Return of the Champion. Some new faces, some old faces gone. Some have moved to better places, some have just moved on. This new season has the sounds of being a memorable one, if not thrilling. Of course, my bets are on the thrilling part. For the last 3 seasons, we have seen tough battles for the championships. And I am willing to bet this season turns out to be the same.
Excited as I am for the lights to go out at Bahrain, I cannot disregard the impact of the many changes that this season brings in. First and foremost, the new teams. It's going to be interesting at the start, we shall see if the new teams have made good on their developments, or are we going to see a few crashes and stops on the way. My feeling is that the new teams will be a problem, they haven't had enough development time, and the veterans are, well, just too good.
Secondly, the most drastic change is the ban on refueling. This is going to define each race and the season. The car with the best economy is likely to be ahead. Plus the weight of the cars has increases because they have to carry a full load and the tyres are going to suffer. As a true F1 fan is always more interested in the tactics involved than the actual race, it will be nice to see different set of tactics on display. Refueling has been allowed since '93, I was too young to watch races then. So this rule has brought a new flavor to my following. And of course, qualifying will be qualifying, finally. No fuel loads to worry about, no burn laps. They tyres, well, that's another story. Soft tyres will wear off faster than you can say "antidisestablishmentarianism".
Schumacher may be the only driver to remember how a ban on refueling affected cars. And he returns to the grid after a three year hiatus. A permanent retirement was never a possibility. The fact that as true champion like him did not retire on winning a championship is a mark on his career. Three years later, though he may not be that out-of-date with the new cars, he is certainly going to have a hard time coping with the likes of Hamilton, Alonso and Massa. The faint hope of his finishing this season with some sort of success is that he teams up with Ross Brawn, the man with whom he has won multiple championships, and whose car is the defending champion. Fear not laddies, for this season is going to be one to remember.
As far as predictions go, it is too early for me to say anything on it. I want to see how it all goes in Bahrain. There we can get an idea about how the cars perform, how the refueling ban affects everyone, how the new teams fare and who wins. And of course, PIT BABES.
So, it Get Set Go ...
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