2004 FEATURES
2004 FEATURES
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2004 Mid Season Preview by Derek Matkovic
BMW Williams F1 Team
A very disappointing season so
far is all you can say for this team considering they took Montoya to the
drivers championship last year confidence that they could repeat it in 04 had to
be high. Looking at things now it certainly would not
be, the teams high profile Walrus nosed twin keel car
has been in Williams eyes at least a let down being really no match
for the Ferrari and for that matter is struggling to keep ahead of the Renault
and BAR cars. Montoya has not been able to mount any
sort of serious defense of his title which he has no chance of winning now (he
has not been higher than third this year) though not through lack of trying.
As for Ralf Schumacher his season has really not gotten off the ground at
all, with many thinking that he has had to many
distractions this year (Toyota Discussions etc) and
now that he is out injured it is not a year he will remember fondly.
As for what Williams can do in the second part,
well I don't think much more than they did in the
first. They have failed pretty badly by their own
standards. For team pride and confidence let's
hope they can improve.
Scuderia Marlboro Ferrari
Well what a
season this team is having considering the pretty poor season they had last
year. To date they have won nine races with Michael
Schumacher winning eight and Ruben's Barrichello one
with four of those being one two's. Schumacher is back
to his best and has really overshadowed his teammate
Barrichello who really has not driven to badly, but
has suffered from inconsistency. The teams last race
in France was not a great one, but come Britain and
the second half of the season you should see Schumacher and Ferrari resume the
dominance they showed in the first half.
West McLaren Mercedes
Well if
Williams season so far has been a Bad failure,
Mclaren's has been a total fiasco. The teams new MP419
has been to date a pig of a car really which makes you
wonder what was going on when they designed it, the
best result the team had up to America being a fourth.
But in saying this the introduction of the heavily revised MP419B in France did
see a big improvement with David Coulthard and Kimi
Raikanen bringing the cars home third and fourth so maybe not all is lost for
the team and an upswing in fortunes in the second half
of the season could be on the cards. It had want to
be. As for the drivers well Raikkonen has tried his
hardest with not much reward and he must feel bitterly disappointed that his
chances for the title this year were scuttled from round one with the
not competitive design of the original 19.
As for David Coulthard well all I can say is
that I think this may well be his final season of F1.
He really has not given at least in his driving anyway any compelling
reason why he should be back next year as he has been totally outrun by Raikkonen.
France excepted and if the Mclaren's competitiveness continues to rise in the
second half I expect him to fall further behind his
teammate. We shall see
though.
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team
Another team that has been having a very successful season so far with they to being ahead of both Williams and Mclaren in the constructors championship. Like BAR consistency has put them where they are with points finishes in pretty much all races that they have finished in from both drivers and I don't see this changing for the second half of the season. Both Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli have been quite closely matched with each other with Alonso picking up two second places in at his home race in Spain and at the Nurburgring and Trulli coming close to winning but in the end having to settle for second at the teams home race in France. This team I feel has the closest pairing of drivers of all teams at the moment and it will be interesting to see as we go into the second half of the season weather they will be able to leapfrog their closest rivals at the moment in BAR. I am sure Renault will be confident they can.
Lucky Strike BAR Honda
Well what can you say about BAR. They really have done
an exceptional job to be where they are at the moment that is lying second in
the constructors championship, comfortably ahead of
established big guns Mclaren and Williams. The whole
team is really gelled together at the moment under the guidance of David
Richards and with Honda giving them pretty handy
engines there second half of the season could surpass there first.
Jenson Button has really fitted in well now with this team and it is
showing with an amazing run of points scoring finishes in every race this year
culminating in his and the teams first win at France showing how well they are
working with each other and showing how well he taking
advantage of the great package both BAR and Honda are giving him, because of
this don't discount another Button win before the season is out.
As for his teammate Takuma Sato well his season
can be described in one word erratic, when he has been
on it he has been a match for Button and he has been on the podium twice this
year with third in at the Nurburgring and second at Indy.
If he can get more reliability and consistency I expect him to be up with
Button in the second part of the season.
Sauber Petronas
This team has
performed as expected in the first half 2004 pretty much running in the middle
of the field and scoring points on occasion which to
be honest is what they do every year as regular as a Swiss
watch and for the second half of the season I don't
see too much of that changing for this team. The car
it's self has steadily improved as the season has
progressed which has allowed their talented driver line up of Jason Winton and
Giancarlo Fisichella to score points quite regularly since
Monaco, with Winton picking up points in five straight
races (Monaco to Canada) and Fisichella getting his
only points this year in Canada also. Speaking of the
drivers Jason Winton has continued to impress with not only his speed but his
consistency so much so that the rumors have it that he is on his way to Williams
next year and if true would not be a surprise. As for
Giancarlo Fisichella he has had a bit of an up down year really and as such has
been overshadowed a bit by Winton but none the less has been solid and
I expect him to get right back to full form in the
second half of the year.
Panasonic Toyota Racing
Not a great deal to report from this team for the first half of the year and I don't think there will be a great deal to report for the second half either with only one point on the board with an eighth for Christiano Da Matta at the US GP. So far Toyota have shown that they can spend an awful lot of money and get little result for it and I am sure that part of this goes with the fact that they seem to want to change personnel every year or have rumors about that they will, firstly with the arrival of Mike Gascoyne to late really to affect this years car though he is trying and now the rumors of Ralf Schumacher joining them I am sure news of this would be unsettling to Panis and Da Matta and along with a car that really can't do much life at Toyota would be difficult for them. The car has been very ordinary and as for the drivers both Panis and Da Matta have done I think as well as they can with it but the status quo will remain for the rest of 04. Maybe 05.
Jaguar Racing
Under funded! This is the reason why Jaguar simply can't compete with the big boys even though they are officially a factory team, still to the halfway mark of the season they are ahead of Toyota which goes to show that the team is competent, they just need more funds. Mark Webber has done as well as he possibly could I feel with the R5 scoring points in both Canada and France and pretty much eclipsing his rookie teammate the Austrian pay driver Christian Klien. Really there is not much more to say Jaguar will continue to do in the second half of the season what they did in the first. Sit on the fringes and hope for things to go their way.
Jordan Ford
What a mess this team is now, this is a team that used
to run at the front and even win, but looking at the
way they have gone in the first half of the season you would not know
it. The team hired Nick Heidfeld
as their star so to speak and so far he really has not looked like it though to
be fair he is probably unmotivated by having to drive the uncompetitive Jordan
so uncompetitive that at times they have struggled to keep ahead of the
Minardi's. Jordan through their lack of funds have had
a succession of pay drivers fill the second seat in
the first half of the season, firstly Derek Matkovic who surprisingly was a
match and sometimes more than a match for Heidfeld
he was then dropped for Timo Glock in Canada and then eventually sacked probably
due to money and replaced by Giorgio Pantano from France onwards, as
I said what a mess. Really
this team won't change to much in
the second half of the year the only thing that will will probably be the second
driver again. As for points unlikely.
Minardi Cosworth
The perennial strugglers at the back of the grid and the first half of 04 has not changed anything for Paul Stoddart's little team. The Ferenza based squad try their hardest and do a professional job on the limited budget that have and have on occasion this year even challenged Jordan in some races but really have never really looked like doing anything else but bring up the rear in the first half of this season and that unfortunately will not change in the second half. The two drivers Giamaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner both pay drivers as is the norm at this team have actually been quite well matched together but I think Bruni possibly has not lived up to the expectations that Minardi had for him but in saying that there is not much that a driver in a Minardi can do anyway. Minardi in the second half will still be the perennial strugglers they were in the first.
2004 Pre Season Preview by Derek Matkovic
BMW Williams F1 Team
They had an exceptional 03 and basically got stronger as the season went on especially Montoya who of course as we all know went on to win the title. Can he defend it? well if the testing times of the new and some would say radical FW26 are anything to go by, he is in with a good chance, though with the fact that he has already signed for rivals Mclaren could be a big factor. As for his teammate Ralf Schumacher, well this is a bit of a make or break year for him this year after his rather hot and cold performances in season 03 and the fact that Montoya outclassed him in the second half of the season and with contract negotiations with Williams stalled he is really going to start putting in the performances expected of him to get back in favor with the team. Has he got the driving talent to do this, yes he has. Has he got the mental strength to do it, some would say it is doubtful but we will see as the season progresses if this is the case. Favorites for the championship in most peoples eyes.
Scuderia Marlboro Ferrari
How the mighty have fallen, or have they? By their own standards the 03 season for Scuderia Ferrari was one that they would prefer to forget with only one win apiece for Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello they were simply overwhelmed by a resurgent Williams BMW team. But I don't see this happening in 04 as testing of the 2004 car has been very impressive indeed and I think that Ferrari will be well aware of the short-comings of last year's car and will make sure that the team is on the front foot from the start this year. Michael Schumacher will be looking to win title number six and i am sure will be extra motivated to take the title back from Montoya and Williams and as for Barrichello well no disrespect to him I do not think he is going to be the one Ferrari looks to win for them this year, but in saying that i guess he has as good a chance as any to win the title and he is confident he can do it, so we will have to wait and see, Don't bet against them winning both titles again.
West McLaren Mercedes
Like Ferrari, Mclaren would see 03 as a rather disappointing year. Granted Raikkonen was in the hunt for the title until very late in the year, but I am sure the team would have thought they were in with a realistic chance of winning at least one of the titles in 03. Instead they came away empty handed and I am sure the team would put that down to the fact that they were forced to use the MP4/17 for the whole year when their much anticipated MP4/18 never materialized. Well expect season 04 to be a lot different for Mclaren. they were the first team to roll out their new car the MP4/19 and as such have had the advantage of a lot more track time than their rivals which is certain to be an advantage and also the fact that they have Kimi Raikkonen in good form and highly confident of winning the title this year things are definitely looking up for team Mclaren. As for David Coulthard well with his time at McLaren ending he is just going to be out to do as well as he possibly can this year, not only to boost his stocks, but I am sure also for the personal satisfaction of putting one over his teammate on occasion. and I am sure he can.
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team
The big improvers of 03 and under the flamboyant leadership of Italian Flavio Briatore will I am sure be looking to challenge the big boys on a more consistent basis in 04. But Renault have had a few upheavals in the off-season that could affect them this year the major one being the loss of their chief designer Mike Gascoyne to Toyota and the second being Renault's decision to abandon the 111 degree engine to return to a more conventional 72 degree design, how much all this does affect them remains to be seen, but they are well run so I do not see to many problems. As for the drivers Jarno Trulli is going to have to break his good qualifier not so good racer tag this year otherwise he could be shown the door at season's end and as for Alonso well two wins last year in both his home GP in Spain and another in Hungary have pretty much established him as a star of the future and the team will be looking to him to lead them to more this year. A real dark-horse in 04.
Lucky Strike BAR Honda
Well the question that I guess can be asked of this team is can they make the jump to the front in 04 after having a reasonably solid 03.Their extremely impressive performances in pre season testing certainly make them look as though they are ready to challenge the big boys, but, testing can be deceptive so round one in Australia will show there real form. The team it's self is as you would expect is very happy with the new car with chief designer Geoff Willis confident it is a big improvement over last years, Honda too are very happy with their new engines as they look to have both power and reliability now, defiantly something that was lacking last year. On the driver front Jenson Button stays and assumes the number one role in the team and is joined this year the fast but very erratic Japanese driver Takuma Sato who it must be said is probably there on Honda's insistence, but in saying that can handle himself. BAR is a team that is defiantly going to have to step up and be counted this year especially with the fact that the Honda contract ends in 04,but this is a team on the up now and like Renault will be a definite dark horse this season. One to watch.
Sauber Petronas
Well all I can say about this team is expect more of the same, that is solid midfield running with the odd point scoring if things go their way. But in saying that you can't say Sauber aren't trying to change this persona for the 04 season with what I would regard as the fastest driver combination of any team this year, with the signing of Giancarlo Fisichella and last year's rookie sensation Australian Jason Winton. If the Sauber team can harness the undoubted abilities of these two and they work together, remember both of these guys are very ambitious and are going to be going flat out to impress as much as they can so there could be friction) team Sauber could be in for a year similar to 01 when a rather talented Finn by the name of Kimi Raikanen was with them. Along with the team using 04 spec Ferrari engines and their new wind-tunnel on line, my prediction of more of the same for them could be very wrong. Let's see.
Panasonic Toyota Racing
Toyota certainly will be looking to improve again on there reasonably solid performances of 03 and the acquisition of Mike Gascoyne from Renault should certainly boost them in the future if not this year. The fact that they have kept both drivers this year should be a big benefit and should help them improve even more in 04.The car should be very good and coupled to an engine that many people last year thought was at least the equal of the BMW and a budget that is second only to Ferrari's ,more competitive results will be expected from the team this year. The drivers. Well they have a very solid lineup, in, Olivier Panis they have a driver that is very good at sorting a car as well as being very quick and in Christiano Da Matta they have a quick and solid backup in the ex-Indycar champion.Toyota could surprise this year.
Jaguar Racing
Jaguar enter 04 hoping to improve dramatically on what was a very lackluster end to the 03 season for them. The driving lineup has changed, whilst they have managed to keep Mark Webber they have lost Jason Winton who it must be said over shadowed Webber at times to Sauber, his place being taken by rookie Austrian Christian Klien. For Webber this is going to be a year for him to rebuild and reassert himself in the Jaguar team as well to try and rebuild his stocks in the eyes of the big team bosses and with Winton gone i think he will do this well. The team are going to look to him to bring home most of the results, the question is will the leaping cat's new R5 let him do it, well after initial reports that the car was was aerodynamically flawed, testing times of late have been quite good so the team would certainly feel that they have a good chance of scoring points in most races this year. As for Klien well he is really going to have his work cut out as he learns about F1 while trying to be competative, really he is in the team because of Red Bull money so how competitive he will be is debatable. But as they say we will see.
Jordan Ford
This is going to be a very difficult year for Jordan as they really are struggling to fund the operation let alone do the necessary development needed to be competitive in F1 these days. The only thing Jordan can hope for is that things go there way in some races and that they can scramble some points. Having Nick Heidfeld in the team is probably their biggest asset as he is certainly talented and like Fisichella and Winton at Sauber will get the car in places at times were it should not be. As for the teams second driver Minardi refugee Derek Matkovic, well he is the money man and is in the team simply because of that fact and even though he managed to match his teammate of 03 Verstappen in the second half of the season I expect the more talented Heidfeld to completely overshadow him this year. But in saying that Matkovic should at least be solid in the second car finishing the odd race, but he won't bother Heidfeld. He is just another pay-driver.
Minardi Cosworth
The perennial back-markers and unfortunately I cannot see anything that will change this. Because of the lack of budget that this team has they have as they did last year had to hire two pay drivers in the form of Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner.Bruni does come highly rated by the team and they have been quite impressed by him so any results the team get this year should come from him. As for Baumgartner well in the two races he did for Jordan last year he did nothing to really impress anyone and at Minardi I do not think that is going to change. This team like Jordan needs more money to do anything. They are a hardworking team though and will do the best they can with what they have.