Would this Sunday’s race in Magny-Cours be a new beginning for the F1 season?
The race will be the first opportunity for the teams to gauge their progress since the intensive three-day test at Silverstone last week, and there is a lot hinging on it.
Ferrari, in particular, seem to be optimistic that Magny-Cours will be the springboard for their assault on the championship, where they trail McLaren by 35 points in the constructors’ table. Both of the drivers in red have been vocal in their confidence after a test which saw the Scuderia post the fastest time.
"Last week was a perfect week," Kimi Raikkonen was reported saying. "We had a very good test in Silverstone: the car was much better than at the races in North America. So I'm really very confident of the race in Magny-Cours.”
Felipe Massa, currently third in the drivers’ championship behind the McLaren duo is also optimistic.
"In my opinion we can be ahead of McLaren, and anyway that's our objective from here to the end of the year. Now, however, we've realized what wasn't working in the last three races, even though the gap to bridge isn't small. But it's not over, and we never give up."
Of course, McLaren were testing new parts too. The team did not feature high on the timesheets, but then, that was the case too before the North American races, which they won.
Chief operating officer Martin Whitmarsh had gone out of his way to stress that there is no complacency in the Woking squad. Lewis Hamilton leads Fernando Alonso by 10 points at the head of the drivers’ table as their rivalry hots up.
Testing away from the public eye, Honda also reported progress in their tests in sunny Jerez. Like Ferrari, they tried a whole raft of aerodynamic modifications and new suspensions. But while Ferrari are fighting to get back in front, the Japanese outfit is battling just to get into a points scoring position. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will certainly be hoping to finish in front of the Super Aguris, which joined Honda in Jerez last week, testing a seamless shift gearbox.
The Honda-supplied team has been a surprise this year, winning four points so far, all thanks to Takuma Sato.
Renault, the current champions, have said they have “turned the tide” which caused them to slide in the standings in the seven races so far. They now have third placed BMW firmly in their sights as the home race comes up.
Rookie Heikki Kovalainen has been improving steadily as he put more races under his belt, coming fourth in Canada and fifth in Indy. Rivals BMW, meanwhile, are expected to welcome back Robert Kubica, who had recovered after his shunt in Montreal.
Magny-Cours is not popular with the F1 fraternity because of its isolated location in the middle of a rural area and this could be the last race there, with Bernie Ecclestone seeking a circuit closer to Paris. It is a somewhat technical circuit, with the challenge made a bit stiffer this year since parts of it have been resurfaced and will lack grip initially. The teams will be using soft and medium Bridgestone tyres.
Michael Schumacher won there last year as Ferrari confirmed a come-back which started in Indy and almost took them to the championship. Indeed, the German won at Magny-Cours a record eight times.
The weather outlook in rather unsettled for Friday, with a 40 per cent chance of rain. That drops to 20 per cent for Saturday and will rise to 30 per cent on Sunday. It will also be cooler than at the last race in Indianapolis.
The race will be the first opportunity for the teams to gauge their progress since the intensive three-day test at Silverstone last week, and there is a lot hinging on it.
Ferrari, in particular, seem to be optimistic that Magny-Cours will be the springboard for their assault on the championship, where they trail McLaren by 35 points in the constructors’ table. Both of the drivers in red have been vocal in their confidence after a test which saw the Scuderia post the fastest time.
"Last week was a perfect week," Kimi Raikkonen was reported saying. "We had a very good test in Silverstone: the car was much better than at the races in North America. So I'm really very confident of the race in Magny-Cours.”
Felipe Massa, currently third in the drivers’ championship behind the McLaren duo is also optimistic.
"In my opinion we can be ahead of McLaren, and anyway that's our objective from here to the end of the year. Now, however, we've realized what wasn't working in the last three races, even though the gap to bridge isn't small. But it's not over, and we never give up."
Of course, McLaren were testing new parts too. The team did not feature high on the timesheets, but then, that was the case too before the North American races, which they won.
Chief operating officer Martin Whitmarsh had gone out of his way to stress that there is no complacency in the Woking squad. Lewis Hamilton leads Fernando Alonso by 10 points at the head of the drivers’ table as their rivalry hots up.
Testing away from the public eye, Honda also reported progress in their tests in sunny Jerez. Like Ferrari, they tried a whole raft of aerodynamic modifications and new suspensions. But while Ferrari are fighting to get back in front, the Japanese outfit is battling just to get into a points scoring position. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will certainly be hoping to finish in front of the Super Aguris, which joined Honda in Jerez last week, testing a seamless shift gearbox.
The Honda-supplied team has been a surprise this year, winning four points so far, all thanks to Takuma Sato.
Renault, the current champions, have said they have “turned the tide” which caused them to slide in the standings in the seven races so far. They now have third placed BMW firmly in their sights as the home race comes up.
Rookie Heikki Kovalainen has been improving steadily as he put more races under his belt, coming fourth in Canada and fifth in Indy. Rivals BMW, meanwhile, are expected to welcome back Robert Kubica, who had recovered after his shunt in Montreal.
Magny-Cours is not popular with the F1 fraternity because of its isolated location in the middle of a rural area and this could be the last race there, with Bernie Ecclestone seeking a circuit closer to Paris. It is a somewhat technical circuit, with the challenge made a bit stiffer this year since parts of it have been resurfaced and will lack grip initially. The teams will be using soft and medium Bridgestone tyres.
Michael Schumacher won there last year as Ferrari confirmed a come-back which started in Indy and almost took them to the championship. Indeed, the German won at Magny-Cours a record eight times.
The weather outlook in rather unsettled for Friday, with a 40 per cent chance of rain. That drops to 20 per cent for Saturday and will rise to 30 per cent on Sunday. It will also be cooler than at the last race in Indianapolis.