After one of the most hotly contested seasons in memory Formula One is back, but not quite as we knew it. Rules and regulations often change in F1, but never quite in the obvious and exciting way they have this winter.
Adjustable rear wings, Kinetic Energy Recover Systems (KERS) and a new tyre provider have all been introduced meaning that the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday morning (7am start, BBC 1) could be one of the most dramatic in recent memory.
Lets go through these changes and how they'll affect the racing before taking a look at the drivers who will be fighting for the silverware.
Rear Wing
The adjustable rear wing has been bought in to the replace the now banned F-duct system that stalled the drag caused by the rear wing down the straights. In practice and qualifying, for now, it is can be freely used, something Williams technical director Sam Michael says could be worth half a second a lap. In races however the use of it is carefully legislated. It will only be allowed to be used at certain points on the track and when a car is less than a second behind the one in front. It will also not be allowed during the first two laps.
The hope is that it will increase the overtaking chances in a race but there has been some resistance to it both among the drivers and the fans. The worry is that will take too much away from driver ability and make overtaking too easy. And the fact that only the trailing car can use the device it could lead to a leap frog affect where we see two cars passing each other at the same spot lap after lap, each one unable to create the 1 second gap needed to nullify the benefit of the adjustable wing.
KERS
KERS was first seen on the track in 2009 but only used by some teams. A gentleman’s agreement was in place banning it in 2010 but teams are once again free to use the device which provides a power boost of approximately 80 bhp by recovering wasted heat energy in the braking process.
The system itself weighs 35 kg, and like in 2009 some teams will be loath to add the extra weight. F1 cars tend to come in around 70kg under the weight limit, meaning they place ballast around the car. This allows the manipulation of the balance and weight distribution of the car. A team running KERS will have less ballast, and therefore less ability to change the balance if something is off.
Tyres
F1 has switched tyre provider for 2011. Bridgestone withdrew and Pirelli has stepped in as the sole manufacturer this year. During their own winter tests the new Pirelli rubber was shown to have a much higher rate of degredation to the old Bridgestones. This lead to fears that we would see races involving four or five pit stops. Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali stated that in a race simulation in Barcelona they found 4 stops to be optimum.
These fears have somewhat been put at ease during the practices in Australia this week, with Force India driver Adrian Sutil stating that the tyres were lasting much better in practice. Pirelli boss Paul Hembery confirmed that, as expected, their rubber is working better in the warmer temperatures of Australia.
Teams are learning more and more about the tyres with every lap they complete. Tactical decisions during the race are not expected to be simple or consistent on Sunday. Sutil stated he sees 2 stops as a possibility, but the belief is 3 might be the way to go for the front runners.
Contenders
So who are we expecting to see at the front this year? Defending champion Sebastian Vettel returns with last years constructors champions Red Bull Racing. Vettel signed a new contract this winter that will keep him there through 2014 and is estimated to pay the young German around the £9million a year mark. Mark Webber, so close to the title himself in 2011, rides in the sister Red Bull and is on home soil for the first race of the season.
Red Bull’s technical maestro Adrian Newey stated earlier that the new RB7 could be as much as half a second a lap faster than the Ferrari’s, which would be a continuation of the superiority shown last year.
The Ferrari’s, as ever, are expected to be up at the top of the grid again. Fernando Alonso came very close to robbing Red Bull of its maiden drivers title and only a tactical blunder in the last race in Abu Dhabi prevented the Spaniard taking his third F1 crown. As a result Chris Dyer was replaced by Pat Fry as head of race track engineering after Dyer brought Alonso in to cover Webber rather than leaving him out to battle against then race leader Vettel.
2nd driver Felippe Massa did not look like himself for a lot of 2010 and was controversially ordered aside to let Alonso win in Germany. The ban on team orders has been lifted for 2011 and I’d be highly surprised if we didn’t see a repeat of this. That will however be much harder to justify if Massa can show strong early season form and return to the driver he was before his freak accident.
The McLarens of British Duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were expected to be slightly behind the other two constructors once again. But after dropping a complicated new exhaust component they found some extra performance and topped the time charts at the end of second practice. McLaren were left behind by midseason developments from Red Bull and Ferrari in 2010, much to the annoyance of Hamilton and Button. The Woking based outfit will have to work hard to ensure a similar scenario doesn’t unfold again.
One contender who will not be lining up on the grid for the start of the season, and probably the entirety of 2011 is Pole Robert Kubica. The Renault driver had been rubbing shoulders with the big boys at the end of last year, finding pace that no one had expected from his car. Unfortunately during a rally in February Kubica crashed and suffered severe injuries that required seven hours of emergency surgery and a further 2 operations. A promising career has been put on hold, and it’s possible he will be not able to race again in F1.
New Brit On The Scene
Paul di Resta, from Livingston, Scotland was promoted from Test Driver to the 2nd race seat with Force India for the 2011 season. Di Resta, 24, replaces Antonio Liuzzi after good showings during practice in 2010 and having seen success at every level of racing he’s competed in. In 2006 di Resta beat team-mate and now F1 champion Sebastian Vettel to the Formula 3 Euroseries championship, that should give you some idea of the talents of the man.
The Outcome?
So who’s coming away as 2011 champion? It would be foolish to discount anyone from the top 3 teams outright before a lap is completed but Massa is certainly the least likely of those 6 to be crowned come the end of November. Fernando Alonso is clearly Ferrari’s number one, and if he’s even slightly in the hunt they’ll back him to the hilt.
I’m sure I’m not the only one saying that I hope Mark Webber wins. He’s the only one of the other 5 guys without a world title and the one closest to retirement. He’s a great guy and would be a worthy winner too.
However the favourite would be Vettel, just ahead of Alonso. Vettel is in the best car (for now) and suffered mechanical failures that stopped him romping away with the championship. Alonso is simply unflappable. He drove a weaker Ferrari so hard last year he was favourite going into the last race. The two-time champion never seems to get rattled and Ferrari work hard to make sure their number 1 can win.
The Brits? They’re suffering from a weaker car and an even playing field in house. McLaren won’t back one over the other until they absolutely have to, which gives Alonso a step on them and the Red Bull’s, even on the surface, have the car advantage over them.
So settle in and sit back. It’s going to be a rollercoaster seven months.
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