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If ever one team looked as they were carefully orchestrating the puzzle pieces into place with high-precision, then Red Bull Racing would surely match the bill. From the team’s first season in 2005 onwards Red Bull have steadily improved, enjoying a few flash-in-the-pan results and gaining some key staff while a masterplan is followed. In 2006 Adrian Newey arrived from McLaren and a deal was struck to run Ferrari engines. In 2007 the team ran Renault engine units and apparently courted Fernando Alonso when he became available. But despite all this, last year was perhaps a year of treading water for the squad as reliability troubles hit the team and stopped them in their tracks. Continue Reading…

Lewis Hamilton put his McLaren MP4-23 at the top of the timing sheets on the day that saw Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen share the tarmac in equal equipment. The times were tight, with one second separating the top thirteen and the top half of the tables showing some interesting names. The track was damp in the morning, but unlike last week a dry line appeared relatively quickly and the teams were able to get some decent running in. Continue Reading…

This is the second in my retrospective posts series, looking back at the previous three season previews I’ve written. This time around it is the other Japanese team, Toyota who feel the wrath of my website history. Ever since joining the circus back in 2002 they’ve never really looked like winning, this despite their enormous budget, one that is often considered to be the largest on the grid. My first preview came about just prior to the 2006 season when the team were riding the relative high of 2005. By 2008, the squad had received an ultimatum of sorts from the parent company, frustrated by the lack of results from the masses of investment. They have a couple of years to sort themselves out to avoid the might of Toyota’s accountants, no doubt. Continue Reading…

The 2008 season will be Toyota’s seventh in Formula One and it could prove to be very important for the future of the squad. Since their inaugural season in 2002, the highly-funded team have have failed to score a victory and have only been on the podium four times, each occasion being a third place finish, 75% of which were during their most successful year to date - 2005. The bosses are looking very carefully at the team, weighing up the pros and cons of continued investment in what is little more than a mobile advertising board. Continue Reading…

In his new role of developing Ferrari’s Formula One machines, seven-times champion Michael Schumacher will take control of the 2008 car next week at the final group test prior to the new season starting in March. Schumacher has been lying low recently, following his tests in the F2007 late last year. At that time the German demonstrated some handy skill, setting decent lap times and showed the world he still had some pace. Schumacher will take to the Barcelona track with reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen in the sister car on Monday, the first time both drivers have been on the same circuit in the same car. Schumacher will hand over the reins to Felipe Massa for Tuesday and Wednesday. Continue Reading…

The Red Bull B-team will enter their third season in 2008, but the car they will begin with will look strikingly similar to the model used at the end of 2007. This is because it pretty much is the same car, STR having recently admitted that they are indeed waiting for a hand-me-down from Red Bull Racing, as many fans had suspected. The team seem to be under the impression that this will prove to be a good move, and Ferrari and McLaren have tried this approach in the past. However, Ferrari and McLaren tried it with proven winners rather than a mere point-scraper. Continue Reading…

As Clive was so keen to point out earlier, Kazuki Nakajima has topped the timing sheets on the third and final day of testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Nakajima, a driver of only one race so far, set a time of 1m22.153s and beat not only his more experienced team mate Nico Rosberg, but also the Ferraris and McLarens. Both previous days of testing had been a wash out, but the Williams duo had looked quite strong this week with Rosberg topping out on the first day. However, on a finally dry track and with more teams running, Nakajima popped in a time when it mattered. Which according to Clive, shows his real pace and why many fans might be a little surprised by his form this upcoming season. Continue Reading…

Seeing the 2008 Honda preview post go up triggered my mind to think about how the team have fluctuated over the last few years, from the transition from BAR to Honda, the simply awesome 2004 campaign, Button’s win in 2006 and of course, the spectacular disappointment that was their 2007 season. Below are a few paragraphs from my 2006, 2007 and 2008 preview posts. If anything, it shows the downward spiral the team have endured over the last two years. Interestingly though, all three posts end on a positive note. Maybe I should stop doing that… Continue Reading…

How Honda got 2007 so horrendously wrong is quite simply beyond belief. This time last year, most of us knew and had accepted that the RA107 wasn’t going to be a great car, but I don’t think many of us expected the junior team to wipe the floor with the factory team for most of the season. The fact that Super Aguri led Honda in the championships right up until the Chinese Grand Prix should serve as serious embarrassment for the Japanese car company. Honda absolutely have to improve and return themselves to the regular point-scorers they once were. Failure to achieve this could spell disaster for the future of the team. Continue Reading…

The second day of testing was finalised earlier today with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa going fastest on the rain-soaked Circuit de Catalunya. Massa was partnering test driver Luca Badoer today as they worked on a revised aerodynamic package on the F2008. Massa did suffer a spin on the damp tarmac, but his new car escaped unscathed and the Brazilian was able to complete 46 laps, with Badoer making 33 passes on the start/finish line. Continue Reading…