Predictions 2008

The first round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is fast approaching and teams are putting the final touches on their race cars. Off Season testing has been very interesting this winter, with Ferrari appearing to be the leader when it comes to shear speed. Williams have impressed, and surprised, with their occasional top 5 finishes on the testing timesheets.

My predictions for this coming season include Ferrari being the team to beat at each circuit with McLaren fighting for second alongside a rejuvenated Renault, lead by the two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso.

As far as dark horses go, I see Williams having a strong year, potentially scoring a podium or two. I also see Scuderia Toro Rosso making inroads to the 'upper-mid-field' lead be Sebastian Vettel.

This will be a development year for both Force India (the former Spyker) as well as Honda. Hopefully these two teams can score points regularly but I am not optimistic. Force India will concentrate on developing their car and searching for well needed speeds and the Honda will be continuously worked-on as Ross Brawn settles in as Team Manager.

I see this year being a let down for Red Bull Racing, Toyota and Super Aguri. Red Bull has shown good form in winter testing but when rubber meets the road, I don't see David Coulthard or Mark Webber coming through with consistent point finishes.

Toyota have proven that money cannot buy wins and I think they will still be off the pace this year. They must concentrate on their core competencies and focus on areas of improvement before change will take place.

Super Aguri Honda (also known as 'Super Best Friends' by the SpeedTV (US/CAN) commentators) has had a very difficult off-season, often not being able to participate in tests due to a lack of car parts. Super Aguri will be using the 2007 Honda works race car, which all who followed F1 in '07, know is a horrible machine when it comes to pace.

The year does look to be an entertaining one. It has a lot to live up to, as 2007 was an exciting season with 3 potential Champions fighting it out in Brazil, the final race on the calendar. The Championship went to Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen, who will be looking to defend his crown.


Kimi Räikkönen

2008 Formula 1 Calendar

The start of the new Formula 1 World Championship season is rapidly closing in. Now with less then a month to go until the 'lights go out' at Melbourne (Australia), the F1 teams participating in this year's saga are gearing up to battle it out in the highest octane motor racing sport on the planet. The following is the complete venue calendar for the 2008 season:

Mar 16 - Melbourne, Australia
Mar 23 - Sepang, Malaysia
Apr 6 - Sakhir, Bahrain
Apr 27 - Barcelona, Spain
May 11 - Istanbul Park, Turkey
May 25 - Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 8 - Montreal, Canada
June 22 - Magny-Cours, France
July 6 - Silverstone, Great Britain
July 20 - Hockenheim, Germany
Aug 3 - Hungaroring, Hungary
Aug 24 - Valencia, Europe
Sep 7 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Sep 14 - Monza, Italy
Sep 28 - Singapore* - more information to follow
Oct 12 - Fuji, Japan
Oct 19 - Shanghai, China
Nov 2 - Interlagos, Brazil

* night race

Traditionally, races have been almost exclusively held in Europe, Australia and North America. As of late, however, there has been a shift - creating events in emerging, lucrative markets. Some of these markets mind you, are beyond 'emerging/developing' and can hold there one - evident by the races in Bahrain and Singapore. In 2009, Abu Dhabi will have its own venue and by 2010, there will be a race in India. Dubai is apparently already in the works of creating not only just a race track and the required facilities, but an entire city focused around racing and tourism! This will include a plethora of hotels, many shopping centers, racing museums and other niceties we Earth dwelling creatures have grown to love.

One will also notice, there is no longer a Grand Prix (race) held in the U.S. This will be there first year in many (and I suspect of several) that the F1 tour will not make its way to the shores of America. Political in-fighting, lack of marketing for the event, track fees - countries ante-up upwards of $50 mil (US) a year just to be given the rights to get on the calendar - and TV time all added to the elimination of an American based event.

The fact of the matter is, Formula 1 comes down to money. Growing markets are accepting F1 with open arms and rightfully so; they should be able to enjoy a race first hand and the tourism that inevitably comes with it. They are able to afford the large payments that are given to the CEO of FOM (Formula One Management), Bernie Ecclestone. The U.S. has a niche F1 viewer base - the majority of viewer ship comes from Europe and now developing countries will (are) getting hooked by the masses. Time will tell as to whether the F1 calendar will soon again read a USGP (United States Grand Prix).

F1 Off-Season

A regular Formula 1 season runs from about Mid-March to Mid-October each year. During the off-season however, teams are busy testing new modifications and innovations on their cars. They may also be occupied with signing on new race and/or test drivers.

Unlike testing that occurs during the season itself, there are no restrictions on what can be done to the racecar itself in the off-season. This means teams can: test radical additions to the car's aerodynamics, adjust the car's weight to a level that would be illegal under race conditions and make modifications to the engine and/or suspension that would normally be too risky to try out on a race weekend. Running these test sessions gives the teams essential data on how the car reacts to the driver's input under various situations.