So, who do you think will be #1?

[Lee]

Start of the season is 58 days away and testing has already started, but who do you think will have their hand raised as champion come October?

 

[Omnis]

I don't even know what the teams look like yet.

I'd say schumy or trulli right now, though.

 

[Diego440]

he he... Kimi Raikkonen 100% (2 votes)... so far

 

[Lee]

I don't even know what the teams look like yet.

You can take into consideration rule changes, driver line ups, etc

 

[THE ED3]

good old ms...

 

[kensei]

Schumi is going to dominate, period. 2006 will be another 2002.

I doubt Mclaren will win a race. Renault might win one or two and Toyota will take a victory. Other than that it will be ALL Ferrari and Bridgestone.

Constructors
1- Ferrari
2- Toyota
3- Renault (well behind 1 & 2, 30-40pts)
4- Williams
5- McLaren (blame Merc, not Kimi or JPM)

Drivers
1- Schumi (he will have the title wrapped up by by 3/4 season)
2- Alonso
3- Trulli
4- Ralf
5- Kimi (well behind, thank Merc again)


Ferrari, Toyota and Bridgestone will dominate!

 

[THE ED3]

If only honda would switch to bridgestone...

 

[qwazy|06]

i think ralf has a strong chance of winning.

it'll be between ralf, michael and kimi.

drivers-
t1 ralf schumacher
ralf, i think, will put it all together this season. he'll have the car, a car he likes, a very high-budget team, and a teammate who'll do enough to take points away from others, but not away from him.

t1 michael schumacher
i really cant decide who'll win between the schumi brothers. michael is showing that he means more than business as with ferrari. he'll have everything he needs at his fingertips to win the championship. it'll just be up to him to lose it.

3 kimi raikkonen
i have him placing well and possibly winning based on his skill, alone. mclaren will have fewer reliability issues on the chassis side, but it's hard to bode for mercedes given the recent news about not being able to test with v8 yet.

4 mark webber
webber will prove his worth this season facing last years ego-bust, the prospect of losing next seasons seat to wurz, and the presence of a young nico rosberg.

5 filipe massa
massa will get points simply because he has michael to teach him a few things and ferrari will be that good.

dark horse of the season will be david coulthard. he's gonna' show up and race this season. mark my words.

constructors-
1 toyota
2 ferrari
3 williams
4 mclaren
5 red bull

 

[Blake]

I think the constructors will go down to Toyota, but the WDC to Michael.

Constructors

1. Toyota
2. Ferrari
3. Renault

Drivers

1. Michael Schumacher
2. Ralf Schumacher
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Jarno Trulli
5. Felipe Massa

 

[THE ED3]

maybe... to bad toyota will win because of tires... if they were with the same company I think it would take them another few years to get there.

 

[kensei]

maybe... to bad toyota will win because of tires... if they were with the same company I think it would take them another few years to get there.

Toyota is my "team"...but I do agree. Their car is good, but the switch to Bridgestone for 06 was brilliant.

As far as Toyota taking the constructors...hmmm. I'd love to see it....and with Trulli and Ralf up there each race in the high points it could happen. Micheal will win most races, but I don't see Massa always being up there. Together Trulli/Ralf might be able to do it.

Honda and Mclaren are the most screwed next year IMO....they will be lucky to be in the top 5 I think.

 

[THE ED3]

They do have a decent car... I think if they had not switched sides I think they could run well, But not really well. The tire change gave them what they needed I see a top three for them in the contructors.

I just want honda to do good... I feel like a mother with a bad child... I know what I want them do to but they just never do it...

 

[Brett]

Right now, I have no real idea on who is going to win either of the championships. But I do think that Ferrari will do much better this year because of the rules going back to allowing tire changes. I don't really know what to expect out of Felipe Massa. The last couple of years with Sauber he has been up and down the entire year and I kinda see it to be the same. I think McLaren can still be a top contender this year, but only depending on Ilmor. I think Toyota will have a good year. I don't really know what to expect out of Honda with the new change to Honda control. Red Bull could be good. Don't know what else to expect out of BMW either. So pretty much I don't know what is going to happen at all yet.

 

[THE ED3]

With the contract issues with one driver settled, A MUCH stronger second driver, Full controll over the team and the need to prove that they are really serious in their first year as a full honda team, I think honda has a good shot at doing better. They should have learned some good stuff about the cars aero from 2006, the tire changes will let them run the car lighter which jensen likes, the extra expeirence rubens bring to the team should help...

I think they can do better.

 

[Nasadus]

I personally think that Michael Schumacher will win the drivers championship. Ferrari will be back, especially now that the tire changes are back.This was one of the big reasons of their poor performance last year.

Fernando i think won't win a single race (Renault will be having engine difficulties). I don't think they will have a good engine. Renault took a while to get to the top and last year they finally made it, now they have to start over and looking at their V10 run they will be off to a slow start compared to the other teams.

I don't know what will happen with Kimi and McLaren Mercedes. So far every V8 they tested blew up. It isn't looking good for them. Newey leaving will also have a negative effect. I don't think they will completely drop to the back of the grid but i don't see them at the top this year, let's hope i'm wrong.

I expect a lot from Williams, they have been boasting about their second windtunnel and won't have any excuses this year. Last year they said their windtunnel wasn't calibrated properly so it gave them false data wich resulted in their poor performance. This year they say will be different.They completed their second wind tunnel a while ago and both are working at optimal efficiency so they will have no excuses anymore. Cosworth i think will build a very good V8, they are known for it and have the most experience building V8's compared to the other engine manufacturers. So Williams i think will have a pretty good shot at the title.

Toyota will also be one of the major players this year. This is their 5th year in F1 and they said when they began their F1 project that they had a 5 year plan. In the 5th year they would be at the top and it certainly seems that they will pull it off.

 

[Lee]

Honda and Mclaren are the most screwed next year IMO....they will be lucky to be in the top 5 I think.

I don't think McLaren will be screwed as such, I'm pretty sure the drivers will get the most out of what they have, Newey would have had some put into the design of this years car even if he is with RBR now. I would think we will see them on the podium quite a bit, a win? its possible I think, it's just a matter of the V8 and Michelins, one thing for certain, they deffinatley have the drivers to bring home a 1st place.

As for Honda, they could very well be screwed , lets face it, their driver line up is not the best we have ever witnessed, Button, yeah he is good at passing and getting the most out of a relitivley poor car (05) but just lets his personal problems off the track get to him, perhaps now he has a 5 year contract with Honda he can knuckle down. Ruben's is a decent driver, don't get me wrong and I'm sure he will feel refreshed in a new team, but I really think he is past his best now, maybe he will scrap for 7th/8th, but thats about it.

Constructors I believe will be a 3 horse race, Ferrari, Toyota and Red Bull, Ferrari are almost the "perfect" team once again, I have a feeling however Massa will let them down due to inexperience in a front running car. Toyota look like a team on a mission, they finally got the scalp of Honda last year and a couple of podium finishes but they are obviously hungry for more, a win? Deffinate, a championship? Remains to be seen. Red Bull will be the surprise of the season I think, a Ferrari V8, (Are they on Bridgestones?) and Newey inventing new aero pieces during the season, I expect this team to get better and better with every race, DC is experienced in dog fights with the top drivers and Klien is starting to show promise, it will be a really strong year for them I feel.

I'm a daring man though and I'm still going with Kimi. If not this year then deffinatly '07...

 

[kensei]

I don't think McLaren will be screwed as such....they deffinatley have the drivers to bring home a 1st place.

No doubt, Mclaren have the drivers to win. I still think Kimi is the best driver on the grid today.....but....all that doesn't matter if they don't have an angine for the car and/or and engine that can finish race distances.

As for Honda....their car was trash last year and i don't expect it to be any better this year. JB and RB are fine drivers, nothing special, but between the car and the michelin tires they are so screwed.

At least Mclaren has the advantage of some pace in the car with two amazing drivers....

 

[Lee]

No doubt, Mclaren have the drivers to win. I still think Kimi is the best driver on the grid today.....but....all that doesn't matter if they don't have an angine for the car and/or and engine that can finish race distances.

Yeah, their chances are like a ping pong ball right now, up and down, they have so many positives but for every positive there is a negative.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

A lot of people backing Toyota here, which I find interesting. I think it could be a mish-mash year, and the person who strings together three or so victories is likely to walk off with it. In that instance I think you have to back Michael Schumacher.

 

[Milliethemutt]

Kimi. He would have got it last year but for reliability issues.

 

[Omnis]

Kimi. He would have got it last year but for reliability issues.

^ uninformed. Rofflehaus.

 

[DQuaN]

I am think MS has the best chance this year. But between all the rest, it really is up in the air. I think(hope) we will see much closer racing this year. Should be good.

 

[Cosmic]

I hope it will be Kimi. Damn McLaren having issues.

 

[Sting]

I went for Kimi.

Interesting that no one has voted for Alonso, last years champ and no one has any faith in him. lol
Either way I think it'll be a toss up between Kimi, Alonso and Michael, the current three big names. Although Kimi SHOULD win this year.

 

[Lee]

no one has any faith in him.

I don't think its a matter of faith in him, I think we will all agree he is a great driver and a deserved champion, I reckon it's more the car we don't have faith in, I don't think it's going to be the best whilst still on Michelins.

 

[Mr. Boy]

I won't be making any guesses about who's gonna win the championship until after the first race.

 

[Nasadus]

I really wonder why Mercedes or Ilmor, fail time after time to build a reliable engine. It doesn't make any sense.
I also keep hearing (for a while now) that Kimi may be too aggresive on the throttle wich is making the engine go boom. It's very much possible that he is to blame.
Being smooth on the throttle can go a long way in helping the engine stay in one piece.

 

[Lee]

that Kimi may be too aggresive on the throttle wich is making the engine go boom.

A case of Satosis right there then....

 

[Dougboy]

I think Ferrari will win. (not massa)

toyota is also strong? But in this thread, i didnt vote who i think would win, but rather, i voted who i want to win. Guess who that is

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Interesting that no one has voted for Alonso, last years champ and no one has any faith in him. lol
Either way I think it'll be a toss up between Kimi, Alonso and Michael, the current three big names. Although Kimi SHOULD win this year.

I think the odds are heavily against him. Renault are very strong tactically, and are often underestimated in terms of aero and chassis development. However, their engine programme has often been slow to react to change, and I don't think that their rear-bias chassis balance is going to work so well for them in future, with the lower power requirements. Also, I think that Alonso leaving will destabilise the team, and they also lost Mark Smith earlier in the year, and will now be starting to feel the effects of his departure.