| How they stack up - one man's opinion
I ran across this blog and thought it ought to stimulate some discussion. It's a seemingly knowledgeable F1 fan's prediction for the final standing for the 2010 season.
Where is he dead on and where did he miss it, in your opinion? The Monday Morning Crew Chief writes:
"My Formula One Predictions"
Posted by martin-n-rusty on March 9, 2010
Viewed 65 times Here is a look at how I think the 2010 Formula One season will go. As I said with my predictions, they really don't mean jack (and really, who would of called Brawn GP and Jenson Button as champions, Red Bull running extremely well, and Ferrari having a poor season by its standards), but here we go
24. Karun Chandhok (Hispania) - Granted, he has had some success in the Asian based series, but a new team, which up until a month ago had problems about as bad as US F1, and him being a rookie driver, I can't see him really scoring any points unless dumb luck happens
23. Vitantionio Liuzzi (Force India) - Yes, Force India has improved nicely since its start, but I never really found Liuzzi to be a talent, even in his days in Toro Rosso (even though he did score more points than Scott Speed, his team mate at the time). He might score a point here and there, but I feel I won't see much from him
22. Bruno Senna (Hispania) - Yes, it was his famous uncle, Ayrton, who said that if you thought he (Ayrton) was fast, just go look at his nephew, but, as I said, with a team that up until a month back, was having troubles, I can't see Hispania giving Bruno a good car, not to mention that he just doesn't seem to have the talents that Ayrton said he had.
21. Jarno Trulli (Lotus) - A new team, with a driver that really hasn't had a lot of sustained success. I could underestimate this prediction, but I might not.
20. Heikki Kovalainen (Virgin) - New team, badly underperformed at times in a McLaren. I think this is about the right spot to put him in
19. Timo Glock (Virgin) - See Trulli, though in his defense, he was on a Toyota team that underperformed badly.
18. Vitaly Petrov (Renault) - I might underestimate his position, as he has had some, but not great success, but I think being a rookie, and this not being the Renault of years back, I can not see him having a good season. There should be points where he scores points, but I can't see it happening often
17. Lucas di Grassi (Virgin) - I think him being on a new team, and being a rookie will hold him back. He has had some pretty good successes in lower series (since 2005, he has only finished below 3rd once in a series he raced in, his rookie year in GP2), so if everything falls right, I could see him being in the top 10 in points, but ill be conservative in this pick for now.
16. Adrian Sutil (Force India) - Yes, he was the number 2 on Force India last year, but with being the number one now on that team, and it having improved from its disastrous first year, I could see him doing decently this season. Nothing impressive, but enough to put Force India on the points sheet here and there
15. Jamie Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) - Essentially a rookie, despite running about half the season last year for Toro Rosso, that should give him a leg up on some of the other rookies. He has won some championships in lower series, but being on what amounts to Red Bull's B-Team will hold him back a little.
14. Sebastian Buemi (Toro Rosso) - Again, on Red Bull's B-Team, but he has a year of experience now, and that means he should perform better.
13. Pedro de la Rosa (BMW Sauber) - This guy has had some pretty crappy rides thought his career (Jaguar, Arrows), and was only a part timer in his appearences in McLarens, but Sauber, if it is in its current forum, is a decent team, and when de la Rosa was rising through the ranks years back, the guy was able to win titles in lower series, so it's not like he lacks in talent, he just never had the cars or time to show it. He should get his best points finish if things go right.
12. Kaumi Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) - This guy is absolutely crazy, as Jenson Button said, but this guy has a real big racers fire in him. He might ☻☻☻☻ off a driver now and again, but he should get some good finishes along the way.
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) - This guy has talent, as evidenced in the 4 titles he has won in lower series, but Williams is a decent car, and with him being a rookie, that will hold him back from doing better. I would not be surprised if he podiums in a race though. Should be, along with Kaumi Kobayashi, be one of the top rookies this season in F1.
10. Robert Kubica (Renault) - Wasn't it a few years back that we were seeing big things for Kubica? In a decent ride, but it seemed like he just wasn't what he was expected to be. Might podium a race here and there, but don't expect what was predicted of him a few years back.
9. Rubens Barrichello (Williams) - It's a damn shame (and you will rarely ever see me use that word) that Barrichello doesn't have any F1 titles in his trophy case, but that what happens when you run with Michael Schumacher for most of your career, or run for sub-par teams on other parts of your carrer. He still has talents, but don't expect him to do what he did last season. Might threaten to win a race or two though still if things fall right.
8. Mark Webber (Red Bull) - Red Bull was absolutely amazing last season, and the talents Mark Webber had started to show. With what should be renewed competition from Ferrari, as well as other good teams towards the top, this could be a realistic finishing position for him, but I would not be surprised if he is running for a shot at the title again this season.
7. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) - He had done well in lower series prior to moving up to F1, but being on an average Williams team held him back a little bit. He will have a good team mate in Michael Schumacher to guide him along, so he should finish decently in the points this season.
6. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - Just like Rubens Barrichello, in his prime, but the only reason why he will never get a title is that he had a team mate that took high priority, or the luck was just not there. This will be more of the same.
5. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) - For those expecting the Michael Schumacher of 10 years ago to enter that car, and flat out dominate the field again... let's temper those expectations a little. Yes, he should win races, but he won't be flat out dominating, with 3 other teams capable of having a championship driver on their team.
4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) - As I said before, Red Bull was amazing, and Vettel was definitely one reason for the huge improvement. Should be a championship contender, but Ferrari should make a comeback, and McLaren wanting to show that last year was a fluke, he will definitely have to bring his A-game every race.
3. Jenson Button (McLaren) - About damn time that this guy showed the talent everybody expected him to show. Nobody expected Button and Brawn GP to show good performances for the races last year, and instead, we probably ended up with one of the greatest stories in F1 history. If this is what is to come, Button will finally be able to do what people expected of him when he was coming out of Formula Ford's and Formula 3.
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) - He is finally with the team he wanted to be a part of. Yes, I find him to be a drama queen at times, but at the same time, I will never doubt his abilities. After somewhat languishing on a average Renault team that wasn't like his first time around, this should be a shot in the arm for him, and he should be a serious title contender again.
1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - If Ferrari wasn't slumping last season, Lewis would of probably had a much worse season, but since Ferrari was there to cushion that fall, and McLaren usually being a top team, I can't see this slump lasting long either. He should be considered a title contender as well, and I believe we should have a good title battle this season between 4 drivers at least.
Your turn... .
__________________ Note to self: Remember to take out the trash on Nov 2, 2010
****
Fight organized crime:
Re-elect no one...
|
03-10-2010, 09:45 PM
Linear Mode
