and the team is now aiming to crack the top three.
Grosjean, now married and with a child on the way, has been seeing a sports psychologist and should be a calmer racer than the crash-happy competitor who was banned for a race last year.
Some rivals suspect Lotus could be the second quickest car after Red Bull.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (Britain), Nico Rosberg (Germany).
Can 2008 world champion Hamilton, replacing now-retired Michael Schumacher, be a winner with Mercedes this season? That is the big pre-season question, and the signs are he might not have to wait as long as he feared even if testing times can be misleading. The car is a clear improvement on last year’s disappointing vehicle and Hamilton can be counted on to wring the most of it.
Rosberg, winner in China last year, will be a strong team mate.
Podium contenders at least.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg (Germany), Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico).
Sauber were the quiet revelation of 2012, with four podiums. Doing better than that will be tough for the all-new line-up. But the Hulk is highly rated, with two full seasons under his belt with Williams and Force India.
With a Ferrari 2014 seat likely to be up for grabs, he will be doing all he can to impress. Gutierrez has been learning the ropes with Sauber for a while but remains an unknown quantity.
The car is one of the best looking, but testing times suggest a mid-field battle ahead.
Force India
Paul Di Resta (Britain), Adrian Sutil (Germany).
Formula One calendar for 2013
March 17 – Australia
Albert Park street circuit. Fifty-eight laps of 5.303km. Total distance: 307.574km. 2012 winner: Jenson Button (McLaren). Melbourne has hosted what has become one of the most popular races on the calendar since 1996.
March 24 – Malaysia
Sepang circuit. Fifty-six laps of 5.543km. Total distance: 310.408km. 2012 winner: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). The hot and steamy Hermann Tilke-designed track, next to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, made its debut in 1999.
April 14 – China
Shanghai International Circuit. Fifty-six laps of 5.451km. Total distance: 305.066km. 2012 winner: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes). Built on a vast, and some might say overwhelming, scale in the shape of the Chinese character ‘shang’. On the calendar since 2004.
April 21 – Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir. Fifty-seven laps of 5.412km. Total distance: 308.238km. 2012 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull). Another Tilke circuit and the first in the Middle East to host a grand prix in 2004. Civil unrest on the Gulf island has cast a cloud over the race since 2011.
May 12 – Spain
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. Sixty-six laps of 4.655km. Total distance: 307.104km. 2012 winner: Pastor Maldonado (Williams). A regular test destination and once the most predictable of circuits, familiar to all teams since 1991.
May 26 – Monaco
Monte Carlo. Seventy-eight laps of 3.340km. Total distance: 260.520km. 2012 winner: Mark Webber (Red Bull). The slowest and shortest race on the calendar but also the most glamorous. Steeped in history, Monaco is the one every driver wants to win.
June 9 – Canada
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. Seventy laps of 4.361km. Total distance: 305.270km. 2012 winner: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren). A popular destination with teams and sponsors since 1978, the circuit is on the Ile Notre-Dame, an artificial island in Montreal’s St Lawrence River.
June 30 – Britain
Silverstone. Fifty-two laps of 5.891km. Total distance: 306.198km. 2012 winner: Webber. The former World War Two airfield hosted the first F1 championship grand prix in 1950.
July 7 – Germany
Nuerburgring. Sixty laps of 5.148km. Total distance: 308.623km. 2012 winner: Alonso. The original Nordschleife circuit was known as the Green Hell but the current one, used since 1984, is a far more tame affair if still atmospheric.
July 28 – Hungary
Hungaroring, Budapest. Seventy laps of 4.381km. Total distance: 306.630km. 2012 winner: Hamilton. The first race here in 1986 marked Formula One’s debut behind what was then the Iron Curtain dividing Europe. Tight, twisty and slow.
August 25 – Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps. Forty-four laps of 7.004km. Total distance: 308.052km. 2012 winner: Button. The longest lap on the calendar and one of the fastest circuits, Spa is a blast down memory lane. Often wet, always thrilling for drivers and fans.
September 8 – Italy
Monza. Fifty-three laps of 5.793km. Total distance: 306.720km. 2012 winner: Hamilton. The temple of Italian motorsport and home of Ferrari, the circuit is the fastest in Formula One. The now disused and crumbling banking dates back to 1922.
September 22 – Singapore
Marina Bay street circuit. Sixty-one laps of 5.073km. Total distance: 309.316km. 2012 winner: Vettel. Formula One’s first race run entirely at night, a glamorous and wildly successful fixture since its floodlit debut in 2008.
October 6 – South Korea
Korea International Circuit, Yeongam. Fifty-five laps of 5.615km. Total distance: 308.630km. 2012 winner: Vettel. An anti-clockwise Tilke circuit, located in a shipbuilding centre 370km south-west of Seoul. Attendances have been low since the first 2010 race.
October 13 – Japan
Suzuka. Fifty-three laps of 5.807km. Total distance: 307.471km. 2012 winner: Vettel. A classic figure of eight layout, owned by Honda and built in 1962 as a test track. Fast, flowing and one of the greatest challenges for any F1 driver.
October 27 – India
Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. Sixty laps of 5.125km. Total distance: 307.249km. 2012 winner: Vettel. The first race at the undulating Tilke track south of Delhi was held in 2011 and became an instant hit.
November 3 – Abu Dhabi
Yas Marina. Fifty-five laps of 5.554km. Total distance: 305.355km. 2012 winner: Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus). The first day-to-night race started in 2009. A spectacular no-expense-spared Tilke circuit that raised the bar for opulence.
November 17 – The United States
Circuit of the America. Austin, Texas. Fifty-six laps of 5.513km. Total distance: 308.405km. 2012 winner: Hamilton. Anti-clockwise and the first purpose-built F1 track in the US. A massive hit on its debut last year.
November 24 – Brazil
Interlagos, Sao Paulo. Seventy-one laps of 4.309km. Total distance: 305.909km. 2012 winner: Button. Dilapidated but hugely atmospheric bowl of a circuit that hosted its first race in 1973. Home of the late Ayrton Senna.